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The Bose On-Ear is similar to the Bose QuietComfort 3 Headphones, but without active noise cancellation. The cord is detachable; both 43 and 16-inch cords are available. Shortly after the release of the iPhone in 2007, Bose redesigned the OE's headphone plug on the detachable cords to make it iPhone compatible.
Even though there are a lot of great premium ANC headphones on the market right now, and thereu2019s even whole bunch more on the wayu2026 the most common question I get in my comments is WHEN ARE THE BOSE QC45u2019s COMING OUT?!?! Now I donu2019t know if the Bose QC45u2019s will be coming out next week, next month, or next yearu2026 But I thought I would make a wish list of what I would like to see from the Bose QC45u2019su2026 And showcase how the aging Bose QC35u2019s stack up against some of 2019u2019s top ANC headphones.','raw':false},'hSize':null,'floatDir':null,'html':'','url':'https://youtu.be/SEy7fP3NkuI','width':854,'height':480,'providerName':'YouTube','thumbnailUrl':'https://i.ytimg.com/vi/SEy7fP3NkuI/hqdefault.jpg','resolvedBy':'youtube'}'>
Even though there are a lot of great premium ANC headphones on the market right now, and there’s even whole bunch more on the way… the most common question I get in my comments is WHEN ARE THE BOSE QC45’s COMING OUT?!?! Now I don’t know if the Bose QC45’s will be coming out next week, next month, or next year… But I thought I would make a wish list of what I would like to see from the Bose QC45’s… And showcase how the aging Bose QC35’s stack up against some of 2019’s top ANC headphones.
The original Bose QC35’s were released around June 2016, and then the Bose QC35 Series 2 were released in September 2017. The only technical difference between the original Bose QC35 and the Series 2 was the addition of this action button. So technically the Bose QC35’s are over 2 and a half years old now. Which from a product standpoint is a long time cause Sony has been updating their 1000X headphones year over year, and were currently on the Sony 1000X Mark 3.
So the first thing I want to see upgraded on the Bose QC45’s is the addition of USB C, and I think this is pretty much a given. Right now most $350 ANC headphones are coming with USB C. Now the reason USB C is a big deal is because if you have an android device you can charge your phone and headphones with the same cable, which is super convenient. But USB C is also able to handle more power than a micro USB port, which as a result will mean better fast charging. Right now the QC35’s have a rated fast charging of 15 minutes gets you 2 and half hours of playback time. Where as the Sony’s get you 5 hours from a 10 minute charge. So I would like to see the Bose QC45’s at least match or exceed the M3’s fast charging numbers.
But Bose also has to step up the QC45’s battery life. The Bose QC35’s have an advertised battery life of 20 hours, which is below average for 2019 but at least its better than the surface headphones. But I would like to see the Bose QC45’s to have a battery life between 30 and 35 hours cause the Sony 1000XM3’s have an advertised battery life of 30 hours and the Jabra Elite 85H’s are slated to have a 32 hour battery life.
Now when it comes to design and comfort there are some minor changes I would like to see from the Bose QC45’s. One of the best things the Bose QC35’s has going for them is that they are perhaps the most comfortable ANC headphones on the market. Their ear cups are super spacious and they are without a doubt big head approved. Obviously I would like the Bose QC45’s to keep the same super spacious ear cups but I would like for Bose to slim down the headband and make it more low profile. Now something a lot of companies are doing these days is that they’re throwing on touchpad on to their headphones cause it makes them look fancier I guess. And when they’re implemented well, like on the Sony’s I don’t mind them. But I personally think Bose should stick to having physical buttons on their QC45’s cause for some casual users choosing between physical buttons or a touch pad could be a major deciding factor. Some people just don’t want to deal with finicky touch pads or phantom presses.
However, I would like to see Bose to add an additional action button on their left ear cup. When the Bose QC35 Series II were released they were the first ANC headphones with Google assistant integration and you could interact with your voice assistant by using this button. Now Im fully aware that if you press and hold on the multipurpose button you can also talk to your voice assistant… but its not as efficient as having a dedicated button
And now since more and more headphones are getting voice assistant integration, I think voice assistant integration on headphones is here to stay. You can even choose which voice assistant you would like to use these days. But if you do want to have voice assistant integration in your headphones you end up sacrificing some functionality. On both the Bose and Sony’s you give up the ability to manually toggle between your active noise cancelation settings. So if you want to turn your ANC Up or Off you have to open up the App every single time. Which can be annoying. So this is why I would like the Bose QC45’s to have 2 action buttons, one for your voice assistant and another one so you can still manually toggle your ANC settings. You’d be surprised that nobody has been able to get this right yet.
And from a software standpoint Bose desperately needs to add a transparency mode to their Bose QC45’s. Almost every other pair of premium ANC headphones has this feature. Sony call it ambient mode and Microsoft calls it enhanced mode. But basically the headphones will pump in the ambient sound around you so you can still hear whats going on if you’re walking around in the city or work in an office. And I also think Bose needs to add a quick attention mode like on the Sony’s so you can talk to someone really quickly without having to take off you’re headphones like this.
And I think Bose could do this on their QC45’s by pressing and holding down on the dedicated ANC toggle action button I mentioned earlier. But the most important thing Bose needs to improve on their Bose QC45 is their active noise cancelation. Plainly said, the active noise cancelation on the Bose QC35’s struggles to keep up with the ANC on newer headphones. And just so you can see for yourself we’re going to do ANC test with the Bose QC35’s, the surface headphones, and the Sony 1000XM3’s running the latests 4.1.1 firmware update.
