Odi Productions
In this article, I’m going to share my HONEST Bose QuietComfort Earbuds (2024) review for those who are wondering whether they are WORTH IT. I’ll also be comparing the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds vs QuietComfort Ultra 2nd Gen, AirPods Pro 3, Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro, AirPods Pro 2, Beats Studio Buds Plus, AirPods 4 ANC, and more!
I’m going to do my best to share whether these earbuds are worth it, and ideally who these headphones are for. I bought these earbuds with my own money, and was NOT sponsored, paid, or received a free copy for review. All thoughts are my own.
I’ll be sharing my critical opinion with 10 years of experience as a professional music producer, audio engineer, and tech journalist. I also run the RecordingNow YouTube channel with over 25,000+ subscribers and over 5 million views.
Let’s dive right in!
Bose QuietComfort Earbuds (2024) Review in Short
The Bose QuietComfort Earbuds (2024) has one of the most impressive noise cancelling for its price, along with an elite comfort fit and battery life. The sound quality is just fine, as there’s better-sounding earbuds for cheaper. Competes with Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds 2nd Gen, AirPods Pro 2, AirPods Pro 3, Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro, AirPods 4 ANC, Beats Studio Buds Plus, Beats Powerbeats Pro 2, and Sony WF-1000XM6.
Pros and Cons
- Excellent noise cancelling
- Elite comfort and fit
- Best-in-class battery life
- Mic quality can be improved
- Sound quality is just fine
Order HERE for the LOWEST PRICE AVAILABLE (Do NOT pay retail):
Disclosure: These affiliate links may provide a discount and in return, give us a commission in order to keep this website 100% independent to ensure honest unfiltered reviews 🙂
Comfort + Features
Comfort
True to the “QuietComfort” name, the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds have a very comfortable fit that feels very form-fitting and ergonomic.
Unlike the “stem” design of the AirPods and Samsung Galaxy Buds, the QuietComfort Earbuds are a bit more similar to the Sony earbuds, but much better-fitting.
A couple interesting notes are the very oval eartips and the wingtips that help to conform to the ear very naturally.
Overall, this is definitely one of the most comfortable earbuds I’ve tested to date, and similar to the more expensive Bose “Ultra” Earbuds 1st and 2nd Gen (they’re identical).
Features
The Bose QuietComfort Earbuds was originally released in September 2024, so it has many modern wireless earbud features:
- IPX4 water resistance rating (resistant to sweat and light splashes of water)
- Built-in microphones for taking calls
- Bluetooth 5.3
- Multi-point connection
- Adaptive Noise Cancelling
- Transparency Mode
- Native apps for both iOS and Android
- Qi Wireless Charging case
Microphone Quality
The Bose QuietComfort Earbuds mic quality is somewhere in between the budget contenders like Soundcore Liberty 4 NC, and the flagships from Apple, Sony, Samsung, and the Bose Ultra Earbuds 2nd Gen.
The budget earbuds under $100 tend to have between average to below average mic quality.
On the other hand, the more expensive flagship earbuds like AirPods Pro 3, Sony WF-1000XM6, and Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro all feature more impressive microphone quality, utilizing technology like bone conduction sensors in addition to AI and a multi-mic setup.
Overall, the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds has serviceable mic quality but doesn’t sound as clear or natural as the flagships, which are better at rejecting background noise as well.
Battery Life
- With ANC on: 8.5 hours of battery life on a single charge
- With ANC off: 12 hours on a single charge / 42 hours total with charging case
- Fast Charge: 20 minutes = 3 hours of playback
This battery life is currently one of the best-in-class we’ve tested to date, which tends to be around 6 hours with noise cancelling turned on, and 24-30 hours with the charging case.
Comfort + Features Score: 10 out of 10
Active Noise Cancelling (ANC) Performance
Bose is one of the best-performing and respected names when it comes to active noise cancelling technology, and having tested pretty much all of their headphones and earbuds, we’d say they back that reputation up.
So I was curious how the more mid-tier QuietComfort Earbuds would stack up against the more expensive “elite” tier of AirPods Pro 3, Sony WF-1000XM6, and Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds 2.
Let me say, I’m truly impressed by the QuietComfort Earbuds when it comes to noise cancelling, and it’s really not that far behind the best-in-class.
It starts with having a very strong physical seal that blocks some noise passively before even turning on ANC.
Activating ANC unleashes that tested-and-proven Bose processing, and the physical seal translates into very consistent noise cancelling across the board.
Having tested some pretty impressive budget earbuds under $100, none of them really hold a candle to these QuietComfort Earbuds.
