The NCH 700s are compatible with Bose’s audio-based augmented reality platform, Bose AR. You can also hold down on the touch area to get a reading of remaining battery life (in hours, not percentage). A double-tap answers calls, while tapping and holding rejects an incoming call. You tap twice to play or pause, swipe up to raise the volume, down to lower it, forward to skip tracks, or back to return to the previous song. Instead, the front half of the right earcup can detect your index finger’s taps and swipes, and this system works quite well once you master the muscle memory of where to reach. I found that Bose’s included hard case still fit perfectly fine in my backpack, and there’s a handy little compartment that holds the USB-C charging cable and 2.5mm-to-3.5mm headphone cable.įollowing the trends of modern over-ear headphone design, Bose did away with physical buttons for controlling your music on the 700s. Sony has the efficiency advantage there - the 1000XM3s can fold down - but other competitors like the Surface Headphones are in the same boat as Bose. Instead, the best you get are earcups that can swivel flat when put into the carrying case. The tradeoff to this sleeker style from Bose is that these headphones can’t fold away for compact storage. Instead, the front half of the right earcup recognizes your taps and swipes. There are no physical buttons to control audio.
I think the QC35 IIs still win out at overall comfort, but these are easily on par with Sony’s 1000XM3s. Maybe both are more of a problem for people with smaller noggins. Others have mentioned that they can hear the headband clanking against the earcups (which are not made from metal) when walking around, but this is another issue I failed to notice. I’ve seen complaints from a few early buyers about the clamping force on the head being too tight, but I didn’t have the same experience and never dealt with discomfort even during extended use. The synthetic leather ear cushions feel great. Speaking of the QC35s, at 0.56 pounds, the NCH 700s aren’t quite as feather light as Bose’s previous noise-canceling headphones (0.518 pounds), but I still found them to be extremely comfortable. The foam cushioning between your head and the metal headband has a silicone texture - not the same Alcantara fabric as the QC35s - and there’s more silicone along the top of the headband. But they send the strong message that Bose is back, and in many ways better than ever.Ī fresh design that’s still comfortable, but not quite as feather-light on your head The NCH 700s aren’t without issues - and Bose has made some frustrating unforced errors that I’ll cover later on. At $400, they don’t come cheap, but Bose tries to justify that cost with a premium build, even more effective (and adjustable) noise cancellation, far better voice call quality, and yes, a long-awaited move to USB-C charging. Even Microsoft made an impressive entrance into the category with the Surface Headphones and their inventive dial controls for changing volume and adjusting NC.īut Bose has finally returned with its own new pair of headphones. Long the dominant player in this space, the company has faced formidable competition from Sony’s 1000X-series headphones in recent years the 1000XM3s finally bested the noise cancellation of Bose’s QuietComfort 35 II headphones, and many people prefer the audio quality of the Sonys. Bose has a lot riding on the Noise Cancelling Headphones 700.