[Update on Individual Use]
Disclosure: This review comes from someone that mainly listens to Hip Hop, Metal, Dubstep, or Reggaetón. So my standard for audio may differ from others.
Also I will be comparing these to 4 other in-ear headphones.
1. Bose SoundSport Wired In-Ear Headphones (Pictured far left)
2. Google Pixel Buds (Pictured second from the left)
3. Bose SoundSport Wireless (Pictured second from the right)
4. AirPods Pro (not pictured)
Let me start by saying that I want to give these a higher rating but 3 stars is how I honestly feel based on how they are priced and the gripes I have with them. My standards may be too high.
PROS
• Comfort. Just what you would expect from Bose. The new ear tips make them more comfortable than the SoundSport Wireless and just as comfortable as the SoundSport Wired. They are also very secure and not as heavy as I was expecting despite their size.
• ANC. The Noise Cancelling is top notch! Arguably better than AirPods Pro. The transparency mode/passthrough is also great when ANC is set to 0. But I would argue that it sounds a bit more natural on the Air Pods Pro. THIS IS WHAT YOU’RE PAYING FOR, and it’s almost worth it.
• Sound. For me, the sound is far superior to the Air Pods Pro. They have way better bass and the sound signature is exactly what I’ve come to expect from Bose. They sound way better than Bose SoundSport Wireless and are on par if not better than SoundSport Wired. It really depends on the device you are connected to though. For some reason the buds sound way better (louder) on my Pixel 4a than my iPhone Xr. I’m not 100% sure why but my guess would be that the iPhone Xr only supports Bluetooth 5.0.
• Charging. Qi Wireless and USBC charging make these feel modern and extremely convenient. Making them on par to the Pixel Buds and AirPods Pro
• Touch controls. Really nice to have feature and I am glad its there. But the execution is lacking compared to Pixel Buds. So much so, it's almost a con.
CONS
• The case. It’s unreasonably large and only offers 12 additional hours of charge. Compared to the Pixel Buds and AirPods Pro, which offer a significantly smaller case and longer charge times, this is a bit embarrassing for Bose to not offer something competitive in this area for the price point. I also prefer a magnetic lid vs a push button.
• Independent use/functionality. I can confirm that you can use either bud independently. But you lose functionality depending on which one you are using. The touch controls are almost on par to the Airpods Pro, with one exception, you can’t go back a track. However, the Bose QC earbuds really start to show their poor execution when you use the buds individually. If you take one of the earbuds out, the music will stop as anticipated. When you place the removed earbud in the case, the bud still on ear will make a sound like it’s powered off; however, when you play your media on your device, the sound will come through the earbud still in your ear, even if the other bud is in the case. This sounds cool and all until you realize that certain touch controls are assigned to only one bud or the other. Only using the left bud causes you to lose the ability to answer calls, play/pause music through touch controls because those features are assigned to the right bud only. Only using the right ear causes you to lose the ability to forward a song/hear battery level or toggle between 3 customizable ANC settings because those features are assigned to the left bud only. The Pixel Buds have the best touch controls by far, which allow you to use basically all the same controls on either bud, and allows you to lower and increase volume while the Bose QC earbuds do not. With that said, you can still accomplish all of the above through the Bose Music App. [Update] everything I've said about this is still true but I left out one major limitation. The mic only works on the right earbud, making the left bud unusable on its own for phone calls. Which may be why you can only invoke the voice assistant with the right bud. Not a huge gripe for me, but I've seen a lot of contradicting statements on this functionality and wanted to provide as much detail as I could come up with.
• Multipoint. This by far is my biggest gripe. This is such a great feature present in the Bose SoundSport Wireless, but the feature is sadly missing on the QC Earbuds. The feature allows you to seamlessly switch between two devices, and even toggle up to 7 devices right from the device. The new app required to use the QC Earbuds also doesn’t really make it easy to switch devices on the fly. This makes switching between devices feel cumbersome and not modern at all. Especially considering that Apple just added similar functionality to the AirPods Pro (only supported with other apple products).
