Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones vs Apple AirPods Max: which flagship wireless headphones are better?

Bose has had a long history of making excellent over-ear headphones with exceptional noise-cancelling. So imagine its annoyance when Apple entered the fray. Apple surprised the wireless headphones market when it released its first over-ear AirPods Max with active noise cancelling (ANC) – and priced them at the premium end.

The AirPods Max earned five stars from us, thanks to their peerless build quality and sophisticated design, married with stunning sound and effortless usability. But then Bose shot back with the premium QuietComfort Ultra Headphones, whose portable design, fantastic ANC and enjoyable sound also earned them five stars.

Both are excellent headphones in their own right, but which model is the best option for you?

It's worth noting that Apple has launched a new version of the AirPods Max this September 2024 – but it wasn't the massive overhaul we expected. The AirPods Max (2024) have a new USB-C port replacing the old Lightning connector and five new shades of finishes. And that's it – there's no change to the sound, build, ANC quality or anything else. We haven't tested this new model yet; our experience with the original model still stands for this comparison.

Written by

Written by

Kashfia Kabir

As an Apple user, I love using the AirPods Max. They offer the most seamless experience when connected to my iOS devices, making music-listening, movie-watching and general daily use a dream. Even after four years and countless new rivals, they still sound outstanding. They're expensive, yes, but it's the first time that Apple has shown it was serious about audio – and they proved it with aplomb. There's one problem, however: Bose has years more experience in this field, and the QuietComfort Ultra Headphones offer a more practical, foldable design for portable use and brilliant noise-cancelling. I've been testing headphones for over a decade, and while I think both these pairs sound great and offer effective noise-cancelling, what your priorities are will decide which of these two stellar headphones is the best fit for you.

Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones vs Apple AirPods Max: price

• AirPods Max (2024) – cheaper in the UK than original model
• Look out for discounts during Black Friday/Christmas sales period

The two flagship wireless headphones from Apple and Bose are pitched at the premium end of the market. Apple raised the bar considerably when it released the AirPods Max in December 2020, crossing the £500 / $500 barrier for wireless headphones for the first time with its launch price of £549 / $549 / AU$899. Before then, most other brands such as Sony had capped their headphones at the £300 / $350 mark. The AirPods Max opened the door to a new world of more expensive (and more sonically capable) wireless headphones than before, ushering in rivals from Bose, Bowers & Wilkins, Focal, Mark Levinson and more since then.

We've seen the original AirPods Max come down in price to around £420 / $450 / AU$800 in the past and there are some deals around for this older Lightining-equipped model, but the new AirPods Max (2024) have an official launch price of £499 / $549 / AU$899. Those in the UK get a very welcome £100 saving on the original price, but there's no change for other territories.

The Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones are the current flagship over-ears of Bose's current line-up and cost £450 / $429 / AU$649 when they launched. While they have largely stuck to their original asking price, we've seen the price start to come down recently to just £329 in the UK in a flash sale.

We are hoping to see a handful of discounts during the Black Friday and Christmas sales season coming up, especially for the Bose headphones, so keep your eyes peeled if you're on the hunt for a deal.

**Winner: Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones**

Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones vs AirPods Max: build and comfort

• AirPods Max offer a more luxurious build and finish
• AirPods Max (2024) comes in five new colours; Bose has three finishes
• Bose QC Ultra Headphones are foldable and have a more practical carry case
• Both are comfortable to wear

Bose has had plenty of experience making wireless headphones, and it shows. The QC Ultra Headphones combine tactile surfaces and premium materials in an appealing package. But there's function as well as form – they are fully foldable, getting pleasingly small thanks to their flexible hinges, which is ideal for regular portable use. Stick them in the compact carry case and they'll take up minimal space in your bag. Which is not something that can be said about the AirPods Max...

The Bose headphones are comfortable, being relatively lightweight and with a grip that's not too tight. And the headband has plenty of room for adjustments. They also rest rather comfortably around your neck when not in use; they're practical for wearing when travelling on your daily commute or long-haul flight.

You control them using a capacitive touch strip, which is nice and responsive, and a button to which you can assign different functions like switching listening modes and answering calls. The Bose headphones come in Black, White Smoke or Lunar Blue finishes.

That's fewer than the original AirPods Max, which boast five colour options: Silver, Space Grey, Sky Blue, Pink and Green. The updated AirPods Max (2024) also comes in five finishes, but there are new hues available: Blue, Purple, Midnight, Starlight and Orange. The metallic sheen of these finishes is luxurious and the overall quality befits the premium price tag.

The Max are also more impressive in terms of materials, with pristinely machined, single-piece anodised aluminium ear cups, a stainless-steel headband and memory foam cushions. All this does make them quite heavy, at 385g, though it's distributed so evenly that they never feel weighty or uncomfortable.

Controls? You get a button for switching between the noise-cancelling modes and a rotary dial inspired by the Apple Watch's Digital Crown for adjusting volume and controlling music playback and calls. Typical for an Apple product, the dial is a delight to use and very responsive. Even four years on from using the AirPods Max, the high-quality feel of the headphones is still sophisticated and better than most rivals.

