Built from published evidence: the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds (2024) deliver flagship-grade noise cancelling and a real ~9-hour battery at a $179 mid-range price. The trade-offs are real — voices leak past the ANC, call quality folds outdoors, and the case feels cheap. Still the ANC pick in its price band. Check the current price on Amazon.
— THE VERDICT · JUDGEANY EDITORSWhat they are
Bose introduced the second-generation QuietComfort Earbuds on September 18, 2024 at $179 — the mid-range rung of the QC lineup, sitting under the flagship QC Ultra Earbuds — in Black, White Smoke, and Chilled Lilac (per Bose's press release). The hardware: six microphones, three per bud, Bluetooth 5.3 with multipoint, a Qi wireless-charging case in the box, IPX4, and the familiar three eartips plus three stability bands for nine fit combinations. The spec sheet claims up to 8.5 hours of play time, with the case holding 2.5 more charges.
ANC: measured, then contested
Bose calls the noise cancellation best-in-class, and the low-frequency numbers back that up. SoundGuys' lab work put the perceived-loudness reduction at about 80% for most noises, with the Bose edge sitting in the low end. Tom's Guide, which gave the buds its Recommended badge, called the ANC best-in-class after it killed packed-bus chatter and vehicle rumble — better than the OnePlus Buds Pro 3's. But the record splits above the bass. Expert Reviews, in the review's main counterpoint, found voices, keyboard tapping, and alarms reaching the ear "without much resistance," and judged the ANC plainly inferior to the QC Ultra Earbuds — likely the price of the missing CustomTune calibration. Engadget landed between the poles: effective on fans and white noise, a "decent job" on human voices, not Ultra-grade. There is also no adjustable ANC level, per Expert Reviews. The fair reading: class-leading where engines and fans live, ordinary where voices live.
Sound
On sound, the consensus is friendlier. What Hi-Fi gave the buds five stars and called them powerful, punchy performers with "drive and musicality ... in spades," built on "robust low frequencies, an expressive midrange and controlled highs." Engadget heard "punchy highs and snappy bass" but wanted more mids — fixable, in part, through the Bose app's five-band EQ and presets. The hard ceiling is codec support: SBC and AAC only, no aptX or LDAC, a gap both Tom's Guide and Expert Reviews flagged without treating it as a deal-breaker.
Battery, calls, and the fine print
Battery is the least contested spec on the sheet. Bose claims 8.5 hours; Tom's Guide ran nearly 9 with ANC on before the low-battery warning, TechGearLab measured 9.0 hours flat, and Engadget still had 12% left after 8.5 hours at 60-70% volume. The case holds roughly 2.5 more charges — about 30 hours total — refills in about 1.5 hours, and a 20-minute cable charge buys three hours of playback. Qi wireless charging comes in the box.
Calls are where reviewers argue with each other. Engadget listed "Poor call quality" as a con — the reviewer's voice sounded muffled, and fan noise grew louder the moment he started talking — and How-To Geek reported occasional call dropouts. Expert Reviews went the other way entirely, making mic quality "my final area of praise" for clear voice and minimal background noise in meetings. Both can be true at once: quiet-room meetings come through fine, and noisy streets do not. Heavy call users should treat this as the deal-breaker it is for them.
The remaining fine print: no Immersive Audio spatial mode at launch (Expert Reviews says it is "coming soon"), no CustomTune, and voice commands that Tom's Guide found oversensitive enough to flip ANC modes on bus rides unprompted.
Who should buy it
Buy these if noise cancellation is the job — at $179, nothing measured better at killing low-frequency drone, and the battery outlasts the claim in every independent check. The honest tax: a plasticky case that Tom's Guide, How-To Geek, and Expert Reviews all complained about, bulky buds that Android Police and How-To Geek both flagged, call quality that folds outdoors, and no aptX for the codec-conscious. Owner sentiment skews grumpier than the press — 3.9/5 across roughly 7,300 Amazon ratings per expertbeacon.com's mirror (data last updated March 6, 2026), with the same call-quality and case complaints recurring. It dropped to $149 during Black Friday 2024 (9to5Toys, November 26, 2024) — check the current price on Amazon before you decide.