Bose QuietComfort (888507-0120)

Elite noise cancellation and the best connectivity we've tested, but you're paying a premium for the Bose name. Find them under USD 120 and they're a steal.

The ANC is the headline act and it delivers. Bose's noise cancellation is still one of the best on the market, and the QuietControl lets you dial it back when you need to hear a train announcement or a coworker. Sound quality is solid, landing in the 71st percentile, which means it's good but not the reason you're buying these. The 8.5 hours of earbud battery life is respectable, and the case holding 2.5 extra charges plus wireless charging is a nice touch. The mic is fine for calls but nothing special, sitting around the 65th percentile. What surprised us most is how well the multipoint works. Switching between devices is genuinely seamless, which is rare even at this price.

Against the Sony LinkBuds Fit, the Bose wins on ANC but loses on overall sound tuning. The Technics EAH-AZ100 is a stronger pick if music quality is your priority, with better sound scores across the board. The Apple AirPods Pro 3rd Gen are the obvious choice if you're deep in the Apple ecosystem, but the Bose multipoint is more flexible for mixed-device users. The JLab JBuds Pods ANC are the budget alternative that gets you decent ANC for a fraction of the price, but they don't touch the Bose on noise cancellation or connectivity.

Here's the thing. These earbuds are expensive, and the affordability score puts them in the 13th percentile, which is a polite way of saying they're overpriced for what you get. But the price spread is wild. In the US, you'll see them anywhere from USD 91 to USD 179 across six listings. If you can snag them at the low end, that's a genuinely good deal for this level of ANC. At the high end, you're paying a Bose tax. The CAD spread is even wider, from CAD 139 to CAD 249. Shop around before you commit.

The Bose QuietComfort Earbuds are the pair you grab when you want the outside world to shut up and your music to take over. Bose has been doing noise cancellation longer than most brands have been making earbuds, and it shows. The ANC here is genuinely top-tier, sitting in the 90th percentile of everything we've tested. But the real story is connectivity. Bluetooth 5.3 with multipoint puts these at the absolute top of the charts for staying connected, which matters more than most people realize until they're juggling a laptop and a phone on a busy day.

If you're an audiophile who cares more about sound quality than noise cancellation, these aren't for you. The music score of 61.9 is the weakest area, and the Technics EAH-AZ100 or Sony LinkBuds Fit will give you better audio for similar money. Also skip these if you're on a tight budget. The JLab JBuds Pods ANC gets you decent ANC for way less cash.

Buy these if noise cancellation and rock-solid connectivity are your top priorities and you can find them at the lower end of the price range. They're not the best-sounding earbuds in this class, and the mic is nothing to write home about, but the ANC is elite and the multipoint is the best we've tested. If you're mostly listening in quiet rooms and care more about audio quality, look elsewhere.