The 'smart' case, however, remains a sore point. Not only does it look fairly ridiculous, but it also does a poor job of protecting the headphones as it doesn't cover them fully. Apple says this case is designed for the AirPods to fall into a low-power mode when not in use, but it's just not very practical or appealing – not ideal when you've spent this amount of money.

This one will come down to taste and practicality, as Bose's foldable and more portable-friendly design will appeal to many, but there's no denying the AirPods Max is the more luxuriously built model with elegant controls.

**Winner: Draw**

Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones vs AirPods Max: features

• AirPods Max are very iOS-centric; Bose is more device-agnostic
• Bose supports higher-quality Bluetooth codec
• AirPods Max's spatial audio performance is better

So what makes these Bose headphones so Ultra? They're the first with Bose's Immersive Audio tech, which is its own take on spatial audio. The idea is to make the audio sound less like it's being piped into your ears and more like it's coming from a pair of speakers, and works with any smartphone source device.

You get two modes: Still and Motion. Still is for when you're in one place and want the music in a fixed position. Motion keeps you immersed while on the move. We find both modes a little hit and miss, with the 'Motion' mode adding in delay and phase issues that mar our enjoyment. It isn't as effective or as impressive as Apple's Spatial Audio can be with the right content, and keeping the Immersive modes on drains battery life considerably.

Qualcomm's higher-quality aptX Adaptive codec is onboard for handling hi-res 24-bit/96kHz files, as is Bluetooth Multipoint for connecting to and switching between multiple sources simultaneously. Battery life is 24 hours with Immersive Audio turned off and 18 hours with it turned on.

That's comparable with the 20 hours offered by the AirPods Max (with ANC on), but both headphones offer less than the 30 hours of five-star rivals Sony WH-1000XM5 and Bowers & Wilkins Px8, and around a third of the massive 60 hours delivered by the Sennheiser Momentum Wireless 4.

The original AirPods Max have the old Lightning connector charging port, while the newer 2024 model uses the USB-C port, as does Bose. If you want to listen to these headphones wired, Bose offers a 3.5mm to 2.5mm cable in the box (you can't listen via USB-C), while Apple allows you to listen through the Lightning or USB-C port with an optional adapter. Remember that the headphones need to be fully charged to listen wired, too.

Both headphones feature wear detection, which automatically pauses music when you take the cans off and resumes playing when you put them back on. Apple has its own version of Bluetooth Multipoint that seamlessly switches between connected iOS devices, too, but the AirPods don't support any higher-quality Bluetooth codec.

The new AirPods Max (2024) feature Personalised Spatial Audio with dynamic headtracking to offer cinematic, immersive sound which is anchored to your screen, while Adaptive EQ tailors the sound to your ears and fit. Also new is a Conversation Mode (originally present in the AirPods Pro 2 wireless earbuds), which recognises when you're speaking and lowers the volume so you can have a chat. These extra features are iOS only (sorry Android users) and work well in the five-star AirPods Pro 2, so we expect them to work just as well in the over-ears.

**Winner: Apple AirPods Max**

Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones vs AirPods Max: noise-cancelling

• Bose offers impressive ANC quality and offers more custom adjustment
• AirPods Max's ANC quality isn't too far behind, but you can't customise

ANC is a major feature of both headphones. Bose's headphones feature five microphones in each earcup and use the brand's CustomTune calibration and clever Aware Mode with ActiveSense technology. These optimise and adjust the amount of ANC you’re hearing based on your surroundings, while ensuring your music doesn't get drowned out by sudden loud noises. There is ample scope for customisation, too, so you can set your own noise-blocking profiles and adjust the amount of noise you're happy with.

The noise cancelling on the QC Ultra Headphones is impressive. It dramatically reduces background rumbles while out and about, and the screeching London Underground is rendered a mere background murmur during our commute. Even compared with other rivals at this price point – the Sony WH-1000XM5 and B&W Px7 S2e, for instance – the Bose is the clear winner when it comes to how effective its ANC is. One occasional quirk did surprise us, though – the noise cancelling somehow enhanced the clunk of the train doors closing instead of subduing it during our testing. This is more of a curiosity than a genuine annoyance.

The AirPods Max are no slouch in the sound-blocking area, however, effectively dimming noise around you. Each earcup features an Apple H1 chip to analyse information coming in from eight microphones around and inside the headphones (a ninth microphone picks up your voice). This not only helps the noise cancellation, but it also adjusts the sound 200 times a second to the fit and seal around your ears.

The Bose is better at blocking out constant, droning sounds like engine noise, but the AirPods Max still let very little noise through, and they're marginally better at inconsistent irritants like office chitchat (and its awful cousin, banter). There is little scope to adjust the ANC levels like on the Bose, but the AirPods Max are just a short hop down from the Bose's more comprehensive level of ANC quality.

We also find that the ANC mode does flatten the dynamics and slightly soften the punch on the AirPods Max, as well as making the top frequency a little more pronounced. It doesn't mar the performance too much, but if you prioritise sound quality, we would advise leaving ANC switched off until you need it.

