Apple AirPods (2nd generation) vs Bose Sport Open Earbuds Truly Wireless Side-by-Side Headphones Comparison

Tested using Methodology v1.5

Updated Oct 17, 2024 04:00 PM

See Apple AirPods (2nd generation) Truly Wireless Review

Apple AirPods (2nd generation) Truly Wireless Picture

Bose Sport Open Earbuds Truly Wireless Picture

TypeEarbuds

EnclosureOpen-Back

WirelessTruly Wireless

TransducerDynamic

Noise CancellingNo

MicYes

TypeEarbuds

EnclosureOpen-Back

WirelessTruly Wireless

TransducerDynamic

Noise CancellingNo

MicYes

Variants

AirPods (2nd generation) (With charging case)
AirPods (2nd generation) (With wireless charging case)

Sport Open Earbuds (Triple Black)

Review

See Bose Sport Open Earbuds Truly Wireless Review

Our Verdict

Apple AirPods (2nd generation) Truly Wireless

Bose Sport Open Earbuds Truly Wireless

The Bose Sport Open Earbuds Truly Wireless are better for outdoor sports and fitness, while the Apple AirPods (2nd generation) offer a more versatile overall performance. The Bose are more stable and don't cover your ear, so you can stay aware of your surroundings. They also have more consistent audio reproduction. However, the Apple are more comfortable, have five additional charges in their carrying case, and have an H1 chip so that you can seamlessly pair them with your Apple devices. Their sound profile is better balanced, too.

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With charging case

AirPods (2nd generation)

Triple Black

Sport Open Earbuds

With wireless charging case

AirPods (2nd generation)

Triple Black

Sport Open Earbuds

Triple Black

Sport Open Earbuds

Triple Black

Sport Open Earbuds

Triple Black

Sport Open Earbuds

Main Differences for
Neutral Sound

Threshold

0.10

Neutral Sound

6.6

5.5

Bass Accuracy

5.8

1.0

Imaging

8.5

4.7

Frequency Response Consistency

5.6

8.5

Mid Accuracy

8.4

8.9

Full Comparison

Neutral Sound

6.6

5.5

Commute/Travel

6.0

5.7

Sports/Fitness

7.8

8.0

Office

6.0

5.4

Wireless Gaming

5.4

5.3

Wired Gaming

5.3

5.2

Phone Calls

5.9

Design

Style

Design Picture 2

Type

Earbuds

Enclosure

Open-Back

Wireless

Truly Wireless

Transducer

Dynamic

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Comfort

7.5

7.0

Comfort Picture

Weight

0.02 lbs

0.07 lbs

Clamping Force

0 lbs

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Controls

4.3

6.9

Controls Picture

OS Compatibility

Not OS specific

Ease Of Use

Subpar

Great

Feedback

Subpar

Good

Call/Music Control

Yes

Volume Control

Yes

Microphone Control

Channel Mixing

Noise Cancelling Control

Talk-Through

Additional Controls

Voice Assistant

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Breathability

9.2

0.0

Breathability After Picture

Avg.Temp.Difference

0.8 °C

N/A

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Portability

9.6

9.0

Portability Picture

L

1.7" (4.3 cm)

2.5" (6.4 cm)

W

1.0" (2.5 cm)

1.9" (4.8 cm)

H

0.6" (1.5 cm)

0.8" (2.0 cm)

Volume

1.00 in³ (16.39 cm³)

3.80 in³ (62.27 cm³)

Transmitter Required

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Case

8.5

7.5

Case Picture

Type

Hard case

L

2.1" (5.3 cm)

4.5" (11.4 cm)

W

1.7" (4.3 cm)

2.8" (7.1 cm)

H

0.7" (1.8 cm)

1.2" (3.0 cm)

Volume

2.50 in³ (40.97 cm³)

15.00 in³ (245.80 cm³)

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Build Quality

8.0

Build Quality Picture

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Stability

6.5

8.0

Stability Picture

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Headshots 1

Angled Picture

Side Picture

Headshots 2

Front Picture

Rear Picture

Top

Top Picture

In The Box

In The Box Picture

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Sound

Sound Profile

Frequency Response

Bass Amount

-8.65 dB

-17.56 dB

Treble Amount

0.39 dB

-2.6 dB

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Frequency Response Consistency

5.6

8.5

Consistency L

Consistency R

Avg. Std. Deviation

1.13 dB

0.3 dB

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Raw Frequency Response

Raw FR L

Raw FR R

Bass Accuracy

5.8

1.0

Bass

Std. Err.

6.68 dB

16.16 dB

Low-Frequency Extension

70.25 Hz

100.79 Hz

Low-Bass

-13.78 dB

-32.16 dB

Mid-Bass

-1.58 dB

-8.48 dB

High-Bass

2.09 dB

3.18 dB

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Mid Accuracy

8.4

8.9

Mid

Std. Err.

2.17 dB

1.45 dB

Low-Mid

1.31 dB

1.27 dB

Mid-Mid

0.07 dB

0.26 dB

High-Mid

3.01 dB

1.62 dB

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Treble Accuracy

7.4

8.0

Treble

Std. Err.

