Sony and Bose both refreshed their flagship noise canceling headphones in 2025, and they launched at almost exactly the same price. That makes this an easier choice than it looks. You are picking features, not a budget.
Sony's WH-1000XM6 was announced in May 2025 at $449.99. The headline change is noise canceling: a new QN3 processor working with 12 microphones, half again as many as the XM5 had. Sony also brought back the folding design that the XM5 dropped, with a case that closes with a magnet instead of a zipper. Battery life is rated at 30 hours with noise canceling on, and a three-minute charge is rated for up to three hours of listening.
Bose's QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen) were announced in September 2025 and went on sale on October 2 at $449. Bose raised battery life by six hours to a rated 30 hours with noise canceling on, or 23 hours with its Immersive Audio spatial mode running. The other notable addition is lossless audio over USB-C at 16-bit and 44.1 or 48 kHz, plus a Cinema mode aimed at clearer dialogue.
On paper, then, battery claims are a tie. Independent battery tests published since launch have tended to show the Sony running longer, but both last well beyond a long-haul flight.
The differences that matter are smaller. Sony supports LDAC for higher bitrate Bluetooth on Android phones, and its app has more EQ and scene-based controls. Bose's wired USB-C lossless mode is the more practical feature if you often listen plugged into a laptop or phone. Sony's return to a folding design is a real gain if the headphones live in a backpack.
Comfort and fit decide more than any spec sheet here, and they vary by head. If you can try both at a store, do that before reading another comparison.
The short version: these are close enough that price on the day should decide it, since both are frequently discounted. Pick the Sony if you want LDAC, longer real-world battery and a folding design. Pick the Bose if you want lossless audio over USB-C and spatial audio for movies.