Both headphones also offer a full Transparency Mode that pumps in surrounding noise so you're aware of train announcements and the like, but note that this effect has a slightly artificial quality on the AirPods Max.

**Winner: Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones**

Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones vs AirPods Max: sound

• Bose offer a rich, full-bodied sound that's punchy and excitingly dynamic
• AirPods Max are clear, spacious and wonderfully nuanced, with precise rhythms and authentic-sounding presentation
• Bose headphones are highly entertaining, but Apple offers a "sonic sophistication" that's a step above

Sonically, the Bose QC Ultra Headphones do very well indeed. At first, they sound a little uptight and forward, but once given time to bed in they're a hugely entertaining pair. They have a precise, punchy delivery, and theirs is an enthusiasm that knows no bounds.

Notes are well-defined with plenty of texture, and there's a sense of richness and refinement to both ends of the frequency range. We listened to a variety of genres during our testing, and they are equally comfortable with dynamic fare as they are more intimate productions. We said in our original review: "Switch over to Mombassa from the Inception soundtrack and we immediately start to panic. Not because there’s anything wrong with the sound, but because the headphones immediately capture the drama and danger that this track tries to convey." Delicacy and intense dynamism are handled with care, and overall they keep our feet tapping along to the music.

All in all, a treat for the ears.

But less so with Bose's Immersive Audio. This is Bose's take on spatial audio, and while it works well with some tracks, it really doesn't with others. When it works, it adds space to the soundscape, but when it doesn't, it sounds too processed. It will be a case of trial and error as to which tracks in your library feel the benefit.

There's another niggle, too. The Motion mode within Immersive Audio is plagued by delay and phase issues as the processing tries to catch up with your head movements. It's all rather distracting. As with the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds, you have to weigh up whether the Immersive Audio's added spaciousness and listening issues are worth the sacrifice in battery life (with the QC Ultra Headphones, it lops six hours off the total battery life).

The AirPods Max remain a joy to listen to, even over four years after we first heard them. They feature a custom Apple-made 40mm driver with a dual neodymium ring magnet motor.

They have clarity and energy in spades, and it's all delivered with Apple's impressively neutral sonic balance. The openness and spaciousness beat the Bose, and make it sound as if you’re sitting in the room as the musicians play around you. Be warned that the AirPods Max don't shy away from showing up poor recordings, particularly at the top end thanks to their superb treble refinement.

During our original review, we played a Tidal Master recording of The Road by Nick Cave and Warren Ellis, and said that "the AirPods Max nail the beautiful inconsistencies in the timing and pressure of the piano notes that come from the live nature of the recording. They’re both organic and precise, with lovely, subtle degradation to the tail of each note, but a definite, precise end when the vibration of the strings is stopped. All of the notes are full and solid, lending a physicality to the recording that is missed by lesser headphones, plus a texture that makes everything that bit more moving".

There is a level of sonic sophistication that's a step above the Bose QC Ultra Headphones. The sound is wonderfully crisp and clear, agile and nimble-footed, and it sounds energetic as well as authentic.

They're great for movies too, with spatial audio providing a virtual surround sound experience from 5.1, 7.1 and even Dolby Atmos content. Not only that, but built-in dynamic head tracking means that the sound is always relative to the screen, even when you move your head or the iPhone or iPad on which you’re watching. All told, the effect is superb. The whole presentation is very open, spacious and convincing, and the tracking is amazingly smooth and accurate as you move your head.

**Winner: Apple AirPods Max**

Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones vs Apple AirPods Max: verdict

Both wireless headphones are five-star performers that tick so many boxes, and deliver convincing performances for their considerably high price tags. The Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones are ideal for those who are always on the go. Their folding, lightweight and practical design is better suited for portable use and long travel times, while the superb (and customisable) noise-cancelling effect is better than Apple's and the best you'll find in any over-ear model to date. Their rich, enjoyable sound is fun to listen to, but the immersive/spatial audio effect is inferior to Apple's.

The AirPods Max are slightly less practical and have a near-useless case, but their luxurious build and finish quality have high appeal. Sound quality is stunning; even for a four-year-old model, they deliver a wonderfully spacious, nuanced, precise and organic sound that remains competitive today. The new Max (2024) model's updated features will add to their appeal, too. Of course, many of the AirPods' features are Apple-only, while Bose's considerable features are available regardless of your smartphone OS choice.

Ultimately, which headphones work best for you will depend on your priorities. Non-Apple users who prioritise portable practicality and want the ultimate ANC experience will be served extremely well by the Bose QC Ultra Headphones, but Apple's AirPods Max are easily the better pair when it comes to overall sound quality and impression of high-quality at this premium end.

MORE:

Read our Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones review

And our original AirPods Max review

Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones vs Sony WH-1000XM5: which is better?

Bose’s spatial audio tech is a nice idea for headphones but it’s too hit-and-miss

Apple spatial audio: what is it? How do you get it? And is it like Dolby Atmos?

AirPods Max 2: everything you need to know about the 2024 Apple headphones