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What we think
The PerfectRec Earbuds or Headphones team Learn more
Updated January 10, 2024·
If you are deciding between the Bose Quiet Comfort 45 and the Creative Labs Outlier Air V3, consider the following tradeoffs: The Bose offers superior comfort, noise isolation, and is suitable for air travel but comes at a premium price. It has active noise cancelling and longer battery life for wireless use, making it ideal for focused listening and long journeys. On the other hand, the Creative Labs earbuds are more budget-friendly, provide good exercise usability due to being sweatproof, and have a stemless design that might appeal to those seeking a more minimalist look. It also offers longer overall battery life when factoring in the charging case and supports wireless charging, which Bose does not. The sound quality of Bose is rated higher; however, Creative Labs also offers a solid audio experience. Bose headphones are better for calls and meetings because of the higher mic quality. Both are suitable to use while being active, but the Creative Labs earbuds are more portable and might be more comfortable during heavy movement. Give Feedback
this description is based on the product variant with some specs and product variant with some specs. At the time of writing, the variant with some specs cost some dollars and the variant with some specs cost some dollars.
Advantages of the Bose Quiet Comfort 45
- Very good for phone calls
- Best in class for air travel
- Excellent for podcasts and audiobooks
Advantages of the Creative Labs Outlier Air V3
- Very good for exercise
Key differences
Music
6.4
5.7
The Bose Quiet Comfort 45 is only fair for music, while the Creative Labs Outlier Air V3 is poor.
Noise Reduction
10.0
6.5
The Bose Quiet Comfort 45 is best in class for noise reduction, while the Creative Labs Outlier Air V3 is only fair.
Battery
22.5 Hours
10.0 Hours
The Bose Quiet Comfort 45 has 22.5 hours of battery life. The Creative Labs Outlier Air V3 has 10 hours of battery life.
Cost
$260
$30
$0
$100
$200
$300
$400
The Bose Quiet Comfort 45 has a price of $260 and the Creative Labs Outlier Air V3 costs $30.
Build Quality
8.5
9.0
The Creative Labs Outlier Air V3 has excellent build quality, while the Bose Quiet Comfort 45 has very good build quality.
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Key similarities
Gaming
5.5
5.1
The Bose Quiet Comfort 45 and Creative Labs Outlier Air V3 are both poor for gaming.
Phone Calls
8.0
7.6
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Bose Quiet Comfort 45 to be very good for phone calls, while the Creative Labs Outlier Air V3 is good.
Podcasts and Audiobooks
9.3
8.9
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Bose Quiet Comfort 45 to be excellent for podcasts and audiobooks, while the Creative Labs Outlier Air V3 is very good.
TV and Video
5.8
5.4
The Bose Quiet Comfort 45 and Creative Labs Outlier Air V3 are both poor for TV and video.
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How the Bose Quiet Comfort 45 and the Creative Labs Outlier Air V3 compare to other earbuds and headphones
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Bose Quiet Comfort 45 | Creative Labs Outlier Air V3 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$260 | $30 | ||
Brand | |||
Brand | Bose | Creative Labs | |
Release Date | |||
Release Date | September 1, 2021 | June 1, 2021 | |
Form Factor | |||
Form Factor | Headphones | Earbuds | |
Connectivity | |||
Connectivity | Wired + Wireless | Wireless | |
SOUND | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Music Score | |||
Music Score | 6.5/10 | 5.7/10 | |
Phone Calls Score | |||
Phone Calls Score | 8/10 | 7.6/10 | |
Gaming Score | |||
Gaming Score | 5.6/10 | 5.2/10 | |
TV and Video Score | |||
TV and Video Score | 5.8/10 | 5.5/10 | |
Exercise Score | |||
Exercise Score | 6.4/10 | 8/10 | |
PERFORMANCE | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery life | |||
Battery life | 22.5 Hours | 10 Hours | |
Wireless charging | |||
Wireless charging | No | Yes | |
Charging time | |||
Charging time | 3 Hours | 1.5 Hours | |
Bluetooth version | |||
Bluetooth version | 5.1 | 5.2 | |
Case Battery Life | |||
Case Battery Life | N/A | 40 | |
FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Active Noise Cancelling | |||
Active Noise Cancelling | Yes | Yes | |
Noise Reduction Score | |||
Noise Reduction Score | 10/10 | 6.5/10 | |
Virtual Surround | |||
Virtual Surround | No | No | |
Android App | |||
Android App | Yes | Yes | |
iOS App | |||
iOS App | Yes | Yes | |
Mic Quality | |||
Mic Quality | 7/10 | 6.8/10 | |
BUILD AND DESIGN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality | |||
Build Quality | 8.5/10 | 9/10 | |
Comfort score | |||
Comfort score | 10/10 | 7/10 | |
Size | |||
Size | N/A | Medium | |
Weight (headset or single earbud) | |||
Weight (headset or single earbud) | 235.8 Grams | 5.2 Grams | |
Microphone style | |||
Microphone style | Integrated | Integrated | |
Shopping
Bose Quiet Comfort 45
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Dig into reviews and images
What HiFi?
What HiFi? | November 2022
"If you want a set of wireless over-ear headphones you can put on, deploy noise-cancelling on your commute or at your desk and largely extinguish the outside world for up to 24 hours, the Bose QC 45 has the edge over most of the competition at the price."
Creative Labs Outlier Air V3
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Dig into reviews and images
Trusted Reviews
Kob Monney | July 2022
"The V3 present the best version of the Outlier Air series yet. The new features such as Active Noise Reduction and Ambient mode are integrated well; the performance of both is as good as you’ll get below £100. The design is less bulky and more comfortable thanks to being smaller and lighter, and the Outlier Air V3 eke out more clarity, detail and definition from music."
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About Bose
Bose is an American audio equipment manufacturer based out of Framingham, Massachusetts. Founded in 1964 by Amar Bose with the goal of creating a speaker system that could accurately recreate the sound of a concert hall, Bose has become one of the most prominent players in the modern consumer audio market due to the premium feel of their products and their wide brand recognition.
About Creative Labs
Creative Labs is a Singaporean technology company specialized in the manufacture of multimedia products. They created the world-famous Soundblaster soundcard back in 1989 which was a staple of the gaming community for a long time. Nowadays, besides still marketing their discrete audio systems, they offer a wide array of headphones, gaming headsets and speakers that still preserve that same heritage.
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Why trust us
This information was produced and vetted by the PerfectRec earbuds & headphones team. We are a product research and recommendation organization that meticulously reviews and evaluates the latest earbuds or headphones information and makes it digestible for you.
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About the Earbuds or Headphones team
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Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.
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Chandradeep is a staff expert and software engineer and expert in televisions and monitors. He’s been making monitor recommendations for ten years.
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Luis is a Mexico-based headphones expert. He’s been making headphone recommendations for five years and has close to 100 pairs in his personal collection.
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