The king is dead, long live the king. Bose’s famed QC35ii series of noise cancelling headphones may have just been overthrown, and the new contender is by Bose itself.
Bose has long been the go-to name in the premium noise cancelling headphone segment. From 2009’s QC15 to 2017’s QC35ii, the QuietComfort (or QC) line has been hugely popular among consumers, renowned for its light weight, comfort, clear and balanced audio quality, and industry-leading noise cancellation.
However, lately, their claim to the throne has been challenged, especially by the Sony WH1000XM3, the Microsoft Surface Headphones and the Sennheiser PXC 550, which are also slightly cheaper than the QC35.
The criticisms of the Bose headphones usually centres around the lack of modern features such as USB type-C charging and touch sensitive ear cups. They were also not the best looking headphones in their category, with pretty much the same design language since 2009.
Bose aims to address all these issues and reclaim their throne through the newly announced Noise Cancelling 700 headphones, which comes with a completely new design, and is bursting with features. These do not seem to be a successor to the QC35ii, but rather a totally new, higher priced, better sounding and more modern model.
The headline feature is definitely the adjustable noise cancellation. Similar to the Surface Headphones and Sony WH1000MX3, the feature allows you to control the amount of sound from the world outside that you can hear. The Noise Cancelling 700 offers you 11 levels of noise cancellation.
These new headphones also come with a dedicated button that allows you to activate Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant. The sound can be fine-tuned with the help of the Bose Music App, which is available on the App Store and Google Play as well.
They now charge with USB Type-C and claim to have 20 hours of battery life.
Bose also claims to have one of the best in-built microphone systems ever implemented in a pair of headphones. These have four mics, which help in noise cancellation, but also receive and isolate your voice while taking phone calls.
Finally, the most interesting new feature is the new Augmented Reality audio functionality, called Bose AR. Bose is making impressive claims here. The headphones have dedicated in-built motion sensors, which, when you look at landmarks, will provide you information about them, or can even help you navigate, when coupled with compatible apps.
The headphones are now available for pre-order in the United States for $399.95 (roughly Rs 28,000). Their launch date and price is yet to be confirmed for India.
