We already reviewed the Bose QuietComfort 35, why are we reviewing the Bose QuietComfort 35 II? What's new in the QC35 that guaranteed a "series II" anyway? Well, now you have a new hardware button to activate your favorite voice assistant (no, not Bixby). The new button activates the Google Assistant and also has another trick.
Editor's note: this revision has been updated to reflect changes in the market.
What's Inside
When you open the box, you are greeting with this briefcase with strange and resistant form. When opened, the headphones are stored very well inside. It really shows how flexible these headphones are. They are ready to be thrown into your bag without thinking twice. Together with the headphones, you will get a micro USB charging cable and a 3.5 mm audio cable. It would have been good for them to give the QuietComfort 35 II a USB type C charging port, but at least they still have a headphone jack. The inside of the package tells you to download the Bose Connect + application to start, so let's dig deeper into that.
Connection
When you open the application I will first try to find the headphones, and then ask you to slide them down to finish pairing them. It is very good, especially because the process is accompanied by a small voice that prompts you in your ear. After selecting your language and choosing a nickname, you will access the Google Assistant settings, which allows you to alternate reading your notifications aloud and even have a dedicated Google help page for the product. Then you can ask questions as you would if you activated it on your phone, except it is not. It is much faster.
As soon as you press the button, you will hear a quick little tone and then you can ask your question or give your order. Normally, with the headphones you would have to wait a second or two to register and pick up Google on your phone, but with the Bose QuietComfort 35 II start listening as soon as you press the button so you do not keep wondering if it worked or not. that this is one of the benefits you get from working directly with Google and we are likely to see this in the future for Made for Google products. Talking with Google is instant. As soon as you press the button, they start listening so you can ask your question or give the command. Then, with the command sent, you just have to wait for the answer as it is sent from your phone. The answer is obviously not instantaneous, but it is still fast enough to be quite impressive.
Now the Google Assistant is not the only new feature. With the new Bose QuietComfort 35 II. In the Bose Connect + app you can reassign the action button on the left earphone to control active noise cancellation that now comes in three levels: high, low or off. You can still access the Google Assistant by pressing and holding the multifunction button on the right earpiece for a second. So you get the best of both worlds.
You're probably wondering: "Well, what if I have an iOS device?" And if you're using an iOS device, you can also have the best of both worlds. of. You will have to download the Google Assistant application on your iPhone for the Action Button to pick up, and then you can access Siri by pressing and holding the multifunction button.
In regards to the connection, these are as strong and consistent as the original version of these. I had no problem with the connection, whether my phone was in my pocket or in my room. Leaving aside extreme range tests, only 3 jumps in regular use over the course of about a week, so it's not bad at all. This solid connection was also applied to phone calls and I had no problems or calls interrupted here. If the quality of the call is important to you, it will not fail you. In addition to that, when they turn on, they connect without problems almost like Airpod. Super fast.
So, if you're wondering why we spend so much time on the new Action Button and the connection aspect of these headphones, it's because the addition of the Google Assistant / ANC controls and its dedicated hardware button is basically the The only difference between these and the QC35 Series I. Therefore, everything else about this, including the quality of construction, the quality of the sound and the battery, remains practically the same. But in case our first review has been lost, we will delve into each of these now.
Design and quality of construction
The design is easy because, as the only difference is the button that we mentioned, it is still an intelligent aspect. pair of headphones They keep the slim profile of the original and also the level of comfort. The Bose QuietComfort 35 II is considered one of the most comfortable headphones on the market and for good reason. You can use them for hours without feeling like you have to remove them so your ears can breathe. They are also super durable and can bend and twist in many ways, so if you have to jam them in your bag, you can do so with total clarity.
But you should probably use the included case. In addition to the action button and the multifunction buttons that we already mentioned, you will get the buttons to raise and lower the volume, as well as an ignition switch on the right earphone. You will also see that these are charged via micro USB on the bottom of one headset and they even have a 3.5 mm input on the other so you can wire them to your phone, if you still have that option.
Battery life [19659017] Battery life has also not changed since the first model, with an estimated 20 hours. That's enough to make a trip from coast to coast in the United States 3 or 4 times. Not bad. In our tests we obtained exactly 15 hours and 46 minutes with approximately 80% of the battery. So, unless you play your music at full volume constantly, you should not have any problems with these.
Sound quality
So, first things first, nothing with the sound quality has changed here. Although these have the Google Assistant and Android, Oreo now has support for LDAC, aptX and aptX HD for higher quality transmission via Bluetooth, you will not find that here. You need two to dance the tango with these codecs, so when one side does not support a codec, the standard SBC is established, which is the same as the original. That does not mean it's bad, the average person will probably find this more than great. But if you consider yourself an audiophile, you will have to aspire.
Definitely, bass is still given preference over everything else, but on the positive side, the strange rattle that used to appear in songs with serious bass has disappeared , so fortunately they fixed it. That said, the Bose QuietComfort 35 II has no less serious. Every bass beat on Russ's "We Just Have not Met Yet" song shook my eyes a little. I'm sure some people will find this great, but I do not. Even so, at least the noise is gone. The media is as clean as it has always been with loud and clear voices.
I was hoping that there was a bit more detail in the background instruments of some songs, but it seems to be the same as the previous model, which is not bad since they were all right. But you could always wait. These also do a great job to get away from the hardness, although to the detriment of the details in the maxima. You will not get something of the same amplitude and space that you will notice when you hear headphones with the back open at a similar price. The hi-hats and cymbals in Billy Joel's "Zanzibar" sound a bit flat and do not really have that stimulating effect that I know they have.
Active noise cancellation
Oh yes, and about that active noise cancellation. Bose has always had the front-line ANC, but it's starting to slow down a bit. Although Sony left Bose in the rearview mirror with the WH-1000XM3, the Bose QuietComfort 35 II offers a decent cancellation of active noise. For those who travel daily, this is very important, since noise reduction is the most important performance measure for headphones with active noise cancellation.
Everything was canceled in blue and green, which shows how good this is. near the 20 dB line. It is not super scientific, but it has the same point of view. But we can go even further and show you exactly how this will sound in different scenarios. So, if you click on the video above, we have some audio samples that can show you how they really sound.
Conclusion
In the end, the Bose QuietComfort 35 II are the same headphones as before, except that they are now only slightly better with the addition of the Assistant and active noise cancellation profiles. The ANC is still one of the best that can be obtained at any price point, and since nothing else has changed, they are still as incredibly comfortable as before.
Of course, we always wish that sound quality was better, but these are not the worst Bose headphones I've heard. Music sounds good, but what you're really paying for are all great new features. The high price will definitely dissuade most people, but let's face it, they're going to fly off the shelves anyway. If I was already going to buy the Bose QuietComfort 35, there really is no reason not to get these. Even if you do not use the Google Assistant, the three new ANC modes are definitely worth the additional $ 20. You are already spending hundreds of dollars, and you could get the best that Bose has to offer. And these are undoubtedly the best they have to offer.