On the same day that Apple launched its highly-anticipated second-generation AirPods Pro, Bose revealed its own next-generation wireless earbuds. The Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II are finally official, two years after the original earbuds launched back in 2020 with positive reception.
The second-gen QuietComfort Earbuds bring a refreshed design that’s only a third of the size of its predecessor and is even lighter, clocking in at less than a quarter of an ounce (7g). They also maintain the IPX4 rating for water and sweat resistance and get Bluetooth 5.3. The theme behind the new earbuds seems to be personalisation, with an included ear tip Fit Kit that has interchangeable stability bands and ear tips, ensuring the perfect fit for comfort.
Further driving its personalisation motif is the new CustomTune sound calibration technology, which optimises the sound profile to your own ear. The feature is activated every time you take the buds out of the case and place them in your ears, where a proprietary tone will be played and measured by the microphone to measure the ear canal’s acoustic response.
The custom sound profile also promises better active noise cancellation, although it doesn’t go as far as Apple’s claim of double the performance. Aware Mode, Bose’s name for its transparency mode, gets a new feature called ActiveSense, which allows you to hear your surroundings without taking off the device while still cancelling out some loud noises.
The battery life of the QuietComfort Earbuds II on a single charge is exactly the same as the originals, lasting up to six hours. However, the case itself seems to have improved, capable of three additional charges for a total of 24 hours of listening time. Bose says the earbuds themselves take an hour to fully charge, while a 20-minute juice-up gives it an extra two hours of use.
The Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II will be available in the US starting on 15 September, retailing at US$299 (~RM1,344). They will initially only be available in black, but a Soapstone variant is coming later this year. The company has not yet announced any details about availability outside the US.
(Source: Bose)
