The audio giant has a strong lineup of wireless headphones and earbuds, many of which boast the QuietComfort moniker and noise-cancelling technology and Bose headphones and earbuds are known for their comfort, sound quality, and excellent noise-isolation, which is probably the best of the lot.
Choosing the right Bose headphones for you will depend on your budget and personal preference.
Bose offers lightweight, noise-isolating models that often top our best over-ear headphones, providing comfort for everything from everyday commutes to long-haul flights.
Top 8 Best Bose Headphones in 2025
1. Bose QuietComfort
These over-ear headphones from Bose are a modern take on a cool classic and a solid, budget alternative to the Ultra version.
The design pays homage to the QuietComfort 35 wireless cans from nearly a decade ago. The oval earcups with the Bose logo and the sliding power button on the right are instantly recognizable and timeless.
True to its name, the Bose QuietComfort Ultra headphones offer legitimate industry benchmark noise cancellation.
They are great at blocking out external noise, making them ideal for traveling, working in noisy spaces, or simply relaxing with an audiobook or music playlist.
The noise cancellation on the Bose QuietComfort headphones is certainly superior to the Ultra version, but it falls a notch behind in terms of sophistication.
While the Ultra headphones can automatically adjust their noise cancellation based on the ambient noise they encounter, the standard model can only switch between full silent and awareness modes.
The QuietComfort headphones also lack spatial audio. However, their affordable price and clicky button controls make up for this shortcoming, especially when you find them on sale.
Bose offers the QuietComfort in black, white, blue, and green.
2. Bose QuietComfort 45
The Bose QuietComfort 45 are now a few years old, but they remain one of the best value buys for their decent ANC, comfort, and flexibility in wired and wireless playback.
At the time, they were the first headphones in Bose’s lineup to feature a USB-C port, and since their release, they’ve seen significant improvements via firmware updates, including an in-app equalizer.
The default sound profile tends to overemphasize the high end, which isn’t ideal for all music genres, but they work well for vocal-heavy tracks and spoken-word content.
There’s no aptX support, but with ANC turned on and a quick 15-minute charge, you’ll get a solid 25 hours of battery life for even more playtime.
The new lower price tag, however, elevates these headphones from “maybe” to “must consider.”
Currently retailing for around $279, the QC 45 make a strong case for the best value.
In a market overflowing with high-end options, the QuietComfort 45 offer the perfect package for those willing to make some compromises on sound.
The Bose QuietComfort 45 is great at canceling out outside noise and sounds great for podcasting.
Battery life is decent, and the fast charging USB-C gives you an additional 180 minutes of use with a 15-minute charge.
3. Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones
At this point, every headphone and earbud on this list does ANC very well, because Bose does it very well.
But the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones are exceptional, and in our review, we wrote that they “set a new standard for active noise cancellation.”
So if you prefer the fit and design of over-ears, these premium cans are not only the best Bose headphones, but also the best ANC headphones available right now.
Like the Bose QC Ultra Earbuds above, you’ll find Immersive Audio, Bose’s sound technology that creates a dynamic and moving soundstage, here.
As we’ve already highlighted, there’s great ANC. You’ll also find Snapdragon Sound and aptX Adaptive support for high-resolution audio, but it doesn’t work with all aptX devices, so if you’re looking for a high-resolution option, you’ll be disappointed.
The 24-hour battery life is the only other thing on the spec sheet that feels a little weak compared to what the competition offers.
In our review, we wrote that we experienced “an absolutely thrilling listening experience” with these headphones.
Of course, Immersive Audio is one of the best features, delivering a spatial sound experience enhanced by the best-in-class ANC. But that’s not all these headphones have to offer.
In our review, we wrote that they “provide the most vibrant, exciting, textured, detailed, and deeply resolvable music we’ve ever heard from a pair of wireless headphones.”
This is due to several factors, including the unique angled drivers in the earcups, which promise performance that is designed to better fit the shape of your head.
The Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones boast a sleek and premium design and are made of high-quality materials. They offer a very comfortable fit, ideal for long listening sessions.
They look premium, but they are slightly lighter and more stylish than the previous Bose QC models, and they also come with a sturdy carrying case to keep them from getting damaged on the go.
They come with a hefty price tag, and compete with other very capable high-end headphones like the Sony WH-1000XM5 and Apple AirPods Max, but they justify their price and outperform their competitors with their pure noise-cancelling capabilities.
4. Bose QuietComfort Earbuds (2024)
If you want to experience what Bose’s flagship QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds have to offer but don’t want to pay flagship prices, you’ll want to check out the entry-level QuietComfort Earbuds (2024).
We’ve seen the previous two iterations of these earbuds over the years, but the latest version brings a fresh look and new features to the party.
Battery life is longer than the Ultras at 8.5 hours, and the charging case is wireless. There’s no aptX support, though, just SBC and AAC.
The oval design may be different, but the build quality and comfort level are still good, even if the earpieces are a little thick for some.
The earpieces still feature high-quality plastic and soft, flexible eartips with a ‘stability band’ to help keep them in place.
While it’s true that the flagship Ultra model has better, more advanced noise-cancelling and a more detailed, dynamic sound, the QuietComfort Earbuds (2024) still deliver much of what you like about their premium siblings, and offer great overall performance at a lower price.
5. Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds Truly Wireless
The best Bose earbuds we tested were the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds Truly Wireless. Boss earbuds are a great alternative to over-ear headphones if you want something lighter and more portable.
They don’t skimp on extra features, either. Like the over-ear Ultra, they feature CustomTune technology, which adjusts the sound and noise isolation of the headphones to the shape of your ears and your environment, and Immersive Audio, which follows your head movements.
ANC also does a great job of blocking out background noise so you can focus on the audio. However, the battery life is shorter than the over-ear models.
They last for a solid seven hours, but you can charge them three more times in the carrying case if you need to.
Out of the box, they deliver a bass-heavy sound that you can adjust to your preference via the companion app’s graphic EQ and presets.
They’re comfortable to wear and have stability fins so you can wear them without fear of them falling out of your ears while you work out or run.
They’re IPX4 certified for splash resistance, but they don’t support multi-device pairing.
Prefer to be aware of the world around you? Consider the Bose Ultra Open Earbuds Truly Wireless instead.
Similar to ear cuffs, they don’t fit in your ears like earbuds, allowing you to hear your surroundings without having to turn down your music or take them off.
This design isn’t ideal for everyone, so if you prefer noise-cancelling, the QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds are the way to go.
6. Bose Sport Earbuds
Bose Sport Earbuds feature a sleek, durable design, superior microphone noise reduction, and durable eartips that provide more stability, making them ideal for sports and athletes.
One of the highlights of these earbuds is the StayHear™ Max tips. These silicone eartips have a wide, umbrella-shaped design that seals tightly to your ear canal for better audio and passive noise reduction.
The eartip “wings” also fit snugly over your ear canal, distributing pressure evenly for comfort during exercise.
These earbuds come with Spotify Tap™ via the Bose Music app, allowing you to easily access your workout playlist with a double tap on the left earbud, while the right earbud handles music, volume, calls, and voice assistant with taps and swipes.
Bose’s Active EQ ensures high-quality audio during your workout, and while it’s not waterproof, it’s sweat-proof with an IPX4 rating.
When on calls, a dual-mic array isolates your voice so you can hear clearly even in noisy environments or outdoors.
Finally, a lithium-ion battery powers the earbuds for up to five hours on a full charge.
If the battery runs low, you can get an additional two hours of playback with just 15 minutes in the charging case. Overall, a fully charged case can last up to 10 hours.
When choosing between the Sports Earbuds and the SoundSport Wireless, consider that the latter is cheaper, has a longer battery life, and offers NFC support and an in-line remote.
Meanwhile, the Sports Earbuds offer touch controls, a charging case, and the latest version of Bluetooth.
However, unlike most options on this list, these earbuds don’t have ANC, so they fall short in suppressing background noise.
7. Bose Ultra Open Earbuds
In recent years, there’s been a growing number of brands trying to implement the so-called ‘open’ design into their wireless earbuds.
Huawei tried it with its FreeClip buds, Sony tried it with its Linkbuds, and now Bose has officially joined the party, adopting the increasingly popular format.
The earpieces of the Bose Ultra Open Earbuds are made up of three parts: the pill-shaped bud itself, the battery cylinder, and a silicone band known as a ‘flex joint’ that connects the two parts without digging into your ear.
This makes the Open Earbuds incredibly comfortable, as they don’t sit inside your ear to deliver that signature Bose sound.
As for sound, these are really just like a pair of Bose buds. Aside from the slightly lackluster bass, the sound reproduction of the smart buds is far better than we expected, with weight, solidity, and a passion that doesn’t feel thin, detached, or uninvolved.
If you thought Open Earbuds were making excessive sonic sacrifices, you might be surprised at what they can do.
No, there’s no noise-cancelling or pure touch controls, but if you like something different, there’s a lot to recommend these innovative and unique Bose pioneers.
8. Bose QuietComfort 35 II
A great wireless headphone with a very comfortable design and 3-way noise cancellation for on-the-go use.
The Bose QuietComfort 35 II are headphones specifically designed to provide the most comfortable listening experience wherever you are.
These headphones feature great padding with memory foam, and the adjustable headband slider can fit heads of all sizes. The acoustic performance of the open-back headphones is also great.
The audio quality is excellent with 3-way noise cancellation and balanced sound for outdoor use, and it is further optimized with Bose AR in the Bose app. The microphone also has 2-way noise cancellation.
These are also Bluetooth headphones with good connectivity, and the battery life is good enough at around 20 hours of use.
You can also use Alexa with the headphones, making them even more versatile and easy to use.
The only downside is that the device is a bit fragile due to the relatively plastic and poor build quality.
The pads are very comfortable, but your ears may sweat in high temperatures. But aside from these drawbacks, I think it’s a great device with great comfort and sound quality for a relatively low price.
Conclusion
Bose is a well-known brand for its excellent noise-canceling capabilities and incredibly comfortable designs.
They produce a versatile and versatile range of headphones that also perform well in the sound department.
However, these models are comparatively more expensive and less well-made than headphones in the same price range.
Also read: Top 8 Best Headphones that Don’t Hurt your Ears in 2025