These Quietcomfort Ultra Headphones Show Bose Still Does One Thing Better Than Apple

1 week ago

Bose QuietComfort Ultra 2 successful Driftwood Sand

Follow ZDNET: Add america arsenic a preferred source on Google.

Battery life and powerfulness guidance are important yet overlooked strengths, but they've ever been Bose's weaknesses. Its 2019 flagship headphones, nan NC700, delivered astir 20 hours of artillery life, and its 2023 QuietComfort Ultra headphones maxed retired astatine 24 hours.

Review: Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (Gen 2)

Bose's caller QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen) get 1 of nan AirPods Max's champion powerfulness guidance features -- but execute it better. Although nan caller headphones' expanded 30-hour artillery capacity is great, their ratio is much valuable.

Aside from Bose's undeniable spot successful producing best-in-class sound cancellation and comfort, nan caller low-power characteristic whitethorn beryllium nan astir important and useful betterment Bose has implemented successful its latest flagship headphones. Here's why.

Intuitive auto-standby for nan win

Most premium headphones characteristic gyroscopes aliases mobility discovery systems that alteration their deterioration discovery capabilities. Wear discovery pauses audio contented erstwhile nan headphones observe that you've removed them from your head, and resumes contented erstwhile you put them backmost on.

Apple's AirPods Max and Bose's QC Ultra 2 execute this characteristic champion by pausing contented erstwhile you region nan headphones and disconnecting them from your phone's Bluetooth. This allows you to move audio from nan headphones to your telephone without pressing a button. Both headphones participate a low-power mode erstwhile idle for a specified period.

Also: I wore nan champion headphones from Sony, Bose, Apple, and Sonos: Here's really nan AirPods Max wins

However, Bose's QC Ultra 2 participate a low-power authorities faster than Apple's AirPods Max, and you don't request to put them successful a lawsuit to execute it. Simply laic nan QC Ultra 2 level -- earcups face-up aliases face-down -- and they'll statesman conserving battery.

Conversely, nan AirPods Max person Find My compatibility, which requires nan headphones to stay connected to find their real-time location. This characteristic must beryllium abnormal for AirPods Max to conserve arsenic overmuch powerfulness arsenic possible.

As a result, nan AirPods Max yet participate nan aforesaid low-power authorities arsenic Bose's headphones, but that doesn't hap until either 72 hours extracurricular of nan Smart Case aliases aft 18 hours wrong of it. Apple allows you changeless entree to your headphones' adjacent location, but this comes astatine nan costs of slow draining their battery.

To powerfulness button, aliases not to powerfulness button

The AirPods Max's deficiency of a powerfulness fastener was a basking taxable soon aft their 2020 release, arsenic galore group for illustration to person afloat power complete their devices. Bose noticed this characteristic gap, offering users an intuitive auto-standby mode and a dedicated powerfulness button.

The specs besides show Bose's powerfulness advantage, promising 30 hours of playback pinch ANC connected and 45 hours pinch it off. On nan different hand, Apple's headphones person a maximum artillery life of 20 hours, sloppy of nan audio mode.

Also: I tried Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds' AI sound cancelling, and can't spell backmost to regular ANC

The QC Ultra 2's contiguous low-power mode, coupled pinch its generational artillery life improvements, intends you'll apt walk less days retired of nan week plugging them into nan wall. For commuters, in-office headphone wearers, and predominant flyers, this smarter power-saving creation could beryllium a game-changer.

The auto-standby characteristic is my favourite point astir some nan AirPods Max and nan Bose QC Ultra. I emotion taking my headphones disconnected and answering a telephone telephone without having to fiddle pinch nan powerfulness button.

Bottom line

I'll admit that I'm impressed by Bose's execution of this characteristic -- I've ever appreciated Bose's marque aesthetically much than I've ever applauded nan institution for its package and firmware prowess. But nan characteristic useful well; there's a little hold aft a fewer hours of idling and a somewhat longer 1 aft a fewer days.

Also: Should you bargain AirPods Max successful 2025? A long-awaited upgrade will entice professionals

Although Bose doesn't connection easy accessible precocious Bluetooth codecs for illustration Sony aliases arsenic galore convenient instrumentality features arsenic Apple, nan 2nd procreation of nan QC Ultra headphones and earbuds demonstrates nan company's strides successful producing much applicable flagship products. What's astir awesome is that it does truthful without imposing a azygous instrumentality ecosystem barrier.