Apple - AirPods Max (Lightning) vs Bose - QuietComfort Headphones
Where they actually differ
The most decisive specs, ranked by how much they matter — before the full spec table.
| Spec | Apple - AirPods Max (Lightning) | Bose - QuietComfort Headphones |
|---|---|---|
| Weight | 384 g | 240 g |
| Battery life | 20 h | 24 h |
| Driver size | 40 mm | 35 mm |
| Spatial audio | true | false |
| Multipoint | false | true |
Between the AirPods Max (Lightning) and QuietComfort Headphones, the AirPods Max (Lightning) comes out ahead in driver size / spatial audio, while the QuietComfort Headphones wins on weight / battery life. Overall, the AirPods Max (Lightning) scores 68 and the QuietComfort Headphones scores 70.2 on our Mars Score.
Which should you buy?
These two are nearly even on the Mars Score (68 vs 70.2). The decision is not about overall quality — both clear the bar — it is about which specific trade-offs fit your use.
Pick the AirPods Max (Lightning) if audio quality and feature breadth (ANC, codecs, multipoint) are the lead criteria for your purchase. The biggest gaps in its favor are driver size, spatial audio. The single most decisive one: Driver size — 14.29% more. 40 mm vs 35 mm.
Pick the QuietComfort Headphones if your top frustration with your current device is running out of charge before the day ends — endurance is the lead spec here. Its strongest claims are weight, battery life, multipoint. The single most decisive one: Weight — 144.00 g less. 240 vs 384.
Both ship with comparable active noise cancellation, ldac, water resistance, so those specs do not separate the two — focus on the differences below.
Bottom line: there is no wrong answer here — match the spec advantages to how you actually use the product. The Mars Score parity says both are well-rounded; the differences are about trade-offs, not quality.
Which should you buy: Apple - AirPods Max (Lightning) or Bose - QuietComfort Headphones?
Bose - QuietComfort Headphones leads the current Mars Score by 2.2 points.The more useful decision is the trade-off behind that result: compare driver size, battery life, weight against the way you will actually use the product.
Choose Apple - AirPods Max (Lightning) if…
Apple - AirPods Max (Lightning) has the measurable edge on driver size mm, has spatial audio.
Choose Bose - QuietComfort Headphones if…
Bose - QuietComfort Headphones has the measurable edge on weight g, battery life h, has multipoint.
This is a structured comparison of the published catalog values. It is not a claim of identical real-world performance across every workload; use the linked spec drill-downs and methodology page to inspect the inputs.
Why Apple - AirPods Max (Lightning) wins
- ▲Driver size — 14.29% more. 40 mm vs 35 mm.
- ▲Has Spatial audio.
Why Bose - QuietComfort Headphones wins
- ▲Weight — 144.00 g less. 240 vs 384.
- ▲Battery life — 20.00% more. 24 h vs 20 h.
- ▲Has Multipoint.
Spec comparison
Design
| Spec | Apple - AirPods Max (Lightning) | Bose - QuietComfort Headphones |
|---|---|---|
| Type | over-ear | over-ear |
| Weight | 384 g | 240 glead |
| Water resistance | none | none |
Audio
| Spec | Apple - AirPods Max (Lightning) | Bose - QuietComfort Headphones |
|---|---|---|
| Driver sizeⓘ | 40 mmlead | 35 mm |
| Impedanceⓘ | 10 Ω | 32 Ωlead |
| Sensitivityⓘ | 105 dBlead | 98 dB |
| Active noise cancellationⓘ | true | true |
| Transparency mode | true | true |
| Spatial audioⓘ | truelead | false |
Battery
| Spec | Apple - AirPods Max (Lightning) | Bose - QuietComfort Headphones |
|---|---|---|
| Battery lifeⓘ | 20 h | 24 hlead |
| Fast chargeⓘ | true | true |
Connectivity
| Spec | Apple - AirPods Max (Lightning) | Bose - QuietComfort Headphones |
|---|---|---|
| Bluetoothⓘ | 5.0 | 5.1lead |
| Multipointⓘ | false | truelead |
| 3.5mm jack | false | truelead |
| LDACⓘ | false | false |
| aptX HDⓘ | false | false |
Frequently asked
Which has better battery life, AirPods Max (Lightning) or QuietComfort Headphones?+
QuietComfort Headphones lasts 24 hours vs 20 hours.
Do AirPods Max (Lightning) or QuietComfort Headphones have active noise cancellation?+
Both models have active noise cancellation.
Which supports LDAC, AirPods Max (Lightning) or QuietComfort Headphones?+
Neither supports LDAC.