The original Bose QuietComfort Earbuds set a standard for active noise cancellation (ANC) on wireless earbuds. They also had flaws that kept them from competing against heavyweights such as the first-gen AirPods Pro and Sony’s flagship earbuds line that most recently produced the excellent WF-1000XM5.
Bose returned to the lab and worked hard on its two incredible follow-ups: the QC Earbuds 2 and QC Ultra Earbuds. Each set of buds earned critical praise and rejuvenated the franchise to top-tier status, while also making the inaugural buds an afterthought.
It’s obvious that Bose wanted to remind us of its history, which is why it relaunched the classic QuietComfort Earbuds with an upgraded design and specs, and at a more attainable price point of $179 After several days of testing, I can attest to the 2024 version being a stellar revamp with active noise cancellation and special features that rival many of the best true wireless earbuds.
Scroll down to see why Bose’s latest creation is a remarkable reintroduction to a neglected trendsetter.
At $179, Bose’s QC Earbuds offer premium noise canceling, satisfying sound and smart controls at an attainable price.
What we liked about them
Bose-level ANC combined with great sound
Calling Bose’s noise-canceling technology impressive almost seems like a backhanded compliment for the king of ANC. However, considering their price point, the QC Earbuds boast superb noise reduction. These buds can hold their own against the brand’s prime selections, even without proprietary technologies like ActiveSense and CustomTune to automatically tweak ambient listening to your surroundings and analyze the listener’s ears adeptly for optimal ANC, respectively.
Quiet mode blocks out most incidental sound, with only a few high-frequency noises creeping onto the soundscape. I wore the buds for 8-hour stretches at home and didn’t hear any of the environmental fracas that ranged from loud TVs to rowdy toddler play to speakerphone chatter. Only my son’s cries captured my attention. Performance was similar outdoors. The occasional car horn and police siren stimulated a head-turn reaction. All other noises were muted.
ANC also had strong performance during calls. Most of my conversations were met with positive feedback. Clients stated that my voice was mostly loud and clear, and that background noise was minimal when talking outside.
Aware mode was just as effective for ambient listening. I peacefully kept tabs on the kiddo during office hours while composing this review, and communicated with my wife clearly from across the living room. The feature was most useful outdoors for monitoring sidewalk (e.g., bikes, people) and street traffic (e.g., cars, trucks).
According to the product page, the QC Earbuds deliver “hi-fidelity audio.” That’s misleading. They don’t match the audio dynamism of previous Bose releases, nor do they provide the hi-res Bluetooth playback of inexpensive gems like the $63 EarFun Air Pro 4, which are some of the best budget earbuds for sound quality. Yet somehow, they still surpassed my expectations.
I loved the crisp, warm sound these buds pumped out. Bass response held up nicely on Hippo Campus’ “Brand New.” The snares sounded snappy and blended well with the striking riffs and vocoder singing. Anderson .Paak’s “The Season | Carry Me” brought out the chill vibes I desired, feeding my ears punchy double bass and delicate, transparent hi-hats over a melodic backdrop. Complex recordings like The Smiths’ “How Soon is Now” showcased the QC Earbuds frequency range. The oscillating guitar line was reproduced incredibly well with stellar reverb that merged into a smooth decay.
A new app with more features
The new Bose QCE app is more streamlined and feature-filled than the previous Bose Music app. Everything is laid out conveniently on the homepage via category boxes, alongside battery level indicators and a media player. Returning favorites include Bluetooth multipoint, control customization, EQ and Noise Control (previously Modes). Newcomers include a handful of shortcut features like Battery Prediction, Fast Mute for calls, Low Latency Audio, Voice Control and Remote Selfie to enable the photo-taking function via touch gesture or voice command. It’s amazing to see this amount of functionality on Bose’s least expensive buds.
