FCC leak suggests Bose QuietComfort 45 headphones coming soon

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The Bose QuietComfort 45s look like 35s on the outside, but audio and Bluetooth improvements are expected on the inside.
The Bose QuietComfort 45s look like 35s on the outside, but audio and Bluetooth improvements are expected on the inside.
Photo: FCC/Bose

A Federal Communications Commission certification reveals Bose may be about to roll out a long-awaited new version of its classic noise-canceling headphones. The company’s popular but long-in-the-tooth QuietComfort 35 and 35 II headphones appear to have a new sibling or, more likely, replacement: new Bose QuietComfort 45 over-ear headphones with active noise cancellation.

And the new headphones could arrive quite soon, bringing no telling what sort of upgrades to ANC, Bluetooth and audio quality.

5 years feels like a long time

Framingham, Massachusetts-based Bose first put out the QC 35 headphones in 2016, then updated them a year later with the 35 II. (Those added an “action” button to call the likes of Google Assistant.)

Bose kept both sets around as less-expensive options when the sleek Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 series came out in 2019. High-end earbuds followed in 2020.

Upgrading the QuietComfort series is due. It has been outclassed recently by more modern ANC-Bluetooth competitors like the Sony WH-1000XM4 and the AirPods Max.

Bose QuietComfort 45: Similar to its predecessors on the outside

In terms of overall design, the QC 45 headphones strongly resemble the QC 35. But folks who follow ANC headphone development expect improvements in sound quality, touch controls and Bluetooth functionality.

Essentially, Bose fans hope for a blend of 700-series specs and the long-lasting comfort the QC line is known for.

Recently revealed images from the FCC filing show the QuietComfort 45 headphones will come with deeply padded earcups and a USB-C port on the right earphone. The outer right cup is the familiar position of the QC power switch. Volume buttons sit along its outside edge. There’s also a 3.5mm jack on the left earphone.

As far as what’s going on inside the new headphones, we’ll have to wait and see.

With FCC certification granted, a release date and more information is likely to follow soon, possibly within weeks.

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