Bose has announced its QuietComfort Earbuds II, the company’s first true wireless noise-canceling in-ears.
The earbuds are similar to Sony’s WF-1000XM3 in that they have a more traditional in-ear form and a circular outer instead of Bose’s usual rounded design. However, these earbuds do pack some new features including support for Google Assistant and Alexa voice commands.
They also feature Bluetooth 5 connectivity with a 30 ft range and USB Type-C charging port that takes about 2 hours to fully charge (the case can hold two additional charges). The QuietComfort Earbuds II are available for pre-order at the official Bose website for $299.
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The earbuds, which are the company’s first true wireless noise-canceling in-ears, feature a design that seems similar to Sony’s WF-1000XM3.
The earbuds are more traditional in-ear form and shape, with a circular outer shell. They have ergonomic fins that can be adjusted to fit your ears accordingly.
There are two transducers inside each earbud—one for each channel—with one responsible for creating sound while the other handles noise cancellation duties; both transducers are powered by rechargeable batteries. They’re also equipped with microphones so you can take calls or use them as wireless headphones with your phone or laptop without any extra hardware required (although you will need some kind of Bluetooth connection).
Unlike Apple and Samsung’s flagship true wireless models, which offer an AirPods and Galaxy Buds Plus design with a stem, these sport a more traditional in-ear form and a circular outer.
They’re also similar to Sony’s WF-1000XM3 in that they have the same three-button control system on the right earbud (volume up/down, play/pause) but differ in their oval shape.
The QuietComfort Earbuds II are rated IPX4 for splash resistance and come with “industry leading” battery life—10 hours of continuous listening from one charge (13 hours if you use Bose’s charging case). The case itself can recharge the earbuds up to five times before needing to be plugged into an outlet via Micro USB cable for about two hours.
These house touch controls, which let you control playback and volume as well as answer calls and summon the Google Assistant.
Buttons on the right earbud let you pause or play music, skip tracks forward or backward in your playlist, and summon ambient mode (more on that later).
Ambient mode is a feature that lets you hear what’s going on around you despite having music playing through your headphones—it uses noise-canceling tech to make sure that only the sounds from your immediate surroundings are audible to you. This can come in handy when riding public transit or walking down busy city streets: if someone speaks to you from nearby, their voice will sound natural and unadulterated by the headphones themselves.
There’s also an ambient mode, which lets you hear your surroundings without taking the buds out of your ears.
It’s easy to forget that the quiet comfort earbuds were already a huge step up from the original QC20’s. They remain comfortable and secure, but now you can interact with Siri and Google Assistant without having to take your fingers off of your phone. Plus there are three noise-cancelling modes: one for speaking, one for listening to voices or speech, and one for everything else.
There’s also an ambient mode, which lets you hear your surroundings without taking the buds out of your ears. That way when someone approaches on an airplane or subway car, they won’t think that you’re ignoring them because they haven’t been recognized by Siri yet (or maybe they will).
Bottom Line
The Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II have been on our radar for a while now. They’re a great alternative to Apple’s AirPods, and they have some unique features you won’t find in other wireless earbuds.
The best part? These earbuds will automatically pause your music when you take them out of your ears so you don’t miss any calls!
