Bose QuietComfort Earbuds (2024) Review – Bose Gets it Right

Hey everyone, welcome to the 2024 Bose QuietComfort Earbuds review. Don’t confuse these with other QuietComfort editions from Bose.

Bose: the brand you love to hate, hate to love, or just love to love. Does that even make sense? Stick around for the full review, especially the battery section. Many reviewers skip battery tests, but I did thorough testing. The battery performance is surprisingly good, so stick around.

Regarding comfort, I tested them for several hours with and without glasses. They were very comfortable and didn’t irritate my ears. They stayed secure during workouts, even when my ears got sweaty. The default fittings worked well, but there are other options if needed.

The Earbuds come in black, chill lilac, and white smoke. They’re IPX4 rated, meaning they’re sweat and rain-resistant, but not submersible. Note that this rating only applies to the earbuds, not the case.

I couldn’t find any official ear tip or sizing replacements on Bose’s website or third-party retailers. They might be too new, having just been released last week. Bose’s naming conventions might also make them hard to find as they have other devices with similar names.

Controls

The earbuds are fully touch-based and very responsive. Commands like single tap for play/pause and answer/hang up a call, double tap for next track, and triple tap for the previous track work well. Holding the right earbud for a second increases volume and holding the left decreases it. Additional controls are available and customizable in the app.

Smart assistant capabilities are available when paired with a smartphone. However, Google Assistant often gave incorrect responses and was hard to hear, even at full volume, in a quiet setting.

The Earbuds have their own Bose voice commands like “Hey headphones, volume up” can be enabled in the app but often don’t work well. Touch controls are more reliable.

The Earbuds have passive play/pause functionality, pausing content when removed and resuming when worn again. This feature is very responsive.

However, there’s no quick listen mode to quickly switch to aware mode and pause content simultaneously, which can be inconvenient.

Noise Cancelling

Regarding active noise cancelling (ANC), these earbuds aren’t as good as the premium Bose Ultras but still perform well for their price. They effectively suppress plane engine noise, making them great for travel. Vocals are more noticeable than desired, but overall, they do a good job.

Aware mode is excellent, allowing clear conversations even from 20 feet away. In Bose fashion, the transparency mode is best in class.

In default mode (no ANC or transparency), they cancel some exterior noise but not very effectively, with vocals coming through easily and everything just sounding a bit muffled.

Sidetone mode is here and lets you hear your own voice and surrounding noise during calls, which helps the person on the other end.

Battery

Regarding battery life, Bose claims 8.5 hours with ANC and transparency mode. In my tests at 50% volume, I averaged about 9 hours, which is impressive. Compared to the Ultras, which last only about 6 hours, these earbuds have a clear advantage. One thing I couldn’t find any reviewer cover is that without ANC or transparency mode, I got around 12 hours, showing great performance from Bose.

Charging the earbuds takes about 1 hour, while the case takes 1.5 hours, slightly faster than Bose’s claim of 2 hours. The case can charge the earbuds 2.5 times, but when the case and earbuds are fully charged together, you get 3.5 earbud battery cycles.

The case supports wireless charging, unlike the Ultra case, and uses a USB-C fitting at the back.

Microphone Quality

The microphone performs surprisingly well for earbuds, especially in quiet settings. While it doesn’t match the quality of a laptop microphone, and people can tell you’re using earbuds or headphones, it still does a decent job. Conversations are clear and easy to understand.

In noisy environments, like a bustling cafe, the microphone exceeded my expectations. It maintained the same clarity of my voice as in a quiet setting and did an impressive job of reducing background noise. This makes it suitable for taking calls in various settings without worrying about too much background interference.

In windy conditions, the microphone again impressed me by reducing most of the wind noise. To ensure the person on the other end can hear you clearly, it’s best to speak a bit louder than usual. This slight adjustment helps maintain clear communication even in less-than-ideal conditions.

Audio Quality

The audio quality is comparable to the Ultra earbuds (when the Ultras are adjusted with the equaliser). Out of the box, the Ultras felt flat and dull, but the 2024 Earbuds had a more energetic profile. They are bass-focused, which I enjoyed, but you can adjust this in the equalizer if bass isn’t for you.

The equalizer in the app looks odd but works well. Increasing bass, as tested with “It Is What It Is” by Big Sean featuring Gunna, resulted in clear, thumping sound without distortion, even at high volumes.

Mids perform better than the Ultras, with vocals sounding “closer” to you but doesn’t take away from the instrumentals.

Highs are clear and not too sharp, providing a phenomenal listening experience.

Despite being mid-tier priced, these earbuds offer premium sound quality.

Testing with glasses showed no impact on comfort or sound quality, as the frames didn’t interfere with the earbuds’ positioning.

Software

The Bose app often struggles to connect, requiring force shutdowns and restarts. The QC earbuds use a separate app from the regular Bose mobile app. This new app for the 2024 QC Earbuds is cluttered with unnecessary features and ads for Bose products.

Key functions include adjusting the equalizer, ANC, and touch controls, though these are scattered across different sections.

There is a battery prediction feature which is usually inaccurate, always showing 12 hours for ANC and transparency which is clearly wrong (see battery section of this review).

The app is essential for software updates; I received a firmware update within the first week of release. It also has a remote selfie feature, but it’s unreliable and redundant since most smartphones already have this capability.

Conclusion

These earbuds offer excellent value, combining premium sound, near-premium ANC, and great battery performance. While Bose isn’t always known for affordability, these earbuds prove they can deliver high quality without a hefty price tag.

There are some downsides, like the cluttered and unreliable app, but overall, these earbuds provide a fantastic experience for those seeking top-notch audio and ANC.