• Find my buds. Also missing here. I was really hoping these had this feature as I anticipate misplacing them often. Feature present in older Bose earbuds, Pixel Buds, and AirPod Pros.
• Price. The pricepoint is way too high considering how much the AirPod Pros do better than the QC Earbuds. In a battle of Sound and ANC, Bose takes the clear win. But when it comes down to features/functionality, AirPods Pro is the clear winner for me.
Conclusion: The perfect earbuds don’t exist. These almost checked all my boxes. I love the buds for their comfort, amazing sound, and superior ANC. I really like how they look despite their larger size. But for the price I expect to have all the features, with no compromises. I don’t really understand why Bose would release these with the present limitations and lack of features from previous devices. With all of that said, I would still rate these above the other earbuds solely based on Sound and ANC.
My ratings based on these factors: Age, Form Factor, Sound, Price, Functionality
1. Bose SoundSport Wired In-Ear Headphones (Pictured far left) – 5 Stars (not comparable), perfect wired in-ear headphones at the time with great sound and comfort. Worth every penny if you can find them at the original price.
2. Google Pixel Buds (Pictured second from the left) – 2 Stars (somewhat comparable), Best touch controls by far, but they really hurt my ears, and the sound is just okay. Totally overpriced at $180.
3. Bose SoundSport Wireless (Pictured second from the right) – 2 stars (not comparable), I loved having them around my neck at all times and the Multipoint feature is awesome. But the build quality was terrible, and the sound was okay. Pricing wasn’t terrible for what they offered, but the build quality makes them hard to recommend.
4. AirPods Pro (not pictured) – 3 stars (Most Comparable), AirPods Pro are jam-packed with amazing features in such a tiny form factor. They truly are kind of magical. But for me the sound quality was not worth the price tag ($220).
5. Bose QuietComfort Earbuds – 3 stars, amazing sound and ANC, but lacks in the features department quite considerably. I think pricing them at $220 would have easily bumped these up to 4 stars for me and would make them extremely competitive against the AirPods Pro. At that pricepoint I would gladly trad off features for better sound and ANC. If Bose is somehow able to patch in some of the missing features through software updates I will update my rating. But I'm thinking it may comedown to hardware limitations. So for now, it's 3 stars and I'm still on the hunt for the perfect earbuds. :(
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From the manufacturer
Bose QuietComfort Earbuds
The world's most effective noise cancelling earbuds.
These sleek wireless earbuds are designed with breakthrough acoustic innovations and Bose Acoustic Noise Cancelling technology. Together, they produce crisp, clear audio and rich, deep bass over a bed of virtual silence — so you can hear all kinds of details that typically get lost.
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Your go-to earbuds when you’re on the go.
No matter where the day takes you, take these wireless earbuds. From the commute to the café, they create truly compelling audio for music, podcasts, videos and calls.
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Personalize your noise cancelling level.
For times when you need to be aware of your surroundings, these earbuds enable you to control how much—or how little—of the outside world you hear.
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Transparency mode for quick conversations
This handy feature makes it seem as though you’re not wearing headphones at all—perfect for ordering a coffee or making small talk with co-workers.
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A higher level of audio. At any volume level.
These earbuds produce deep, low notes and exciting, lifelike sound. Every time you change the volume, the sound is automatically re-calibrated, so it stays consistently balanced.
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Comfortable enough to wear for hours.
Made from soft silicone, the StayHear Max tips fit comfortably and securely in your ears. The earbuds come with 3 eartip sizes so you can find the fit that’s best for you.
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Sweat and weather resistant
Sweat from an intense workout. Rain from a sudden shower. They might get the earbuds wet, but they won’t dampen your listening experience.
A powerful charging case
This rugged case is designed to travel with you all day long. Its magnetized interior keeps the wireless earbuds securely in place while they charge, and its battery can recharge the earbuds with up to an additional 12 hours of playback time. To charge the case, use the included cable or a Qi-certified wireless charging mat (not included).
The exterior LED lights show the battery status of your charging case. And the instant you open the lid, the earbuds begin pairing with your device.
