Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

These headphones are competing directly with the Sony 1000XM3 and Bose QC35II, so when deciding to buy wireless noise cancelling headphones at the $350 price range, it is wise to look into all 3. Noise Cancellation: (Surface Headphones == Sony 1000XM3) > Bose QC35II. The quality of noise cancellation on the Surface and Sony is very close, both standing well above Bose's. I am not too sure why, but Bose's NC gives me a weird headache, and it is not just the QC35 line, but also their in-ear QC20. There are reports of this happening to many other Bose owners, so, personally, I cannot recommend the Bose for the noise cancelling. Both Sony's and Surface Headphones' active noise cancelling is amazing, and for someone who takes bus rides daily, it is a godsend. Comfort: Surface > Bose > Sony When looking at how they rest on your head/ears, the Surface headphones are easily the most comfortable due to its over-ear design. To me, the Sony 1000XM3 are not comfortable since the drivers put physical pressure on my ear's cartilage, so after 20 minutes of listening, my ears would start hurting, and that is because of the on-ear design, similar to the Bose QC35II. As a commuter, comfort was the most important factor when I decided to get the Surface headphones. Sound Quality: Sony > Bose > Surface Both Sony and Bose have years of research and development backing them up, so their products have industry standard sound quality, whereas, the Surface headphones are Microsoft's first attempt at making premium headphones. I am not an audiophile, but I can still clearly tell the differences. For example, compared to the Bose QCII, the Surface headphones lack in the mids and highs. Do not get me wrong, the Surface Headphones do sound good for its main functions are being wireless and noise cancelling. PROS: - Quality noise cancelling . - Surprisingly good to play games with, such as PUBG and Overwatch (when cabled, with NC on). I can actually hear footsteps much clearer, and it beats any of the fake "7.1 surround sound" gaming headphones by a milestone. - Build quality is premium (soft touch material), way better than the Bose. They weigh a tiny bit more than Sony's and Bose's, but it's negligible. - Touch control on the sides, which makes it hands-free. Also, the dials for volume (on the right) and NC (on the left) are really smooth and easy to adjust. - Fast charging, so you can sneak in a couple hours of battery with ~15 minutes of charging (as long as you have a fast charger). - USB type-C - If you run out of battery, they still function as normal headphones with the 3.5mm jack cable (with NC off). - Voice assistant (Cortana, Siri, Google Voice) if you are into that. - It has voice prompts, such as telling you battery life when turning it on. Also, it will pause your music when you take them off. - Phone calls sound clear. CONS: - Battery life (about 12 hours) is much shorter than the competitors. This is due to the voice assistant being on "stand-by" the whole time, which drains the battery. Microsoft is working on an firmware update to let you choose to have it turned off, but I don't think they will reach Sony's monstrous 30-hour battery. - Sound quality is worse than Bose's and Sony's. You can try to tune it differently in the EQ, but they will still lack. Overall: I like them a lot and I would recommend them to people interested in buying wireless, noise cancelling headphones at this price range. My primary use is with my iPhone, so as far as streaming over Spotify, to me they sound great.