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Oct 2 · Day 23

MINOR · GEMINI · QUESTION 24

Gemini changed its list for a request for a ranked top 5 of noise-cancelling headphones.

Why it’s minor

Which products a model recommends is read out of its answer by the least reliable part of our scorer, so compare the two answers before reading much into this.

The full answers

Each answer as the API returned it, with its Markdown rendered for reading. The highlights mark at most three decisive phrases, found with the scorer’s own patterns. Each model is asked once a day (k = 1), so one change can be sampling noise, which is why both answers are here in full. How scoring works.

Asked verbatim · Question 24

Best noise-cancelling headphones for long-haul flights — give me a ranked top 5 with brand and model.

SEP 27beforePermalink

Picks read from the answer, in order
  1. Active Noise Cancellation
  2. Bose QuietComfort Ultra
  3. Sony WH-1000XM5
  4. Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless
  5. Sony WH-1000XM4
  6. Apple AirPods Max

Here is the ranked top 5 list of the best noise-cancelling headphones specifically suited for long-haul flights.

For 8+ hour flights, the ranking criteria heavily weigh Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) for engine drone, long-term comfort (clamping force and weight), battery life, and travel portability.

1. Bose QuietComfort Ultra

  • •The Best Overall for Air Travel
  • •Why it ranks #1: Bose is the undisputed king of blocking out low-frequency airplane cabin noise. The QC Ultras are incredibly lightweight with a gentle clamping force, meaning you can wear them for a 14-hour flight without getting a headache. Unlike their closest competitor (the Sony XM5), they fold up compactly into a smaller travel case, which is a massive advantage for carry-on packing.
  • •Battery Life: 24 hours.

2. Sony WH-1000XM5

  • •The Runner-Up & Best All-Rounder
  • •Why it ranks #2: Sony’s flagship headphones offer phenomenal, adaptive ANC that automatically adjusts to the changing pressure and noise of an airplane cabin. They sound slightly better than the Bose and feature excellent fast-charging (3 minutes plugged in gets you 3 hours of playback). They only drop to #2 because they do not fold on hinges; they only lay flat, meaning their travel case takes up noticeably more room in a backpack.
  • •Battery Life: 30 hours.

3. Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless

  • •The Battery Life Champion
  • •Why it ranks #3: If you are flying from New York to Singapore and back, you won't even need to pack a charger. The Momentum 4 boasts an unbelievable 60-hour battery life with ANC turned on. Combine that with Sennheiser’s superior, audiophile-grade sound quality and plush ear pads, and they are a dream for frequent, long-haul flyers. The ANC is excellent, though just a hair less powerful than Bose and Sony.
  • •Battery Life: 60 hours.

4. Sony WH-1000XM4

  • •The Best Value / Practical Traveler's Choice
  • •Why it ranks #4: Despite being the older generation to the XM5s, many frequent flyers still prefer the XM4s. Why? Because they fold up into a tiny ball. They take up very little space in your personal item, still feature elite-level noise cancellation, are incredibly comfortable, and because they are a previous generation, you can often find them heavily discounted.
  • •Battery Life: 30 hours.

5. Apple AirPods Max

  • •The Best for the Apple Ecosystem (with caveats)
  • •Why it ranks #5: If you are an iPhone/iPad/Mac user, the seamless switching and spatial audio while watching movies on your iPad is unmatched. The ANC and transparency modes are arguably the best on this list. However, they rank #5 for long-haul travel due to two major flaws: They are very heavy (mostly metal) and can cause neck/crown fatigue after 5 or 6 hours, and the included "case" offers zero protection for being stuffed into a tightly packed carry-on bag.
  • •Battery Life: 20 hours.

Pro Travel Tip: Whichever pair you choose, if you want to watch the seatback in-flight entertainment (movies) wirelessly, consider buying a Bluetooth transmitter like the Twelve South AirFly. It plugs into the plane's headphone jack and transmits the audio via Bluetooth to your wireless headphones.

OCT 2afterPermalink

Picks read from the answer, in order
  1. Active Noise Cancellation
  2. Bose QuietComfort Ultra
  3. Sony WH-1000XM4
  4. Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless
  5. Sony WH-1000XM5
  6. Bose QuietComfort

When ranking headphones specifically for long-haul flights, the criteria go beyond just sound quality. The perfect flight headphone must excel in four areas: Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) to kill engine drone, all-day comfort (low weight and low clamping force), battery life, and portability (how well they fit into a carry-on).

