Bose QuietComfort Earbuds (2024) review: Renowned noise-canceling for a midrange price

When you buy through our links, Business Insider may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more

Bose's QuietComfort Earbuds (2024) offer rich, full sound quality and great noise-canceling performance for under $200. They serve as a more affordable alternative to the brand's flagship QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds and are ideal for more casual listeners who don't need the absolute best performance.

I've tested a lot of similarly priced options and there's plenty to like about these 2024 QC Earbuds. They're a strong competitor despite the included case being bulky and the earbuds' design favoring larger ears over smaller ones.

The QC Earbuds are versatile enough to accommodate work, travel, and even fitness. They also set themselves apart from direct competitors like the AirPods 4 with ANC by providing stronger noise cancellation. The QC Earbuds can't quite match the performance of the very best headphones, but they're a great fit for a wide audience looking for well-rounded earbuds.

Where do the 2024 QuietComfort Earbuds fit in Bose's lineup?

The 2024 QuietComfort Earbuds are the third pair of Bose in-ear headphones to use the "QuietComfort Earbuds" name. They follow previous models released in 2020 and 2022.

However, those older QuietComfort Earbuds were positioned as flagship models and are best thought of as precursors to Bose's current high-end QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds, which launched in 2023.

Rather than act as a new top-tier offering, the 2024 QuietComfort Earbuds are meant to introduce a midrange tier into Bose's earbuds lineup, offering a less expensive option for people who don't want to shell out $300 for the Ultra Earbuds. But, given their lower $179 price, this model does lose out on some of the Ultra Earbuds' extra perks.

Bose says the Ultras still deliver the brand's best noise-canceling and audio quality, and they include additional features like CustomTune calibration, customizable listening modes, Google Fast Pair, Spotify Tap, and Snapdragon Sound.

Sound quality is full and vibrant, but the fit is geared toward larger ears

As you might expect from a pair of Bose headphones, the QuietComfort Earbuds have a sound profile that's deep and full of bass. There's also great clarity, especially in the midrange, so vocals sound present and detailed. I listened to a range of music genres, and the ones with rhythmic beats were the most impressive, but even ambient-style tracks sounded great.

The QC Earbuds are probably best described as vibrant. Put another way, these earbuds are full of vibes, meaning songs sound lively and energetic. Kick drums hit hard and bass guitars pluck with depth. You'll likely find yourself nodding along with snappy, bouncy tracks.

The QC Earbuds' robust sound is partly due to their in-ear fit. Silicone ear tips seal in the audio and keep finer details from escaping, while small rubber flaps along the bottom half of the earbuds keep them secure and prevent them from shifting around.

However, the actual fit may be a little bulbous in some people's ears. The buds themselves are rather large, including the inner part that leads to the silicone ear tip. Three different-sized ear tips and stability bands are included, and the default sizes fit my ears fine. That said, all of the options were too big for my wife's ears and wouldn't sit flush as intended. This is something you'll want to consider if you have smaller ears and have had problems with some earbuds being too large in the past.

Good noise cancellation but the pricier QC Ultra still have an edge

Bose headphones are famous for their excellent active noise cancellation (ANC), and the QuietComfort Earbuds continue that tradition with great noise-canceling capabilities. It's a primary reason to consider them.

However, they're not perfect. Bose's more premium offering, the QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds, are still the best noise-canceling headphones we've tested with an in-ear design, and this less expensive pair sits a step below them. If those are the best then the QuietComfort Earbuds get about 75% of the way there in comparison.

Still, in typical environments, the QC Earbuds should cover most people's needs for quieting surrounding distractions. In more demanding areas, they're good, just not the best. I took the earbuds on a cross-country flight and they performed admirably on a plane. I could still hear a baby whaling pretty loudly and the engines weren't completely gone, but they did make them duller and the cabin surroundings less chaotic.

Likewise, the QC Earbuds' ANC is notably better than that of the similarly priced AirPods 4. Apple's midrange earbuds have solid noise cancellation considering their open-fit design, but they can't match the superior isolation that the QC Earbuds' in-ear seal provides.

A solid aware mode makes the earbuds versatile enough for fitness

The earbuds are IPX4 rated for water resistance. That's not to the level of being submergible, but it does mean that they're designed to withstand moderate rain and sweat. They can absolutely be used for fitness activities without major issues.

