Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones
Bose’s QuietComfort Ultra Headphones are the company’s latest flagship over-ears, returning to a more familiar folding design and introducing Bose’s new Immersive Audio technology that provides a spatial stereo audio experience on any device, plus Qualcomm’s advanced aptX Lossless to get the best possible audio fidelity from a compatible smartphone.
Sony WH-1000XM5
Sony’s WH-1000XM5 continue to offer top-of-the-line ANC that others can’t match, plus fantastic balanced sound quality that isn’t too hyped or colored, so you can enjoy everything from classical and jazz to EDM and hip-hop the way it was meant to be heard, plus long enough battery life to keep listening for hours.
Regardingthe best noise-cancelling headphones, there’s no doubt that Bose and Sony have both led the pack for a long time. Sony’s WH-1000 series headphones have always set a very high bar for active noise cancellation (ANC), culminating in the company’s latestWH-1000XM5over-ear headphones that are not only thebest Sony headphonesaround, but also surpassed Bose, whose 2019 Noise Cancelling 700s have been showing their age.
However, the veteran ANC headphone maker is not about to go down without a fight; Bose has just released itsQuietComfort Ultra Headphones, a replacement for the Bose 700 that promise improved ANC along with a more traditional design and a few other tricks to set them apart from the competition.
While the 2022Sony WH-1000XM5s were an easy choice over the three-year-old Bose 700, it’s a whole new ballgame now that Bose has stepped up to the plate with a new 2023 model. Sony’s XM5s have been the headphones to beat, so it will be interesting to see if Bose’s new QuietComfort Ultra Headphones will manage to unseat them. Let’s dive in and see how these latest offerings from two of the best over-ear ANC headphone brands compare.
Price, availability, and specs
Although Bose has already announced the new QuietComfort Ultra Headphones, you’ll have to wait another week or so before you can get your hands on a pair. Bose says they’ll launch in “early October,” although you can preorder them from Amazon and Best Buy now, both of which list a release date of July 15, 2025. They’re priced at $429 and available in basic black and a White Smoke finish.
By comparison, Sony’s WH-1000XM5s have been on the market for over a year, so you can find them at most major retailers that sell higher-end headphones. While they retail for $400, it’s not hard to find deals on them. They’re available in black, Midnight Blue, and Silver.
Design & fit
As noted earlier, the predecessor to Bose’s QuietComfort Ultra Headphones were the 2019Bose 700s, which created a bit of a stir when they were released due to their somewhat divisive design. The Bose 700s ended up being a controversial departure from the company’s traditional style that was a bit polarizing; however, it seems that bold move didn’t pan out as well as Bose had hoped, as the QuietComfort Ultra returns to the safer aesthetic of the lower-end QuietComfort 45s.
However, the new QuietComfort Ultra Headphones don’t abandon the more refined touches of the Bose 700s; they feature a pronounced vegan leather headband with a nice balance of plastic and aluminum that sets them apart with a very premium feel compared to the more plastic-focused QC45s and their new successors, the standard QuietComfort Headphones.
More significantly, the QuietComfort Ultra Headphones remove the most significant pain point from their predecessors — they can now fold down like the rest of Bose’s headphones, where they can easily stashed in a carrying case for more efficient travel.
Ironically, that gives Bose an advantage over Sony’s WH-1000XM5s, which went the other way in removing the hinges from the XM4s. You’ll still get a carrying case included, but the headphones don’t fold into a more compact profile, making them a bulkier travel companion.
The XM5s otherwise stick with Sony’s minimalist design. Unlike Bose’s headphones, Sony’s earcups are unadorned by any branding, and the look leans more toward utilitarian than stylish, although that’s a matter of personal preference.
The Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones are comfortable, with removable ear cushions and an adjustable headband. The weight also comes in on par with Sony’s WH-1000XM5s, which are just under nine ounces while being similarly well-padded and reasonably comfortable.
Sadly, neither Bose nor Sony offer any water resistance rating for their headphones. Of course, these aren’t the kind of headphones you’re likely to wear at the beach or the gym, but they’re technically not even rated against light rain, so you’ll want to be careful about using them outdoors.
Sound & call quality
Bose is seriously upping its game this year with a new feature called Immersive Audio on its QuietComfort Ultra Headphones. This is a new spatial audio system that Bose has developed that’s similar to what Apple offers in its AirPods Max, except that it’s entirely platform-agnostic.
Bose’s Immersive Audio manipulates the soundstage to make audio from your media sound like it’s coming from in front of you. However, unlike Apple’s Spatial Audio, all the magic happens entirely in the headphones. It works with any Bluetooth audio, not just apps and media that encode it in specific ways. There’s also dynamic head tracking, so audio always sounds like it’s coming from the same place, such as your TV screen, even when you turn your head. However, this can be switched off if you’re listening to music from your smartphone or similar audio that isn’t inherently positional.