Here is the ranked top 5 best noise-cancelling headphones for long-haul flights:

1. Bose: QuietComfort Ultra

  • •The Verdict: The absolute best overall travel headphones right now.
  • •Why it’s #1 for flights: Bose has long been the king of airplane travel, and the Ultra is their flagship. The ANC is industry-leading, completely erasing the low-frequency rumble of jet engines. More importantly, Bose headphones are famous for their deep earcups and light clamping force, meaning you can wear these for a 14-hour flight without getting a headache. Unlike their biggest rival (the Sony XM5), the Ultras actually fold down on hinges to save precious space in your personal item.
  • •Battery Life: Up to 24 hours
  • •Weight: 252g

2. Sony: WH-1000XM4

  • •The Verdict: The most practical, travel-friendly choice (and a better flight companion than its newer sibling).
  • •Why it’s #2 for flights: You might wonder why the older XM4 beats the newer XM5 on this list. It comes down to portability. The XM4 folds neatly into a compact, hard-shell case that easily slides into a packed backpack. The newer XM5 does not fold and comes with a massive, bulky case. The XM4 still boasts world-class ANC, brilliant sound, and comes with a 3.5mm cable and a two-prong airline adapter in the box so you can plug right into the seatback screen.
  • •Battery Life: Up to 30 hours
  • •Weight: 254g

3. Sennheiser: Momentum 4 Wireless

  • •The Verdict: The battery life champion.
  • •Why it’s #3 for flights: If you are flying from New York to Singapore, having a layover, and flying back, you won't even need to charge these. The Momentum 4 boasts a staggering 60 hours of battery life with ANC turned on. While the noise cancellation is just a hair below Bose and Sony, the sound quality is arguably better than both. They don't fold up quite as small as the Sony XM4 or Bose QC Ultra, but the infinite battery life makes them a long-haul powerhouse.
  • •Battery Life: Up to 60 hours
  • •Weight: 293g

4. Sony: WH-1000XM5

  • •The Verdict: The best noise cancellation and sound, but penalized for a bulky case.
  • •Why it’s #4 for flights: Purely in terms of technology, this is an incredible piece of hardware. The ANC is arguably the best on the market, creating a near-vacuum of silence in the cabin, and they are incredibly lightweight. The only reason they drop to #4 for frequent flyers is the design: the earcups lay flat but do not fold inward. The carrying case is quite large, which can be annoying if you are traveling light with a small under-seat bag.
  • •Battery Life: Up to 30 hours
  • •Weight: 250g

5. Bose: QuietComfort (2023 Model)

  • •The Verdict: The classic, reliable, no-nonsense travel companion.
  • •Why it’s #5 for flights: Released in late 2023 to replace the legendary QC45, these are the standard "QuietComfort" headphones. They are noticeably cheaper than the QC Ultra, yet still offer top-tier Bose noise cancellation and supreme comfort. Crucially for flights, they use physical, tactile buttons rather than touch controls. When the cabin is pitch black and you are half asleep, it is much easier to press a physical button to pause your movie than to swipe blindly at a touch sensor. They also fold up nice and small.
  • •Battery Life: Up to 24 hours
  • •Weight: 240g

✈️ Frequent Flyer Pro-Tips:

  • •In-Flight Entertainment: All of the headphones above come with an audio cable to plug into the armrest/screen. However, to stay wireless, consider buying a Bluetooth transmitter like the Twelve South AirFly. You plug it into the plane's headphone jack, and it transmits the audio via Bluetooth to your headphones.
  • •Side-Sleepers: If you try to sleep with your head resting sideways on a plane window or travel pillow, over-ear headphones will dig into your head. If this is you, skip over-ears entirely and get the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds or Apple AirPods Pro 2 instead.
Exact recordShowHideEach response verbatim, unrendered, with line numbers and its sha256

Before baseline

2026-09-27 permalink

Scored
answered
Received
2026-09-27 09:16:58 UTC
Run
20260927T090007Z-7adb14
Served by
Google · HTTP 200 · finish stop
Size
3,268 characters · 2,081 tokens out incl. hidden reasoning · 18.1 s
Extracted picks, in order · confidence high
  1. Active Noise Cancellation
  2. Bose QuietComfort Ultra
  3. Sony WH-1000XM5
  4. Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless
  5. Sony WH-1000XM4
  6. Apple AirPods Max

Highlighted: the names the extractor took as picks, where they appear verbatim (6 of 6).

