Apple AirPods Pro 3 VS Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen)

Both the Apple AirPods Pro 3 and Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen) are in-ear designs, offering a similar fit. However, they differ in terms of their water and sweat resistance. The AirPods Pro 3 come with an IP57 rating, which makes them waterproof, while the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen) have a lower IPX4 rating, meaning they are sweat resistant but not fully waterproof.

In terms of weight, the AirPods Pro 3 are lighter, weighing 10.1 g compared to the 15.4 g of the Bose earbuds. Both products are wire-free, with no neckband design, and neither includes wingtips, RGB lighting, UV light, or a display.

Both earbuds feature stereo speakers, but the design choices around water resistance and weight may make a noticeable difference depending on the intended use, especially for those looking for more robust protection against water exposure or preferring a lighter fit.

Both the Apple AirPods Pro 3 and Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen) feature active noise cancellation (ANC) and passive noise reduction, ensuring effective sound isolation. However, the AirPods Pro 3 offer additional sound technologies, supporting spatial audio and Dolby Atmos, while the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen) do not support either feature.

When it comes to driver size, the AirPods Pro 3 have a slightly larger 10.7 mm driver compared to the 9.3 mm driver in the Bose earbuds. Despite this difference, both products cover the same frequency range, from 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz, so there are no differences in the audible frequency spectrum.

Neither product includes Dirac Virtuo or a neodymium magnet, which may be factors in other audio products, but in this comparison, both are absent from the specifications.

The Apple AirPods Pro 3 and Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen) both offer wireless charging and rechargeable batteries, with battery life specifications that differ slightly. The AirPods Pro 3 provide 10 hours of playback on a full charge, while the Bose earbuds offer 6 hours. The charging case for both provides additional power, with the AirPods Pro 3 offering 20 hours and the Bose earbuds offering 18 hours of total use.

In terms of charge time, the AirPods Pro 3 take 1.5 hours to charge fully, while the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen) require a slightly shorter 1 hour. Both products feature a battery level indicator, but neither offers a solar power battery.

Both products also come with rechargeable batteries, ensuring convenience, but the AirPods Pro 3 deliver a longer total battery life compared to the Bose earbuds, particularly in terms of single-charge usage.

The Apple AirPods Pro 3 and Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen) share some common features in terms of connectivity. Both use Bluetooth 5.3, support USB Type-C, and are capable of wireless use. However, the AirPods Pro 3 offer fast pairing, a feature not available on the Bose earbuds.

In terms of high-quality audio codecs, the Bose earbuds support aptX Adaptive, while the AirPods Pro 3 do not support any aptX codecs. Both earbuds support AAC, but neither product includes support for advanced Bluetooth technologies like LDAC, LDHC, Bluetooth LE Audio, or aptX Lossless.

Both products have the same maximum Bluetooth range of 10 meters, and neither supports Bluetooth pairing via NFC or has Auracast functionality.

The Apple AirPods Pro 3 and Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen) share several key features, such as ambient sound mode, a find device feature, fast charging support, a mute function, the ability to be used as a headset, a control panel placed on a device, voice prompts, and a travel bag included in the package. However, there are a few differences between the two models.

The AirPods Pro 3 offer additional features not found in the Bose earbuds, such as the ability to read notifications, a built-in translator, a temperature sensor, and a built-in camera remote control function. The Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen) do not support these features.

Both products lack an in-line control panel, but the AirPods Pro 3 stand out with a more advanced feature set, including the temperature sensor and built-in camera remote control, which the Bose earbuds do not offer.

The Apple AirPods Pro 3 and Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen) both feature noise-canceling microphones, ensuring clear voice capture in various environments. However, they differ in the number of microphones used. The AirPods Pro 3 are equipped with 4 microphones, while the Bose earbuds have a total of 8 microphones.

This difference in microphone count may suggest a potential for more directional or enhanced voice clarity with the Bose earbuds, though both products are designed to deliver effective noise cancellation for calls and voice recording.

Overall, both models offer noise-canceling microphones, but the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen) feature more microphones for potentially more detailed voice capture.