Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 vs Bose QC35 II: Which should you buy?

Whether you work in a busy office or simply want a more immersive sound experience, a good pair of noise cancelling headphones is a worthwhile investment. The Bose QC35 II have become one of the most popular noise cancelling headphones on the market, but they're beginning to show their age. That's where the new Bose Noise Canceling Headphones 700 come in.

Let's break it down

While the Bose QC35 II are still a solid pair of noise cancelling headphones, they're starting to feel outdated. The Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 features 11 steps of active noise cancelation, but the QC35 II only features three. Meanwhile, the Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 feature a more premium design, with a comfortable stainless-steel headband; the QC35 II are mostly made of plastic.

	Noise Cancelling Headphones 700	QC35 II
Battery life	20 hours	20 hours
ANC levels	11	3
Size	8 x 6.5 x 2 inches 0.56 lbs	7.1 x 6.7 x 3.2 inches 0.51 lbs
Charging cable	USB-C	Micro-USB
Bluetooth range	33 feet	30 feet
Design	Non-foldable	Foldable
Ambient noise mode	Yes	Yes
Voice assistant	Alexa Google Assistant Siri	Alexa Google Assistant Siri
Microphones	Four	Two
Misc.	Navigation controls Bose AR	Physical controls Bose AR

The winner is obvious

The Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 feel like a big update over the QC35 II. Instead of microUSB, there's USB-C. Instead of three steps of noise cancelation, there's now 11. And instead of a mostly plastic build, Bose opted for stainless-steel. Bose's latest headphones are clearly a step up in quality.

The Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 also feature gesture-based controls, rather than physical buttons. It remains to be seen which method is superior, but gesture-based controls seem to be where the market is trending—and the lack of buttons make the Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 appear sleeker.

Bose's new noise cancelling headphones are an upgrade over the QC35 II in almost every way.

Additionally, the Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 features an adaptive four-microphone system, which Bose says offers unrivaled noise cancelation and voice isolation capabilities. In comparison, the QC35 II features a dual-microphone system, which many people have complained pick up a lot of background noise when in a crowded area.

Bose has also introduced a new Conversation Mode in the Noise Cancelling Headphones 700, a feature that will pause your music and allow ambient noise to come through, so you can quickly chat with someone without taking your headphones off.

There is one area where the QC35 II is better than the Noise Cancelling Headphones 700, and that's its foldable design. The QC35 II can be folded down into a small case, making them much more portable. The Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 are more rigid in their design, and therefore more difficult to travel with.

Bottom line

If you own the QC35 II, there's no major reason to upgrade to the Noise Cancelling Headphones 700, because you're getting a similar sound profile, similar battery life, and access to smart assistants like Alexa and Google Assistant.

However, if you're new to the world of noise cancelling headphones, Bose's latest model is the clear winner. You get a more premium design, a four-microphone system, and 11 steps of noise cancelation, so you can fine-tune the listening experience to your liking.