New Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 arrive June 30 for $400, new true wireless earbuds to follow
The QC35 successors will be joined by true-wireless Earbuds 500 and Noise Cancelling Earbuds 700, slated for release in 2019 and 2020.
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The long-awaited successor to the popular Bose QuietComfort 35 II has finally been unveiled: The Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 will cost $400 or £350 and arrive June 30. They're available for preorder now. Australian pricing isn't yet available but the UK price converts to about AU$640.
The updated headphones were one of 3 new models that appeared when Bose quietly updated its website on Wednesday, May 29. There are also two new sets of totally wireless earphones: Noise Cancelling Earbuds 700 and the Earbuds 500 (no noise-canceling). The latter are listed as "anticipated" to launch in late 2019 while the Noise Cancelling Earbuds 700 are slated for a 2020 launch.
Note: I got some hands-on time with the new Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 on June 5. Read my early impressions of the Noise Cancelling Headphones 700's sound quality and features.
Bose says the Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 are "much more than a product refresh." And that's not surprising given that it's dropped the QuietComfort brand name and completely redesigned the headphones.
"After years of development, we're thrilled to introduce Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700," its website states. "They're much more than a product refresh -- they're a defining moment in headphone evolution. Smarter and more capable than anything we've ever done before, you're about to see how Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 will become an indispensable tool for surviving our ever-increasingly hypermobile world."
Read more: Best headphones for 2019
The upcoming Earbuds 500, currently slated for release in late 2019.
The company says the headphones are "packed with evolved noise-canceling functionality, an unrivaled microphone system and intuitive touch controls." They're also enabled with Bose AR, the the company's audio-augmented reality platform. Both the Noise Cancelling Earbuds 500 and 700 will also support Bose AR. (Both new true wireless models appear to be more compact than the company's current SoundSport Free true wireless earphones.)
For now, Bose will leave the QuietComfort 35 II in its headphone lineup. Late last year it updated that model with a chip to support Bose AR (any QuietComfort 35 II manufactured after December 2018 is AR-enabled). But I suspect we may see a price drop on the QC35 II, which lists for $350. While $400 is certainly expensive for a headphone -- some might argue too expensive -- most people would seemingly prefer to pay $50 more for the latest and greatest from Bose and ignore the old model unless it was priced significantly lower.
Read more: Bose Earbuds 500 true wireless early hands-on
Here's a quick look at the Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 key specs, according to Bose. They do charge via USB-C like the Sony WH-1000XM3 and other new premium noise-canceling headphones. While they're scheduled to ship on June 30, I should be getting some hands-on time with them next week and will add my early impressions once I give them a try.
- Weight: 254g
- Over-ear design
- New acoustic and electronics package with new digital signal processing
- New eight-microphone system
- 11 levels of noise cancellation
- Built-In Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa (one-touch access)
- Active EQ Sound Management
- Controls on ear cups
- Bluetooth range: Up to 33 ft. (10m)
- Battery charging time: Up to 2.5 hours
- Quick charge time: 15 min for 3.5 hours
- Battery life: Up to 20 hours
- USB-C charging
- Price: $400
- Shipping date: June 30
Rendering of the Noise Cancelling Earbuds 700, which aren't due out till 2020.
Originally published May 29.