Black Bose QuietComfort 2nd Gen headphones with pill-shaped earcups

Rank #7 in Best Noise Cancelling Headphones: 9 Ranked, Where the Battery Numbers Fail

Bose QuietComfort Headphones (2nd Gen)

£299.95 4.6 from 119 Amazon ratings
Check price on Amazon

Price and rating as shown on Amazon when we collected them. Both change.

The Bose QuietComfort Headphones (2nd Gen) is at number 7 in this guide to noise-cancelling headphones. It is an over-ear pair with active noise cancellation, button controls and a companion app, listed at £299.95 with a rating of 4.6 out of 5 from 119 ratings.

The number to look at here is 24. 'Up to 24 Hours of Play time' sits in the product title, and that is the only place the battery figure appears. None of the six bullets mentions battery life, playback time or charging, and the specification table carries no battery-life or charge-time field. So the 24-hour claim is the one number on this listing a buyer cannot cross-check against anything else on the page. The star breakdown that is shown adds up to 100 reviews — 76 five-star, 12 four-star, 8 three-star and 4 one-star — against a stated total of 119 ratings. Everything below comes from the Amazon listing as it appears; we have not tested these headphones.

How those 119 ratings break down

An average hides its own shape. This is the spread behind the 4.6 stars.

5 star
76%
4 star
12%
3 star
8%
2 star
0%
1 star
4%

Specification

Exactly as published on the Amazon listing, field for field.

Price £299.95
Rating 4.6 out of 5 from 119 ratings
Battery figure in title Up to 24 hours of play time
Battery figure elsewhere in listing Not stated — no bullet and no spec field mentions battery life or charge time (as listed)
Star breakdown shown 76 five-star, 12 four-star, 8 three-star, 4 one-star = 100 of 119 ratings
Warranty 2 year manufacturer (as listed)
Best Sellers Rank 107 in Noise Cancelling Headphones
Box contents 3.5mm to USB-C audio cable, USB-C to USB-C cable, black hardshell carry case, safety sheet

What buyers actually say

Quoted from customer reviews on Amazon

Verified purchase

“Well worth the money so comfy wasn't sure when ordered them as I've always had AirPods but I'm going on a long haul flight and thought I'd give these a go”

debbie

“Over the years I've tried many, many different types of headsets. In ear, over ear – you name it we've given them a go and from all different brands as well. None come close to being anywhere near as good as these though.From the minute you unbox them they ooze class and our extremely intuitive. The box itself comes with just the headphones in, the case, a getting started barcode, the charging cable and that's it. They are just so easy to understand.They integrate beautifully with the Bose app wh which again is simple but very powerful at the same time. With the equlisaer you can balance the headphones to exactly your requirements as sound is a personal thing and these headphones recognise that.They sit very comfortably on your head and after a couple of minutes you don't even notice you've got them on. The ear cups are so forgiving and comfortable that you'll not even notice them.The controls one the headset are minimal but powerful as you can do everything you need to do. Switch between quiet and aware mode, adjust volume, change from one device to another – it's all about a straightforward as it could be.Talking of the noise cancelling, it is extraordinary. It means when you are on a phone call you can hear the other party perfectly with no outside interference. Even when I was cutting the lawn you can barely hear anything other than the podcast or whatever you are listening to.The battery is extraordinary as well. Mine arrived 40% charged and I didn't need to do anything for 10 days of using them in terms of recharging. You can connect directly to Music devices by using the USB-C cable should you require it and there's just so many brilliant features it's difficult to list them all. A big one for me was their small footprint when packed up as we travel a lot.Suffice to say, they are the best headphones I've ever had and I'm absolutely delighted with them.”

20 Legend

What it is up against

The rivals it was ranked against in Best Noise Cancelling Headphones: 9 Ranked, Where the Battery Numbers Fail.

Questions people ask

What battery life do the Bose QuietComfort Headphones (2nd Gen) have?

The product title states 'Up to 24 Hours of Play time'. No bullet point and no specification field in the same listing repeats or explains that figure.

Do the Bose QuietComfort Headphones (2nd Gen) charge over USB-C?

USB-C charging is named in the product title, and the listed box contents include both a USB-C to USB-C cable and a 3.5mm to USB-C audio cable.

What rating do the Bose QuietComfort Headphones (2nd Gen) have?

4.6 out of 5 from 119 ratings, with 76 of the reviews in the shown breakdown being five-star and 4 being one-star.

What noise cancelling modes do the Bose QuietComfort Headphones (2nd Gen) offer?

The bullets list Quiet Mode for full noise cancelling, Aware Mode for transparency with ActiveSense, plus Immersion, Cinema Mode and ANR off.

What is in the box with the Bose QuietComfort Headphones (2nd Gen)?

As listed: the headphones, a black hardshell carry case, an audio cable (3.5mm to USB-C), a USB-C to USB-C cable and a safety sheet.

Is lossless audio supported on the Bose QuietComfort Headphones (2nd Gen)?

The bullets state that high-fidelity lossless audio is delivered by USB-C connection.

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