3.89 dB

3.05 dB

Low-Treble

3.83 dB

1 dB

Mid-Treble

3.78 dB

-4.8 dB

High-Treble

-2.62 dB

-6.51 dB

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Peaks/Dips

7.2

5.4

Peaks/Dips Graph

Peaks

1.97 dB

3.42 dB

Dips

1.12 dB

2.04 dB

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Imaging

8.5

4.7

Group Delay

Phase Response Mismatch

Weighted Group Delay

0.28

3.18

Weighted Phase Mismatch

2.28

42.2

Weighted Amplitude Mismatch

1.37

1.33

Weighted Frequency Mismatch

1.28

2.98

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Passive Soundstage

2.9

3.4

PRTF

PRTF Accuracy (Std. Dev.)

N/A

PRTF Size (Avg.)

N/A

PRTF Distance

N/A

Openness

9.6

9.8

Acoustic Space Excitation

3.2

4.9

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Virtual Soundstage

0.0

Virtual Soundstage

Head Modeling

Speaker Modeling

Room Ambience

Head Tracking

Virtual Surround

Weighted Harmonic Distortion

7.8

6.9

Weighted Harmonic Distortion

WHD @ 90

0.358

0.531

WHD @ 100

0.104

0.324

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Test Settings

Firmware

1A673

1.1.2-2174+132ebd5

Power

Connection

Bluetooth 4.0

Bluetooth 5.0

Codec

SBC, 16-bit, 44.1kHz

SBC, 16-bit, 48kHz

EQ

No EQ

ANC

No ANC

Tip/Pad

Default

Microphone

Integrated

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Isolation

Noise Isolation

1.0

0.6

Noise Isolation

Isolation Audio

Overall Attenuation

-1.95 dB

-0.56 dB

Noise Cancelling

Bass

0.32 dB

-0.06 dB

Mid

0.98 dB

0.32 dB

Treble

-6.94 dB

-1.86 dB

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Leakage

7.2

5.8

Leakage

Leakage Audio

Overall Leakage @ 1ft

38.25 dB

46.15 dB

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Microphone

Microphone Style

Integrated

Yes

In-Line

Boom

Detachable Boom

Mic

Yes

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Recording Quality

6.4

7.6

Microphone Frequency Response

Recorded Speech

LFE

261.43 Hz

171.98 Hz

FR Std. Dev.

3.34 dB

1.7 dB

HFE

3,319.91 Hz

6,544.63 Hz

Weighted THD

27.169

1.48

Gain

38.23 dB

5.63 dB

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Noise Handling

6.9

6.5

SpNR

SpNR

13.93 dB

11.56 dB

Noise Gate

Always On

Speech + Pink Noise Handling

7.5

6.5

Speech + Pink Noise Audio Sample

Speech + Subway Noise Handling

6.0

6.5

Speech + Subway Noise Audio Sample

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Active Features

Battery

6.6

7.0

Battery Type

Rechargable

Continuous Battery Life

4.1 hrs

9.5 hrs

Additional Charges

5.0

0.0

Total Battery Life

24.6 hrs

9.5 hrs

Charge Time

0.5 hrs

1.2 hrs

Power-Saving Feature

Standby mode

Auto-Off Timer

Audio While Charging

Yes

Passive Playback

Charging Port

Lightning

Proprietary

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App Support

5.0

7.0

App Picture

App Name

No App

Bose Music

iOS

Yes

Android

Yes

macOS

Yes

Windows

Equalizer

ANC Control

Mic Control

Room Effects

Playback Control

Yes

Button Mapping

Yes

Surround Support

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Connectivity

Bluetooth

6.8

6.7

Bluetooth Version

5.0+H1 chip

5.1

Multi-Device Pairing

NFC Pairing

Line Of Sight Range

149.00 ft (45.42 m)

153.00 ft (46.63 m)

PC Latency (SBC)

176 ms

329 ms

PC Latency (aptX)

N/A

PC Latency (aptX HD)

N/A

PC Latency (aptX-LL)

N/A

iOS Latency

80 ms

86 ms

Android Latency

165 ms

120 ms

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Non-Bluetooth Wireless

0.0

Non-BT Line Of Sight Range

N/A

Non-BT Latency

N/A

Wired

0.0

Cable Picture

Analog Audio

USB Audio

Detachable

Length

N/A

Connection

No Wired Option

Analog/USB Audio Latency

N/A

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PC Compatibility

Analog

Wired USB

Non-BT Wireless

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PlayStation Compatibility

PS4 Analog

PS4 Wired USB

PS4 Non-BT Wireless

PS5 Analog

PS5 Wired USB

PS5 Non-BT Wireless

Xbox Compatibility

Xbox One Analog

Xbox One Wired USB

Xbox One Non-BT Wireless

Xbox Series X|S Analog

Xbox Series X|S Wired USB

Xbox Series X|S Non-BT Wireless

Base/Dock

2.2

Type

Charging Case

Wired USB dock

USB Input

Line In

Line Out

Optical Input

RCA Input

Dock Charging

Yes

Power Supply

Lightning

USB

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Check Price

With charging case

AirPods (2nd generation)

Triple Black

Sport Open Earbuds

With wireless charging case

AirPods (2nd generation)

Triple Black

Sport Open Earbuds

Triple Black

Sport Open Earbuds

Triple Black

Sport Open Earbuds

Triple Black

Sport Open Earbuds