Do the Bose Noise Cancelling Wired Earbuds work with iPhone?

Yes, with any iPhone that has a USB-C port. Mike O'Brien plugged them into the newest iPhone and they worked immediately with no prompt to install an app. They do not work with Lightning iPhones, because there is no Lightning adapter and Bose says non-USB adapters cannot power the noise cancelling. One iPhone caveat from Mark Ellis: he regularly hit the iPhone's maximum volume and had less of that problem with the Android phones he tested.

How good is the noise cancelling compared with the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds?

Good for wired earbuds, but clearly a tier below Bose's flagship. SoundGuys' lab measured an 82% average reduction in the perceived loudness of outside noise, which it says is comparable to wireless earbuds at a similar price. Mike O'Brien's jet-noise test had the QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen) blocking about 71 dB and these about 59.4 dB. CEONTHEMAKING scores them a six out of ten against nine or 9.5 for the Ultras. Mark Ellis is the most enthusiastic, calling it not far off the Ultras and better than many wireless ANC earbuds he has tested. Expect some hiss in quiet rooms.

Is there an app or EQ for the Bose wired earbuds?

No. The earbuds do not appear in the Bose app, there is no firmware to update, and there is no equalizer, so the sound you hear is final unless your music app has its own EQ. Every control lives on the three-button inline remote: volume, play and pause, track skip with a double or triple press, calls, and a long press that cycles Quiet, Aware, and ANC Off. SoundGuys sees the lack of an app as a privacy win; Mike O'Brien notes there is also no wear detection, so music does not pause when you take them out.

Why are the Bose wired earbuds sold out, and where can you buy them?

Bose announced them on September 28, 2026 with shipping from October 15, and demand outran supply. Mike O'Brien and SoundGuys both describe them as sold out everywhere in late October; Dan's Tech House saw a Best Buy restock sell out about five minutes after he ordered. Bose sells them for $99 at bose.com in Black, White Smoke, and a limited Dewdrop Mint that was out of stock with a notify-me button when we checked. Amazon US had no listing for them on November 2, 2026, so our buy button shows as unavailable until one appears.

Are the Bose Noise Cancelling Wired Earbuds good for running or the gym?

They can work, but reviewers prefer wireless for exercise. The IPX4 rating covers sweat and light rain, and the stability wings keep the buds in place for most reviewers (Mike O'Brien's left bud still worked loose every 15 to 20 minutes). The problem is the cable: Dan's Tech House felt the inline remote tugging on his ears, CEONTHEMAKING caught the wire on an armrest, and SoundGuys heard cable rubbing when walking fast, especially with ANC off. Mark Ellis still prefers wireless for running and heavy lifting.

Bose Noise Cancelling Wired Earbuds Review — $99 USB-C earbuds with real Bose ANC and nothing to charge

Name: Bose Noise Cancelling Wired Earbuds Review — $99 USB-C earbuds with real Bose ANC and nothing to charge
Item: Bose Noise Cancelling Wired Earbuds
Author: Jordan Kim

Bose has not sold a pair of wired earbuds in more than a decade, and its return has been the most-watched earbud launch of the past month: our YouTube count found 28 channels and about 3.4 million views in 30 days, led by Korean channel ITSub's 1.5 million. We read the full English captions of seven hands-on reviews published between October 15 and October 28, 2026, from Mike O'Brien's 548,000-view review and SoundGuys' lab test to Mark Ellis, Shane Symonds, Simple Gear Reviews, CEONTHEMAKING, and Dan's Tech House. They all recommend the earbuds. They disagree mostly about how much the noise cancelling and the cable should matter to you.

What you're actually getting

The Noise Cancelling Wired Earbuds are USB-C in-ears with no battery of their own. They draw power from the phone, tablet, or laptop they are plugged into, which is why there is no 3.5mm version: the noise cancelling needs power, and Bose says adapters from a headphone jack cannot supply it. Audio runs over USB at 24-bit/48 kHz, with no Bluetooth compression and lower latency than wireless earbuds.

Bose calls the noise cancelling QuietControl. It uses four microphones, two per earbud, and offers three modes: Quiet (full noise cancelling), Aware (lets the outside world in), and Off. You cycle through them by holding the middle button of a three-button inline remote, which also handles volume, play and pause, track skipping, and calls through a microphone on its back. In the box: a 4.2-foot (1.3 m) cable, silicone ear tips in three sizes, stability wings in two sizes, and a zippered carry case. They are rated IPX4 and cost $99 in Black, White Smoke, or a limited-edition Dewdrop Mint.

There is no app, no EQ, no firmware, and no wear detection. As Mike O'Brien puts it, "There's no app for these. There's no settings to change. They just are what they are."

