Bose QuietComfort Wireless Noise Cancelling Headphones

Bose QuietComfort Wireless Noise Cancelling Headphones

The Bose QuietComfort Headphones are the successor to the QuietComfort 45, Bose’s long-running over-ear noise cancelling line for travel, office and home listening. They combine active noise cancellation with a passive seal, Bose TriPort acoustic structure, up to 24 hours of battery life and multipoint Bluetooth that can stay connected to two devices at once. Quiet Mode applies full cancellation, Aware Mode passes the sound of the surroundings through, and custom modes can be created in the Bose app, where an adjustable equaliser for bass, midrange and treble is also available. Physical buttons handle playback, volume and mode switching, keeping control reliable with gloves or in transit.

Key features

• Active noise cancelling with Quiet, Aware and custom modes
• Up to 24 hours of battery life with noise cancelling on
• Multipoint Bluetooth connection to two devices simultaneously
• Adjustable EQ in the Bose app plus automatic Active EQ
• Quick charge: up to 4 hours of play from a 15-minute charge
• Wired listening with the supplied audio cable, including when the battery is empty

How the noise cancelling works

Bose combines active and passive reduction. Microphones inside and outside the earcups sense the surrounding sound, and the electronics measure, compare and react moment by moment to produce an opposing cancellation signal. Passive isolation comes from the earcup fit, design and headband clamping force. The proprietary TriPort acoustic structure vents the earcups through external ports, effectively enlarging the acoustic volume without enlarging the earcup, which supports both audio performance and cancellation from a smaller, lighter headphone. Aware Mode uses the external microphones to feed ambient sound in, so traffic, announcements and nearby conversation remain audible while listening continues.

Battery, charging and wired fallback

The lithium-ion battery provides up to 24 hours of playback with noise cancelling turned on, tested by Bose at a loudness of 75 dBSPL, and actual life varies with settings and content. Charging is by USB-C with the supplied cable, taking up to 2.5 hours for a full charge on Bose’s specification sheet, and the quick-charge function returns up to 4 hours of play time from 15 minutes connected. When the battery is fully depleted the headphones still work in passive mode through the supplied 3.5 mm to 2.5 mm audio cable, although active noise cancellation and Active EQ need power and do not function in that state.

Calls, controls and app

An adaptive microphone system isolates the wearer’s voice from background noise and wind for phone and VoIP calls on services such as Zoom and FaceTime. Controls sit on the earcups: a multi-function button on the right handles play, pause, track and call controls and access to the phone’s voice assistant, flanked by volume buttons, while the Action button on the left switches between Quiet, Aware and custom modes and can be held to trigger a shortcut such as Spotify Tap or a battery status announcement. The Bose app handles pairing guidance, mode customisation and the three-band equaliser. Bluetooth range is up to 30 feet, about 9 metres, and the Bluetooth version is 5.1 with multipoint support.

Comfort and portability

Comfort is a defining brief for this line. Protein leather ear cushions, earcups that rotate for a uniform seal and stability achieved with minimal clamping force are intended for hours of wear, and the headphones weigh 0.24 kg, measuring 18.4 cm high by 15.24 cm wide by 7.62 cm deep. A hard carry case is included, measuring 21.1 by 14.5 by 5.1 cm, along with the audio cable and a 12-inch USB-C charging cable. This is the standard QuietComfort model, distinct from the QuietComfort Ultra line, which sits above it with Bose’s premium feature set.

For travellers and office listeners who prioritise proven cancellation, simple controls and all-day comfort over experimental features, these headphones are Bose’s mainstream answer in the category.