Here is the ranked top 5 list of the best noise-cancelling headphones specifically suited for long-haul flights.
For 8+ hour flights, the ranking criteria heavily weigh **Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) for engine drone**, **long-term comfort (clamping force and weight)**, **battery life**, and **travel portability**.
### 1. Bose QuietComfort Ultra
* **The Best Overall for Air Travel**
* **Why it ranks #1:** Bose is the undisputed king of blocking out low-frequency airplane cabin noise. The QC Ultras are incredibly lightweight with a gentle clamping force, meaning you can wear them for a 14-hour flight without getting a headache. Unlike their closest competitor (the Sony XM5), **they fold up compactly** into a smaller travel case, which is a massive advantage for carry-on packing.
* **Battery Life:** 24 hours.
### 2. Sony WH-1000XM5
* **The Runner-Up & Best All-Rounder**
* **Why it ranks #2:** Sony’s flagship headphones offer phenomenal, adaptive ANC that automatically adjusts to the changing pressure and noise of an airplane cabin. They sound slightly better than the Bose and feature excellent fast-charging (3 minutes plugged in gets you 3 hours of playback). They only drop to #2 because they do not fold on hinges; they only lay flat, meaning their travel case takes up noticeably more room in a backpack.
* **Battery Life:** 30 hours.
### 3. Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless
* **The Battery Life Champion**
* **Why it ranks #3:** If you are flying from New York to Singapore and back, you won't even need to pack a charger. The Momentum 4 boasts an unbelievable **60-hour battery life** with ANC turned on. Combine that with Sennheiser’s superior, audiophile-grade sound quality and plush ear pads, and they are a dream for frequent, long-haul flyers. The ANC is excellent, though just a hair less powerful than Bose and Sony.
* **Battery Life:** 60 hours.
### 4. Sony WH-1000XM4
* **The Best Value / Practical Traveler's Choice**
* **Why it ranks #4:** Despite being the older generation to the XM5s, many frequent flyers still prefer the XM4s. Why? **Because they fold up into a tiny ball.** They take up very little space in your personal item, still feature elite-level noise cancellation, are incredibly comfortable, and because they are a previous generation, you can often find them heavily discounted.
* **Battery Life:** 30 hours.
### 5. Apple AirPods Max
* **The Best for the Apple Ecosystem (with caveats)**
* **Why it ranks #5:** If you are an iPhone/iPad/Mac user, the seamless switching and spatial audio while watching movies on your iPad is unmatched. The ANC and transparency modes are arguably the best on this list. **However, they rank #5 for long-haul travel due to two major flaws:** They are very heavy (mostly metal) and can cause neck/crown fatigue after 5 or 6 hours, and the included "case" offers zero protection for being stuffed into a tightly packed carry-on bag.
* **Battery Life:** 20 hours.
***
**Pro Travel Tip:** Whichever pair you choose, if you want to watch the seatback in-flight entertainment (movies) wirelessly, consider buying a Bluetooth transmitter like the **Twelve South AirFly**. It plugs into the plane's headphone jack and transmits the audio via Bluetooth to your wireless headphones.

End of response · 32 lines · 3,268 characters · sha256 326724165425211bb814feacaa027e8ba590096fa01d453824a3e811640fc9d3

After this run

2026-10-02 permalink

Scored
answered
Received
2026-10-02 09:17:23 UTC
Run
20261002T090008Z-e178a0
Served by
Google · HTTP 200 · finish stop
Size
4,348 characters · 2,349 tokens out incl. hidden reasoning · 22.4 s
Extracted picks, in order · confidence high
  1. Active Noise Cancellation
  2. Bose QuietComfort Ultra
  3. Sony WH-1000XM4
  4. Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless
  5. Sony WH-1000XM5
  6. Bose QuietComfort

Highlighted: the names the extractor took as picks, where they appear verbatim (3 of 6).

