Need a dose of noise cancellation from a brand you know? The brand behind much of the original ANC tech has an inexpensive pair on the way.
Now that Apple has a pair of noise cancelling earbuds below the $300 mark, it probably won’t surprise you to find other companies getting in on the action.
The AirPods 4 with ANC could make for a compelling choice, but there are also a heap of other noise cancelling earbuds and earphones out there, many of which come in under $300 easy. And now, there’s about to be one more, as well.
One of the main brands behind the active noise cancellation technology and concept we know and love today has a new pair that updates its old ones, with Bose re-introducing its QuietComfort Earbuds from a few years ago, albeit with a change here and there.
The new pair is named just like the original QuietComfort Earbuds from 2020, but will see some changes as they get updated for today.
Refreshed and revived, the 2024 QuietComfort Earbuds will see a shorter design and roughly twice the battery life, jumping from the 4-ish we found in our review to closer to 8.5 hours per charge, with a little over two more charges in the case.
The QC Earbuds are a little like earphones in that they’ll include small silicone tips, but they won’t go all the way in, still keeping them as earbuds for folks who care. There are also three microphones per ear, with a total of six mics being used for both noise cancellation and voice pick-up in calls.
Bose’s main difference between these and the current QC Ultra Earbuds appears to be price and support for spatial, with a lower price tag found in the Ultra model, but support for head-tracked Spatial Audio missing out in the less expensive pair.
They will come with other features, though, such as an adjustable equaliser and a built-in assistant to let you control the earbuds when you say “Hey headphones”. Granted, people might look at you curiously when they catch you in public talking to your headphones, but you’ll be able to play and pause media, control the volume, and even turn the earbuds into a remote camera trigger using just your voice.
The Bose QC Earbuds will also come with an IPX4 water resistance rating, making them ideal for warding off sweat and the occasional chance shower, but the price is likely the most appealing part, arriving for $289 when they land in late September.