Beyond that neat trick, Bose’s QuietComfort Ultra Headphones offer support for Qualcomm’s aptX Adaptive audio codec, powered by theSnapdragon Sound platform, which means under ideal conditions, they should be able to deliver lossless audio quality over Bluetooth with low-latency listening — provide, of course, your smartphone or other audio source also supports the same codec and quality. Among Android smartphones,that’s a pretty small list right now, although it will likely grow over the next few years.
Sony’s WH-1000XM5s are a bit less cutting-edge in that area since Sony naturally prefers its own LDAC codec. LDAC still offers a higher maximum bitrate that can be near-lossless and traditionally provides higher quality sound than aptX — until Qualcomm changed the game with Snapdragon Sound.
Still, you’ll find a much broader range of phones that support LDAC at this point than those with aptX Lossless, and there’s no overlap here between the best codecs, so you’ll want to consider what your preferred platforms support if you’re looking for the best possible sound quality. Remember that none of this will matter if streaming services like Spotify and YouTube Music are your preferred music sources since they don’t offer any hi-res audio formats.
Sony added head-tracking spatial audio to the WH-1000XM5 with a summer 2023 firmware update. However, it only works with Android 13 or later, and the dynamic head-tracking requires a compatible video app. This makes it less versatile than Bose’s Immersive Audio; it’s an Android equivalent to what Apple does with its AirPods. The same firmware update also now allows the use of LDAC without turning off Bluetooth multipoint.
Codecs aside, we found the Bose QuietComfort Ultra to provide excellent sound overall. The sound profile is smooth and well-balanced, with crisp detail in pop and orchestral music but enough bass to boom when you need it.
Sony’s WH-1000XM5s offer a similar listening curve, emphasizing the bass slightly more than Bose. They’re not boomy by any stretch of the imagination, but the lows are more present.
When it comes to active noise cancellation and microphone quality, Sony’s WH-1000XM5 pulled ahead of the pack, but Bose did its part to catch up. Both headphones are roughly on a par here - which is to say they’re the two best options around.
Not much has changed from Bose’s previous headphones on the software side. The QuietComfort Ultra Headphones are still driven through theBose Music app, available on Android and Apple platforms, to provide detailed adjustments for your headphones, including a custom equalizer and variable ANC levels.
Bose seems to have taken a more neutral approach to voice assistants this time, ditching the built-in Alexa support from the previous 700s in favor of simply supporting whichever one you prefer from your paired smartphone.
Sony’s WH-1000XM5s are similarly managed through theSony Headphones Connect app, which can be installed on Android and iPhone devices. It’s used to enable the aforementioned spatial audio features and a custom equalizer that gets saved into the headphones. You don’t need to load up the app or keep them paired to the same device to maintain your preferred listening profile.
Battery life
Bose promises 24 hours of battery life from the QuietComfort Ultra Headphones with full ANC enabled. However, that drops to 18 hours when using Immersive Audio. A full battery recharge takes about three hours; Bose hasn’t shared any specs on fast charge times.
Sony’s WF-1000XM5s advertise 30 hours of battery life with ANC on, although using the LDAC codec will cut into that a bit. The headphones take about 3.5 hours to fully charge but can be quickly topped up with three more hours of playback after only three minutes on a proper USB-PD adapter.
Which is right for you?
It’s a tough call to recommend a top pick between a proven champion like Sony’s WH-1000XM5 and a set of new premium headphones from a well-established brand like Bose.
Sony’s WH-1000XM5s have demonstrated themselves as a class-leading pair of headphones that won’t disappoint. They offer excellent ANC, outstanding sound quality that will appeal to most listeners, and broader support for high-resolution audio codecs. They also have a lower MSRP and are frequently available at even better prices.
Sony’s WH-1000XM5 are still the reigning champ of active noise cancelation and offer fantastic sound quality that isn’t too hyped or colored, so you can enjoy your favorite concerto, or 98 Degrees track the way it was meant to be heard. Long battery life, excellent call quality, voice assistant compatibility, and speedy Bluetooth 5.2 connectivity are other features that make these headphones really stand out.
Nevertheless, Bose’s QuietComfort Ultra Headphones don’t disappoint. Bose has a long track record of making fantastic headphones, and Sony’s XM5s are only just the better buy. If you’re a Bose fan, these are well worth it, with broader spatial audio support, a more understated design from their predecessors, and improved portability.
The Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones are a significant follow-up to the premium Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 with a more comfortable and familiar folding design, plus Bose’s new Immersive Audio tech that enables spatial stereo audio on any device and aptX Lossless audio. They also support Fast Pair for easy pairing on Android.
