Last month, it leaked that Bose was working on a new pair of noise-cancelling earbuds that the company intended to sell for the hefty sum of $299. Today, those buds went official: Bose's QuietComfort Earbuds II are available for pre-order right now, and the company is making some big claims about them.
The first pair of Bose QuietComfort Earbuds launched in 2020 for $279. That initial model was pretty bulky by earbud standards; the buds looked kind of like two old-fashioned Bluetooth earpieces rather than slick wireless earbuds. The new model keeps the same general form factor, but the QuietComfrot Earbuds II are much lower profile. Impressively, they manage the same six-hour battery life in a notably slimmer package.
Bose is claiming that the QuietComfort Earbuds II offer better noise cancellation than not only any other earbud, but any pair of consumer headphones on the market today—including over-ear models. It's a big claim that we'll need to test more thoroughly, but based on a private demo today, it actually doesn't sound too far-fetched.
The company chalks this thorough ANC up to a number of factors. For one, the earbuds are supposed to measure the geometry of the insides of your ears every time you put them on, calibrating the sound profile and ANC to your unique ear shape. There are also discrete pieces for both the ear tips and the fin-like "stability bands" that hold the buds in place against your outer ear, making for a total of 81 different fits. A good seal is important to quality ANC.
ANC aside, the QuietComfort Earbuds II offer a pretty standard feature set, including IPX4 water resistance, on-bud touch controls (including for volume), customizable EQ settings, and a charging case that tops up over USB-C. Bose says the case can recharge the buds three times before itself needing charged.
Two colorways will be available: Triple Black and Soapstone. The black version is available for pre-order today for $299, with general availability beginning on September 15. The Soapstone version is coming sometime later this year.