{"id":245922,"date":"2025-10-28T08:31:14","date_gmt":"2025-10-28T08:31:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/245922\/"},"modified":"2025-10-28T08:31:14","modified_gmt":"2025-10-28T08:31:14","slug":"airpods-pro-3-vs-bose-qc-ultra-earbuds-2-pickr","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/245922\/","title":{"rendered":"AirPods Pro 3 vs Bose QC Ultra Earbuds 2 \u2013 Pickr"},"content":{"rendered":"

The claim of \u201cthe world\u2019s best noise cancellation\u201d is currently with two of 2025\u2019s top earphones, but which is best?<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re considering buying a new pair of noise cancelling earphones, you have a lot of choices to consider<\/a>. It\u2019s a range that seemingly grows every week, and the back half of this year delivered some of the best models it ever has, as Bose and Apple decided to fight for \u201cthe world\u2019s best\u201d.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a claim either can make, and probably do. Bose\u2019s product page for the QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds 2nd-gen notes \u201cThe best. Now even better.\u201d, while Apple\u2019s AirPods Pro 3 page says up front \u201cThe world\u2019s best in\u2011ear Active Noise Cancellation\u201d.<\/p>\n

Both say the same thing, which means it\u2019s time to put both to the test. <\/p>\n

Having spent time with our review of the Bose QC Ultra Earbuds 2nd-gen<\/a>, and following on with a review of the Apple AirPods Pro 3<\/a>, we\u2019re ready to see which really delivers on this promise, and which will give you the best bang for your buck regardless of whether you\u2019re on Android or iPhone.<\/p>\n

\"\"They both say they\u2019re the best. So which one really is?<\/p>\n

Design<\/p>\n

We\u2019ll start this head-to-head with design, and that\u2019s one category neither pair of earphones is particularly ahead in.<\/p>\n

With the AirPods Pro 3, Apple has taken its stem-based AirPods Pro and tweaked the design so that it fits more comfortably in the ear, though we found it can take some getting used to. Minor tweaks here and there in the design, though it\u2019s not one that stands out significantly from its predecessors.<\/p>\n

The same is true with Bose\u2019s second-gen Quiet Comfort Ultra Earbuds: there\u2019s a slight change in the design, but nothing significant enough to make a difference. The Bose are still a little longer than you might want, and like the AirPods Pro, they\u2019ve not been made smaller.<\/p>\n

In short, both designs are more of the same, which isn\u2019t a bad thing, but rather just leaves them both in the same position.<\/p>\n

Winner: Tie<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Comfort & Fit<\/p>\n

But they\u2019re both just as comfortable as each other, which is to say you\u2019ll have to use earphone tips with each, and you may have to twist them into place, as well.<\/p>\n

The AirPods Pro 3 are comfortable enough, but can take some getting used to, and the Bose QC Buds 2 are much the same as well.<\/p>\n

They\u2019re both as comfortable as each other, provided you\u2019re fine with ear tips.<\/p>\n

Winner: Tie<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Wearing the Bose buds.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Wearing the AirPods.<\/p>\n

Durability<\/p>\n

When it comes to how strong each are, we probably wouldn\u2019t go out of our way to drop either on the floor, though both should survive.<\/p>\n

However, there\u2019s a metric you can use to determine overall durability: IP rating.<\/p>\n

Ingress protection or \u201cIP\u201d basically means how much water and dust or sand has been protected<\/a> on the hardware, allowing you to take it places. Water resistance for earphones doesn\u2019t typically mean \u201clet\u2019s go swimming\u201d, but more \u201csurviving a deluge with your earphones\u201d, as most earbuds offer sweat resistance as a minimum.<\/p>\n

In the case of the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Buds 2nd-gen, that sweat resistance is all you\u2019ll really get, maxing out at an IP rating of IPX4.<\/p>\n

