Rank #1 in Best Noise Cancelling Headphones: 9 Ranked, Where the Battery Numbers Fail
Bose QuietComfort Wireless Noise Cancelling Headphones
Price and rating as shown on Amazon when we collected them. Both change.
The Bose QuietComfort takes the top spot in this guide, and it is also the listing that survives the battery test the guide is built around. Its title reads 'Up To 24 Hours of Battery Life' and its own bullet reads 'up to 24 hours of battery on a single charge' — the same figure in both places. That is the point. The £28.04 pair here advertises 120H playtime in its title against 60 hours in its own bullet; the Sony WH-CH720N's title says 35 hours against a bullet that says up to 50 hours with noise cancelling off; and the Bose QuietComfort Ultra (2nd Gen) carries a specification field reading 'Battery Charge Time: 30 Hours' beside a 30-hour battery claim. This Bose does none of that. Its only second battery number is a charging claim, not a listening one: a 15-minute charge for up to 2.5 hours of additional play time.
What £196.00 buys is an over-ear Bluetooth pair with active noise cancelling, Quiet and Aware modes, adjustable EQ for bass, mid-range and treble, a hard case and an audio cable with an in-line microphone for use without Bluetooth or when the battery is flat. It scores 4.4 out of 5 from 17,274 ratings, and the spread behind that average leans hard one way: of 100 ratings, 78 are 5-star and 9 are 1 or 2 star. Bose lists it at 17 in Noise Cancelling Headphones. Everything on this page comes from the Amazon listing — title, bullets, specification fields and customer reviews — and not from any testing of our own.
How those 17,274 ratings break down
An average hides its own shape. This is the spread behind the 4.4 stars.
Specification
Exactly as published on the Amazon listing, field for field.
| Price | £196.00 |
|---|---|
| Customer rating | 4.4 out of 5 from 17,274 ratings |
| Rating spread | 78 of 100 ratings are 5-star, 9 are 1 or 2 star |
| Battery life, title | Up to 24 hours |
| Battery life, bullet | Up to 24 hours on a single charge |
| 15-minute charge | Up to 2.5 hours of additional play time |
| Best Sellers Rank | 17 in Noise Cancelling Headphones |
| Product Warranty | 2 year manufacturer |
What buyers actually say
Quoted from customer reviews on Amazon
Verified purchase“Very good quality, excellent comfort, long long-lasting battery life. You can connect up to two devices using the Bose app. The noise-cancelling feature is amazing, you are disconnected from the outside world! Very portable and protected as they come in a case. Highly recommend.”
Verified purchase“I bought these to replace 15year old Bose Q C 15's, because noise cancelling had stopped working. I use them wired to a Sony NW A55L mp3 player. The sound is excellent, and the noise cancelling very good, especially when travelling on buses. The only thing wrong was the charging lead,where the end to fit in the phones, was the incorrect, and wouldn't fit. This wasn't a problem as I had one of these from some other device. I wouldn't hesitate to buy these again.”
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
How long does the Bose QuietComfort battery last?
The title and the bullet give the same figure: up to 24 hours on a single charge.
How much play time does a 15-minute charge give?
The bullet states a 15-minute charge gives up to 2.5 hours of additional play time, which describes charging, not listening.
Does this listing give a battery charge time?
No. There is no battery charge time field in the specification data for the Bose QuietComfort, unlike the Bose QuietComfort Ultra (2nd Gen) in this guide, which reads 'Battery Charge Time: 30 Hours'.
Can the Bose QuietComfort be used without Bluetooth?
Yes. The listing includes an audio cable with an in-line microphone, which Bose says can be used without a Bluetooth connection or even when the battery is depleted.
What is in the box?
Bose QuietComfort Headphones, cable, protective case and user manual, as listed.
How is the Bose QuietComfort rated?
4.4 out of 5 from 17,274 ratings, with a Best Sellers Rank of 17 in Noise Cancelling Headphones.
Comments
Reader comments are not checked against the manufacturer's claims above.
No comments yet
Be the first to add something we missed — a price change, a spec that turned out wrong, or how one of these held up.
Leave a comment
No account needed. Own one of these? Tell other readers how it actually performed.