Performance — what reviewers actually measured

Metric	Bose Noise Cancelling Wired Earbuds	Source
Price	$99 (Shane Symonds paid $100 at retail)	Bose, Shane Symonds
Connection	USB-C only, 24-bit/48 kHz lossless, no Bluetooth	Bose, Mike O'Brien, Mark Ellis
Noise cancelling	82% average reduction in perceived outside noise	SoundGuys lab test
Noise cancelling vs QC Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen)	Blocks jet noise comfortably up to about 59.4 dB vs 71 dB for the Ultra	Mike O'Brien's test
Noise cancelling (subjective)	6/10 vs 9–9.5/10 for the QC Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen)	CEONTHEMAKING
Sound quality	Head Acoustics MDAQS overall score 4 on a 1–5 scale	SoundGuys
Weight	23 g for the complete set, vs 13 g for Apple's wired EarPods	Shane Symonds' scale
Cable	4.2 ft / 1.3 m, not braided	Bose, Mark Ellis
Microphones	4 for ANC (2 per earbud), 1 on the inline remote for calls	Bose, Mark Ellis
Water resistance	IPX4	Bose
Availability	Sold out at Bose and Best Buy through late October; no Amazon US listing on Nov 2, 2026	Reviewers, our Amazon check

Amazon US had no listing for the product when we checked on November 2, 2026, with delivery set to New York. Searching the exact name returns only renewed QuietComfort 20s, the wireless QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen), and Belkin's $29.95 wired ANC earbuds, so there are no Amazon ratings yet.

Where it actually wins

The sound is much better than $99 wired earbuds usually sound. This is the point every reviewer makes first. Mike O'Brien, who has reviewed hundreds of earbuds, says "for $99 and a pair of earbuds that also have ANC, the sound quality is surprisingly good." Dan's Tech House compared them with $300 Technics and Sony earbuds and concluded "if you want the best earbuds for $99 in terms of sound quality, these are it." CEONTHEMAKING, listening back to back against the QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen) and Apple's EarPods, found less bass than the Ultras but said "all things considered, I think these sound really, really good for a set of wired earbuds." Mark Ellis hears the house sound: "They've got that classic Bose sound. It's bright. It's clean. It's got plenty of body." SoundGuys' measurements line up with that: the frequency response tracks its preference curve with a little extra sub-bass and a little extra treble, and its Head Acoustics virtual listening panel gave "the Bose got an overall score of four on a one to five scale". Shane Symonds found them better than his Samsung AKG wired earbuds and Apple's EarPods, and the wired connection means lossless audio with no codec to think about.

Noise cancelling that works, for wired earbuds. SoundGuys reports that "these earbuds are able to reduce the perceived loudness of outside noise by an average of 82%", comparable to wireless earbuds at the same price, and found air-conditioner hum and subway rumble handled well. Simple Gear Reviews, coming from Samsung's Galaxy Buds, was startled: "I could barely hear anything in the background. It's almost too good." Mark Ellis, comparing them with Bose's far more expensive Ultras, says "It's not far off at all. It is very impressive." Dan's Tech House is more measured: "They're both okay. They're both above average. For $99, these are difficult to beat."

Nothing to charge, pair, or update. Every reviewer lists this as the reason the earbuds exist. SoundGuys, after six or seven years of wireless earbuds, concludes "The Bose wired ANC earbuds are the closest I've ever come to switching back to wired earbuds." Simple Gear Reviews, after a day: "I think I am probably going to be a convert to these, and I expect to be using these a lot more than Bluetooth headphones." Dan's Tech House bought them because he switches between an Android phone, an iPhone, two laptops, and tablets all day, and plugging in beats re-pairing.

Comfort and fit. Because there is no battery in the buds, they are light. Mike O'Brien wore them for several hours with no fatigue and found the fit more secure than the QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds, "which the left earbud on those always fell out like nonstop. This one maybe falls out once every like 15 or 20 minutes." Mark Ellis says the stability wings mean you can wear them for hours, and Dan's Tech House can sleep in them. Shane Symonds weighed the complete set at 23 g against 13 g for Apple's EarPods, so they are not weightless, but the ear tips and wings stay attached far better than on his older Samsung AKG pair.

Where it falls short

It is USB-C or nothing. No 3.5mm plug, no Lightning adapter, and no way to use a headphone-jack adapter, because the noise cancelling needs USB power. That rules out airplane seatback jacks, older iPhones, and game controllers with only a 3.5mm output. If your devices are all USB-C this is a non-issue; if not, these are not for you.

No app, no EQ. SoundGuys' verdict on customization: "No app, no EQ, deal with it." It found the "treble frequencies were just a little louder than I would prefer." Dan's Tech House agrees "some people might find the highs fatiguing. They're brighter headphones than what you might be accustomed to", though he likes a brighter sound. Mark Ellis adds that on an iPhone "I have to drive them quite hard from the iPhone", regularly reaching maximum volume, which he did not find on the Android phones he tried.

