Our Verdict
Above-average everyday headphones. The Bose QuietComfort 35 are versatile and offer a comfortable, well-built wireless design. They have a good sound and great noise canceling, which makes them a great option for commuters and frequent flyers. They come with a regular audio cable for more latency sensitive uses like watching a movie and gaming although they won't be ideal for those use cases especially when using Bluetooth. They're also a bit leaky.
- Outstanding noise isolation.
- Wireless and comfortable design.
- Good sound quality.
- Moderate sound leakage.
Above-average for neutral listening. They're comfortable for long listening sessions and have a good decently well-balanced sound quality. They pack a good amount of bass without drowning the instruments and vocals. However, their closed back design is not ideal for more neutral listeners due to the reduced soundstage.
The Bose QuietComfort 35 are ideal for commuting. They fare well in loud environments, busy commutes, and noisy flights, thanks to their exceptional active noise canceling. They're easy-to-use, comfortable and not too bulky.
Decent for sports use. They have a comfortable wireless design and a good control scheme. They're not too bulky but a little unstable. They also make your ears quite warm during more intense exercise due to their relatively low breathability.
Good for office use. They're super comfortable and will easily block the chatter of most office environments. Unfortunately, they also leak quite a bit at higher volumes, so the people around you may hear what you're listening to.
Below-average for gaming. They're comfortable, they have a good sound with a lot of bass and have a decent wireless range. Unfortunately, they have a mediocre-at-best integrated mic and a lot of latency which is not really suitable for gaming. They're also not compatible with consoles via Bluetooth and only have a regular audio cable with no inline microphone so you will only get audio if connect them to your Xbox One or PS4 controller.
Changelog
- Updated Nov 21, 2019: Converted to Test Bench 1.3.1.
- Updated Nov 21, 2019: Converted to Test Bench 1.3.
- Updated Feb 16, 2018: Converted to Test Bench 1.2.
- Updated Sep 28, 2017: The microphone has been tested with our new methodology, as explained here
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Popular Headphones Comparisons
The Bose QuietComfort 35 are good noise canceling headphones with a super comfortable design. They do not look as high-end for their price but provide a decently versatile design that's great for commuting and sounds decently well-balanced even without an equalizer. Unfortunately, their sound can't be customized like some of the competing models and they tend to be a bit leaky at higher volumes. See our recommendations for the best wireless over-ear headphones, the best bass headphones and the best noise cancelling headphones.
The Bose QuietComfort 45/QC45 Wireless have slight improvements over the Bose QuietComfort 35/QC35 Wireless 2016. While both headphones are very comfortable and well-built, the QC45 have a longer continuous battery life. They also have stronger noise isolation performance with bass-range noise, like the low rumble of bus and plane engines. Their mic's recording quality is better, too.
The differences between the Bose QuietComfort 35/QC35 Wireless 2016 and the Bose QuietComfort 35 II/QC35 II Wireless 2018 are minimal. The new model now has a dedicated ANC button, which you can also map for voice-enabled controls. Overall, if you always want your ANC on at max level and don’t use your device’s voice assistant, there is practically no reason to get the QC 35 II over the first model.
If you prefer a compact design you can easily carry around in your pocket, then go for the Bose QuietComfort 20/QC20. However, if you want a wireless over-ear, the Bose QuietComfort 35/QC35 Wireless 2016 are a great alternative. The QC 20 are wired earbuds that are comfortable enough to wear for long listening sessions. They also block a lot of noise in noisy conditions, thanks to their excellent noise canceling. They're a slightly better travel headphone for some, since they are a bit more compact than the QC 35, and their earbud fit is not as bulky on your head so you can fall asleep on the plane or train with no issues. On the other hand, the wireless QC 35 are a bit more practical for everyday casual use. They also have a much better sound quality, they're easier to use and versatile enough to use wired or wireless with most of your devices.
The Bose QuietComfort 35/QC35 Wireless 2016 and Sony WH-1000XM3 Wireless are two great pairs of noise cancelling headphones, but for different reasons. The Bose are a bit more comfortable than the Sony and have a slightly better default sound that doesn't have as much high bass, which makes them sound a tad bit more balanced overall. Their control scheme is made of physical buttons, which are easier to use. The Bose can also pair to two devices, which the Sony can't do. On the other hand, the Sony are a lot more customizable than the Bose thanks to their great app. It gives you access to a good EQ, noise cancelling options and optimization, an in-app player, room effects, and codec options. The Sony also have a longer battery life with a better quick charge feature. Overall, get the Bose if comfort is most important for you. However, if you like to tweak your audio and want more features, the Sony are the better option.
Our How We Test Headphones article takes you behind the scenes in our lab. You'll learn how we choose and purchase products and dive into the details of our review philosophy, from testing and scoring to writing and editing.
You can also discover how we produce recommendations like this one so that you can find the best headphones (or earbuds!) for your needs.
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