Odi Productions
In this article, I’m going to share my HONEST Apple AirPods Pro 3 vs Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds 2nd Gen comparison, as someone who has purchased both pairs of earbuds with my own money.
I’ve conducted thorough testing of both wireless earbuds, and I will break down a winner for each category including:
- Comfort and Fit
- Features
- Battery Life
- Microphone Quality
- Noise Cancelling Performance
- Sound Quality
- Value
I’ll be sharing my critical opinion with 10 years of experience as a professional music producer, audio engineer, and tech journalist. I also run the RecordingNOW YouTube channel with over 18,000+ subscribers and over 4 million+ views, where you can watch the video versions of all of our reviews and comparisons.
Let’s dive right in!
Apple AirPods Pro 3rd generation vs Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds 2nd Gen Comparison in Short
The Apple AirPods Pro 3rd Generation is about $50 cheaper than the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds 2nd Gen while having arguably better sound quality and microphone quality. The Bose has a slight advantage for noise cancelling performance, better comfort and fit, and also supports both iOS and Android natively. It’s hard to go wrong with either option as a practical, convenient daily driver.
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Comfort, Features, Microphone Quality, and Battery Life
Comfort
The Apple AirPods Pro 3 comes with 5 pairs of foam-infused silicone eartips.
The Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds 2nd Gen comes with 3 pairs of silicone eartips, and 3 wing tips for a more secure fit.
Apple improved the overall ergonomics and made the AirPods Pro 3 more form-fitting than the previous Pro 2nd gen before it. I can wear them for a couple hours without issue.
That said, I find the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds 2 to be more effortlessly comfortable and secure-fitting than the AirPods Pro 3. The Bose’s design is more form-fitting and “forget you’re wearing them” than the AirPods.
The extra wing tips also help to secure the earbuds against the outside of the ear canal, giving it that slight advantage.
Features
One of the bigger differences between these two are that the Bose has native apps for both iOS and Android users, while the AirPods is only truly manageable via iOS device such as iPhone.
The AirPods Pro 3 are rated at an impressive IP57 rating (submersible in water and dust-resistant), while the Bose is rated at a lower IPX4 (sweat and light splashes of water).
The AirPods Pro 3 has more unique features including heart rate sensors for fitness and health tracking, “Live Translation”, and doubles as a clinical-grade hearing aid.
The Bose QC Ultra Earbuds 2 supports the high-res aptX Adaptive codec, while the AirPods Pro 3 supports a proprietary “SPR-AVS” lossless audio that requires an iPhone 17 or Apple Vision Pro.
Microphone Quality
One advantage that the newer AirPods Pro 3 has over the Bose QC Ultra 2 is microphone quality.
The Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds 2 has above average mic quality, but the AirPods Pro 3 makes a case for the #1 in mic quality for the wireless earbud class entirely.
Bose has improved significantly upon the original 1st gen of the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds in the mic quality department.
But the AirPods Pro 3 is simply the best at isolating the human voice against background noise and wind, while maintaining a natural quality to the voice.
Battery Life
AirPods Pro 3 Battery Life
- With ANC on: 8 hours of battery life on a single charge / 24 hours total with charging case
- With ANC off: 10 hours on a single charge / 24 hours total with charging case
- Fast Charge: 20 minutes = 2 hours of playback
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds 2nd Gen Pro Battery Life
- With ANC on: 6 hours of battery life on a single charge / 24 hours total with charging case
- With ANC off: 6 hours on a single charge / 24 hours total with charging case
- Fast Charge: 20 minutes = 2 hours of playback
The AirPods Pro 3 has a decent battery life advantage over the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds 2nd Gen.
AirPods Pro 3 Score: 9.5 out of 10
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds 2nd Gen Score: 9.0 out of 10
Winner: AirPods Pro 3
AirPods Pro 3 vs Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds 2nd Gen Noise Cancelling Performance Compared
You’re currently looking at two of the best wireless earbuds for active noise cancelling performance in the market today, outside of the Sony WF-1000XM6.
Apple claims the AirPods Pro 3 has twice the noise cancelling of the previous Pro 2nd gen, and I can hear a significant difference.
The Bose QC Ultra 1st gen actually still has one of the best noise cancelling today, but the 2nd gen improves upon it slightly to be a little more consistent throughout the frequency spectrum.
Honestly, these are easily 2 of the best earbuds for noise cancelling, but if I had to give a slight advantage, it would be towards the Bose QC Ultra 2 which is impressively powerful.
Both earbuds have Transparency Mode which works quite well and sounds pretty natural.
