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Tech head-to-head

Apple AirPods MaxvsBose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones

3 years apart, and the averages land 8.1 and 8.1. Only Value moved much, 6.9 to 5.8.

Apple AirPods Max

Apple

8.1

Built like nothing else in the category, priced like nothing else, and only fully useful on Apple hardware.

Price and availability change constantly, so we don't quote them here — the link opens the current Amazon listing.

Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones

Bose

8.1

The most convincing low-frequency isolation here, wrapped in the most comfortable clamp.

Price and availability change constantly, so we don't quote them here — the link opens the current Amazon listing.

Where they diverge

The widest gap is Value, Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones ahead 6.9 to 5.8. They come closest on Durability, 8.2 to 7.8. Left of center is Apple AirPods Max, right is Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones.

Apple AirPods Max versus Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones — axis scores out of 10Horizontal bar chart of editorial scores out of 10 across 5 axes. Bars for Apple AirPods Max run left from the axis labels, bars for Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones run right. Apple AirPods Max: Performance 8.4, Value 5.8, Durability 8.2, Ease of use 9.0, Design 9.0. Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones: Performance 9.0, Value 6.9, Durability 7.8, Ease of use 8.4, Design 8.4.Apple AirPods Max (left)Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (right)PerformanceApple AirPods Max — Performance 8.4 out of 108.4Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones — Performance 9.0 out of 109.0ValueApple AirPods Max — Value 5.8 out of 105.8Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones — Value 6.9 out of 106.9DurabilityApple AirPods Max — Durability 8.2 out of 108.2Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones — Durability 7.8 out of 107.8Ease of useApple AirPods Max — Ease of use 9.0 out of 109.0Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones — Ease of use 8.4 out of 108.4DesignApple AirPods Max — Design 9.0 out of 109.0Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones — Design 8.4 out of 108.4Editorial score out of 10 — higher is better

Which one to pick

Take the Apple AirPods Max

Leads on Durability, Ease of use and Design.

  • Everything you own already has an Apple logo on it
  • You want a metal-and-mesh build rather than plastic
  • Automatic switching between Mac, iPad, and phone is a daily need

Take the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones

Leads on Performance and Value.

  • Aircraft cabins and train carriages are your normal listening environment
  • You wear headphones for six hours at a stretch
  • Glasses make most clamping headbands unbearable

What each one gets wrong

Apple AirPods Max

  • You need a codec better than AAC
  • The sleeve that ships instead of a real case bothers you
  • Android is your main platform

Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones

  • You want deep EQ control rather than presets
  • aptX is irrelevant to you and the premium is hard to justify

Specs, side by side

SpecApple AirPods MaxBose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones
TypeOver-ear, closedOver-ear, closed
CodecsSBC, AACSBC, AAC, aptX Adaptive
BatteryAbout 20 hrs with ANC onAbout 24 hrs with ANC on
CaseFabric sleeve, no full case—
Folding—Folds flat and inward

Rankings they both appear in

Questions

Is the 2023 Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones the safer pick over the 2020 Apple AirPods Max?
Apple AirPods Max leads on Durability, Ease of use and Design. If Performance and Value matter more to you, take the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones instead. The 3-year gap shows in the totals as 8.1 against 8.1.
What does the 2020 model still win?
On Durability, Ease of use and Design, yes. Those axes still go to the 2020 model. The 2023 one answers with Performance and Value.
Which of our lists do both of these appear in?
Apple AirPods Max sits at #2 in "When music comes first, build decides the pair", Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones at #3. They also share 1 other list on the site.