If you want immersive spatial audio and flexible listening modes for a workout commute, choose Bose QuietComfort; if you need longer battery life and conversation-friendly features, choose Sony WH-1000XM4. For workout use, though, remember that both are over-ear headphones—not true wireless earbuds—and neither sheet specifies a workout-focused fit or water resistance.
Bose QuietComfort vs Sony WH-1000XM4 at a Glance
• Bose QuietComfort: Its biggest strength is the combination of CustomTune personalized sound and Quiet, Aware, and Immersion modes. The trade-off: battery life is up to 24 hours, or up to 18 hours with Immersive Audio.
• Sony WH-1000XM4: Its biggest strength is up to 30 hours of battery life, with quick charging and features designed to make calls and conversations easier. The trade-off: it does not list a spatial audio mode like Bose’s.
• Choose Bose if you want immersive listening options and a stated Bluetooth range of 30 feet.
• Choose Sony if you want more stated playback time, multipoint connection, and automatic playback pause when you take the headphones off.
• Both are over-ear Bluetooth headphones with active noise cancellation, touch controls, a microphone, and a 3.5 mm headphone jack.
Bose QuietComfort Ultra is the more immersive and adjustable listening option here. CustomTune shapes the sound to the listener, while Spatial Audio is designed to make music feel more expansive. Its Quiet, Aware, and Immersion modes give you distinct ways to manage listening: reduce outside sound, let more of it through, or combine noise cancellation with Bose Immersive Audio. That range is useful if your surroundings change during the day.
The stated battery life is up to 24 hours, dropping to up to 18 hours with Immersive Audio. A 15-minute charge is listed as providing up to 2.5 hours of playback, or up to 2 hours with Immersive Audio. Bose also specifies Bluetooth 5.3 and a connection range of up to 30 feet. Touch controls on the earcups handle volume, tracks, calls, and modes; the headphones can also be switched on or off with head motions. A 3.5 mm jack offers a wired option.
How We Research
We compare products from their published specs and features; the verdicts below are our independent editorial opinions.
Updated: 2026-10-22 · 7 min read · Independent comparison
Sony’s clearest advantage is endurance: it lists up to 30 hours of battery life, with a 10-minute charge providing up to 5 hours of playback. That’s six hours more stated maximum playback than Bose without Immersive Audio, and twelve more than Bose with that feature in use. Those figures make Sony the more straightforward choice for long stretches away from a charger.
The WH-1000XM4 also puts extra emphasis on calls and transitions between listening and conversation. Five built-in microphones work with audio processing for voice pickup, while Speak-to-Chat lowers the volume when you begin talking. Wearing detection pauses playback when you remove the headphones. Multipoint lets you connect two Bluetooth devices at the same time, which can help if you regularly switch between a phone and another device. Touch controls cover playback, volume, calls, and voice assistant access.
I’d choose Sony if you value longer playback, automatic pause, or the convenience of two-device pairing. Its noise cancellation uses Dual Noise Sensor technology, and it includes active noise cancellation, a microphone, and a 3.5 mm jack. Skip it if spatial audio and named modes such as Bose’s Immersion Mode are central to your decision. Like Bose, Sony is an over-ear headphone, not a true wireless earbud; its listed Bluetooth version is 5.0, and its specified range is 10 meters.
• Best for longer battery life → Sony WH-1000XM4. It lists up to 30 hours, compared with Bose’s up to 24 hours without Immersive Audio.
• Best for a quick charge → Sony WH-1000XM4. A 10-minute charge is listed for up to 5 hours of playback; Bose lists up to 2.5 hours from a 15-minute charge, or up to 2 hours with Immersive Audio.
• Best for spatial listening options → Bose QuietComfort. It includes Spatial Audio, CustomTune, and Immersion Mode.
• Best for switching between quiet and outside sound → Bose QuietComfort. Quiet, Aware, and Immersion modes give you different listening approaches.
• Best for calls and catching conversations → Sony WH-1000XM4. Its features include five-microphone voice pickup, Speak-to-Chat, and wearing detection.
• Best for connecting two devices at once → Sony WH-1000XM4. Multipoint pairing is explicitly listed.
• Best for a longer stated Bluetooth range → Bose QuietComfort. Bose specifies up to 30 feet; Sony specifies 10 meters.
• Best match for a workout-focused true wireless earbud search → neither. Both products are over-ear headphones, and the supplied details don’t establish a workout-oriented fit or water resistance.
That last distinction matters. Search phrases such as “usb c charging wireless headset for workout,” “crystal clear calls true wireless earbuds for workout,” and “touch control in ear earbuds for workout” point toward a different product category. Both of these headphones have touch controls and microphones, and both include USB-C charging cables, but neither is an in-ear true wireless earbud. Their over-ear design may suit a walk to the gym or a commute before a workout, but the provided specifications don’t say they’re built to handle exercise conditions.
The Bose-Sony choice is more compelling for everyday listening, travel, and calls than for training itself. Bose gives you a more explicitly immersive sound feature set and a longer stated wireless range. Sony counters with more playback time, useful call-handling features, and two-device pairing. Neither set of specs establishes which one will stay put during vigorous movement, so I wouldn’t treat either as a workout specialist.
There’s also a practical difference in how each handles a change of scene. Bose gives you modes you can select, including Aware Mode when you want to hear more of your surroundings. Sony instead lists Speak-to-Chat and wearing detection, which can make brief conversations or taking the headphones off less hands-on. If your day involves moving between music, calls, and quick conversations, Sony’s automation may be more useful. If your listening preference is the deciding factor, Bose’s Spatial Audio and CustomTune are more distinctive.
For a buyer who wants one over-ear pair for work, travel, and everyday use, both cover the basics: Bluetooth connectivity, active noise cancellation, touch controls, microphones, and wired listening through a 3.5 mm jack. The deciding question is whether you value Bose’s immersive listening modes more, or Sony’s longer battery life and convenience features more. For a true workout fit, neither product sheet provides enough information to make that case.
In my opinion, I’d buy the Sony WH-1000XM4 for everyday use because its 30-hour battery life, quick charging, multipoint pairing, and conversation features offer the more practical all-day package.
Bose QuietComfort is the better fit if Spatial Audio, CustomTune, and selectable listening modes matter more to you than battery life.
For workout use, I’d be cautious about choosing either: both are over-ear headphones, and the supplied details don’t specify workout fit or water resistance.
If I had to pick one for a workout commute and regular listening, I’d still choose Sony for its longer stated playback time.
Sony lists up to 30 hours of playback. Bose lists up to 24 hours, or up to 18 hours with Immersive Audio enabled.
Sony lists five built-in microphones with voice processing, plus Speak-to-Chat. Bose says its microphones focus on your voice and filter background noise, but the supplied details don’t provide a matching microphone count.
Both are over-ear headphones. The supplied specifications don’t identify a workout-specific fit or water resistance, so they don’t establish either model as a workout-focused choice.
Both listings include a USB-C charging cable. Bose states that a 15-minute charge provides up to 2.5 hours of playback, while Sony states that a 10-minute charge provides up to 5 hours.
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