The Bose Sport Earbuds are the latest model of sports headphones from Bose. They are incredibly comfortable and have good sound quality. However, for the price they have, their firmware had some problems in the first few months, a mistake that a brand like Bose should not make. Luckily, with the latest firmware the headphones are perfect, yes, the autonomy could be a little better.
The AirPods Pro headphones are by no means perfect, but they perform well in all the important sections and do not have any weak points. For being Apple’s first in-ear headphones, they are comfortable, have acceptable sound quality (they have improved bass), and feature Active Noice Cancellation (ANC) that reduces external noise. In addition, its battery is good, the connection is stable and the box is small.
Pros and Cons
| Bose | Apple |
| Good sound and comfort | Active noise cancellation |
| Good hands-free | Stable connection |
| No Bluetooth multipoint | Better sound than AirPods 2 |
| Average battery life | Still feel very iOS-focused |
| Large buds stick out of the ear | Can get loose during workouts |
General
| Bose Sport Earbuds | Apple AirPods Pro | |
| | |
| CHECK PRICE | CHECK PRICE | |
| Brand | Bose | Apple |
| Type | In Ear | In Ear |
| Colors | Balruc Blue, Glacier White, Triple Black | Black, White |
| Battery life | 5 Hours | 4.5 Hours |
| Weight | 358 grams | 250 grams |
| Connectivity | Bluetooth | Bluetooth |
Bose Sport Earbuds
The headphones don’t block out a lot of outside noise, but this is more of a feature than a drawback
The headphones produce a relatively balanced sound at all frequencies, they do not have as prominent bass as the QuietComfort Earbuds. Even so, the bass is strong enough and quite punchy.
The mids accurately reproduce vocals and strings.
The highs are noticeable that they are a little raised and this makes it a bit easier to hear the harmonic resonances of the music.
Overall, the Bose Sport Earbuds sound really good and are on a par with the QuietComfort Earbuds (quite a bit more expensive). Although the latter have lower bass, if you prefer a more balanced sound you may want to opt for the Sport. Of course, they sound much better than the older SoundSport Free, with greater clarity and definition of the bass, and than Apple’s AirPods Pro …
The Bose Sports have four microphones and pick up voice relatively well. Of course, the low frequencies are picked up quite attenuated and the voices can sound somewhat robotic. Still, the microphones do a great job of reducing predictable low-frequency background noises like air hum, and you can keep calls hands-free both indoors and outdoors.
Apple AirPods Pro
The AirPods have never convinced when it comes to sound quality. As it is not in-ear, its basses have always been quite poor, flat and without force. However, the Pro fix a lot of your problems.
The bass is much better, more powerful and at the same time more controlled. Thanks to the seal of the pad to the ear, the punch is greater and the definition is quite good.
The media is excellent, as in the rest of the AirPods. Voices are clear and crisp. With strength and texture.
The highs are more delayed and lack brightness and detail. They are warm and can be heard well, even at high volumes, but for headphones of this price, they could be clearer.
The power is pretty good at 60% of maximum volume. In addition, with passive isolation and active noise cancellation (ANC), it is not necessary to turn up the volume too much to listen to our music without hearing outside noise.
The active noise cancellation (ANC) that the AirPods Pro mount works quite well at all frequencies, although it is not great in any specific range.
Design
| Bose Sport Earbuds | Apple AirPods Pro | |
| Type | In Ear | In Ear |
| Wireless | Yes | Yes |
| Noise Cancelling | Yes | Yes |
| Weight | 358 grams | 250 grams |
| Foldable Design | No | No |
Bose Sport Earbuds
The Bose Sport Earbuds are sports headphones that have the IPX4 water resistance certificate. The truth is that we would have expected a slightly higher grade since there are many cheap headphones that already reach the IPX7.
The headphones are made of plastic and have a double silicone pad that incorporates a tip that is inserted into the ear, but also a hook that is placed inside the ear and that prevents the headphones from moving out of position, although we move a lot. The system works quite well and the headphones are really comfortable and I think they easily fit all ear and ear sizes.
In addition, they are so light that within minutes of putting them on, you completely forget that you are wearing them. Of course, the headphones protrude a bit from the ears, the good thing is that they are not as bulky or attract as much attention as the old Bose SoundSport Free model.
On the outside of the headphones, we find that each headset has a touch panel that has a good response and is quite easy to use. In addition, although at the beginning the functions to be controlled were somewhat limited, Bose has released firmware updates that allow us to control everything we want, including the volume.
Apple AirPods Pro
In terms of design is that the AirPods Pro have pads that are inserted into the ear and make a kind of seal that improves the sound and prevents the headphones from moving.
The new AirPods Pro are Apple’s first in-ear headphones. It was time!
Traditional AirPods are placed over the ear, but not inserted. This makes them move and fall as soon as I make a sudden movement so they are not useful for running or playing sports. Also, the feeling of them moving and falling at any time has always bothered me quite a bit.
Fortunately, this new design fits perfectly in the ear and keeps the headphones in position by running or shaking the head. In addition, the AirDots Pro have a channel that allows air circulation, which means that even being in-ear they do not overwhelm or produce the sensation of pressure in the ears.
The design seems to be quite successful because, although it is a little thicker, it has a smaller stem. In this way, when worn on the ear they are a little less cumbersome.
