Apple, Bose and Sony make the best noise-canceling earbuds. So, as soon as Sony released its latest flagship earbuds, the WF-1000XM6, in February, people started asking me how they compared to Apple’s AirPods Pro 3 and Bose’s QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen). I wish that were an easy question to answer.
Everybody’s ears are different, of course, and what may be best for me may not be best for you. It’s something I try to account for in all of my reviews, though, so I do have some thoughts on the strengths — and a few weaknesses — of each model to hopefully steer you in the right direction. Here’s a quick rundown of the three buds, all of which earned CNET Editors’ Choice awards.
Read more: Best wireless earbuds of 2026
Apple AirPods Pro 3
Since they didn’t get a new H3 chip, some folks felt that the upgrades to the AirPods Pro 3 seemed pretty incremental and didn’t necessarily think they sounded better than the AirPods Pro 2. However, in my view, all the key elements, such as fit, sound quality and noise cancellation, were noticeably leveled up along with a single-charge battery.
The AirPods Pro 3 are about as close as earbuds get to being complete: excellent noise cancellation, strong voice-calling performance and sound quality that rivals the very best. As I said in my review, few buds excel in all three areas — and the Pro 3s manage to do that while packing in plenty of extra features, including personalized spatial audio with head-tracking, a Hearing Aid mode and new heart-rate monitoring and Live Translation features. Price: $249 list ($229 street). Read my review.
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd gen)
As far as the hardware goes, the QC Ultra Earbuds (2nd gen) look exactly the same as the original QC Ultra Earbuds, although Bose has added new deep plum and desert gold colors to the line. There are two small changes, though: the 2nd-gen Ultra Earbuds now support wireless charging (which, frankly, should’ve been available with the originals), and the included eartips now have wax guards, a fancy way of saying there’s a silicone mesh that covers the holes in the tips. That helps prevent dust and wax from clogging up the buds and degrading sound quality and noise-canceling performance.
The reality is they’re not a true 2.0 product. But they do offer improved adaptive noise canceling that’s truly impressive, along with some sound quality enhancements, including a new spatialized immersive audio Cinema mode that widens the soundstage and makes “video content more lifelike,” with clearer dialog. The mode also helps with spoken-word audio content such as podcasts and audiobooks. Price: $299 ($269 street).
New features available in both the original QC Ultra Earbuds and 2nd-gen model include:
- Bose SpeechClarity
- Spotify Tap
- Turn capacitive controls on/off
- General connectivity and stability improvements
Feature upgrades available exclusively to the 2nd-gen model include:
- Enhanced adaptive noise cancellation
- Reduced noise floor (the faint hiss in noise-canceling mode)
- Case battery reporting
- Cinema Mode
Sony WF-1000XM6
At $330, Sony’s flagship WF-1000XM6 earbuds list for $30 more than their predecessor. However, they’re a noticeable upgrade and offer great sound and excellent noise canceling along with top-notch voice-calling performance. Aside from an external makeover, the XM6s are upgraded on the inside with new drivers, a 3x more powerful QN3e chip with improved analog conversion technology, eight microphones — up from six — and an improved bone-conduction sensor that helps with voice-calling performance. The “HD Noise Canceling” QN3e processor is paired with Sony’s Integrated Processor V2, which now supports 32-bit processing, up from 24-bit. Price: $330 ($330 street). Read my review.
Watch this: Sony WF-1000XM6 Earbuds Review: Supreme Performance, Subdued Design
Design
Apple AirPods Pro 3: The lightest of the three buds, they also have the smallest case. The AirPods Pro 2 already fit a lot of ears comfortably and securely (though not all), and Apple not only refined the Pro 3’s design, tweaking their geometry, but redesigned the buds’ eartips, infusing a bit of foam on top of the tips. I liked what Apple did, and the AirPods Pro 3 fit my ears slightly more securely than the AirPods Pro 2 and got me a tighter seal, but some people prefer the AirPods Pro 2’s fit (it’s hard to please everybody). They’re IP57 water-resistant (can be submerged in 3 feet of water for 30 minutes) and dust-resistant.
Bose QC Ultra Earbuds (2nd gen): They fit my ears really well and include a stabilizing fin, which can help people get a more secure fit. The buds really lock nicely in my ears with a tight seal (I use the large tips with the default medium fin). The main design drawback of the Bose is that they’re a little chunky, and so is their case, compared to the AirPods Pro 3’s case. They’re IPX4 splashproof.
Sony WF-1000XM6: I like the new design of Sony’s XM6 buds, though the buds and the case are a little plain-looking (the case is not as big as it looks in certain photos, and it’s pretty compact). More intricately molded than your typical stemless buds, Sony says the new shape (11% slimmer overall than the XM5s and more aerodynamic to reduce wind noise) conforms better to the natural curves of your ears, and I agree with that.
