Sony WF-1000XM4 Vs Bose QuietComfort Earbuds 2: Honest Review

The Sony WF-1000XM4 vs Bose QuietComfort Earbuds 2 are among two of the greatest true wireless earbuds available nowadays.

Both provide good sound quality and outstanding active noise cancellation (ANC) in a (relatively) small size. 

In other words, you really can't go wrong with either the Bose QuietComfort 2 or the Sony WF-1000XM4 Wireless Earbuds. That said, how do you make a decision between these two? 

For further details, see our comparison below!

Bose QuietComfort Earbuds 2 or Sony WF-1000XM4

Sony WF-1000XM4 vs Bose QuietComfort Earbuds 2 Specifications

Sony WF-1000XM4 vs Bose QuietComfort Earbuds 2 Specs

Before moving on to the details, you can check out other interesting earbuds comparison here:

• Bose QuietComfort earbuds vs Sony wf-1000xm4

• Sony wf-1000xm4 vs Bose QuietComfort earbuds 2

Sony WF-1000XM4 Vs Bose QuietComfort Earbuds 2 Comparison

Whether there are external disturbances present or not, both Bose QuietComfort Earbuds 2 vs Sony WF 1000XM4 provide an amazing listening experience. 

Which is a better investment all around? We'll find out the answer by analyzing some factors below:

Price

Bose's most recent flagship wireless earphones are the QuietComfort Earbuds II. 

They cost £280/$299/AU$429 when they were first released in September 2022, which is about as much as true wireless earbuds are expected to cost. 

Back in June 2021, the class-leading Sony WF-1000XM4 made its debut at £250/$280/AU$450. 

After some time, earphones' price has decreased significantly, as is frequently the case with such devices. 

Below are the best prices available today on both items.

Design

With a variety of soft ear tips, the second generation of QuietComfort Earbuds is around one-third smaller than the first model. 

For increased grip, they also have new "stability bands" in place of the outdated rubber wings.

Sony WF 1000XM4 vs Bose QuietComfort Earbuds 2 design

On the contrary, the Sony WF-1000XM4 tends to sit deeper in the ear canal and comes with a rather small selection of firmer foam ear tips. 

Not nearly as comfortable as the Bose buds, they weigh 7.3g compared to 7g. 

Having said that, they do offer excellent noise isolation because they block your ear canals.  

⇒ Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II has a better design

Battery Life

The WF-1000XM4 has superior charging capacities and longer playtimes.

Based on usage patterns, Sony estimates an 8 to 12-hour battery life for the buds. 

The charging case enables wireless charging, offers powerful quick charging (5 minutes = 1 hour of listening time), and has a storage capacity of 24 to 36 hours.

Bose QuietComfort Earbuds 2 vs Sony WF-1000XM4 battery life

It's not cool that the Bose QuietComfort 2 can only run for 6 hours on a full charge without having the ability to turn off ANC. 

The industry standard of 24 hours is provided by the charging case. 

Wireless charging is not available, and quick charging is among the worst in the category (20 minutes = 2 hours).

⇒ Sony WF-1000XM4 has a more decent battery life

Controls

Sony outfitted the WF-1000XM4 with easier-to-use features that are more comprehensible than those of Bose. 

You can have clear-sounding conversations by speaking at a 10% lower volume using Quick Attention. 

Through their respective wake-word phrases ("Alexa," "Hey Google"), you can activate Google Assistant or Alexa.

Although they need to be manually enabled, Siri and Google Assistant are likewise compatible and function effectively.

Sony WF-1000XM4 has many media controls

When using a digital assistant (such as Siri or Google Assistant), the QuietComfort Earbuds 2 exhibit excellent speech recognition. 

Sadly, Bose decided not to include voice activation for Alexa and Google Assistant. 

⇒ Sony WF-1000XM4 is better in terms of controls

Active noise cancellation

Even without music playing, the WF-1000XM4 reduces distracting daily noises like passing trains, loud voices, and construction work to soft whispers. 

Playing your favorite tunes will drown out such sounds entirely. 

Additionally, when set to maximum volume, the 20-level ambient sound mode is fantastic for monitoring your surroundings as it can detect even the smallest sounds. 

Noise cancelling feature of Bose QuietComfort Earbuds 2 vs WF-1000XM4

Even though Sony's noise canceling technology is excellent, Bose's technology is superior.

Bose's 4-mic array eliminates wind and loud noises across the frequency range. 

Plus, Quiet Mode keeps clarity and performs to brand requirements while listening to music. 

With Bose, you may personalize any of the 10 user modes to adjust ANC to your preferred level of noise cancellation, which is more efficient in reducing background noise. 

⇒ Bose QuietComfort Earbuds 2 has better active noise cancellation

Sound Quality

Sony's DSEE Extreme engine, which supports Sony's proprietary LDAC codec and upscales low-quality audio files, is featured in the WF-1000XM4.

It indicates that files up to 32-bit/96kHz can be listened to at up to 990kbps via Bluetooth.

In terms of performance, the XM4 provides excellent rhythmic precision and overall clarity. 

They sound pleasantly smooth and full-bodied and are talented, energetic, and detailed musicians with lots of bass and detail.

Sony WF-1000XM4 vs QuietComfort Earbuds 2 audio quality

In addition to performing exceptionally well in terms of ANC, the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II sound fantastic due to its 9.3mm full-range dynamic drivers and CustomTune function. 

They have a little more harmonious tone. 

They exude even more acoustic finesse and provide wireless earphones with unprecedented levels of detail.

⇒ Bose QuietComfort Earbuds 2 comes with better audio performance

Features

The Sony WF-1000XM4s and Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II both have user-friendly apps with a tonne of features, EQ adjustments, and updates.

Bose's app provides even more flexibility with regard to adjusting the noise-cancelling feature.

It also has Bose's CustomTune sound calibration technology, which measures the acoustic response of your ear canal using a microphone and adjusts the performance of the ANC accordingly.

Features of Sony WF-1000XM4 or Bose QuietComfort Earbuds 2

In contrast, the Sony Headphones Connect app allows you to personalize the sound and noise-cancelling effect.

Further, it measures the quality of your seal with a "fit" test, and receives an alert when the case's battery life is less than 30%.

Bose buds are compatible with Bluetooth version 5.3; however, Sony buds aren't.

They will get a software update soon that will enable multipoint communication so you can connect to two Bluetooth sources at once with its help. 

⇒ Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II has better features

Sony WF-1000XM4 vs Bose QuietComfort 2 Earbuds: Which Should You Buy?

Take a look at our summary table below of Bose QuietComfort Earbuds 2 vs. Sony WF-1000XM4 before deciding which is superior:

You receive a good product either way, so there's really no right or wrong decision between these two earbuds. 

They are among the best wireless earbuds on the market, as well. 

Therefore, which one to buy will rely on your priorities and whether you can live without the items in one pair. 

Even though the Sony earbuds have greater media controls and a longer battery life than the QC Earbuds II, you can still find the WF-1000XM4 for less money.

Both earbuds are great buy

All things considered, both businesses are still providing firmware upgrades for these earbuds, some of which might bring even more functionality to the already excellent earphones.