AirPods Max 2 vs QuietComfort Comparison
Compare AirPods Max 2 vs QuietComfort side by side: specs, ratings, pros and cons, and which one fits your room best.
On this page
At a Glance
AirPods Max 2
The AirPods Max 2 are Apple's current over-ear headphones. They use an Apple-designed dynamic driver, an H2 chip in each ear cup, and nine microphones: eight for noise cancelling and three for voice, with two shared.
- Best For
- iPhone and Mac users
- Style
- Over-ear
- Weight
- 386.2 g
- ANC
- Active Noise Cancellation, Adaptive Audio
- Mics
- 9
- Boom Mic
- No
- Talk Time
- 20 h
- Connect
- Bluetooth, USB-C audio
QuietComfort
The Bose QuietComfort Headphones replaced the QuietComfort 45. They are an around-ear ANC headphone with protein leather cushions and a hard carry case.
- Best For
- Travellers on a mid budget
- Style
- Over-ear (around-ear)
- Weight
- 236 g
- ANC
- Active noise cancelling
- Mics
- —
- Boom Mic
- No
- Talk Time
- 24 h
- Connect
- Bluetooth
Review Scores Compared
Expert Score
Voice & Mic Clarity
Comfort & Ergonomics
Connectivity & Range
Battery & Charging
Why AirPods Max 2 Beats QuietComfort (and Vice Versa)
Why AirPods Max 2 beats QuietComfort
- Better voice & mic clarity: 6.3 vs 4.0 out of 10
- Better connectivity & range: 8.6 vs 8.0 out of 10
- Better battery & charging: 7.0 vs 6.5 out of 10
- Headband: Knit mesh canopy, telescoping stainless steel arms vs Adjustable
Why QuietComfort beats AirPods Max 2
- Better comfort & ergonomics: 8.9 vs 7.2 out of 10
- Weight: 236 g vs 386.2 g
- Talk Time: 24 h vs 20 h
Review-score leads of 0.5+ points out of 10 first, then specs where only one comes out ahead.
Full Specifications
General
| AirPods Max 2 | QuietComfort | |
|---|---|---|
| Best For | iPhone and Mac users | Travellers on a mid budget |
| Wearing Style | Over-ear | Over-ear (around-ear) |
Design & Build
| AirPods Max 2 | QuietComfort | |
|---|---|---|
| Weight | 386.2 g | 236 g Better |
| Materials | Anodized aluminum ear cups, stainless steel frame, knit mesh canopy | Metal, plastic, protein leather |
| Ear Cushions | Memory foam with mesh textile | Protein leather, removable |
| Colors | Midnight, Starlight, Blue, Purple, Orange | — |
| Headband | Knit mesh canopy, telescoping stainless steel arms Better | Adjustable |
| Ear Cup Rotation | Each cup rotates independently | — |
| Dimensions | — | 195 x 157 x 80 mm |
Audio
| AirPods Max 2 | QuietComfort | |
|---|---|---|
| Driver Type | Apple-designed dynamic driver | — |
| Spatial Audio | Personalized Spatial Audio with dynamic head tracking | — |
| Custom EQ | Adaptive EQ | — |
| Wired Listening | Yes (USB-C lossless and ultra-low-latency audio) | — |
| Stereo / Mono | Stereo | Stereo |
Noise Cancelling
| AirPods Max 2 | QuietComfort | |
|---|---|---|
| Noise Cancelling | Active Noise Cancellation, Adaptive Audio | Active noise cancelling |
| Active Noise Cancelling | Yes | Yes |
| Transparency Mode | Yes (Transparency mode, Conversation Awareness) | Yes (Aware Mode) |
| Adaptive ANC | Yes (Adaptive Audio) | — |
Microphone
| AirPods Max 2 | QuietComfort | |
|---|---|---|
| Microphones | 9 | — |
| Microphone Setup | 6 outward-facing (ANC), 2 inward-facing; Voice Isolation | — |
| Call Noise Reduction | Voice Isolation | — |
| Boom Mic | No | No |
Battery & Charging
| AirPods Max 2 | QuietComfort | |
|---|---|---|
| Talk Time | 20 h | 24 h Better |
| Charging Time | — | 2.5 h |
| Fast Charging | Yes (5 min = about 1.5 h) | — |
| Music Time | 20 h | — |
| Charging Port | USB-C (lossless and ultra-low-latency audio) | USB |
Connectivity
| AirPods Max 2 | QuietComfort | |
|---|---|---|
| Connection | Bluetooth, USB-C audio | Bluetooth |
| Bluetooth Version | 5.3 | — |
| Low-Latency Mode | — | Not recommended for gaming (Bose) |
| USB Audio | Yes | — |
Controls & App
| AirPods Max 2 | QuietComfort | |
|---|---|---|
| Controls | Digital Crown, listening mode button | — |
| Management Software | — | Bose app |
| Wear Detection | Optical and position sensors | — |
| Voice Assistant | Siri | Phone's native assistant via multi-function button |
In the Box
| AirPods Max 2 | QuietComfort | |
|---|---|---|
| In the Box | AirPods Max 2, Smart Case, USB-C charge cable | — |
| Carry Case | Yes (Smart Case) | Yes (hard carry case) |
Takeaways
- It's a tie on our rating (3.5/5) between AirPods Max 2 and QuietComfort, so choose on the rows that matter most to you.
- Choose AirPods Max 2 for iPhone and Mac users.
- Choose QuietComfort for travellers on a mid budget.
Pros and Cons
AirPods Max 2
PROS
- Nine microphones with Voice Isolation
- Adaptive Audio and Conversation Awareness
- Lossless, low-latency audio over USB-C
- Five colours, Smart Case included
CONS
- Heaviest in this group at 386.2 g
- Shortest battery here at 20 h
QuietComfort
PROS
- Bose active noise cancelling
- Lighter than the QC Ultra
- Hard carry case
- Protein leather cushions
CONS
- 24 h battery is below most rivals here
- Bluetooth version and codecs not listed on the page we checked
Similar Comparisons
AirPods Max 2 vs ATH-M50xBT2
- AirPods Max 2 vs Studio Pro
- AirPods Max 2 vs QC Ultra (2nd Gen)
QuietComfort vs ATH-M50xBT2- QuietComfort vs Studio Pro
- QuietComfort vs QC Ultra (2nd Gen)
Quick Verdict
- AirPods Max 2 7.1Best overallLeads in Voice & Mic Clarity, Connectivity & Range, Battery & Charging
- QuietComfort 6.6Leads in Comfort & Ergonomics