Bose QuietComfort Earbuds Review: Premium Audio Expertise at Accessible Price

Bose Audio Expertise at an Accessible Price Point

The Bluetooth earbuds market is somewhat saturated. Whilst it was once the preserve of major brands just a few years ago, the catalogue has substantially thickened with alternative manufacturers, even extending to smartphone brands.

Xiaomi, Huawei, Honor, Samsung, etc. Put simply, everyone now offers wireless earbuds.

It's therefore difficult for a Sony or a Bose to stand out from the pack. One must redouble inventiveness and above all capitalise on one's competencies. For Bose, it's clearly active noise reduction that must be emphasised.

This second generation of QuietComfort Earbuds aims to be a pair of performant earbuds more affordable than the QuietComfort Earbuds Ultra.

It's difficult to situate them in the range's timeline. They're a sort of in-between, between the 2022 QC Earbuds and the QC Earbuds II. A continuation of Bose's noise-reducing earbuds to which some wings have been clipped to make them less expensive and more competitive.

After several months in our ears, here's our verdict.

Pricing and Availability

The QC Earbuds launched in late 2024 at £179. They're available in three finishes: black, white cloud, and mauve powder.

At under £200, this is Bose's lowest-priced proposition for earbuds with active noise reduction. Currently at £159.95 in some markets, they undercut the competition. Huawei's FreeBuds Pro 2 are more expensive and don't offer such a practical application, the Marshall Motif II ANC are less performant and also pricier, and we're still awaiting the Xiaomi Buds 5 Pro with their Wi-Fi streaming. Only the OnePlus Buds Pro 3 can align at this price point, and they're indeed a proposition to consider at this tariff.

Design and Build

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Bose abandons its bean-shaped design with the QuietComfort. The drawing draws much closer to the Bose Sport Earbuds. Constructed in plastic, they're rather imposing and won't suit all ears. Indeed, Bose hasn't chosen the stem protruding from the ear, but rather a mass that must fix into the antihelix. We're discussing 1.7 x 2.1 cm to accommodate here. That's substantial. To offer a personal example, no issue for my ears, but my wife's are too small.

And the selection of eartips won't change matters. Three sizes are available, as with the stability bands that permit keeping the earbuds in place. Note on this subject that they have a tendency to detach when removing the earbuds. An annoying defect as I've risked losing one this way.

Nevertheless, they ensure very good grip and allow these QC Earbuds to be fully operational for sport sessions. Moreover, they're IPX4 certified and are therefore resistant to sweat and water splashes.

Let's discuss these earbuds' weight. 8.49 grammes on the scales, per earbud. That's not insignificant, but doesn't cause discomfort. Over duration, it's rather the canal entering the pinna that can irritate. We're talking here of earbuds worn without removal for over four hours.

And then there's the case. The first generation of QC Earbuds had an enormous case. One has the impression Bose wanted to pay it homage with the 2024 QC Earbuds' case. It's large and cumbersome. Complicated to slip into a pocket.

The plastic also feels very cheap, especially that of the lid and its hinge which one fears might break. Conversely, the assembly is lightweight. A pairing button and a USB-C port are available. No wireless charging here in the standard package, though third-party wireless charging is supported—a noteworthy omission for the included case.

Controls and Commands

The QC Earbuds use touch controls. No buttons on their surface; one interacts with them via two pads arranged on the earbuds' surface.

They're reactive and permit addressing numerous functions like play/pause (one press), moving to the next track (two presses), previous track (three presses), or changing ANC mode (long press). All these tactile gestures are configurable in the Bose QCE application.

However, commanding all functions from the earbuds isn't possible. Gestures are limited, but there's a trick. Yes, the QC Earbuds aren't solely touch-responsive; they also react to voice.

If the function is activated, one can invoke them by saying "Hey Headphones". Without using one's hands, one can then act on volume, for example, which wouldn't be configured to a gesture.

There's also a voice command to summon the phone's assistant and another to take a remote photograph, and it functions very well. Small drawback: voice command can react poorly in noisy environments, and it's non-functional when multipoint is activated, not knowing to which device to attribute the formulated command. These are its limitations.

Application and Associated Functions

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The Bose QuietComfort Earbuds use a dedicated application, distinct from the usual Bose Music application. Called Bose QCE, it's available on Android and iOS, and from a tester's memory, I've never seen such a comprehensive Bose application.

It integrates a wealth of options. Beyond the commands we've already reviewed, one accesses a five-band equaliser, manual or associated with presets.

One can also manage multipoint here. Long unstable, this technology has matured and is functional here without our observing cutouts during our usage.

A low-latency option is also available, as is another for broadcasting one's own voice when discussing with the earbuds in ears.

Above all, the earbuds aren't abandoned by Bose. They're regularly updated to bring ever more stability. Six months after their release, we're at version 1.2 of their firmware.

