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Quiet Comfort Ultra Headphones
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Pixel Buds A Series
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What we think

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The PerfectRec Earbuds or Headphones team Learn more
Updated April 11, 2024·

Considering the Bose Quiet Comfort Ultra Headphones are much more expensive, they offer superior noise isolation, better built quality, and active noise cancelling, making them suitable for air travel and noisy environments, but they may not be the best option for exercise due to their size and weight. Google Pixel Buds A Series are more affordable and offer good sound quality with convenient features like a low latency mode and a sweatproof design, making them better suited for sports and gaming on a budget. If you seek portability and use during exercise, the Pixel Buds are a more practical choice, but if you prioritize sound quality and noise cancellation for long commutes or flights, the Bose headphones would be more beneficial. 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 Ultra Headphones
  • Very good for music
  • Excellent for gaming
  • Excellent for TV and video
  • Best in class for air travel
Advantages of the Google Pixel Buds A Series
  • Very good for phone calls
  • Good for exercise
  • Very good for podcasts and audiobooks

Key differences

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Music

8.3
Quiet Comfort Ultra Headphones
Pixel Buds A Series
6.4
The Bose Quiet Comfort Ultra Headphones is very good for music, while the Google Pixel Buds A Series is only fair.

Gaming

9.3
Quiet Comfort Ultra Headphones
Pixel Buds A Series
8.6
The Bose Quiet Comfort Ultra Headphones is excellent for gaming, while the Google Pixel Buds A Series is very good.

Phone Calls

5.3
Quiet Comfort Ultra Headphones
Pixel Buds A Series
8.5
The Google Pixel Buds A Series is very good for phone calls, while the Bose Quiet Comfort Ultra Headphones is poor.

Podcasts and Audiobooks

6.0
Quiet Comfort Ultra Headphones
Pixel Buds A Series
8.4
The Google Pixel Buds A Series is very good for podcasts and audiobooks, while the Bose Quiet Comfort Ultra Headphones is only fair.

TV and Video

9.0
Quiet Comfort Ultra Headphones
Pixel Buds A Series
7.8
The Bose Quiet Comfort Ultra Headphones is excellent for TV and video, while the Google Pixel Buds A Series is good.

Noise Reduction

9.1
Quiet Comfort Ultra Headphones
Pixel Buds A Series
4.6
The Bose Quiet Comfort Ultra Headphones is excellent for noise reduction, while the Google Pixel Buds A Series is poor.

Battery

29.0 Hours
Quiet Comfort Ultra Headphones
Pixel Buds A Series
5.0 Hours
The Bose Quiet Comfort Ultra Headphones has 29 hours of battery life. The Google Pixel Buds A Series has 5 hours of battery life.

Cost

$429
Quiet Comfort Ultra Headphones
Pixel Buds A Series
$58
Product image
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The Bose Quiet Comfort Ultra Headphones has a price of $429 and the Google Pixel Buds A Series costs $58.

Build Quality

9.0
Quiet Comfort Ultra Headphones
Pixel Buds A Series
7.4
The Bose Quiet Comfort Ultra Headphones has excellent build quality, while the Google Pixel Buds A Series has good build quality.
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How the Bose Quiet Comfort Ultra Headphones and the Google Pixel Buds A Series compare to other earbuds and headphones

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Spec Comparison

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Bose Quiet Comfort Ultra HeadphonesGoogle Pixel Buds A Series
Bose Quiet Comfort Ultra HeadphonesGoogle Pixel Buds A Series

GENERAL

Price
$429
$58
Brand
BoseGoogle
Release Date
November 1, 2023June 1, 2021
Form Factor
HeadphonesEarbuds
Connectivity
Wired + WirelessWireless

SOUND

Music Score
8.3/106.4/10
Phone Calls Score
5.3/108.5/10
Gaming Score
9.3/108.7/10
TV and Video Score
9.1/107.8/10
Exercise Score
6.4/107.4/10

PERFORMANCE

Battery life
29 Hours5 Hours
Wireless charging
NoNo
Charging time
3 Hours1.3 Hours
Bluetooth version
5.35
Case Battery Life
N/A24

FEATURES

Active Noise Cancelling
YesNo
Noise Reduction Score
9.1/104.6/10
Virtual Surround
YesNo
Android App
YesYes
iOS App
YesNo
Mic Quality
7.4/108.5/10

BUILD AND DESIGN

Build Quality
9/107.4/10
Comfort score
10/108.2/10
Size
N/AMedium
Weight (headset or single earbud)
255 Grams5.1 Grams
Microphone style
IntegratedIntegrated

Shopping

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Bose Quiet Comfort Ultra Headphones

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Dig into reviews and images

SoundGuys

Christian Thomas | January 2024
"The Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones are a credible step up from previous Bose ANC headphones, and they're built to hang tough with the competition for years into the future. No waterproofing is a bit of a letdown, but these headphones have the technical chops to make most quite happy."

Google Pixel Buds A Series

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Dig into reviews and images

Sound Guys

Jasper Lastoria | October 2022
"For the person who doesn’t want to think about their earphones while using them, Google has created the Pixel Buds A-Series. For a reasonable price, Google packs in a bevy of features like touch controls and a good fit into this Android-friendly set of earbuds to make productivity and life easier."

Get a great deal on the Bose Quiet Comfort Ultra Headphones or the Google Pixel Buds A Series

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 Google

Mainly known as the most popular search engine on the planet, Google is a multinational technology company that also offers a variety of audio-oriented products. Beside their smart speakers under the Nest product line, Google offers several models of true wireless earbuds under the Pixel line, some of which happen to be an affordable but very powerful option for those already in the Android ecosystem.

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Why trust us

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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.

By the numbers

108
Earbuds and headphones evaluated
11,340
Earbuds and headphones stats compiled
15
Proprietary Earbuds and headphones ratings developed
95,000
Recommendations made
14,250
Consumer hours saved

About the Earbuds or Headphones team

Joe Golden, Ph.D

CEO and Earbuds and Headphones Editor
Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.

Jason Lew

Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Jason is a staff expert and software engineer that has been making laptop recommendations for 7 years and moderates one of the largest laptop subreddits.

Chandradeep Chowdhury

Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Chandradeep is a staff expert and software engineer and expert in televisions and monitors. He’s been making monitor recommendations for ten years.

Luis Torres

Earbuds and Headphones Expert
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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