TL;DR
- Bose’s QuietComfort SE headphones have quietly appeared on retail listings.
- The QuietComfort SE appears to be a variant of the QuietComfort 45.
- This new model is expected to have 24 hours of wireless playtime.
If you weren’t paying close attention, you would have easily missed it. Despite not officially announcing the news, it looks like Bose is getting ready to release its new QuietComfort SE headphones.
According to WinFuture, a variety of retailers — including Sam’s Club and Costco — have detailed listings of the new QuietComfort SE headphones. The new cans have even appeared on YouTube in a brief unboxing and tutorial that shows users how to connect said headphones via Bluetooth.
As far as we can tell from the pictures, it looks like the QC SE will be very similar to last year’s QC 45 in terms of appearance. Based on the product description, however, the QC SE will feature better, lightweight materials. The description also states that the headphones will offer 24 hours of wireless listening and 15 minutes of charge will provide up to three hours of playtime.
Additionally, the QC SE will have noise-cancelling, a wireless range of 30ft, a USB-C charging cable, a 2.5 mm to 3.5mm audio cable, and Bluetooth 5.1.
From all of the materials provided, it’s not exactly clear how much the QC SE differs from its predecessor. If the listings are correct, the QC SE weighs about the same as the QC 45 at 8.5 ounces, both offer noise-cancelling, they both have access to Bose’s music companion app with a built-in EQ, and more. However, one difference is that the QC SE will have a soft carrying case as opposed to the QC 45’s carrying case which used firmer material.
If there’s not much of a difference between the two headphones, it wouldn’t be surprising if the QC SE sold for around the same price as the QC 45. In our review, we gave the QC 45 a 4 out of 5 stars for its fantastic noise-cancelling and comfortable fit. Hopefully, the QC SE makes a few improvements where the QC 45 missed the mark.
