A little over three years ago, I asked what was better for traveling: in-ear or over-ear headphones. I was then, and still am, firmly in Camp Earbud. I am a strong proponent of traveling light, plus it’s a lot easier to fall asleep on an earbud than on an over-ear headphone. I can understand if you disagree, but for the sake of this test, we’re going all-in on in-ears. Specifically, the flagship noise-canceling models from the big three: Apple, Bose, and Sony.
I’ll be doing full reviews of the AirPods Pro 3s, QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen), and WF-1000XM6s. In fact, you can read my Apple review right now. For this article, I wanted to do some real-world testing, so I took all three on a 12-hour flight to Japan. The sacrifices I make for you people.
It’s important to note that there’s no bad choice among these three earbuds. They are all excellent, and definitely the overall benchmark in the market. There are better-value options and better-sounding options, but these do everything well and are real standouts in terms of noise canceling.
Noise canceling
Sony: 100
Apple: 98
Bose: 96
I’m ranking these out of 100 to give you an idea of how close they are. I was surprised by this result, to be honest, because Bose has long been the best in this category. My assistant for this test was a Boeing 787‑8, somewhere over the north Pacific. I was sitting roughly mid-wing.
Sony’s XM6 earphones are extremely good—remarkably good, really. I’d wrongly assumed we’d reached peak NC performance with the original Bose Ultra earbuds. The Sonys basically eliminate all low-frequency rumble. There’s still some light wind noise, maybe a bit louder than a fan in a room. They’re not magic, of course. You’re still audibly on a plane, but everything is so much quieter. That’s assuming you can get a good fit with the foam tips, which I’ll talk about in the next section.
The AirPods let in a tiny bit more low rumble than the Sonys, but were still exceptionally quiet. They had slightly less wind noise, though, and that low rumble isn’t unpleasant. So yes, the Sonys are a little better, but it’s very close. If your listening environment has more lower-midrange frequency noise, the Apples will be better than the Sonys.
Amazingly, the Boses were the worst of the three. All are excellent, of course, so keep this third-place rank in perspective. Basically, they had roughly the same amount of low-frequency rumble as the AirPods, with the same lower-mid wind noise as the Sonys.
Comfort
Bose: 100
Apple: 98
Sony: 96 (maybe)
Here is why noise canceling doesn’t tell the full story. The Boses come with three different eartip sizes, and more importantly, three different sets of silicone “wings” that help secure the earbuds to your ears. For most people, this will let them get a better and more comfortable fit than the Apple or Sony earbuds. A colleague, on the other hand, couldn’t find any combination that fit perfectly, so as with all earbuds, your own physiology is going to be a big factor.
The AirPods are the earbud-and-tail design like earphones of old. The earbud section is well-shaped and well-sized. So on one hand, they can fit pretty comfortably in most ears. On the other hand, the tail can catch on things easily and launch off into space. Not ideal, in my book, but to each their own.
The Sony XM6s come with four sizes of foam eartips. These likely have a positive effect on Sony’s NC prowess. They take a little extra effort to secure in your ears, however, requiring a few seconds to make sure the foam has expanded to create a tight seal. The foam itself is a little scratchy. Not a big deal for short flights, but after six hours, I needed a break. This was true of my beloved XM4s as well, and it’s a minor but noticeable issue.
Some colleagues have told me that they weren’t able to get a comfortable fit with any of the Sony eartips. I even had to use a different size in each ear, which I’ve never had to do before. So while I found the XM6s comfortable enough, it’s possible you might not. Then again, no earbuds, including the AirPods and Ultra 2s, will fit everyone.
Battery life
Sony: 8 hours
Apple: 8 hours
Bose: 6 hours
These are the manufacturer-claimed numbers with NC on, and will vary in the real world depending on a variety of factors, not least how loud the music and environment are. That said, Sony’s and Bose’s claims more or less match my testing. I got more than halfway through my flight before I got a low-battery warning on the Sonys. Switching to the Boses, I got a low-battery warning before landing. The Sonys were even in battery-protection mode, limiting their maximum charge to 80 percent of total capacity to help maintain battery health (an issue I had with the XM4s).
Price
Apple: US$249.99, CA$329.99, £219, €249
Bose: US$299, CA$379, £299.95, €299.95
Sony: US$329.99, CA$429.99, £249, €299
Surprisingly, the AirPods are the cheapest. All are in the same ballpark, though. I’ve also seen the Sonys drop far lower than this, and they just came out. So I’ll call this—well, maybe not a tie exactly, but at least close enough that it’s not a major factor.
Sound
- Apple
- Sony
- Bose
OK, I’m including only a ranking for this category because this is just based on my preliminary testing. That testing has been many hours over multiple weeks, but not the kind of A/B (and C) testing I normally do. I’ll dive into each model’s specific sound and make direct comparisons in the full reviews.
The short version, based on what I’ve heard so far, is that (unsurprisingly) they all sound pretty good. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but the AirPods are definitely the most fun to listen to. Lots of bass, clean treble, and great midrange punch. The Sonys are perhaps a little more balanced, but lack the low-end power of the AirPods. That might be a good thing depending on your specific tastes. Bose used to significantly lag behind the others, but they’ve done a great job of giving the latest generations a far more exciting sound profile. That said, they’re still a slight step behind the other two.
So I reserve the right to come back after I’ve finished all three reviews and change the order. Again, they all sound good, so there’s no “bad” option.
My pick
This section is a bit of a spoiler, given that we haven’t published all three reviews yet. However, I’ve been on the hunt for a replacement for my Sony XM4 earphones, so this is specifically my pick for that. Or, more likely, just something to tide me over until I find a better option.
Unfortunately, for me, the AirPods are out of the running. Their sound is fantastic, and the noise canceling is so close that I’d be totally fine with them over the slightly better NC of the Sonys. I’d even be willing to overlook the lack of an app, despite such senseless tribalism usually annoying the crap out of me. OK, it still does, but the bigger issue is that I just don’t like earbuds with tails. I’m constantly pulling camera and backpack straps off, over, and around my head, and I feel like these are just pining for a launch trajectory. If that’s not a concern for you, and especially if you’ve got an iPhone, these are probably the best overall, especially since they’re the cheapest.
So that leaves the Boses and the Sonys. The Boses were definitely in the running. I’ve traveled with the original Ultra earbuds for years, and as soon as I’d land, I’d swap them out for something else. Their sound quality was plain yogurt. The new ones sound so much better that I was really considering them. They’re also very comfortable, and they easily feel the most secure of these three in my ears, thanks to the silicone wings. If you’re worried about fit and don’t want your earbuds going on their own little adventure, these are probably the best option.
For their remarkable noise canceling and excellent sound quality, I ended up with the Sonys. The fit feels secure enough, the NC is insane, and the sound, with a few tweaks in the app’s EQ, is close enough to my preferred profile that I can’t complain. Actually, I can always complain, but while the AirPods are more fun, these are close behind.
To seal the deal, just as I did with the XM4s, I purchased the XM6s for this review, as Sony couldn’t get me a review sample on time. These are my very own XM6s, so if I lose them, I won’t feel bad. OK, I’ll definitely feel bad, but I’ll feel less stressed because they’re my own gear and not something borrowed. I’ve been anxious about that kind of thing ever since I accidentally severely damaged a review sample while testing. Granted it was an Aston Martin DB7, but that’s another story for another time.
. . . Geoffrey Morrison