The noise cancelling is a tier below Bose's flagships, and it hisses. Mike O'Brien runs a standard jet-noise test and found that against the QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen) "you need to go from 71 decibels of that ambient sound down to about 59.4, according to my measurements." CEONTHEMAKING, on the same comparison: "the QC Ultra are definitely stronger in terms of noise cancellation. I would say if these are a 9 9.5 out of 10, I would give these like a six." Mike O'Brien's bigger complaint is the noise floor: "if you're in a really quiet room, interestingly, it's quieter when the ANC is off, because when you turn it on, you do get lots of white noise". Aware mode divides reviewers. Mark Ellis finds it close to AirPods Pro; SoundGuys says "I do wish these earbuds did have a better pass-through mode." because voices sounded muffled, and "Ultimately, I would rather just take off the earbuds than use the pass-through mode. It's not the best implementation." Dan's Tech House also notes the buds are semi-open, so "when these are turned off, it doesn't really do a good job blocking out outside sounds."

The cable is the cable. Mark Ellis caught it on things and had his dog try to pull it out of his ears. CEONTHEMAKING: "I just sat down in my chair, and the uh the wire got caught on the armrest." Dan's Tech House notes the weight is in the remote, so "when you put it on, you can feel the inline remote kind of snagging down on you." and misses the shirt clip older wired earbuds included. SoundGuys heard cable rubbing when walking fast, worse with ANC off, and thinks wireless remains better for the gym. Dan's Tech House also worries about long-term wear on the USB-C port.

The microphone is for calls only. Shane Symonds: "Nothing to write home about here. These are just serviceable to get a phone call done.", with AirPods far better side by side. SoundGuys would not record a podcast with it and heard the remote clanking against clothing. Simple Gear Reviews found the case flimsy and the instructions so brief they do not explain how to switch noise cancelling on.

Bose Noise Cancelling Wired Earbuds vs Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen)

The closest rival is Bose's own wireless flagship, which was $229 on Amazon on November 2, 2026 (list $299). Two reviewers compared them directly. On noise cancelling the Ultras win clearly: about 71 dB versus 59.4 dB of blocked jet noise in Mike O'Brien's test, and six out of ten versus nine or more for CEONTHEMAKING, who also hears more bass from the Ultras. The wired pair wins on everything the wire enables: no charging, no pairing, lossless audio, lower latency, physical controls, and a fit Mike O'Brien found more secure than the Ultras' notoriously loose left bud. At $99 against $229 or more, it is the better buy if you mostly listen at a desk, on a commute, or on a plane with a USB-C device, and the Ultras are the better buy if silence on a jet is the whole point. See our Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds review.

If you are choosing between these and Apple's earbuds: Shane Symonds found the Bose sounds better than Apple's wired EarPods and adds noise cancelling, while the EarPods have the better microphone. The AirPods 5 start at $129 with noise cancelling and a wireless case; the Bose undercuts them by removing the wireless part. Amazon also lists Belkin's SoundForm ANC wired USB-C earbuds at $29.95 (3.4 stars from 258 ratings on November 2, 2026), none of our reviewers tested them against the Bose. For wireless alternatives at the Bose's price, see our Sony WF-1000XM5 review and Nothing Headphone (1) Pro review for the wider range.

Should you buy it?

Buy if you:

Own USB-C phones, tablets, or laptops and want good sound without charging, pairing, or apps
Want real noise cancelling on a commute or at a desk for $99
Switch between several devices all day and are tired of re-pairing
Prefer physical buttons on a remote to tapping an earbud

Skip if you:

Need a 3.5mm jack, a Lightning iPhone, or an airplane seatback adapter
Want flagship-level noise cancelling or a hiss-free quiet room: the QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds, AirPods Pro, and Sony's flagships are still ahead
Need an EQ to shape the sound, or record voice with your earbuds
Run or lift with your earbuds and will not tolerate a cable

Our verdict is buy, if your gear is USB-C. The hands-on reviewers were unanimous: Mike O'Brien ended with "I'm going to say two thumbs up for these. Great product. Good job, Bose.", Mark Ellis with "There aren't many reasons not to buy them. That's my conclusion, really, guys. These are a no-brainer for a lot of people because they're priced very sensibly.", and SoundGuys with "for $99, these earbuds offer really good fundamentals." The hard part is finding a pair in stock.

Sources consulted

Mike O'Brien — I Tried The Sold-Out Bose Wired Earbuds (with ANC)
Mark Ellis Reviews — Bose ANC Wired Earbuds Review: A Revelation!
SoundGuys — I travelled BACK IN TIME with Bose's ANC wired earbuds...
Shane Symonds — Bose Noise Cancelling Wired Earbuds Unboxing & First Impressions!
Simple Gear Reviews — No battery anxiety, no connection issues, just great sound | Bose noise cancelling wired earbuds
CEONTHEMAKING — Bose Wired ANC Earbuds vs QC Ultra 2 Earbuds | Unboxing!
Dan's Tech House — Best Sound Under $99! Bose Wired Noise Cancelling Ear Buds.
Bose — Bose unveils new Noise Cancelling Wired Earbuds (press release, September 28, 2026) and the bose.com product page (checked November 2, 2026)
Amazon.com — search for the exact product name with delivery to New York 10001 returned no listing on November 2, 2026

Synthesis combines independent reviews above. Verdicts and quotes attributed to original creators; quotes are verbatim from each video's English captions and link to the moment they're said. Affiliate disclosure: we may earn a commission from qualifying purchases via Amazon links.