Sony WF-1000XM5 vs Bose QC Earbuds 2: which noise-cancelling earbuds are best?

The Sony WF-1000XM4 earbuds have long been our favorites, topping our best true wireless earbuds list since they landed in 2021. But in August 2023, Sony will start shipping its newest version – the WF-1000XM5. These buds are a significant upgrade on paper but the question is, how will they fare against our current favorite noise-cancelling, true wireless earbuds, the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds 2?

Sony has made big, bold claims about how the Sony WF-1000XM5 true wireless earbuds improve on the Sony WF-1000XM4 true wireless earbuds. They're certainly smaller and lighter and promise a more effective and immersive ANC experience. In the press literature, the brand calls the buds “Sony’s biggest step forward in noise-cancelling”. 

With that in mind, we decided to pit the Sony buds against the best noise-cancelling buds around right now. So, if you're wondering which is best, our fully star-rated Sony WF-1000XM5 review is in. How do we rate them against the Bose QC Earbuds 2? Then read on. 

Sony WF-1000XM5 vs Bose QC Earbuds 2: Price and release date

The Sony WF-1000XM5 earbuds were officially unveiled on July 24 and are due to hit the shelves in early August 2023. Sony has priced them at $299 in the US, £259 in the UK and AU$499 in Australia.  This price point makes sense considering the XM4s that came before them retailed at $279.99 / £250 / AU$449.95 when they first came out.

In comparison, the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds 2 came out in September 2022 and cost $299 / £279 / AU$429 at launch. As they've not been out long, you're unlikely to find any decent discounts. 

Given that the prices here are so similar, it makes for an interesting and practically like-for-like comparison. Have the Sony WF-1000XM5 earbuds outperformed the class-leaders simply because they're newer? Or are the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds 2 still the king of noise cancelling for the money? 

Sony WF-1000XM5 vs Bose QC Earbuds 2: Features

The most significant feature that both Sony and Bose are shouting about with these high-end buds is noise cancellation. Sony's XM4s delivered good ANC, but not best-in-class. Meanwhile, the XM5s have a new driver unit that Sony is calling Dynamic Driver X, which help the XM5 buds to deliver a whole range of improvements, including richer audio, clearer vocals and better levels of immersion – as well as an integrated processor and three mics per earbud compared to the two mics in the XM4s. However, unfortunately, it doesn't compete with the best earbuds for noise cancellation.  

The Bose QuietComfort Earbuds 2 outshine the rest when it comes to ANC, using an audio signal to calibrate both ANC and sound frequency to best suit your ears. The result is a truly immersive experience that only lets some high frequencies through. Otherwise, we wrote in our review that these buds are "at the top of the ANC game".

Sony says its new XM5 earbuds feature its “best ever call quality”. Again, this was improved from the XM4s, but can still be beaten. On the other hand the call quality is one of the few things we identified as lacking when we tested the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds 2. It isn’t terrible, but it could certainly be better. 

The Sony WF-1000XM5 beat the Bose buds in that respect, but only slightly. The brand is focused on upgrading your calls thanks to a noise reduction algorithm and bone conduction sensors. Sony says this will make voices clearer, even in noisy environments, and if you’re outdoors, it’ll reduce wind noise. So, if you like using earbuds for work and professional calls, going for Sony’s newest buds makes sense. 

Some other notable features of the Sony XM5s include multi-point pairing, which is a great nice-to-have and isn't available in the Bose buds. However, a feature of the Bose buds we use regularly is Single-Bud Use, which is what it sounds like. Rather than pulling a bud out constantly to play/pause your music, you can just use one. What we're saying is both buds pack in plenty of features, it all comes down to which matter to you.

Sony WF-1000XM5 vs Bose QC Earbuds 2: Sound

We rated the Bose QC Earbuds 2 for their brilliantly-balanced sound. That's thanks to Bose's CustomTune tech, which calibrates itself to your ears. It works remarkably well and we really enjoyed listening to the different details and textures present in all of our favorite tracks. The good news is, if you still need to tweak the sound, you can easily do that via the EQ in the app, too. 

Sony WF-1000XM5 buds, meanwhile, also deliver crisp balanced sound thanks to the new Dynamic driver X. In our review, we said that they delivered a "zealous, exciting listen" with "crisp bass weight". 

One major difference between the two buds is that Sony packs in both Spatial Audio and high-res audio support with LDAC and DSEE Extreme upscaling digital music in real-time. With the Bose buds you're only getting support for low-definition wireless codecs, there’s no LDAC or aptX support here.

Sony WF-1000XM5 vs Bose QC Earbuds 2: Design

When it comes to design, Sony has made a few key upgrades over the XM4s. Firstly, there's a new, glossy texture that makes them nicer to wear than the previous finish. The XM5s are also 25% smaller and approximately 20% lighter (around 5.84g per bud), which is pretty significant considering we were happy with the weight and fit of the XM4s.

But the most exciting design change is that they come in four sizes, including what Sony says is an “ultra-small” SS model for smaller ears. This is great news for those with small ear canals, as we noted in our review. 

The Bose QC Earbuds 2 were both smaller and lighter than their predecessors, the original QuietComfort Earbuds, weighing in at 6.2g per earbud. This makes the Sony buds lighter with more fit options, but after trialling them for some time we found the Bose buds comfortable, so it's hard to say which would make the best fit for you at this stage.

Sony WF-1000XM5 vs Bose QC Earbuds 2: Battery

Both the Sony WF-1000XM5 vs Bose QC Earbuds 2 don't have fantastic battery life. But then again, that's to be expected when there's such advanced sound and ANC on the inside.

The Sony WF-1000XM5 buds have the same eight-hour battery life as the XM4s that came before them with an additional two charges from the case. This is pretty good for the market, but does mean you're limited to a day's worth of listening at work, for example, before you have to pop them back in their charging case. 

The Bose QC Earbuds 2 fare worse, with six hours from the buds themselves but then their charging case is able to pack in an additional three charges.

If long battery life is a priority for you, you might want to look to an over-ear design. But you'll have to make a trade-off somewhere in portability, sound quality, ANC and additional features.

Sony WF-1000XM5 vs Bose QC Earbuds 2: Verdict 

If noise cancelling is the most important factor to you, then the Bose QC Earbuds 2 are the better option over the Sony WF-1000XM5's standard ANC quality. Sony has improved its ANC over the last buds, slightly, but Bose was already doing a fantastic job there and is still the winner in that particular race.

However, the Sony WF-1000XM5 true wireless earbuds are perhaps the slightly better all-rounders. Not only do they deliver high quality audio and call clarity that eqauls the Bose buds, but they have a slightly better battery life packed into a design that's going to feel a little lighter and smaller – a difference that's huge when it comes to true wireless buds.