Actually, most sub-$200 earbuds not named Apple, Sony, or Bose, can really compete with these as well.
To go along with the impressive ANC, the Transparency Mode is equally effective and sounds pretty natural.
Overall, I’d still put this slightly below the best-in-class AirPods Pro 3, Sony WF-1000XM6, and Bose QC Ultra Earbuds 2nd Gen, but for the price, there isn’t that much competing.
Noise Cancelling Score: 9.0 out of 10
Sound Quality
While Bose has excelled historically for noise cancelling and comfort, sound quality has a tendency to be more hit-or-miss.
Luckily, the recent Bose products have stepped up in sound quality, and some have actually really impressed me.
Off the bat, the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds are a bit more consumer-friendly earbud in stock sound signature.
They deliver some impressive amounts of bass, but it does tend to muddy things up a bit and get in the way of the vocals.
Another sign that these are not as audiophile-friendly as the “Bose Ultra” line is the lack of hi-res codec support like aptX Lossless.
The end result is a “fun” sound that does mostly well for modern music, but is lacking that level of detail and openness that would take it to the next level.
Overall, I find the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds to be decent and fun to casually listen to, but nothing special for its price, as there’s some truly great-sounding earbuds for cheaper these days.
Sound Quality Score: 7.7 out of 10
Value
The Bose QuietComfort Earbuds retails for $179.00 USD but can be found on sale for as low as $149.
I think the strengths of the QuietComfort Earbuds are its near-flagship level noise cancelling and its very comfortable fit, with one of the best battery life we’ve tested.
I think the sound quality is just fine for the price, as I’ve tested better-sounding earbuds that cost under $100.
That said, those budget earbuds don’t have nearly the same level of noise cancelling.
Put it all together and I think the QuietComfort Earbuds is fairly priced and a good contender in its price range, especially if you’re not an audiophile.
Value Score: 8.5 out of 10
Overall Scoring Breakdown
Comfort + Features (15% of score): 10 / 10
Noise Cancelling (25% of score): 9.0 / 10
Sound Quality (50% of score): 7.7 / 10
Value (10% of score): 8.5 / 10
Total: 8.45 out of 10
Is the EarFun Air Pro 4+ Worth it?
The EarFun Air Pro 4+ is easily one of the best earbuds I’ve tested under $100, with the best sound quality I’ve heard in this price range.
No exaggeration, the sound quality is up there with earbuds costing twice as much like the AirPods Pro 3 and Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro.
Add in the modern features like Bluetooth 6.0 and aptX/LDAC support, and the package you’re getting for the money is nearly unbeatable.
The only real critiques are that it can improve in its noise cancelling and mic quality, which are still fairly decent for the budget class, just not at that “elite” flagship level.
Some very strong alternatives in this class of wireless earbuds are:
- Soundcore Liberty 4 NC
- AirPods 4 ANC
- Beats Studio Buds Plus
- Beats Powerbeats Pro 2
- Beats Powerbeats Fit
- AirPods Pro 3
- Sony Linkbuds Fit
- Beats Studio Buds
- Nothing Ear 3
- Sony WF-1000XM6
- Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro
- Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds 2nd Gen
- Status Pro X
- Sony WF-1000XM5
- Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 4
- Google Pixel Buds Pro 2
- Apple AirPods Pro 2
- Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro
- Technics EAH-AZ100
- Bowers & Wilkins Pi8
- SoundPEATS H3
- Denon PerL Pro
- OnePlus Buds Pro 3
Order HERE for the LOWEST PRICE AVAILABLE (Do NOT pay retail):
Disclosure: These affiliate links may provide a discount and in return, give us a commission in order to keep this website 100% independent to ensure honest unfiltered reviews 🙂
How We Tested and Our Methodology
RecordingNOW.com is a 100% independent publisher with over 10 years of experience testing and reviewing consumer electronics and headphones.
We currently purchase the products we test with our own money, and are not paid by any company or manufacturer to influence our opinions or decisions.
After purchasing the product, we conduct up to hundreds of hours of detailed hands-on testing in a controlled, acoustically-treated environment.
ODi Productions is our resident expert and author of this article, with 10 years of experience as a professional music producer, tech journalist, and audiophile.
Read Next
Best Wireless Noise Cancelling Earbuds
AirPods Pro 3rd Generation Review
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds 2nd Gen Review
Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro Review
AirPods Pro 3 vs Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro
Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 4 Earbuds Review
Apple AirPods Pro 3 vs AirPods 4 ANC Comparison
Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro Review
Google Pixel Buds Pro 2 Review
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds 1st Gen Review
