I Tested 3 Bose QuietComfort Earbuds: My Honest 2026 Review

In 2020, Bose released the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds. Then in 2022, we got the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II. Logically, after that, Bose decided to drop the numbers entirely and just call their newest base model the… Bose QuietComfort Earbuds again. Just like Emperor Palpatine, somehow, the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds returned. Seriously, why are headphone companies so bad at naming their products?

Ridiculous naming conventions aside, even here in 2026, these remain Bose’s go-to entry-level earbuds—and they are actually really good. In fact, I’d say these are still among the best-value earbuds on the market right now if it wasn’t for a few small caveats, and one major caveat. Let me explain.

Bose QuietComfort Specs

How I Tested the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds

To give you an honest look at how these actually perform beyond the spec sheet, my team and I put the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds through three distinct stages of testing:

• In Our Testing Lab: We mounted the earbuds onto our Brüel & Kjær 5128 testing head. Its ear canal was created by averaging and smoothing 3D models from the MRI scans of 40 different people, which we think makes it a great estimate of the average human ear. We also used our head-and-torso simulator to measure how effectively the ANC blocks loud environments, ran the earbuds through Multi-Dimensional Audio Quality Scores (MDAQS) testing, and tested three separate units (two that we bought ourselves after returning the first one, and a third unit that Bose sent us directly) to see if our connectivity issues were just a fluke.
• At My Desk & The Gym: I paired the earbuds with my iPhone and MacBook at the same time to test Bluetooth Multipoint, wore them through sweaty workouts to test the IPX4 rating and stabilizer fins, and dug through every menu in the new Bose QCE app.
• Out on Busy Downtown Streets: I took the earbuds outside of our lab and walked down busy downtown streets with my iPhone in my pocket to see how the Bluetooth 5.3 connection held up against real-world wireless interference, while using Aware Mode for quick face-to-face conversations.

Deep-Dive Performance

Soundstage & Frequency Response: Did Bose Finally Find the Goldilocks Zone?

Going into my review of the QuietComfort Earbuds, we had some real concerns about sound quality. Over the past few years, Bose has been all over the place: the QC45 headphones had overemphasized treble, while the QuietComfort Ultra headphones had the complete opposite problem with overemphasized bass.

So, did Bose finally find the Goldilocks zone? Our Brüel & Kjær 5128 testing data shows that out of the box, the QuietComfort Earbuds have a U-shaped frequency response, with amplified bass and treble relative to the mids. While this doesn’t exactly match our lab’s target preference curve—or the strict preferences of many audiophiles—it is a sound signature that most people are going to love:

• Dance & Electronic Tracks: When I was listening to dance tracks like RÜFÜS DU SOL’s Innerbloom, I found the bassline prominent and punchy, but never overbearing.
• Acoustic & Vocal Tracks: On the flip side, acoustic tracks like Stick Season by Noah Kahan sounded very wide, with impressive detail across all the vocal layers.

When we put the earbuds through MDAQS testing—an algorithm based on the listening preferences of several hundred people—they came back with a near-perfect 4.9 on a scale from 1 to 5. Essentially, hundreds of listeners agree that this is pretty much exactly what earbuds should sound like.

If your personal taste is a little different, you can choose from the app’s EQ presets or build your own tune using the 5-band custom EQ. Personally, though, I didn’t even feel a need to dive into the EQ throughout my entire testing period. I never noticed anything sounding “off” about any of my favorite songs—which is probably the highest compliment I could pay any pair of earbuds.

Active Noise Cancellation (ANC)

Just like with the sound quality, Bose nails the ANC performance here. In our lab, using our head-and-torso simulator, we found that the QuietComfort Earbuds reduce the loudness of external noise by an average of 82%. That puts them right in line with the best noise-cancelling earbuds on the market, and makes them far superior to the similarly priced AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation.

When I wanted to stay aware of my surroundings, I switched over to Aware Mode. It works just like the transparency mode on other earbuds, and I found it natural enough to have a quick conversation without taking the earbuds out.

Fit, Controls & Everyday Use

The Bose QuietComfort Earbuds have an all-new design, and I quite like the way they fit in my ears. They are much smaller than their predecessors since they ditch the protruding stem. Because Bose includes three sizes of oval-shaped ear tips and three stabilizer fins that lock right into your anti-helix (that curved inner ridge of your ear), you shouldn’t have any trouble getting a secure, comfortable seal. And with IPX4 water resistance, they are officially gym-approved in my book.

