Which Bose headphones should you buy on Prime Day?

Amazon Prime Day

This story is part of the Digital Trends Amazon Prime Day Coverage 2024

Amazon Prime Day deals have a solid reputation for being one of the best ways to save money on popular products — with prices beating those of Black Friday or Boxing Day sales in some cases. If you’re hoping for some Prime Day headphone deals, we suspect there will be plenty to choose from.

But what about Bose headphones? Bose makes some of the best headphones you can buy, making Prime Day an ideal time to go in search of some discounts. After all, Bose headphones are great, but they’re not always super-affordable.

Which Bose models should you be looking for and what can you expect to pay on Prime Day? We’ve assembled a Prime Day field guide to Bose headphones, so you’ll know a good deal when you see it.

Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700

Bose has a reputation for creating some of the best noise-canceling headphones you can buy, and the company’s flagship Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 (Bose 700) possess a refinement of Bose’s active noise cancellation (ANC) technology that seems to be aimed at those who fly. They focus a little more on high-frequency sounds like the hiss of a jet engine, and a little less on the mid- and low-frequency sounds of a typical urban commute.

Another benefit for frequent flyers is the design of the headphones. They’re incredibly light at under 9 ounces, making them a breeze to carry and a joy to wear for long periods.

Sound quality has also been tuned with air travelers in mind. With an emphasis on the high end, which can help cut through any sounds the ANC system has failed to neutralize, it may be on the harsh side for critical home-based listening.

But one thing that the Bose 700 manage to do better than any other over-ear headphones we’ve tested is call quality. Your callers will believe you’re sitting at home, using your phone’s built-in mic, even when you’re outside with lots of competing external sounds. For business people or anyone who needs to do a lot of calls, these are your headphones.

Battery life on Bose headphones has never been quite as long as what you’ll find on models from Sony, but the Bose 700 will still give you 20 hours on a single charge with ANC on, and a healthy 40 hours with ANC off. A 15-minute charge quick charge will get you 2 – 2.5 hours of additional listening time.

The Bose 700 have a regular price of $399, but we’ve seen them go as low as $329 on Amazon — even as recently as May 2021 — so anything in that discount neighborhood would be a great price for these sophisticated, travel-friendly cans.

Bose QuietComfort 35 II

Before the Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 arrived, Bose’s top-of-the-line ANC cans were the Bose QuietComfort 35 II (QC35 II), and in many ways, they’re still the most desirable Bose headphones.

Though they can’t match the Bose 700’s outstanding call quality or their feather-light construction, we believe most people will prefer the way the QuietComfort 35 II sound, and the way they handle noise cancellation.

The QC35 II are also geared toward canceling airplane noise — not a surprise given the company’s history developing ANC for pilots — but they’re also well-suited to other noisy situations. Their ANC is also key to their sound quality. Our reviewer points out that while there may be better wireless headphones for listening in so-called perfect conditions, when it comes to real-world situations the QC35 II do an outstanding job of preserving detail when there are competing external sounds.

If you like physical buttons instead of touch-controls, the QC35 II are going to be more intuitive than the Bose 700 — every function uses a physical control.

Battery life is similar to the Bose 700: 20 hours of play time with ANC on and 40 hours with it off. Curiously, despite their slightly heavier weight, the QC 35 II offered our reviewer more comfort for long listening sessions than both the Bose 700 and the Sony WH-1000XM3.

Regularly $349, we’ve seen them drop as low as $199 on Amazon within the last 12 months, which is an absolutely amazing price for these ANC headphones. If you see them at this price or even around the $250 mark, don’t hesitate to snap them up.

Bose QuietComfort Earbuds

Bose established its reputation for great ANC with its traditional over-ear headphones, but that same technology is now available in a set of true wireless earbuds: The Bose QuietComfort Earbuds (QC Earbuds).

Though definitely on the bulky side, the QC Earbuds are in a league of their own when it comes to noise cancellation, sound quality, and call quality. Each of these areas is beautifully executed, making the QC Earbuds some of the best true wireless earbuds we’ve ever tested.

While they’re hands-down the best earbuds when it comes to ANC, they’re also top-performers for audio. With a deep, punchy, and resonant bass response that doesn’t crowd out the midranges and a high-frequency response that is clear and crisp, our reviewer describes the QC Earbuds’ sound as “exciting.”

Phone calls are a breeze with Bose’s combination of background sound cancellation and high-quality voice microphones, which also let you talk to your choice of Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant in addition to your phone’s built-in option.

Battery life is the only real disappointment here, with about six hours per charge for the earbuds and a total of 18 hours with the wireless charging case.

As Bose’s newest earbuds, we’ve never seen them discounted under their regular $279 price, but that just means that any Prime Day deal you can find on these awesome earbuds will be worth jumping on.

Today’s best Bose headphone deals

If you can’t wait until Prime Day, there are several fantastic Bose headphone deals you can shop right now. We’ve rounded up the best below.