Brandwave

Bose vs Sony:Which is more popular?

In September 2026, Sony had more branded searches than Bose among home cinema brands in New Zealand. Sony had about 17,100 branded searches, while Bose had 11,200. Sony made up 22.9% of all home cinema brand searches we track, and Bose accounted for 15.1%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about home cinema brands, Sony appeared in all five answers and Bose in none.

Among home cinema brands in New Zealand in September 2026

Who do people search for more?

Sony, about 52% more searches than Bose

Sony 17.1K searchesBose 11.2K searches

Who does AI mention more?

Sony, mentioned in every answer we collected

Sony in 5 of 5Bose in 0 of 5

Who does AI recommend more?

Sony, the only one of the two named

Sony first in 4Bose never named

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Top home cinema brands in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Sony appeared in all five answers. Bose did not appear in any of the five answers.

Most recommended by AI

Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.

  1. Sonos1st
  2. Sony2nd
  3. Samsung3rd
  4. Denon4th
  5. JBL5th
  6. Yamaha6th
  7. LG7th
  8. Bose–

Mentioned by AI

Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.

  • Sony5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Sonos4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • JBL3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Samsung3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Denon3 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Yamaha3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • LG2 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Bose0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers

See every answer about home cinema brands

5 answers

Not named in any answer:

Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in New Zealand on October 19, 2026.

Is Bose or Sony more popular in search?

This chart shows how often people search Google for Bose and Sony by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all eight home cinema brands we track, month by month, from searches in New Zealand.

Bose and Sony among home cinema brands in New Zealand, by month

Share of searches by month for Sony, Bose. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthJBLSonyBoseSonosSamsungLGDenonYamaha
Oct 202549%23.4%18.3%7.6%0.6%0.43%0.32%0.22%
Nov 202550.1%22.4%17.6%8.7%0.52%0.39%0.28%0.13%
Dec 202559.6%17.6%14.7%7%0.44%0.27%0.24%0.13%
Jan 202652.9%21.9%15.7%7.9%0.59%0.43%0.4%0.21%
Feb 202650.3%24.6%15.8%7.8%0.61%0.46%0.33%0.19%
Mar 202647.9%24.9%16.2%9.1%0.68%0.51%0.45%0.23%
Apr 202651.9%22.4%15.2%8.7%0.61%0.58%0.41%0.19%
May 202649.6%23.6%16.8%8.4%0.5%0.47%0.4%0.28%
Jun 202650.1%23%17.2%8%0.49%0.57%0.32%0.21%
Jul 202650.2%23.7%16.4%8%0.59%0.5%0.4%0.21%
Aug 202651.9%20.8%17.2%8.4%0.69%0.48%0.3%0.2%
Sep 202652.6%22.9%15.1%8%0.52%0.38%0.28%0.19%

How has the Bose and Sony comparison changed over the last 12 months?

3 findings
  • Sony was ahead of Bose in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Bose’s share of searches among home cinema brands in New Zealand moved from 18.3% to 15.1%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 11.9K to 11.2K.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Sony’s share of searches among home cinema brands in New Zealand moved from 23.4% to 22.9%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 15.2K to 17.1K.

How did search popularity change for New Zealand home cinema brands in September 2026?

2 changes

  1. In September 2026, Sony gained share of searches among home cinema brands in New Zealand, from 20.8% to 22.9%.

  2. In September 2026, Bose lost share of searches among home cinema brands in New Zealand, from 17.2% to 15.1%.

How are branded searches counted?

13 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Bose’s and Sony’s names. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brands is growing, holding steady, or fading.

Bose

7 branded search terms

  • bose
  • bose ear phones
  • bose qc
  • bose soundbar
  • bose soundlink
  • bose soundlink flex
  • bose speakers

Sony

6 branded search terms

  • sony
  • sony camara
  • sony cyber shot
  • sony wh 1000xm4
  • sony wh 1000xm5
  • sony wh 1000xm6

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Other head-to-heads among home cinema brands

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