I also appreciated the little ridge along the top side of each bud that allows you to grip each bud better, so they’re less likely to slip from your fingers when putting them in or taking them out. Some people really like Sony’s included eartips, which are the same firm foam tips that were included with the XM5s. But I had to swap in a pair of large-size silicone tips from another set of buds I’d tested (I prefer tips from Sennheiser and Bowers & Wilkins, which are wider and more rounded) to get a tight seal. They’re IPX4 splashproof.
Winner: AirPods Pro 3. While the Bose and Sony buds fit my ears comfortably and securely (once I changed the XM6 tips), I have to give the nod to the AirPods Pro 3 in the design department. They’re a little more compact and lightweight than the other two models and fit a wide range of ears well, with five sizes of eartips (XXS, XS, S, M, L) included. They also have a higher water-resistance rating.
I spent a few hours comparing the Sony WF-1000XM6 buds (left) to the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd gen).
Sound quality
Apple AirPods Pro 3: Some people complained that the AirPods Pro 3’s sound was a little too aggressive (not enough warmth) compared to the AirPods Pro 2’s, with more dynamic bass and treble and slightly recessed mids. I preferred the AirPods Pro 3’s sound; to my ears, it has a little more clarity and definition, and I was OK with the more energetic bass. But everybody has their own sound preferences, and you can experience some listening fatigue if you feel the treble has too much sizzle or the bass kicks too hard in the wrong way.
Bose QC Ultra Earbuds (gen 2): The Bose QC Ultra deliver strong sound quality, offering smooth, agreeable sound across a variety of music genres. They’re pretty well-balanced but have a slightly V-shaped sound profile and a touch of bass and treble push with slightly recessed mids at their default setting. There’s an Immersive mode that opens up the soundstage a bit, but it does impact battery life.
Sony WF-1000XM6: The XM6’s sound is better and more special than both the AirPods Pro 3’s and QC Ultra’s sound. Music sounds more accurate and natural with better bass extension, overall clarity and refinement, along with a wide soundstage where all the instruments seem well-placed. Additionally, I found the XM6s came across slightly more dynamic and bold-sounding than the Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 buds, which also offer accurate, natural sound for Bluetooth earbuds.
Winner: Sony WF-1000XM6. All three models sound impressive, but the tonal quality varies a bit. While companies often talk about how their buds and headphones deliver audio the way artists intended you to hear it, some do it better than others, living up to audiophile standards — or close to them anyway. Such is the case for the XM6 buds.
The AirPodsPro 3 (right) look similar to the AirPods Pro 2 (left) on the surface, but have a slightly different shape and new eartips along with a heart-rate sensor in each bud.
Noise-canceling performance
Apple AirPods Pro 3: One of the biggest improvements with the AirPods Pro 3 is their noise canceling. Apple says it’s twice as good as the Pro 2’s. I tested their noise-cancellation capabilities on a plane against the AirPods Pro 2 and could definitely tell a difference. The AirPods Pro 2 did a good job, but the Pro 3s took the noise level down even further. When they were released, Apple said the AirPods Pro 3 offered the “world’s best in-ear active noise cancellation,” but it was unclear whether it tested the AirPods Pro 3 against the Bose QC Ultra Earbuds (2nd gen), which were released on June 28 internationally and on Sept. 10 in the US. In the fine print, Apple says that testing was conducted in July 2025 and comparisons were “made against the best-selling wireless in-ear headphones commercially available at the time of testing.” Meanwhile, Sony’s XM6 earbuds were released in February 2026.
Bose QC Ultra Earbuds (2nd gen): When they were released in June of 2025, a lot of reviewers felt that the QC Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen) had the best noise canceling, and I was certainly impressed by how much sound they muffled while using the buds in the streets of New York. Bose didn’t stake a claim to its noise canceling being the world’s best, opting instead to call it world-class, which it is.
Sony WF-1000XM6: Sony says the XM6 offers 25% “further reduction in noise” than the XM5, with gains made in the mid- to high-frequency range. Based on international testing standards, Sony touts the XM6 as having the best noise canceling for earbuds right now. The buds are equipped with eight microphones and an upgraded “HD Noise Canceling” QN3e processor that Sony says is three times more powerful than the QN2e chip in the XM5.
It’s possible the Sony XM6s are able to muffle a wider range of frequencies with slightly more vigor than the AirPods Pro 3 and Bose QC Ultra Earbuds (2nd gen), but it’s hard to sense that in real-world testing. Note that they still can’t muffle higher frequencies as well as lower frequencies. That means you can still hear people’s voices and higher-pitched noises, albeit at significantly reduced volume levels (the same goes for the AirPods Pro 3 and Bose QC Ultras as well).
Winner: No clear no. 1. All three of these earbuds include superb noise canceling. All three are very close, and your experience will vary with the quality of the seal you get from the eartips. I do feel that Apple’s and Bose’s eartips have an edge over Sony’s, which could lead to some people being less impressed with Sony’s noise canceling.
Sony eartip on the left, my own eartip on the right. Sound quality and noise-canceling performance improved when I swapped in my own tips and got a tight seal.