Bose Music App
Customized control
Just by touching the earbud, you can toggle between three noise cancelling levels, skip tracks, take calls, and more.
But for full control of your QuietComfort Earbuds, download the Bose Music App. It lets you customize your noise cancellation favorites, manage your Bluetooth connections, set a shortcut, and much more.
Compare Bose Headphones
QuietComfort Earbuds |
Sport Earbuds |
Headphones 700 |
QuietComfort 20 |
|
|
Active Noise Cancelling
|
Yes, adjustable | No | Yes, adjustable | Yes |
|
Bluetooth
|
5.1 | 5.1 | 5.0 | N/A |
|
Water Resistance Rating
|
IPX4 | IPX4 | IPX4 | No |
|
Battery life
|
Up to 6 hours | Up to 5 hours | Up to 20 hours | Up to 16 hours |
|
Battery life w/ charging case
|
Up to 18 hours | Up to 15 hours | N/A | N/A |
|
Charging Case
|
Qi- certified charging case | Yes | No | No |
|
Touch Controls
|
✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✘ |
|
Colors
|
Black, Soapstone | Triple Black, White, Blue | Black, Silver | Black |
Compare with similar items
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Apple AirPods Pro
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Bose Sport Earbuds - True Wireless Earphones - Bluetooth Headphones for Workouts and Running, Triple Black
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Sony WF-1000XM3 Industry Leading Noise Canceling Truly Wireless Earbuds Headset/Headphones with AlexaVoice Control And Mic For Phone Call, Black
|
Samsung Galaxy Buds+ Plus, True Wireless Earbuds (Wireless Charging Case Included), Black – US Version
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Samsung Galaxy Buds Live, True Wireless Earbuds w/Active Noise Cancelling (Wireless Charging Case Included), Mystic Black (US Version)
|
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Customer Rating | (1024) | (91428) | (707) | (7752) | (28242) | (6134) |
| Price | $279.00 | $155.48 | $159.00 | $168.00 | $109.99 | $129.99 |
| Shipping | FREE Shipping. Details | FREE Shipping. Details | FREE Shipping. Details | FREE Shipping. Details | FREE Shipping. Details | FREE Shipping. Details |
| Sold By | Amazon.com | Amazon Warehouse | Amazon.com | Amazon.com | Amazon.com | Amazon.com |
| Color | Triple Black | White | Triple Black | Black | Black | Mystic Black |
| Fit Type | In-Ear | In-Ear | In-Ear | Over-Ear | In-Ear | In-Ear |
| Item Dimensions | 1.99 x 3.42 x 1.34 inches | 0.94 x 0.86 x 1.22 inches | 0.83 x 1.05 x 0.74 inches | 5.60 x 4.72 x 2.50 inches | 1.52 x 2.75 x 1.04 inches | — |
| Item Weight | 0.32 ounces | 1.60 ounces | 0.32 ounces | 3.53 ounces | 4.80 ounces | — |
| Special Features | Noise Cancellation, Volume-Control, Microphone Feature, Water Resistant | iOS Phone Control, Noise Cancellation, Microphone Feature | Sports & Exercise, Volume-Control, Microphone Feature, Water Resistant | Noise Cancellation | Microphone, sports-and-exercise, Carying case included, Android, wireless, iOS | Noise Cancellation |
Customer Questions & Answers
Customer reviews
Top reviews from other countries
Mirco
Gute In-Ear Kopfhörer mit kleinen Schwächen
Reviewed in Germany on October 8, 2020Color: Triple BlackVerified Purchase
Geddo
So disappointed, please don’t buy them!!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 26, 2020Color: SoapstoneVerified Purchase
Didac
Mejor que los SoundSport free?? Siii! 10/10
Reviewed in Spain on October 8, 2020Color: SoapstoneVerified Purchase
Mimi Mikado
Los he comparado con Jabra y Sony
Reviewed in Spain on October 23, 2020Color: Triple BlackVerified Purchase
xo-vision
DEFEKT :-(
Reviewed in Germany on October 6, 2020Color: Triple BlackVerified Purchase
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