Bose’s most chic and practical buds
Aesthetically, the QC Earbuds are closer in design to the QC Ultra headphones than even the QC Ultra Earbuds are. The minimalist-looking touch panel with matte finish and sturdy plastic composition are details that are more in accord with the headphones’ design than the glossy touch panel and long-stem silhouette featured on the flagship buds. I prefer the QC Ultra Earbuds’ pebble-shaped charging case, but this latest version, which is basically a miniature replica of the original QC Earbuds charging case, is attractive and portable.
Adding to the QC Earbuds updated design is a wide range of smart controls, highlighted by a new Voice ID feature that calibrates your voice for easy hands-free voice commands. This includes call management, camera, media player and noise control. The feature works well for the most part, though one command is the exception (more on that later). You can also enable Google Assistant or Siri, both of which perform well, thanks to a six-mic array that demonstrates outstanding speech recognition.
The touch controls are just as vital for seamless operation. Single/multi-tap and long-hold gestures are registered with precision and execute intended commands swiftly. Bose lets you assign numerous functions across four different input methods per bud, granting full access to the entire control scheme.
Basic features like IPX4 certification for sweat and water resistance and multipoint to pair the buds with two devices simultaneously help add to the QC Earbuds’ overall usefulness.
Increased battery life
It only took several generations, but Bose finally got around to boosting the battery life on its wireless earbuds. The QC Earbuds hold up to 8.5 hours on a full charge. Bose doesn’t confirm whether this applies to ANC playtime, but my testing showed the buds maintain 6.5 hours of noise-cancelling use, with battery life extending to 7.5 hours when ANC was disabled.
That’s higher than the AirPods Pro 2’s max of 7 hours, which is what really matters. The wireless charging case holds up to 31.5 hours. Quick charging isn’t the strongest (a 20-minute charge gets you three hours of playback), but the fact that Bose now allows you to disable ANC for battery preservation makes up for this.
What we didn’t like about them
A lack of upscaled technologies
Certain technologies placed the QC Ultra Earbuds among the true wireless elite. These include one-tap Google Fast Pair and Qualcomm’s aptX Adaptive hi-res codec for high-quality sound. There’s also the many Bose-exclusive technologies ActiveSense and CustomTune for automatically finding the best ANC and sound settings for your surroundings, Self Voice for better hearing yourself on calls and Immersive Audio mode for universal 3D sound with all stereo content. None of the previously mentioned technologies are available on the QC Earbuds.
They get uncomfortable fast
I wish the QC Earbuds’ comfort matched their divine style. Those with a low pain threshold will feel the buds press into their outer ear within 10 minutes of wear, while others will notice some discomfort after an hour. The hard plastic frame isn’t kind to ear cartilage or skin.
Some bugs in the system
Newly launched Bose products have a tendency to be buggy right out of the box. The QC Earbuds fall right in line, and while there are less technical mishaps than what I’ve experienced in the past, the ones that exist are still frustrating. There were times when the buds automatically changed from Aware to Quiet mode when entering the app. The “Take Photo” voice command doesn’t seem to work at all; it raised the volume every time I spoke the voice command. Battery level indicators are sometimes inaccurate as well.
Bottom line
I’m shocked by how good the new QuietComfort Earbuds are, especially when factoring in their relatively attainable price. You’re not getting the absolute-best Bose noise cancellation found on pricier entries, but the version on these buds outperforms most luxury alternatives. Audio quality is enjoyable, playtimes are sufficient and the plethora of smart functions make them an enticing purchase.
A lower price comes with compromises. In the QC Earbuds case, it’s the exclusion of beneficial sound technologies and ordinary features like Google Fast Pair. Some bugs in the app aren’t fun to deal with either.
Thankfully, this new version of the QC Earbuds doesn’t suffer gravely from these flaws (some seem fixable with a firmware update). Bose enthusiasts and budget consumers wanting brand-quality noise cancellation and noteworthy sound for less than the QC Ultra Earbuds will get that from the QC Earbuds.
