Sony ULT WEAR (WH-ULT900N) / Apple AirPods (3rd generation)

Sony ULT WEAR (WH-ULT900N): WH-ULT900N (printed code YY2981) closed over-ear wireless headphones; Black, Off-White, Forest Gray. ULT FIELD speakers and the WH-1000X series are separate products.

Apple AirPods (3rd generation): AirPods (3rd generation) launched in 2021 with the MagSafe Charging Case; from 2022 a version with the Lightning Charging Case was also sold. The earbuds are the same with either case. AirPods 4, AirPods 2 and AirPods Pro are separate models.

Specification	Sony ULT WEAR (WH-ULT900N)	Apple AirPods (3rd generation)
Release year	2024	2021
Noise cancelling	Digital active noise cancelling with Integrated Processor V1 and Dual Noise Sensor; Ambient Sound mode Two mics on each cup sample outside noise and the processor generates an inverse signal; Ambient Sound mode lets you hear announcements and speech without removing the headphones. Sony	—
Driver and ULT button	40 mm dome-type closed dynamic driver with neodymium magnet; ULT button for bass-heavy sound mode The ULT button switches to a strong bass setting with one press; the app equaliser can tune the sound further. Sony	—
Frequency response	5–20,000 Hz (JEITA, wired); 20–20,000 Hz over Bluetooth (44.1 kHz sampling) Sony	—
Bluetooth and codecs	Bluetooth 5.2; A2DP, AVRCP, HFP, HSP; SBC, AAC, LDAC; about 10 m range LDAC carries audio at a higher bitrate from Android devices; iPhones do not support LDAC and use AAC. Sony	—
Multipoint and sensor	Two Bluetooth devices at once; wear sensor (pauses music when removed) You can switch between a phone and a computer without re-pairing. Sony	—
Battery	Music up to 30 hours ANC on, 50 hours off; calls up to 30 hours ANC on, 40 hours off; about 3.5 hours to charge over USB Sony	Up to 6 hours of listening per charge (5 hours with Personalised Spatial Audio on); up to 30 hours with the case; 5 minutes in the case ≈ 1 hour of listening Apple
Wired use	Detachable single-sided cable of about 1.2 m, gold-plated L-shaped 3.5 mm plug; passive operation supported When the battery is flat you can keep listening over the cable; audio over USB-C is not listed. Sony	—
Microphone and processing	Electret condenser, omnidirectional microphone; DSEE DSEE tries to restore high frequencies lost in compressed music. Sony	—
Impedance and sensitivity	314 Ω on, 32 Ω off (1 kHz); 110 dB/mW on, 100 dB/mW off (wired) Sony	—
Weight and colours	About 255 g; Black, Off-White, Forest Gray Sony	—
In the box	Connection cable, USB cable, reference guide, warranty card Sony	—
Service program	Free repair until 31 January 2027 for cracks in the rotating shaft between headband and housing on specific serial numbers The serial number is printed inside the left hanger; Sony provides affected ranges and a checker per colour. The crack can cause the housing to detach. Ranges listed in Canada: Black 1000001–1164062, Off-White 2000001–2040144, Forest Gray 3000001–3026514. Sony	—
Design and fit	—	Open-fit in-ear design without silicone tips; short stem Because the earbud does not seal the canal, ambient sound is heard; fit depends on ear shape and there are no interchangeable tips. Apple
Audio technology	—	Custom high-excursion Apple driver; custom high dynamic range amplifier; Personalised Spatial Audio with dynamic head tracking; Adaptive EQ Adaptive EQ measures what is heard in the ear with the inward-facing microphone and adjusts the tuning to the fit in real time. Head tracking anchors sound to the Apple device’s screen. There is no active noise cancellation or transparency mode. Apple
Chip and connectivity	—	H1 headphone chip; Bluetooth 5.0 Automatic device switching, “Hey Siri” and one-tap pairing work with Apple devices. Apple
Sensors and microphones	—	Dual beamforming microphones, inward-facing microphone, skin-detect sensor, motion and speech-detecting accelerometers, force sensor The skin-detect sensor pauses playback when an earbud is removed. Apple
Controls	—	Press the stem once to play/pause or answer a call; twice to skip forward or end a call; three times to skip back; press and hold for Siri There is no on-bud volume control. Apple
Charging case	—	MagSafe Charging Case (MagSafe, Qi and Lightning) or Lightning Charging Case The included cable is Lightning to USB-C; there is no adapter. Apple
Sweat and water resistance	—	IPX4: earbuds and charging case IPX4 protects against splashes; it is not for submersion. Apple
Size and weight	—	Earbud (each): 30.79 × 18.26 × 19.21 mm, 4.28 g; case: 46.40 × 54.40 × 21.38 mm, 37.91 g Apple