Bose reveals new flagship 700-series noise cancelling headphones

Bose’s QuietComfort 35 II noise-cancelling headphones have long been a must-pack in the serious business traveller’s carry-on kit, remaining a firm favourite of road warriors since 2017.

But recently, we’ve seen the status quo challenged with serious competition from other brands, which has been turning Bose loyalists to competitors.

Bose has hit back with today’s announcement of the new Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700.

While it may not be the catchiest name, it’s a clear signal that this isn’t just an incremental improvement on the previous QuietComfort product range – instead, Bose promises that this is an all new product that improves on the offerings of the QuietComfort 35 II with new features and better sound quality.

How they work

At the heart of the Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 are microphones that are placed both inside and outside the earcups. Feeding this data into an electronics system, the 700’s mcirophones measure and react to sound in your environment to produce the opposing cancellation signal and deliver it near-instantly.

Of course, the QuietComfort 35 II has already proven its chops when it comes to active noise cancellation, and Bose concedes that the Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 only offer “slightly better” noise reduction than the QuietComfort 35 II.

The new 700s also offer 4 microphones dedicated to voice-pickup – these automatically isolate your voice from competing noises so that you can take a call or give instructions to your voice assistant with ease.

There’s also a new touch interface, which means you can use gestures to control the headphones and manage content.

Bose claims that the battery life is up to 20 hours, and the 700s require 2.5 hours to fully charge the battery – but there is a quick charge option that will net you 3.5 hours of use when you charge the headphones for 15 minutes.

Weighing in at 0.56lbs (~254 grams) for the headphones and 177 grams for the carrying case, the Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 still retain the portability of their predecessor – but unfortunately it doesn’t seem as though they will retain the same price point.

Australian pricing is yet to be revealed, but US pricing is $50 higher than the QuietComfort 35 II’s at $399.95 (~AUD $580).

Pre-orders are open on the Bose website now, with a ship date of June 30 2019.

James Fordham

James has been interested in aviation ever since his first flight. When he’s not travelling, he’s still on the road indulging his motoring hobby, or trying a new whisky.