Apple, meanwhile, has boosted its protection of the AirPods Pro 3, rating these earphones for IP57, which basically means sweat and rain resistant, and also able to ward off some dust and sand, as well. They\u2019re almost on par with the iPhone range, which covers a higher ingress protection rating of IP68.<\/p>\n

Winner: Apple AirPods Pro 3<\/p>\n

Controls<\/p>\n

How do you like to control your earphones: swipes and squeezes on a stem, or taps and swipes on a small touchpad?<\/p>\n

That\u2019s the choice with either model, with neither doing anything particularly poorly. Both are easy to use, and both let you jump out of noise cancellation and into transparency modes rather easily. We wouldn\u2019t say either has a leg up on the other here.<\/p>\n

Winner: Tie<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Connection & Reliability<\/p>\n

Another thing they\u2019re both very good at is reliability.<\/p>\n

Apple\u2019s AirPods Pro 3 unsurprisingly connect easily with an iPhone, iPad, Mac, or Apple TV, and while they can work with other devices, Apple-made gear is where they work best, delivering minimal dropouts and plenty of music (or whatever else you listen to).<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, the Bose equivalent in the QC Buds Ultra 2nd-gen maintain a consistent connection on every operating system we tested \u2014 mostly Android and iOS \u2014 and offer minimal dropouts, as well.<\/p>\n

Both of these deliver some of the most consistent and best connectivity you can find today.<\/p>\n

Winner: Tie<\/p>\n

Sound quality<\/p>\n

And they both deliver exceptional sound quality, too.<\/p>\n

But Bose may have the edge when it comes to audio, and not necessarily because Apple isn\u2019t good, but rather because sound from the Bose QC Buds Ultra 2nd-gen was more consistent in its balance than what Apple delivered.<\/p>\n

Back when we reviewed the Apple AirPods Pro 3, we noted some of the weird problems with the sound, which mean some tracks sound hollow and off, while others are excellent. The guess is an Adaptive EQ feature you can\u2019t turn off, but the result means the AirPods Pro 3 don\u2019t always have reliable sound.<\/p>\n

The Bose do. Every track is consistent and strong, offering great balance, a solid soundstage, and a nice amount of detail. The app offers some more controls, but we think Bose delivers a more reliable and consistent sound in its pair. <\/p>\n

Winner: Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds 2nd-gen<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Noise cancellation<\/p>\n

Noise cancellation is where things get really interesting.<\/p>\n

For the past few years, Bose has really led this category by delivering some of the best active noise cancellation technology we\u2019ve ever seen, and this year\u2019s pair was even better.<\/p>\n

To make things more interesting, Apple has said its AirPods Pro 3 offer the world\u2019s best noise cancellation, a claim we had to test\u2026 so we did.<\/p>\n

Using both pairs of earphones next to a road as we\u2019re walking was roughly the same: both the AirPods Pro and Bose QC Ultra 2nd-gen cancelled about the same amount of sound.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

But when we stopped walking, Apple\u2019s cancellation was better, turning the sound of the busy road into silence ever so slightly better than the Bose equivalent. The same occurred when we were a few meters from the road, with Apple ahead by a hair.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not much, and is really difficult to discern. Taking each pair in and out, the differences were minor, but Apple is ever so slightly ahead in its cancellation efforts.<\/p>\n

Winner: Apple AirPods Pro 3<\/p>\n

Compatibility<\/p>\n

However, because Apple gear tends to work best with Apple gear, one fight the AirPods Pro 3 are unlikely to win is with compatibility.<\/p>\n

The AirPods Pro 3 play nicely if you own an iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Mac, and so on. And the head-tracked spatial audio feature works on Apple Music<\/a> on those devices, as well.<\/p>\n

But if you use Spotify on your iPhone, spatial doesn\u2019t work. And if you own an Android phone and play Apple Music, the AirPods Pro 3 won\u2019t play spatial, either.<\/p>\n