Features
| Bose Sport Earbuds | Apple AirPods Pro | |
| USB | USB-C | USB-C |
| Microphone | Yes | Yes |
| Dimension | 173.99 x 170.18 x 67.31 mm(Box) | 30.9 x 24 x 21.8 mm (Each) |
| Music Controls | Yes | Yes |
| Quick Charge | Yes | Yes |
| Stereo speakers | Yes | No |
Bose Sport Earbuds
The firmware can be updated with the Bose Music application. The app also allows you to configure the equalization, switch between paired devices, customize the controls and other parameters.
The right earbud also has a proximity sensor. Thanks to it, we can stop or resume a playback by taking off or putting on the Said headset.
Apple AirPods Pro
As for the controls, the AirPods Pro have pressure sensors on the stems (on the stick).
The pressure sensors seem a little less comfortable than the touch control used in the AirPods 2. To handle them we have to squeeze the stem with two fingers at the same time. If we are standing it works well, however, it is not so easy or comfortable when we are exercising. You lose the earpiece, press accidentally, etc …
In principle, both headphones are used to control the same actions, although some can be configured through the mobile:
- If we press once we will activate or pause the reproduction. It is also used to answer incoming call.
- If we press twice, we will jump to the next song.
- If we press three times, we will return to the previous song.
- If we keep it pressed we will alternate between the active noise cancellation and the ambient noise mode or Transparency Mode.
As you may have seen, we cannot control the volume from the headphones themselves. Well, yes we can, but we will have to use our voice and ask Siri. Something that is not practical in many places.
Battery
| Bose Sport Earbuds | Apple AirPods Pro | |
| Battery Type | Lithium-Ion | Lithium-Ion |
| Battery Life | 5 Hours Buds | 4.5 Hours Buds 28.5 Hours Case |
| Charging Time | 15 Min for 2 Hours | Approx 1.5 Hours |
| Charging Port | Pins | Lightning Port |
Bose Sport Earbuds
The headphones have an internal battery with which we can listen to music at medium volume for almost 5 and a half hours. Not bad, but not great either. The good thing is that, just by putting the headphones in the charging case for 15 minutes, we will get about 2 hours of battery life.
Charging the headphones fully takes about 2 hours while charging the case takes about 3 hours. The headphone case does not support wireless charging, something that perhaps should be included at this price, and must be charged with USB-C.
As for the box, it is nothing special, although luckily it is much more compact than that of the Bose SoundSport Free. Unlike most wireless headphone cases, in this case, it does not use magnets to keep it closed. Instead, you have to press a button that releases a lever, opening the lid.
In addition, we have 5 LEDs on the outside of the box that show us the remaining battery level, while inside we find the Bluetooth pairing button.
Apple AirPods Pro
The headphones have an internal battery that allows them to play music for about 5 hours at medium volume with the ANC activated. Something more than the 4.5 hours that Apple announces. With the box, we can charge the headphones and increase the total autonomy up to about 24 hours.
Another very interesting point is that, if we put the headphones in the box for only 5 minutes, thanks to the fast charge we will get an hour of autonomy.
Connectivity
| Bose Sport Earbuds | Apple AirPods Pro | |
| Bluetooth | Bluetooth 5.0 | Bluetooth 5.0 |
| Bluetooth Range | Approx. 10 meter | Approx. 10 meter |
| NFC | No | No |
| Multi-Device Connection | No | No |
Bose Sport Earbuds
The headphones feature Bluetooth 5.1 and the connection stability is excellent with the latest firmware update. With the previous version, there were connection losses and cuts, but fortunately, it is already solved.
As for codecs, they are compatible with SBC and AAC codecs. Another important (and rare) point is that we can use both headphones at the same time or only the right one, but not the left one because only the right earphone has mono listening.
The isolation performance is not very good and it is below average, however, it is a correct choice considering that the headphones are intended for sports. This helps to improve comfort, to prevent our steps from bouncing off our ears and to be aware of our surroundings.
Apple AirPods Pro
The AirPods Pro use the same version of Bluetooth and the same H1 chip as the AirPods 2, so they have excellent stability and very low lag with Apple devices. Of course, keep in mind that they have a little lag on Android.
To conclude, they are resistant to sweat and water (IPX4), if you take off a headset it automatically stops playback (it continues again when you put it on) and they have a Shared Audio mode in which we can link two pairs of AirPods to share the music we listen to with someone else who has other AirPods.
Which is better!
Bose Sport Earbuds
The Bose Sport Earbuds are easy to recommend headphones if you are looking for sports headphones that have great sound quality. That’s what they are perfect for. However, it is more difficult to recommend them if you give more importance to other aspects such as autonomy, size, better touch controls, etc. Also, we have a pretty high price. So they are very good headphones for their purpose, but not as good as general use headphones.
Apple AirPods Pro
The AirPods Pro are really good headphones on the whole. Although they are not the ones that sound the best, nor the ones with the best active cancellation, nor the smallest ones, nor the most comfortable for playing sports… they fulfil all the important aspects and do not fail in any of them.
They are comfortable, the connection is stable, they sound good, they can be used for sports, the autonomy is good, the carrying case is small and the noise cancellation is very comfortable to listen to music without having to turn up the volume.
In addition, although they fit better in the Apple ecosystem (synchronization between all the devices of your account) in Android all the most important features work (noise cancellation, Transparency Mode, etc.).
