Bose steals Apple’s spotlight by announcing its new QuietComfort Earbuds II

It’s been two years since Bose released its QuietComfort Earbuds. Although they offer a decent listening experience, the time has come for Bose to come out with an upgrade that can compete with today’s earbuds. Enter the QuietComfort Earbuds II.

Today, Bose has officially announced the next generation of its true wireless noise-cancelling earbuds. The new earbuds offer a number of improvements from the previous generation, such as the size. According to Bose, these earbuds are one-third the size of the original and they weigh less than a quarter ounce.

The buds also include a Fit Kit that comes with interchangeable stability bands and two-piece ear tips. There will be three separate-sized ear tips and three separate-sized stability bands to mix and match with for nine different combinations.

As for features, noise cancellation makes a return and is reportedly further enhanced by a new feature called CustomTune. Bose describes CustomTune as sound calibration technology that tailors both audio and noise cancellation performance for the wearer by measuring the user’s ear canal for its acoustic response. This sounds similar to the technology Sony uses to enhance audio and noise cancellation in its headphones.

Another new feature is Aware Mode, a function that allows you to hear your surroundings as if you weren’t wearing earbuds at all. Aware Mode works in tandem with a feature called ActiveSense that Bose explains, “when loud disruptions happen nearby, ActiveSense responds with just the right level of noise cancellation — tuned specifically to your ear — to reduce noise as it happens, and only for as long as it lasts.”

Other improvements include a move from Bluetooth 5.1 to Bluetooth 5.3 and six hours of battery life.

Bose says that the QuietComfort Earbuds II will launch on September 15 for $299, but preorders are available today. However, you’ll only be able to order the triple black color for now. The other shade Bose calls Soapstone will be available later this year.

The QuietComfort Earbuds II seem to make many of the adjustments Bose needed to better position itself to compete with the likes of Sony’s WF-1000XM4 and Apple’s recently announced AirPods Pro (2nd Gen). However, will Bose’s efforts pay off? We’ll just have to wait and see.