Voice-calling performance
Apple AirPods Pro 3: AirPods have long stood out for voice-calling performance compared to other true-wireless earbuds. The thing that struck me in my tests with the AirPods Pro 3 was just how much background noise they eliminated. I made calls in the streets of New York City with a lot of ambient noise around me, including traffic and ambulance sirens, and callers told me they couldn’t hear any of it. In loud environments, my voice would sometimes warble or sound a bit digitized to callers, but when I shared a recording of what I was actually hearing, they were surprised — even stunned — by how much background noise was removed.
Bose QC Ultra Earbuds (2nd gen): In July of 2025, a firmware update helped improve the buds’ voice-calling performance. Bose introduced something it called “speech clarity voice enhancement,” which is a more marketing-friendly way of saying it upgraded its algorithms to filter out background noise while maintaining the clarity of your voice during calls. The update helped push the voice-calling grade for the Ultra Earbuds from a B into B+/A- territory.
Sony WF-1000XM6: Equipped with the aforementioned more powerful QN3e chip, eight microphones — up from six — and an improved bone-conduction sensor, the XM6’s voice-calling performance has improved from the XM5’s, earning an A grade. Callers said my voice sounded mostly natural and clear, and they didn’t really hear any background noise when I wasn’t speaking (and only a little when I did speak). It’s also worth noting that the buds have a side-tone feature, so you can hear your voice in the buds when you’re talking.
Winner: Tie between AirPods Pro 3 and Sony XM6. Both give you top-tier voice-calling performance. The Bose Ultra has improved with firmware upgrades, but is still a step behind in this department.
Testing the AirPods Pro 3 in the streets of New York.
Transparency mode
While Sony and Bose’s transparency modes sound pretty natural and are quite respectable, Apple’s transparency mode is still the gold standard.
Winner: Apple AirPods Pro 3.
Features
Apple AirPods Pro 3: The AirPods Pro 3 have a wealth of features for Apple users, including heart-rate monitoring, personalized spatial audio, Hearing Aid mode, Live Translation, automatic pairing with devices logged into your iCloud account, Conversation Awareness, Adaptive Audio, Hearing Protection, hands-free Siri, head gestures to interact with Siri or manage calls, a Camera Remote feature and Precision Finding. The buds can even detect when you’ve fallen asleep. However, they don’t have any equalizer settings to customize the sound.
Bose QC Ultra Earbuds (2nd gen): The Ultras have a few notable extra features, including Immersive Audio with head-tracking, a new Cinema spatial audio mode, support for Qualcomm’s AptX Lossless, with “special optimization” for Snapdragon Sound (for devices that support it) and a smoother adaptive Aware mode (similar to Apple’s Adaptive Audio mode). The sound can also be tweaked with the three-band equalizer in the Bose companion app for iOS and Android.
Sony WF-1000XM6: Like previous 1000X models, these have Sony’s speak-to-chat feature, which lowers the volume of your audio and goes into ambient mode when you start to have a conversation with someone. As far as audio codecs go, the buds support AAC, SBC and LDAC as well as multipoint Bluetooth pairing, which allows pairing to two devices to the buds simultaneously. Sony says the buds are “ready for LE Audio,” which means they support the LC3 audio codec and Auracast broadcast audio (I haven’t tried testing these features yet). You also get both preset and customizable equalizer settings to tweak the sound, along with a scene-based settings option. The XM6s do feature a spatial audio with head-tracking option, but for Android users only.
Winner: AirPods Pro 3 (for Apple users), with Sony XM6s having a slight edge over Bose QC Ultras for Android users.
Battery life
Apple AirPods Pro 3: Up to 8 hours with noise canceling on.
Bose QC Ultra Earbuds (2nd gen): Up to 6 hours of battery life with noise canceling on.
Sony WF-1000XM6: Up to 8 hours with noise canceling.
Winner: Tie between Sony XM6s and AirPods Pro 3.
So, which are the best?
If someone were to come to me and lay all three models on a table (sealed in their boxes) and tell me I could take one of them as a free gift, I’d take the Sony WF-1000XM6. While I had an issue with their included eartips, once I added a set of tips that fit my ears properly, the buds felt comfortable and delivered great all-around performance with slightly better sound than the AirPods Pro 3 and Bose QC Ultra Earbuds (2nd gen).
It would get more complicated if I had to pay for them. The street price for both the AirPods Pro 3 and QC Ultra Earbuds (2nd gen) fluctuates, with the AirPods Pro 3 sometimes discounted to as low as $200 and the QC Ultras dipping to $250 or so. The fact is, for Apple users, the AirPods Pro 3 are hard to beat, especially when they’re on sale. They’re a safer bet from a fit standpoint (as are the QC Ultras) compared to the Sony XM6s, and they, too, offer all-around excellent performance with a wealth of features for Apple users.
Although I was a little disappointed that the QC Ultra Earbuds (2nd gen) don’t seem like much of an upgrade over the original QC Ultra Earbuds (I’m still not sure what Bose updated from a hardware standpoint), they’re excellent earbuds and the only model with stabilizing fins, making them a good pick for someone looking for buds that offer a very secure fit.