In fact, if you own an Android and want to use the AirPods Pro 3, your experience won\u2019t be amazing. Unlike Beats gear<\/a>, there is no Apple-made app and not a lot of support.<\/p>\n

The AirPods Pro 3 aren\u2019t going to play nicely with Android.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

But Bose\u2019s buds definitely do. They not only connect with iOS and Android alike, and offer an app for each mobile OS, but they also support a version of spatial audio that works across iOS and Android and Apple and Spotify and so on. It\u2019s not exactly the same, but it\u2019s a compatibility we wish Apple provided.<\/p>\n

Winner: Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds 2nd-gen<\/p>\n

Battery<\/p>\n

Both are also quite similar when it comes to battery life, as well, achieving a maximum of 24 hours from the battery in the case, but differing in the battery life on the earphones themselves.<\/p>\n

On Bose\u2019s side, we found the battery life of the QC Buds Ultra 2nd-gen typically hovered between 4 and 6 hours of performance depending on if you opted to have spatial audio with head tracking on. Meanwhile Apple manages to achieve up to 8, normally getting closer to 6 to 8.<\/p>\n

They both have the same overall battery life, but Apple fares better on listening time, giving this one to Apple.<\/p>\n

Winner: Apple AirPods Pro 3<\/p>\n

Case<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Storing those earbuds is a major part of the feature set, thanks in part to the battery in the case. That\u2019s part and parcel of every pair of earphones, and neither model is special in that way.<\/p>\n

But one pair definitely has the edge here, thanks in part to a slightly smaller and far more pocket friendly design: Apple.<\/p>\n

The AirPods Pro 3 offer a slightly smaller case with a simpler design, making it very easy to pocket.<\/p>\n

Bose\u2019s battery case is a little bigger by comparison, and while it\u2019s easy to grab and pocket, it\u2019s not quite as pocketable as the AirPods Pro case.<\/p>\n

Winner: Apple AirPods Pro 3<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Value<\/p>\n

But priced between $429 and $450 for either of them, the value may as well be identical.<\/p>\n

Technically, Apple\u2019s have the better price \u2014 we won\u2019t argue there \u2014 but the lack of full compatibility beyond the world of Apple devices makes up for the extra few bucks you\u2019ll be paying for the Bose equivalent.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ll call this round a draw.<\/p>\n

Winner: Tie<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

What should I choose: Apple AirPods Pro 3 or Bose Quiet Comfort Ultra 2nd-gen?<\/p>\n

It\u2019s close, but Apple edges out ever so slightly in our comparison, with only a handful of points over Bose, and breaking what would otherwise be a tie.<\/p>\n

However, it\u2019s close, and with most rounds ending in a draw, either pair of earphones make a suitable choice if you\u2019re looking for the best noise cancelling buds you can afford, provided your budget is just over the $400 mark where flagship earphones typically sit.<\/p>\n

If you live in the Apple world and have an iPhone with Apple Music, we\u2019d probably suggest the AirPods Pro 3 are the best choice. They may even be ideal with Spotify (though you\u2019ll miss out on spatial).<\/p>\n

But with AirPods lacking an app over on Android, it\u2019s a different story if you\u2019re buying for a Google Pixel, Samsung, Motorola, Oppo, or just about any other device that runs a different operating system.<\/p>\n

Bose offers one of the best noise cancelling pairs around, and with support for spatial and compatibility across iPhone and Android, we\u2019d suggest folks consider Bose\u2019s latest pair for one of the most solid noise cancelling efforts you can find to date.<\/p>\n

They\u2019re both great, though, so whichever one you end up on will give you a great experience.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The claim of \u201cthe world\u2019s best noise cancellation\u201d is currently with two of 2025\u2019s top earphones, but which…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":245923,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[1337,64,63,17649,21263,105,16586],"class_list":["post-245922","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-technology","tag-apple","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-bose","tag-noise-cancellation","tag-technology","tag-wireless"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/245922","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=245922"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/245922\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/245923"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=245922"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=245922"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=245922"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}