Choosing the best true wireless earbuds for the year 2025 has become even tougher with the fresh releases of Bose QuietComfort Earbuds (2024) and Apple AirPods 4. In this article, we compare Bose QuietComfort Earbuds (2024) vs. Apple AirPods 4 with ANC to help you choose wisely.
They both come with the same high-end features as in the premium-range flagship models but cost much less. The Apple Air Pods scored four out of five in our test, while the Bose earned the coveted five-star rating. The decision is final then? Aha, it is not that easy because there are some criteria that will determine which one works best for you.
Join us for the entire round-up of the strengths and weaknesses of the two pairs and how they relate to each other.
Bose QuietComfort Earbuds (2024) vs. Apple AirPods 4: Comparing Prices
Bose and Apple have positioned their latest earbuds at the same price tag, thus making it direct competition for both companies. The Bose QuietComfort Earbuds (2024) and the Apple Air Pods 4 with Active Noise Cancelling both go for £179 / $179 in the US and the UK, while the former is slightly cheaper than the latter in Australia (AU$289 compared to AU$299).
Nonetheless, that’s just half of the reality; these two pairs have also been discounted of late, but Bose’s pair has had a much steeper slashing down from £129, $129, AU$245, while the Air Pods fell under a modestly priced clearance of about £10 or $10 less.
Design and Build Comparison: Bose QuietComfort Earbuds (2024) vs. Apple AirPods 4 with ANC
The pricing similarity is contrasted greatly in the designs these two models offer. Bose has taken a rounded design course with silicone ear tips opposite the much more expensive QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds that come in a more traditional stem design. The most recent QuietComfort Earbuds now come in three colors-black, white, and a rather striking ‘chilled lilac’.
Along with noise-cancellation features, Air Pods 4 carry that quintessential stem-and-bud open-ear design. In contrast to in-ears, these earbuds do not possess ear tips and therefore do not seal the ear canals entirely, promising to deliver a more comfortable fit to many users during prolonged use. Air Pods 4 with ANC comes in Apple’s iconic white varnish.
Both earbuds are designed with charging cases that have a wireless charging option. However, Bose’s case happens to be a bit bulkier. Again, these Bose earbuds come with three sizes of ear tips and stability bands that we discovered prove to provide a secure fit without feeling intrusive. Apple’s design remains as divisive as ever – some members of our team get on fine with the Air Pods and others find them hard to keep in.
Both the models do offer some level of resistance to sweat and water. Bose’s QuietComfort Earbuds add an IPX4 standard, while Apple has improved the Air Pods 4 with ANC in terms of dust resistance by going to the IP54 rating.
Bose QuietComfort Earbuds (2024) vs. Apple AirPods 4: Comparing Features, Battery Life, and (ANC)
These earbuds offer innumerable features but differ from each other in a few crucial areas. For example, the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds provide a stunning 8.5 hours of listening on a single charge, with the case adding another 20.5 for a grand total of 29 hours plus battery life. Apple’s newest Air Pods 4 with ANC show a downright sickly picture of battery life, able to manage up to four hours with ANC switched on, stretched to 20 via the charging case.
Both earbuds come with active noise cancelers, but one is better than the other. They follow different methodologies.
The Bose QC Earbuds are rather conventional in design: with their stability bands and a range of different ear tips, they seal your earn canal, flooding it with sound frequencies. And it works very well, particularly on mid- to low-frequency noises. What they do not have are features found on more expensive Bose models such as Custom Tune (which would adjust the ANC to your ear profile) and the same caliber of signal processing tech. They do possess an Aware (transparency) mode, though. And for the money, they put in a very impressive ANC performance.
The AirPods 4 do not come with ear tips, but that does not mean they cannot keep up. Apple made its noise cancellation technology more efficient by zeroing it out on lower frequencies, like those produced by engines. Higher-pitched noises are still more audible and therefore not as effective for shutting out the world as the Bose. Nevertheless, their Adaptive Audio adjusts ANC levels dynamically depending on the environment and comes with a Transparency mode, although that feature loses a bit of importance due to the open-ear design.
It mostly depends on the type of ANC you like. Apple’s is airy and offering more comfort, while Bose offers a cocooning effect with an entry point via the Aware mode for a more isolated listening experience but allows environmental sounds. Hence, we find Bose’s tech a little advanced.
The support of multipoint connection is found in Bose earbuds, enabling simultaneous connection to two devices. The Air Pods 4 with ANC has its own version of this with regards to their pairing with devices running on iOS; however, Bose’s buds are more flexible since they work the same way with both Android and iOS.
Bose has also added an interesting feature called Remote Selfie, which transforms these buds into a remote shutter for the camera. The extent to which this becomes a selling point will differ wildly based on individual preferences. Brought by us is no complaint against additional features – as long as they do not affect any other experiences. But we have to admit that we shall not be using it much.
Adaptive Audio is designed to respond towards the tactics of Bose. It automatically modifies noise control depending on your surroundings. The Air Pods 4 with ANC now also boast the power of Apple’s H2 chip, which enables them for advanced computational audio and all the impressive features included in the more advanced Air Pods Pro 2. An example of such a feature is Voice Isolation (available with iOS 18), which gives you clear calls by reducing the background noises around your voice to make it sound clearer to other people over the call.
Amazingly, just like the AirPods pro 2, this feature is part of the Conversation Awareness, which automatically decreases your media volume but raises the sounds of voices around you when it detects that you’re talking, making it a perfect feature for people who wouldn’t want to take the earbuds out every time they want to talk to someone.
Both the models have touch controls as well as support for voice assistant. In addition, Bose has come up with a new wake word-‘Hey Headphones’ for the onboard assistant.
Battery Life
The extended battery life and multipoint connectivity of the Bose could have indeed made it the best choice for many and the outstanding camera shutter feature could bring some more on board. For all its features, Apple’s offering might yet give rise to the more practical use of Conversation Awareness, which, when combined with Adaptive Audio, could make the ANC-enabled Air Pods Pro 4 the most superior option. While Android users will enjoy most of the available extra features with Bose, iOS users may find themselves feeling a little less torn.
Sound Quality
Audition-wise, the two packs do quite well, same as one would expect of reputable brands like Apple and Bose.
They’re bass and powerful, punchy and ground-shaking with low frequencies, musical scuffles in the expressive midrange, and controlled highs. Bass notes go deep, and always with the good peace of details and insight.
The new Air Pods 4 are similar to the previous-generation add-on-the Air Pods Pro 2-in that they provide a stellar sound profile, featuring clarity, detail, and balance, with a heavy emphasis on voices for enjoyment Easy of listening. As compared to the Air Pods 3, these have an even fuller and richer sound; it has heft and texture. It is still missing more fullness in sound intensity, especially in lower frequencies, where ear tipless use becomes apparent.
We would give this one to Bose but, really, it depends on the style of music presentation.
Verdict
In this match up, Bose QuietComfort Earbuds (2024) have won every round, and though they are indeed better all-rounders and usually the better-fitted pair for most of the people, they may not necessarily be the ones for you.
Of course, their ear tip design will work better in isolation from the environment, although I am aware that there are some people who would prefer an open design solution managed by the Air Pods 4 with ANC. The BA in ANC works better, but those who love the more airy nature of Apple’s implementation will have a preference toward it. On the other hand, the Air Pods receive seamless usability but do not enjoy all the features from Bose.
In short, this contest was much closer than the results from the headlines might suggest. While we would pick the Bose over the AirPods, those who are still trying to decide should read our full reviews for a more thorough comparison.