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The Bose QC35 and its successors the QC 35 IIs have been insanely popular headphones for travel over the past several years. Ever since its release, users have been wondering when a revised model would come out. With the release of the Boise Noise Canceling 700, it looks like Bose has finally fulfilled that void.
Bose Noise Canceling 700
Modern Bose ANC headphones
Pros
- USB-C for charging
- Touch controls
- 11 step noise cancelation
- Fast charging with 2 hours of listening with 15 minutes of charging
Cons
- Non-foldable design
- Heavier due to more premium design
Bose has clearly learned from its QC35 IIs and is looking to reinvent itself with its new Noise Canceling 700 headphones. It made necessary changes such as a more premium design and USB-C.
Bose QC35 II
Comfortable ANC cans
Pros
- Great ANC
- Portable and light
- Solid sound quality
- Comfortable
Cons
- Lacks higher quality Bluetooth audio codecs (sans AAC)
- Micro-USB for charging
- Mostly plastic build
The Bose QC35 IIs have been one of the top ANC headphones on the market for quite some time now. They're a solid pair of headphones but they've definitely shown their age when it comes to charging tech and its ANC algorithm.
The Bose QC35 IIs are simply a classic. There's absolutely nothing wrong with them and if you have them, there's almost no reason to upgrade to the new Noise Canceling 700s.
However, if you're in the market for a new set of ANC headphones, you should definitely be looking at the Noise Canceling 700s instead of the QC35 II. In this case, you should only be looking at the QC35 IIs if they're discounted much lower than the 700s.
What's the difference?
Bose's new Noise Canceling Headphones 700 on the left, and its older QC35 II on the right. Right image credit: Bose
The headlining feature of the Noise Canceling 700s is its 11 steps of active noise cancelation versus the traditional 3 step ANC from other headphones including the QC35 IIs. Traditionally, you have: off, maximum noise cancelation, and some middle ground to allow ambient sound mode.
While the Noise Canceling 700s aren't the first pair of headphones to offer this type of ANC, it's one of the few out there. Other headphones that come to mind is the Sony WH1000XM3 with its adaptive ANC, and the Microsoft Surface Headphones with its innovative dial design.
Speaking of design, the Noise Canceling 700s finally adopt a gesture-based navigation design. Swipe up or down to change the volume, backwards or forwards to go back/skip to the next track, and double tap to play/pause or answer/hang up a phone call. This is in stark contrast to the Bose QC35 IIs which had the standard physical button navigation.
One of the only downsides to the Bose Noise Canceling 700s over the QC35 IIs is that the new 700s do not fold in a compact manner to stow away with the included case.
| Bose Noise Canceling 700 | Bose QC35 II | |
|---|---|---|
| Charging cable | USB-C | Micro-USB |
| Battery life | 20 hours | 20 hours |
| ANC levels | 11 | 3 |
| Bluetooth version | N/A | 4.2 |
| Bluetooth audio codecs | N/A | SBC, AAC |
| Foldable design | No | Yes |
| Navigation design | Touch | Physical button |
| Ambient noise mode | Yes | Yes |
What's better?
There are still a few unknowns with the new Noise Canceling 700s such as Bluetooth version (presumably 5.0) and which Bluetooth audio codecs it supports. Obviously, we don't know the sound signature yet. The Bose QC35 IIs had a relatively flat sound signature with just a tiny bit of brightness in the treble region. It's safe to assume that the Noise Canceling 700s are a refinement of that sound signature.
Despite this, the Bose Noise Canceling 700s are the way to go if you've been eying a set of ANC headphones from Bose. They are more modern with a better overall design, USB-C, and the multiple steps of active noise cancelation.
Unless there's an absolutely incredible deal with the QC35 IIs (or even the original QC35s if you don't care for Google Assistant or Alexa), the Bose Noise Canceling 700s are the headphone to get if you're strictly looking at Bose ANC headphones.
Bose Noise Canceling 700
11 step ANC
The best just got better
Fantastic ANC capabilities with 11 levels, USB-C for charging with fast charging, and modern internals. It's equal to or better than the Bose QC35 IIs in every way.
Bose QC35 II
Classic ANC headphones
Budget ANC tunes
The Bose QC35 IIs are a solid choice if you're on a budget. Solid sound quality, great standard ANC modes, and 20 hours of battery life.
