Noise cancelling headphones matter most where you actually spend your day: a noisy EDSA commute, an open-plan office, a flight out of NAIA, or a shared apartment where some quiet is hard to come by. Bose’s current lineup covers all of those scenarios differently, from the flagship QuietComfort Ultra Headphones down to a more affordable pair of earbuds. Here’s how the five current models compare, plus what to expect from each.
Comparing the Best Active Noise Cancelling Headphones & Earbuds
| Format | ANC strength | Battery life | Best for | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| QuietComfort Headphones (2nd Gen) | Over-ear | Excellent, matched to Ultra tier | Around 24 hours | Home, office, long listening sessions |
| QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen) | Over-ear | Excellent, with full on/off control | Up to 30 hours ANC on, 45 hours off | Travel, long flights, extended wear |
| QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen) | In-ear | Excellent | Around 6 hours per charge, 24 with case | Commuting, calls, portability |
| QuietComfort Earbuds | In-ear | Very good | Around 8.5 hours per charge | Budget-conscious everyday use |
| Ultra Open Earbuds | In-ear, open design | None, by design | Around 7.5 hours per charge | Situational awareness, not noise blocking |
Top Rated Noise Cancelling Headphones & Earbuds This 2026
Bose QuietComfort Headphones (2nd Gen)
The QuietComfort Headphones (2nd Gen) delivers ANC tuned to the same level as the Ultra Headphones, in a package built for everyday home and office use rather than travel-heavy schedules.
- ANC performance matched to the Ultra Headphones tier
- Bose TrueSpatial audio with Cinema and Immersion modes
- Lossless listening over USB-C
- Around 24 hours of battery life with ANC on
The strongest pick in the lineup for travel and extended wear, the QuietComfort Ultra Headphones is also the first QuietComfort model that lets you switch ANC completely off when you want to hear your surroundings.
- Full active noise cancellation, on or off control
- Up to 30 hours of battery life with ANC on, 45 hours with it off
- ActiveSense automatically adjusts to sudden noise spikes
- Lossless audio over USB-C
For commuting and calls, the QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds pairs strong ANC with a wireless charging case and improved call quality, making it one of the better noise cancelling earbuds with a mic for back-to-back meetings.
- Strong, consistent active noise cancellation in a portable earbud form
- Wireless charging case included
- Improved call quality through AI SpeechClarity
- IPX4 rated for sweat and light splashes
A more affordable entry into Bose’s noise cancellation, the QuietComfort Earbuds delivers very good ANC without the Ultra tier’s price, which makes it a solid pick if budget is the main factor.
- Very good, consistent ANC
- Around 8.5 hours of battery life per charge
- IPX4 rated for sweat resistance
- A budget-friendly alternative to the Ultra Earbuds
Worth flagging directly: the Ultra Open Earbuds has no active noise cancellation at all, by design. Its open-ear fit is built to let outside sound in, not block it out, which makes it a poor fit if blocking noise is your main goal. Where it does make sense is music or calls when you still need to hear your surroundings, like walking through traffic or riding a jeepney.
- No active noise cancellation, by design
- Open-ear fit that lets outside sound in
- IPX4 rated for sweat and light splashes
- Best for situational awareness, not noise blocking
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the best noise cancelling headphones for frequent flyers?
The QuietComfort Ultra Headphones is the strongest pick for travel, with up to 30 hours of battery life on ANC and full control over whether ANC is on or off, which matters for hearing flight announcements when needed. Its over-ear fit also tends to hold up better than earbuds during hours of continuous wear on a long-haul flight.
Are noise cancelling earbuds with a mic good enough for work meetings?
Yes, for most people. The QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds in particular uses AI SpeechClarity to isolate your voice from background noise, which makes a real difference on calls from a noisy street or shared coworking space. The built-in ANC also helps you hear the meeting clearly on your end, not just sound clear to others.
What's the difference between active and passive noise cancellation?
Passive noise cancellation comes from the physical seal of the earcup or eartip blocking sound, while active noise cancellation uses built-in microphones and processing to actively cancel out ambient noise. Every QuietComfort model in this lineup, apart from the Ultra Open Earbuds, combines both, which is why they outperform simple foam earplugs or basic earbuds that rely on passive blocking alone.
What's the best noise cancelling headset for work calls?
For back-to-back work calls, the QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds and QuietComfort Ultra Headphones both handle it well, since each pairs strong ANC with a microphone system tuned for voice clarity rather than just music. The earbuds are the more practical pick if you’re moving between desks or meeting rooms throughout the day, while the headphones suit a fixed desk setup better.
Are active noise cancelling earbuds as effective as over-ear headphones?
They can get close, though there are real tradeoffs. According to independent lab testing by SoundGuys, the QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds reduce outside noise by roughly 87 to 90 percent in real-world conditions, a figure that holds up well against over-ear alternatives. Over-ear headphones like the QuietComfort Ultra Headphones still tend to have a slight edge in low-frequency noise blocking, simply because a full earcup seals more completely around the ear than an earbud tip does. For more on how active and passive noise cancellation actually differ, see our active vs. passive noise cancelling guide.
Shop Online for Wireless Headphones & Earbuds
At the end of the day, the best noise cancelling headphones are the ones that actually fit how you live, whether that’s a quiet focused workday, a long-haul flight, or just wanting a break from the noise outside. Take a closer look at the QuietComfort Headphones (2nd Gen), the QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen), the QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen), or the QuietComfort Earbuds, and find the one that’s right for you. Shop Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones on Bose.ph
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Written by the Bose PH product content team, who evaluate audio hardware firsthand across home, work, and travel use cases before publishing on bose.ph.
Related reading
For a closer look at our top wireless headphones pick, see our best Bluetooth headphones in the Philippines guide. If you’re still deciding whether ANC is worth paying for, we put active noise cancellation to the test to find out. And for the full spec breakdown across Bose’s headphones lineup, our headphones comparison guide covers every model side by side.