We compare products from their published specs and features; the verdicts below are our independent editorial opinions.
Updated: 2026-09-30 · 6 min read · Independent comparison
If you want proven, adjustable active noise cancellation with a wired fallback and voice control baked in, choose Bose QuietComfort 35; if you need marathon battery life and a lighter, more comfortable fit for all-day wear, choose Sony WH-CH720N.
• Bose QuietComfort 35 — biggest strength: Three levels of active noise cancellation you can dial up or down, plus Alexa voice control and both Bluetooth and a 3.5 mm wired connection.
• Bose QuietComfort 35 — biggest trade-off: Around 20 hours of playback per charge, and the Rose Gold limited edition is a specific look rather than a neutral one.
• Sony WH-CH720N — biggest strength: Up to 35 hours of battery life with quick charging, in a slimmed-down, lightweight over-ear frame built for long sessions.
• Sony WH-CH720N — biggest trade-off: It's a certified refurbished unit with a 90-day limited warranty, and noise cancellation is on/off rather than multi-level.
• Who each pick is for: Bose for the traveler who wants granular noise control and a wired option; Sony for the all-day desk worker or commuter who wants light weight and long runtime.
The QuietComfort 35 II is built around one idea: control over your environment. Bose gives you three levels of noise cancellation, so you're not stuck choosing between "full block-out" and "off." On a plane you can push it to the max; in a quiet office you can drop it a notch so you still catch a colleague saying your name. That graduated approach is the single most useful thing about this headphone, and it's the reason it still makes sense for frequent flyers and open-plan workers.
It's also unusually flexible on connectivity. You get Bluetooth and NFC pairing, plus a 3.5 mm jack and a bundled audio cable — which matters more than people admit. If the battery dies mid-flight or you want zero-latency monitoring while editing, you just plug in. The dual-microphone system is tuned to reject noise on calls, and the Bose Connect app handles pairing management, music sharing, firmware updates, and lets you select Alexa as your assistant. The Action button then gives you hands-free access to music, weather, lists, and smart-home commands.
Weight comes in at 0.23 kg, which is light enough for long wear but not featherweight. The earcups are over-ear with a plastic enclosure, and it ships with a carrying case, a USB cable, and the audio cable — a complete travel kit out of the box. The catch is battery life: roughly 20 hours per charge. That's a full week of commutes for most people, but it's not a headphone you can forget to charge for a month. The Rose Gold finish is also a statement, not a safe default — if you want something that disappears into a bag, this isn't it. Skip it if you want maximum runtime above all else, or if you dislike app-dependent setup.
Sony's WH-CH720N takes the opposite approach: instead of giving you knobs to turn, it gets out of the way. The headline number is 35 hours of battery life, and the quick-charge spec is genuinely useful — a few minutes on USB-C buys you roughly an hour of playback. For someone who works from home, takes long train rides, or simply never remembers to charge anything, that changes the daily routine. You stop treating charging as a chore.
The comfort story is deliberate. Sony slimmed the headband and restructured the cups to open up more space around the ears, and the whole thing is pitched as Sony's lightest wireless noise-cancelling model. Combined with the low weight, that makes it a strong pick for all-day wear — the kind of headphone you put on at 9 a.m. and forget about. Dual Noise Sensor Technology with an integrated processor V1 handles the cancellation, and the adjustable Ambient Sound mode with 20 levels lets you blend in traffic, café chatter, or transit announcements without pulling the headphones off.
There's more here than the basics. Precise Voice Pickup uses beamforming microphones for calls, DSEE upscales compressed audio, and the headphones learn your behavior and frequent locations to auto-adjust volume. You can trigger Google Assistant or Alexa by voice, Bluetooth 5 keeps the wireless link current, and a 3.5 mm jack is still there for wired listening. The frequency range is specified at 20 Hz – 20,000 Hz.
Two honest caveats. First, this is a certified refurbished unit — manufacturer-refurbished, with all original accessories and a 90-day limited hardware warranty, which is shorter coverage than a new sealed product. Second, noise control is a single on/off active system with ambient levels, not Bose's three-step cancellation. Skip it if you want factory-new packaging and a full-length warranty, or if you like fine-grained control over how much noise gets through.
• Best for battery life → Sony WH-CH720N. Up to 35 hours versus roughly 20 on the Bose.
• Best for adjustable noise cancellation → Bose QuietComfort 35. Three distinct levels you can change on the fly; Sony gives you on/off plus ambient blending.
• Best for all-day comfort and light weight → Sony WH-CH720N. A slimmer headband and restructured cups designed to free up ear space.
• Best for travel with a dead battery → Bose QuietComfort 35. The included audio cable means a flat battery doesn't end your listening.
• Best for hands-free voice assistance → Bose QuietComfort 35. A dedicated Action button plus Alexa selection in the app.
• Best for quick top-ups → Sony WH-CH720N. USB-C quick charging gets you about an hour from a very short charge.
• Best for warranty peace of mind → Bose QuietComfort 35. A one-year warranty versus 90 days on the refurbished Sony.
• Best for a specific statement finish → Bose QuietComfort 35. The limited-edition Rose Gold colorway, if that's the look you want.
In my opinion, I'd buy the Bose QuietComfort 35 if noise cancellation quality and flexibility are the whole point of the purchase. Three cancellation levels, a wired backup, and a one-year warranty make it the more forgiving headphone to own, and the Alexa button is a real convenience rather than a gimmick. I'd pick the Sony WH-CH720N instead if my priority is wearing headphones for ten hours straight and charging them once a week — the 35-hour runtime and lighter build are hard to argue with. Since neither spec sheet tells you what either one costs today, check the current price on Amazon before you decide.
FAQ
The Sony WH-CH720N, clearly. Sony rates it at up to 35 hours of playback and adds USB-C quick charging that yields roughly 60 minutes from a three-minute charge. The Bose QuietComfort 35 is rated around 20 hours per charge, with a 20-minute charge time.
On the Bose, you pair through the Bose Connect app, where you also adjust the level of noise cancellation and can enable Alexa. On the Sony, noise cancelling is a single active system with an Ambient Sound mode offering 20 levels, which you control directly or via your voice assistant.
By design, the Sony WH-CH720N leans hardest into comfort: a slimmer, lighter headband and restructured earcups that create more space around the ears. The Bose QuietComfort 35 is also an over-ear design at 0.23 kg with a carrying case, so it travels well — but Sony's whole pitch here is lightweight, extended wear.
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