AirPods Pro 3 Score: 9.0 out of 10
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds 2nd Gen Score: 9.0 out of 10
Winner: Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds 2nd Gen
Sound Quality
Being two of the most popular mainstream brands, how does the sound quality truly stack up against the 20+ wireless earbuds we’ve tested to date?
When it comes to the previous generations of both earbuds, I highly preferred the AirPods Pro 2 over the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds 1st gen.
But that was the past, and this is an entirely new generation.
Let’s start with the good news: Both earbuds have noticeably improved upon the sound quality of their predecessors.
But bear in mind that the bar was lower for the Bose due to the QC Ultra 1st Gen just sounding fine, while the AirPods Pro 2 was actually pretty decent already.
When it comes to sound profiles, we have the classic V-shaped (Bose) versus more balanced (AirPods) sound signatures.
Between the two, I think most audiophiles would pick the AirPods Pro 3’s tonal balance over the consumer-friendly Bose QuietComfort Ultra 2.
Now moving onto the actual sound quality, I think the AirPods Pro 3 has a clear advantage across the board when it comes to detail, separation, and layering.
The Bose QC Ultra 2 supports the high-res codec of aptX Adaptive, which aids in resolution, but I think the driver hardware is the limiting factor for its sound quality.
Don’t get me wrong, the QC Ultra 2 sounds good enough and is fun to listen to, pushing forward a prominent bass and treble that cuts through the mix nicely.
But I think the AirPods Pro 3 is just more refined across the board, both in sound profile and sound quality.
Neither earbud is in my true “audiophile” tier of wireless earbuds, but they are fairly competitive in the tier right below it.
AirPods Pro 3 Score: 8.2 out of 10
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds 2nd Gen Score: 7.9 out of 10
Winner: AirPods Pro 3
Value
The AirPods Pro 3rd Generation retails at $249 USD, but is currently available for $229 market price brand new.
The Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds 2nd Gen retails at a higher $279 USD, but is currently on sale for $279 market price brand new.
Since the Bose is more expensive, I simply find the AirPods Pro 3 to be the better overall value since it is competitive everywhere while being about $50 cheaper overall.
What are you getting with the Bose’s premium pricetag, exactly?
I’d say superior comfort and fit, slightly better noise cancelling performance, and native Android app support, but also worse sound quality and mic quality.
AirPods Pro 3 Value Score: 8.5 out of 10
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds 2nd Gen Value Score: 8.0 out of 10
Winner: AirPods Pro 3
Overall Scoring Breakdown
- World-class noise cancelling performance
- One of the most comfortable fits
- Excellent microphone quality
- Decent sound quality
- There’s better pure sound quality options
- No native Android app
- World-class noise cancelling
- One of the most comfortable fits
- aptX Adaptive support
- Improved mic quality over 1st Gen
- There’s better pure sound quality options
- On the pricier side
Our Verdict: Apple AirPods Pro 3
These are two of the best all-arounders currently available, especially when it comes to noise cancelling performance for the entire wireless earbud class.
At around $50 cheaper on average, I lean towards the AirPods Pro 3 with its superior sound quality and mic quality, although you are giving up a bit on comfort, fit, and noise cancelling performance.
Not to mention, the Bose has native apps for both iOS and Android, while the AirPods Pro 3 is only fully managed on iOS devices like iPhone.
It’s hard to go wrong with either of these as your daily driver.
The only situation where I’d recommend looking elsewhere is for audiophiles seeking the absolute best sound quality for the true wireless earbud class, to which I have a handful of other recommendations.
Lastly, if you’d like to save some money and keep supporting RecordingNOW.com’s 100% independent, unbiased reviews, do consider using some of our affiliate links below to shop and even just compare prices. We purchase all products we review with our own money to maintain the highest level of integrity, and your support goes into that plus a continuously improving site experience.
Order HERE for the LOWEST PRICE AVAILABLE (Do NOT pay retail):
Disclosure: These affiliate links may provide a discount and in return, give us a commission in order to keep this website 100% independent to ensure honest unfiltered reviews 🙂
How We Tested and Our Methodology
RecordingNOW.com is a 100% independent publisher with over 10 years of experience testing and reviewing consumer electronics and headphones.
We currently purchase the products we test with our own money, and are not paid by any company or manufacturer to influence our opinions or decisions.
After purchasing the product, we conduct up to hundreds of hours of detailed hands-on testing in a controlled, acoustically-treated environment.
ODi Productions is our resident expert and author of this article, with 10 years of experience as a professional music producer, tech journalist, and audiophile.
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