Active Noise Reduction

Belonging to the QuietComfort family, these Bose earbuds possess active noise reduction. And it's clearly one of their key characteristics as it offers one of the market's best performances.

The QC Earbuds' ANC significantly reduces ambient noises, up to 80%, including in very noisy environments like the Parisian metro. When music is broadcast, most external sounds are blocked, but one can equally well have them on one's ears without any sound, just for rest. I took the aeroplane with them and could sleep comfortably during the flight without even having launched a track's playback.

Obviously, since they're of in-ear architecture, one must first have chosen the correct eartips. These ensure a first sonic impermeability, especially for highs. Bass is then treated by the ANC.

Attention: this active noise reduction remains a notch below that of the QC Earbuds Ultra, Bose's most premium earbuds, but the price isn't the same either.

Naturally, one can deactivate this ANC and pass into transparent mode, named "aware" at Bose. This reverses the microphones to make the wearer hear their environment. The rendering is clear and rather natural. Above all, it applies intelligent management to soften sudden and loud noises so as not to inconvenience the user.

Finally, and this isn't always the case, it's possible to totally deactivate all modes to pass into passive and thus scrape together a bit of autonomy.

Audio Quality

Bose installs 9.3mm dynamic speakers in its earbuds. They permit delivering powerful sound, with well-present bass, expressive mids, and controlled highs.

The rendering is rich, ample, and functions across a broad panel of musical genres. The introduction pushes well-present and dynamic bass without being stifling. Despite the absence of a spatialisation system, one has good soundstage distribution.

Famous pieces with fine melodies that wouldn't suffer mediocrity are very well manipulated here. Vocals are soft and treble rises are very well managed. It's even more striking in an entirely different register.

The volume reserve is also very comfortable. Thanks to the ANC, one never really needs to exceed 50%.

Note nevertheless a default setting that emphasises bass and highs. A bit more balance is possible by passing through the equaliser, but the basic rendering is established to suit most ears that will be quickly flattered, moreover.

Concerning available codecs, the QC Earbuds aren't best equipped. They're compatible with AAC and SBC, like AirPods ultimately. Bose's Ultra model is better equipped with aptX Adaptive in addition.

Finally, we've evoked Bose's spatial audio, its famous Immersion mode. If it's not present today, it will be added via a forthcoming update, Bose indicates.

Latency

Without specific codec, it's difficult to be very good on response time. The Bose QC Earbuds show 200ms latency; that's more than the QC Ultra Earbuds. Let's nevertheless recall that this value doesn't affect all usages. Video streaming services (Netflix, Disney+, YouTube, etc.) all possess algorithms that automatically realign sound on image to avoid any labial desynchronisation.

Where it can be bothersome is in video games. Clearly, the QC Earbuds won't be good companions for competitive gamers. Launch Fortnite or CoD Mobile with them and you're assured of taking a sound thrashing.

And it's not the low-latency mode available in the application that will change much. With or without, one doesn't observe difference in usage. Conversely, for solo gaming, they suffice if one isn't too fussy.

Calls

Six microphones equip the QC Earbuds, three on each earbud. They serve the ANC as well as calls.

One appreciates the work they perform on reducing environmental noises for the interlocutor. Conversely, if they're entirely correct in calm spaces, they react poorly to noisy places.

The voice is then as if muffled, too compressed; one must also speak louder to be heard, and one also has cutouts. Brief: in difficult conditions, they're not good for calls, and that's quite unfortunate.

Battery Life

Let's return to more positive points. Battery life is a strength of the QC Earbuds.

With noise reduction activated, they lose 33% capacity after three hours' listening at moderate volume and 45% after four hours. In total, one reaches eight hours and thirty minutes' battery life on one charge—the value announced by the manufacturer. That's very good and well superior to the QC Ultra Earbuds. Above all, one can climb to more than nine hours if one totally deactivates the ANC.

Moreover, the case also contains 2.5 additional charges. A total of nearly 30 hours' usage without seeing a USB cable.

Verdict

The QuietComfort Earbuds present themselves as a very solid option on the active noise-reducing earbuds market, offering a large part of the Bose experience at a more accessible price than the flagship model, the QC Ultra Earbuds.

Amongst their qualities, we count very good sonic restitution, warm and flattering for ears. Active noise reduction is also high-level despite these earbuds' gentle price. Final point of excellence: battery life culminating at more than eight hours, ANC activated. A feat exceeding expectations.

In parallel, attention must be paid to these earbuds' size, which won't suit smaller ears. Their case is also impractical to accommodate in a pocket. Finally, if it's for calls you're seeking earbuds, they're probably not the best candidates, but for listening in any condition, then they form a considered choice, especially for the tariff demanded.