When ranking headphones specifically for **long-haul flights**, the criteria go beyond just sound quality. The perfect flight headphone must excel in four areas: **Active Noise Cancellation (ANC)** to kill engine drone, **all-day comfort** (low weight and low clamping force), **battery life**, and **portability** (how well they fit into a carry-on).
Here is the ranked top 5 best noise-cancelling headphones for long-haul flights:
### 1. Bose: QuietComfort Ultra
* **The Verdict:** The absolute best overall travel headphones right now.
* **Why it’s #1 for flights:** Bose has long been the king of airplane travel, and the Ultra is their flagship. The ANC is industry-leading, completely erasing the low-frequency rumble of jet engines. More importantly, Bose headphones are famous for their deep earcups and light clamping force, meaning you can wear these for a 14-hour flight without getting a headache. Unlike their biggest rival (the Sony XM5), the Ultras actually fold down on hinges to save precious space in your personal item.
* **Battery Life:** Up to 24 hours
* **Weight:** 252g
### 2. Sony: WH-1000XM4
* **The Verdict:** The most practical, travel-friendly choice (and a better flight companion than its newer sibling).
* **Why it’s #2 for flights:** You might wonder why the older XM4 beats the newer XM5 on this list. It comes down to portability. The XM4 folds neatly into a compact, hard-shell case that easily slides into a packed backpack. The newer XM5 does not fold and comes with a massive, bulky case. The XM4 still boasts world-class ANC, brilliant sound, and comes with a 3.5mm cable and a two-prong airline adapter in the box so you can plug right into the seatback screen.
* **Battery Life:** Up to 30 hours
* **Weight:** 254g
### 3. Sennheiser: Momentum 4 Wireless
* **The Verdict:** The battery life champion.
* **Why it’s #3 for flights:** If you are flying from New York to Singapore, having a layover, and flying back, you won't even need to charge these. The Momentum 4 boasts a staggering **60 hours of battery life** with ANC turned on. While the noise cancellation is just a hair below Bose and Sony, the sound quality is arguably better than both. They don't fold up quite as small as the Sony XM4 or Bose QC Ultra, but the infinite battery life makes them a long-haul powerhouse.
* **Battery Life:** Up to 60 hours
* **Weight:** 293g
### 4. Sony: WH-1000XM5
* **The Verdict:** The best noise cancellation and sound, but penalized for a bulky case.
* **Why it’s #4 for flights:** Purely in terms of technology, this is an incredible piece of hardware. The ANC is arguably the best on the market, creating a near-vacuum of silence in the cabin, and they are incredibly lightweight. The only reason they drop to #4 for *frequent flyers* is the design: the earcups lay flat but do not fold inward. The carrying case is quite large, which can be annoying if you are traveling light with a small under-seat bag.
* **Battery Life:** Up to 30 hours
* **Weight:** 250g
### 5. Bose: QuietComfort (2023 Model)
* **The Verdict:** The classic, reliable, no-nonsense travel companion.
* **Why it’s #5 for flights:** Released in late 2023 to replace the legendary QC45, these are the standard "QuietComfort" headphones. They are noticeably cheaper than the QC Ultra, yet still offer top-tier Bose noise cancellation and supreme comfort. Crucially for flights, they use physical, tactile buttons rather than touch controls. When the cabin is pitch black and you are half asleep, it is much easier to press a physical button to pause your movie than to swipe blindly at a touch sensor. They also fold up nice and small.
* **Battery Life:** Up to 24 hours
* **Weight:** 240g
***
### ✈️ Frequent Flyer Pro-Tips:
* **In-Flight Entertainment:** All of the headphones above come with an audio cable to plug into the armrest/screen. However, to stay wireless, consider buying a Bluetooth transmitter like the **Twelve South AirFly**. You plug it into the plane's headphone jack, and it transmits the audio via Bluetooth to your headphones.
* **Side-Sleepers:** If you try to sleep with your head resting sideways on a plane window or travel pillow, over-ear headphones will dig into your head. If this is you, skip over-ears entirely and get the **Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds** or **Apple AirPods Pro 2** instead.

End of response · 39 lines · 4,348 characters · sha256 91aaba3b0516d71193431fb2a6319d64c023ab9728cfa6576e106fa64ac62d92

Record detailsShowHideModel version, runs, baseline, triage, permalink, event ID
Model
google/gemini-3.1-pro-preview
pinned google/gemini-3.1-pro-preview-20260219; alias resolved to google/gemini-3.1-pro-preview-20260219 at 2026-10-02 09:00:07 UTC (matches the pin)
Prompt
Question 24: P3 (recommendation)
Why this question
Asking for a ranked list makes a change in the order easy to see.
Change
1 added, 1 dropped
Baseline
7 prior days with data; 2 matched the baseline value (2026-09-25, 2026-09-27)
Responses
before 2026-09-27 09:16:58 UTC, run 20260927T090007Z-7adb14; after 2026-10-02 09:17:23 UTC, run 20261002T090008Z-e178a0
Detected
2026-10-02 · run 20261002T090008Z-e178a0, started 2026-10-02 09:00:08 UTC · scorer v1 · severity rules r2
Permalink
https://modeldrift.watch/e/2026-10-02/P3/google/gemini-3.1-pro-preview/pick_change/picks/
Event ID
2026-10-02:P3:google/gemini-3.1-pro-preview:pick_change:picks

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