I took the QuietComfort Earbuds for a 3.1-mile run, connected directly to my Apple Watch, to see how they performed while on the move. Overall, they worked well. The fit with adjustable wingtips was secure enough that they didn't fall out or feel slippery when covered with sweat, but again, those with smaller ears may have more issues.

Even though they stayed in my ears, they are bulkier than other options, so I probably wouldn't buy them as dedicated running earbuds. I would rather have something slimmer while out running. I also hated trying to use the touch controls while sprinting down the street.

On the plus side, the earbuds' have a great aware mode (also called transparency mode by other brands), which uses the ANC microphones to let in outside noise when you want to hear your surroundings. This mode was sufficient to hear cars and street noise, and I really liked how natural outside noises sounded. There were no digital artifacts, which can be an issue with this feature on cheaper earbuds.

While I wouldn't consider these the best headphones for working out they can serve as stand-ins while traveling for a few days. But if you're looking for Bose earbuds that are even better suited for active use, I suggest considering the Bose Ultra Open Earbuds. They're more expensive and are completely open to let in outside noise. This means they don't have noise cancellation, but they're extremely comfortable to use while running.

Long battery life and wireless charging are nice perks

The QuietComfort Earbuds' charging case is a bit of a mixed bag. On the one hand, the case is chunkier and feels cheaper than a lot of options that come with competing earbuds. This makes it less pocketable while traveling. However, Bose has at least improved one area where some of its other earbuds have fallen short: wireless charging.

Although most competing earbuds in the $150 to $200 price range include wireless charging capabilities, Bose has skipped this feature in its recent earbuds. Even the brand's high-end Ultra Earbuds don't come with a wireless charging case and instead require a $50 add-on to enable wireless charging.

With the 2024 QC Earbuds, no extra accessories are required. Instead, the included case can be set on a Qi-compatible charging pad to power up without any wires. Of course, the case also still has a USB-C port for wired charging if you prefer.

This model is rated for 8.5 hours of listening time with ANC (Quiet Mode). That's great by any standard and is better than the QC Ultra's six hours of playback with ANC. However, it's important to remember that using different EQs and volume levels will impact the total playback time you get with each charge. The battery case provides an additional 2.5 charges as well. In my experience, you should have no trouble getting through an entire workday without needing to recharge.

Features are plentiful for midrange earbuds

The QC Earbuds include Multipoint Bluetooth, which allows them to connect to two devices at once and then switch back and forth automatically. I don't consider this a must-have feature, but it's definitely a convenient perk. I typically connect my earbuds to my phone and laptop to use them in different ways throughout a workday. The QC Earbuds switched back and forth without any issues.

Bose Immersive Audio is the company's processing feature that can enhance stereo audio mixes to create a 3D surround sound effect. This will be coming to the earbuds via a future update, but it wasn't available for me to test yet. However, I have tried it on the Ultra Earbuds and ultimately prefer to listen to music in standard mode. It's a cool feature to play around with if you like the effect, but it's not a game changer.

To adjust settings and modes, the QuietComfort Earbuds use the new stand-alone Bose QCE mobile app, which is different from the Bose app that the brand's other headphones use. This decision is a little strange, especially if you're already tied into the Bose ecosystem with other devices that use the existing app. That said, this new app works fine and has similar functionality.

One niche feature that can be enabled within the app is Remote Selfie. You can set a touch gesture on the earbuds, like tap and hold, to take a picture from a connected phone. The biggest caveat for iPhone users, however, is that the camera app needs to be activated and on screen for the command to snap a photo.

Should you buy the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds (2024)?

The 2024 QuietComfort Earbuds are the best Bose earbuds for most people. They're a solid option for anyone perusing the midrange earbuds market. They offer admirable ANC performance and fun, booming audio quality.

Their design is a bit bulky, though, with buds that favor larger ears and a case that's less portable than other models. It's also key to note that the more expensive QC Ultra Earbuds still block out the most noise.

The pricier Ultra Eabuds' superior ANC will be most beneficial for those traveling a lot or working in busy environments. But outside those use cases, the QC Earbuds are a better overall value for more casual users who enjoy Bose audio products.