Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen) vs Sony WH-1000XM6

Sony got there first, putting the WH-1000XM6, the current over-ear model in its 1000X line, on sale in the US on 15 May 2025. Bose’s second-generation QuietComfort Ultra Headphones followed about four months later, at $449 against Sony’s $449.99. At the same price, the extras decide it.

Your phone picks the codec

Bose supports SBC, AAC and aptX Adaptive, and in the UK it also lists Snapdragon Sound for certified devices. Sony supports SBC, AAC, LDAC and LC3, and says the WH-1000XM6 is ready for LE Audio and Auracast once your source can use them. There’s no LDAC on the Bose and no aptX on the Sony. If your phone has neither extra, both fall back to AAC or SBC and the codec stops mattering.

LDAC is where Sony’s numbers stretch: at 96 kHz and 990 kbps, Sony quotes a Bluetooth response of 20 to 40,000 Hz, against 20 to 20,000 Hz at 44.1 kHz. You need a source that supports LDAC, and Sound Connect set to Priority on Sound Quality.

Both connect to two devices at once. Bose adds Google Fast Pair for Android and rates its Bluetooth 5.4 link, with A2DP, HFP, AVRCP and Bluetooth Low Energy, at 30 feet (9 meters). Sony’s Bluetooth 5.3 profile list runs to TMAP, CSIP, MCP, VCP and CCP as well as A2DP, AVRCP, HFP and HSP, and some Sound Connect features need Android 6 or later.

Noise cancelling, and why calls lean Sony

Sony shows more of its hand. The WH-1000XM6 runs on the HD Noise Canceling Processor QN3, which Sony says is seven times faster than the QN1 in the WH-1000XM5. QN3 tunes 12 microphones in real time, a look-ahead noise shaper sits in the digital-to-analog path, and the Adaptive NC Optimizer adjusts for outside noise, air pressure and how the headphones sit on your head.

Bose says less about the hardware. CustomTune tailors playback to you each time you put the headphones on, the noise cancelling is adjustable with a newer adaptive algorithm and switches off completely, and Aware Mode, the setting that lets outside sound in, uses ActiveSense. Modes, the equalizer and shortcuts live in the Bose app.

Calls are where the gap shows. Sony pairs its 12 microphones with AI beamforming for calls and is the only one of the two to rate talk time: up to 24 hours with noise cancelling on and 28 with it off. Bose lists a built-in microphone, with no count and no call rating. Sony’s optional Speak-to-Chat handles a quick word with someone nearby; by default, your music resumes about 15 seconds after you stop talking.

Films and spatial audio

Bose has more for watching. Immersive Audio is its spatial mode, and Cinema Mode, Bose says, widens the soundstage and brings dialogue forward. Sony’s spatial options are 360 Reality Audio, 360 Upmix and a BRAVIA personalizer, each with its own device and firmware requirements, and its DSEE Extreme upscaling turns on in the app.

Wired: digital on Bose, analog on Sony

Bose’s wired extra is lossless audio over USB-C from a compatible computer or phone, at 16-bit and 44.1 or 48 kHz, which Bose also pitches for lower latency. Sony’s is a 1.2-meter analog cable with a gold-plated L-shaped plug, and the WH-1000XM6 keeps playing over it with the power off.

Sony also gives the figures wired listeners look for, where Bose gives none: a 30mm (1.18-inch) dynamic driver with a neodymium magnet, a 4 to 40,000 Hz response (JEITA), 48 ohms at 1 kHz switched on and 16 ohms off, and sensitivity of 103 dB/mW on and 102 off.

Battery: level until you change modes

With noise cancelling on, both are rated for 30 hours of music, but Bose’s figure assumes Immersive Audio is off. Turn it on and the Ultra drops to 23 hours, a real cost if spatial audio is why you’re buying it. Switch noise cancelling off and Bose stretches to 45 hours, against Sony’s 40.

Weight and folding

Bose gives 0.583 pounds for the headphones, or 1.061 pounds for what it calls the entire product system, and Sony about 254 grams (8.96 ounces). Converted, the Sony pair is roughly ten grams lighter.

Both fold into their case. Lay the Ultra flat or fold it away and it drops into a long low-power standby. Bose lists it at 1.772 by 6.299 by 8.071 inches, in plastic, aluminum and protein leather.

Price

Neither has a launch-price edge. Bose opened pre-orders on 10 September 2025 at $449 and said the Ultra would be in stores on 2 October 2025; its retail code for this generation is QCUH2, which helps when a listing doesn’t say 2nd Gen. Sony sold the WH-1000XM6 from launch day at $449.99 at Sony, Best Buy, Amazon and authorized dealers, and set $599.99 in Canada. Sony’s box holds the headphones, the case, the analog cable and a USB-A to USB-C charging cable.

If no codec or feature pulls you either way, let a discount break the tie. Prices move, so check Bose and Sony before you buy.