As for the controls? Well, let’s just say Bose made some interesting choices here:

• “Hey Headphones” Voice Control: If you’re tired of asking strangers to take a photo of you and ending up with a terrible framing job, you can say “Hey headphones”—yep, you read that right, “Hey headphones”—to activate hands-free controls, including telling your earbuds to press the shutter button on your phone’s camera.
• Tap Controls & Calls: If you don’t want to get strange looks from people around you while talking to your ears, you can just tap the earbuds to control playback and calls. The microphones pick up your voice cleanly both for voice commands and quick phone calls on the go.

Battery Life

Thankfully, battery life is all good news. The earbuds are rated to last 8.5 hours on a single charge, which beats most wireless earbuds I test and easily covers a long-haul flight. The charging case holds an extra 2.5 charges for up to 31.5 hours of total playback, and Bose included wireless charging, which is always nice to see at this price.

One new feature I genuinely love inside the app is called Battery Prediction. Rather than just showing you a standard battery percentage, it actually predicts how many hours of listening or talk time you have left. This is a fantastic feature—please, other headphone companies, take note of this!

Real-World Pain Points (“Where it Falls Short”)

Despite how much I enjoyed using these day-to-day, there’s a strange quirk or missing feature in almost every category that holds me back from giving them a blind 10/10 recommendation:

My Biggest Issue — Right Earbud Dropouts & Downtown Stutters:

On paper, you get Bluetooth 5.3 with Bluetooth Multipoint. In practice, we ran into serious headaches in our testing lab. One earbud—particularly the right earbud—would inexplicably drop out while we were switching between EQ presets, connecting to new devices, or adjusting playback volume. We originally thought I just had a broken unit, so we returned it and bought a second one.

Unfortunately, the exact same issues persisted on our second retail unit, and even on a third unit that Bose sent us directly. Outside of the lab, using the earbuds indoors with my iPhone and MacBook worked fine, but as soon as I started walking around busy downtown streets, I noticed annoying connection stutters.

A Toy-Like Case & The Sliding Stabilizer Fin Trap:

While I love the design of the earbuds themselves, the charging case is a letdown. It’s made from a lightweight plastic material that, to me, feels more like a cheap toy than a premium audio product. Worse yet, my team and I found that the rubber stabilizer fins are prone to sliding around when putting the earbuds in and taking them off.

If the fin slides out of place, it covers the charging pins on the earbud. You might drop them in the case thinking they’re charging, only to pull them out before your next workout and realize the fin blocked them from charging the whole time.

Why Did Bose Make Me Download a Separate App?

Rather than adding these earbuds to the existing Bose app, Bose developed an entirely new app called the Bose QCE app. Why? I have no idea. It’s definitely inconvenient if you already own other Bose products, because now you have to switch back and forth between multiple apps. And even though the new app upgrades you from a 3-band EQ to a 5-band custom EQ, it still won’t show you the exact frequencies you’re adjusting. Baby steps, Bose… baby steps.

Missing Extras (No Spatial Audio, No Find My, No Hi-Res Codecs):

As I mentioned earlier, there’s no Find My tracking if you lose them, no spatial audio, and no aptX or LDAC for Android users.

Head-to-Head Comparison

Here is how the 2024 Bose QuietComfort Earbuds stack up against their main rivals that I’ve tested:

Value & Buying Decision

So, where does that leave me with the 2024 Bose QuietComfort Earbuds? By most measures, these are excellent wireless earbuds. They have great sound quality right out of the box, killer noise cancelling, and marathon battery life—giving them all the tools needed to be great workout or travel earbuds.

With a launch price of $179 USD / €199.95 / £179.95—and street prices across Europe frequently dropping to €140–€170 (or around £125–£140 in the UK) on Amazon EU, MediaMarkt, Coolblue, and Currys—these go toe-to-toe with the Apple AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation:

• When I’d buy the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds: If you don’t own a bunch of Apple devices, or you just hate the way hard plastic AirPods fit in your ears, these are a fantastic alternative—and a much better value than the €300 / $300 Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds. My one big rule before you buy: Because of the right-earbud dropouts we saw across three separate units in our lab and the stutters I got walking downtown, make sure you buy these from a retailer with a hassle-free return policy (such as Bose’s 30-day trial, Amazon, or any EU store covered by the 14-day statutory cooling-off period) just in case.
• When I’d buy the Apple AirPods 4 (with ANC): If you want a more premium-feeling case, rock-solid connectivity with your iPhone, Find My tracking, and the best Spatial Audio on the market.
• When I’d buy the Creative Aurvana Ace 2: If your number-one priority is pure sound quality and high-res Android codecs. They are actually my favorite-sounding earbuds on the market right now—and they happen to be even cheaper than the Bose.

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