The Bose QC35’s just aren’t able to block out the same amount of noise as the surface headphone and Sony 1000XM3 across the board. So obviously the Bose QC45’s need to improve the amount of sound they block out. But it's also crucial Bose reduce the amount of cabin pressure in their ANC. For some people like myself we just cant wear the Bose QC35’s for too long cause we feel this pressure on our ear drums that sometimes leads to headaches. And these days cabin pressure in ANC headphones is associated with older or cheaper ANC headphones cause newer headphones like the 1000XM3’s or surface headphones don’t have a lot or any cabin pressure at all. And finally, Bose also needs to rethink the positioning of their ANC microphones. Since the Mics on the Bose QC35’s are so exposed the Bose QC35’s like to pick up a lot of wind noise. Where as the ANC microphones on other headphones are recessed into the body thus dramatically reducing the amount of wind noise their headphones pick up.
Now when it comes to sound quality the Bose QC35’s have a neutral sound signature where the bass just isn’t going to hit like some other headphones. And since sound is subjective some people prefer neutral headphones over bass heavy headphones. But I would definitely like to see the Bose QC45’s to have an adjustable EQ. And again since sound is subjective people want to have the ability to adjust the EQ on their headphones so they can make them sound however they want. But in general Bose does need to improve the bass on their QC45’s cause sometimes the bass on the QC35’s does bottom out in bass heavy music which I feel in unacceptable for $350 headphones.
But finally I also want to point out Bose's multidevice connectivity. The Bose QC35's can be connected to two devices at the same time. Which is great, cause it means you can hot swap from your phone to your computer effortlessly. Even though this might seem like a basic feature, some headphones like the 1000XM3's can't do that. Which is pretty annoying and I think it's a huge oversight on Sony's part. So obviously I would like the Bose QC45's to have this feature but I would also like them to improve upon it. I think if the QC45's can get up to 5 simultaneous connections I think power users with multiple phones, tablets, and computers would really like that.
But overall that's my wishlist for the Bose QC45, and I think everything is well with in reason. I'm not asking for anything over the top and I think these improvements would better position the Bose QC45's to complete against 2019's newer Headphones. Cause right now I think the Bose QC35's are lagging behind the competition cause of their specs and feature set. Cause as of right now, I'm a little hard-pressed to recommend the Bose QC35's over the Sony 1000XM3 unless you really need those super spacious ear cups.
Update: The video that offered a clear look at the QuietComfort II with Google Assistant was removed from YouTube earlier today.
We’ve learned a great deal about Google’s plans for smart headphones over the last several months through app teardowns, and Google itself slipped-up recently by adding Headphones to its support website (and then quickly removed it). Today, we can confirm that the rumored successor to the Bose QuietComfort 35 will be one of the first pair of headphones to feature the Google Assistant.
On Monday, we found a graphic in Google Assistant for iOS that showed a pair of over-the-ear headphones in great detail. With a design that matched strings of code previously found in the Google app, the illustration was titled “baywolf” — one of a few “Bisto” device codenames that we spotted in the Google app. Bisto is the name Google is using to refer to this category of devices in the Google app code.
Some noticed how the button layout described in the app’s code, as well as the baywolf image, happened to line up with a pair of leaked Bose headphones in early August.
![Release Release](/uploads/1/2/5/6/125685904/872859415.jpg)
We can now exclusively confirm, via Bose documentation seen firsthand by 9to5Google, that this is indeed the case and that the Bose QuietComfort 35 Wireless Headphones II will be one of Google’s first partnered smart headphone devices that feature the Google Assistant.
Earlier this week, a tipster tried to purchase the original QC35 at Australian retailer Life Style Store only to be told that a new model was coming in “2-3 weeks” and would feature the Google Assistant.
We have since been able to examine a fact sheet from Bose made for retail employees that confirm the presence of Google Assistant, as well as several other specs for the noise-canceling over-the-ear headphones. We cannot publish the product sheet, but here are the Google Assistant highlights:
Google Assistant Built In
“With your Google Assistant built in, you can control music, send & receive texts, and get answers using just your voice. Just press and hold the Action button, and start talking.
Update 10:16 AM PT: After publishing this article, a reddit user shared photos of the device’s retail box showing a “Google Assistant built-in” logo.
There is an “Action button” on the left cup that is not found on any other Bose headphones. According to teardowns of the Google app we did previously, users will press and hold on this button to give a command, as well as to hear their notifications.
The Verge published an image of the headphones which came directly from a Bose newsletter earlier this year. We can confirm that the device seen in this fact sheet is identical.
From The Verge
The upcoming headphones look very much like the current QC35, with the added button being the only notable physical difference. Like the existing models, they come in black and silver.
Other specs for this device include “adjustable noise cancelation” and a “Noise-rejecting dual microphone” that “Provides clear calls and accurate Google Assistant response in noisy environments.” Meanwhile, battery life is rated at 20 hours and the headphones weigh 5.7 ounces. In the box, you’ll get the headphones, a carry case, a USB cable, and a 3.5mm audio cable.
Bose Australia charges A$499 for the original QuietComfort 35. Our tipster was told that the new models would cost the same, and we’ve seen a deposit receipt confirming that identical pricing. Meanwhile, Bose officially sells the current QC35 in the U.S. for $349.95.
With the Google Assistant on Android and iOS already featuring the groundwork for Assistant-enabled headphones, an announcement seems likely at Google’s October 4th event. That date lines up with the 2-3 week estimate we were given from the Australian retailer.
Thanks Sargon Homeh!