Beats Studio3 vs Bose QC35 – Wireless Noise Cancelling Headphones

The Beats Studio3 have three objective advantages over the Bose QC35 and, likewise, the QC35s three over the Beats. As such, we’re going to run through those advantages one-by-one and the other major details that are worth mentioning. Of course, as you probably well know, these are both over-ear noise cancelling headphones that have the wireless and wired option. They both fold up for storage and come with a carrying case. And both come in multiple color options. The Studio3 come in grey, matte black, white, rose-ish, red, and blue where as the QC35s come in grey and silver, but on Bose’s website (for an extra charge), you have the option to customize and personalize the color of basically every element on the headphones.

Additionally, both have an MSRP of $350, however, given that the QC35s have been out longer, we’ve seen steeper deals on them lately.

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Why get the Beats Studio3 vs Bose Quiet Comfort35?

Apple W1 Chip is the real deal

Beats took three years to update the Studio3, but the wait was clearly worth it since now the Studio3s have the Apple W1 chip built-in. Among other things, the W1 chip gives a boost to battery life and the wireless signal.

Beats quotes 22 hours of battery life on a single charge with the Studio3. We’ve had them go well over 24 hours on a single charge at about 50% volume, which is more than loud enough for the average consumer. Bose, on the other hand, quotes about 20 hours on a single charge. We’re able to go about two full weeks of use with the Bose before we need to charge them. That’s with light to medium use. With continuous playback, however, we’re able to go over the 20 hours mark, but not quite up to what you’ll get wit the Studio3. This is really an argument over semantics since both have stunningly good battery life, but the Studio3 do get the edge.

RELATED: See Beats Studio3 on Amazon

One curious thing with the Studio3s, however, is that they charge via MicroUSB, as oppose to USB-C or Lighting cable—an interesting move considering Beats is owned by Apple and it’s now 2017…everything should use USB-C.

Regarding Bluetooth range and stability, the Bose are very good, but the Beats are simply superb. We were able to get 60-70 yards with a clear line of sight before we encountered any signal interface whatsoever. We went about 50 yards indoors between rooms before we had any issues as well….hard to compete with that. Beats actually uses Class 1 Bluetooth with the Studio3. One upside with Bose, however, is that they have NFC built-in for easy pairing.

iOS Integration

The Beats integrate effortlessly with iOS devices and actually syncs with your iCloud account so that you can seamlessly switch between iOS devices. This can be tremendously helpful if you plan on switching between your computer and phone, etc.

SEE ALSO: Beats Studio3 Wireless Review

The Bose obviously work with iOS and the setup process is still very simple, but the Beats get the edge when it comes to iOS. Also, both clearly still work with Android phones, etc., just like any other Bluetooth headphones.

Who gets the Beats Studio 3 Wireless?

Firstly, you need to like the look of Beats since these have that classic Beats look. Additionally, you need to like bass because the Studio3s pack plenty of it…but not too much. Beyond that, however, you probably will be an iOS user because that’s how you’ll get the best bang for your buck. These are great for travel, great for the office, and just great headphones to use in general since the NC isn’t overpowering, nor does it have an odd hiss noise. You can listen to music for quite a while with the Studio3.

Why get the Bose QC35 vs Beats Studio3 Wireless?

Comfort and fit

Though this is admittedly subjective, we felt that the QC35s were more comfortable for extended listening. They completely cover your ears and do not pressure on your ears so at no point will your ears get fatigued. With the Beats, however, after 90 minutes or so you’ll feel some fatigue with your ears since they do compress your ears a bit. They cover most of your ears, but they also do sit on top of them a little bit.

Passive Listening

Bose allows you to listen even when your QC35s die. You just need to plug in the headphone jack cable and you’re good to go. You’re wired at that point, but at least they’re still useful. The Beats on the other hand, must have some sort of charge in order to work. This seems like a big deal, but in actuality, the Beats can go over 40 hours on a single charge in Low Power Mode so chances are you’ll be fine with battery life.

Audio quality

We feel the Bose are a little more balanced and clear overall with the sound quality, but we’re splitting hairs big time with this assessment because we really like the sound quality with the Beats as well. In fact, as previously mentioned, the Beats have more bass than the Bose so if you prefer more Bass, the edge goes to the Studio3. And the Beats get markedly louder than the Bose.

RELATED: See Bose QC35 on Amazon

Bose QC35 Firmware – Manual Control Over Noise Cancellation

For a while Bose did not allow you to manually control noise cancellation in wireless mode. Now, thanks to a firmware upgrade, you can turn ANC to high mode, low mode, or off completely. Of course, you have to update the firmware on the headphones and that takes a few minutes (actually took us 20 min), but it’s really nice to get this feature with the QC35s. With Bose, you have the option to have noise cancellation on or you can turn it all the way down to enter Low Power Mode. You can do this directly on the headphones, whereas with Bose, you’re making the change within the app.

Within Bose Connect app you can change ANC preferences.

Who gets the Bose QC35s?

Well, firstly, we actually would give the overall edge to the QC35s. Comfort is the most important thing to us. Beyond that, it’s basically a neck and neck comparison that’s all up to subjective decisions. Even when it comes to noise cancellation, they’re very similar and it’s difficult to pick an outright winner.

You probably get the Bose if you’re looking more to use them for travel or in the office. Bose is the gold standard when it comes to serving these applications. They’re not exactly a fashion statement, but they’ll serve you well for business use.

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