Out of pretty much nowhere, it looks like the Bose QuietComfort 45 headphones could be on the way. As spotted by WinFuture, the over-ear cans got both named and pictured in an FCC filing from Bose itself.
While the Bose 700 served as a de facto follow-up to the QuietComfort 35 II, it now appears that a true successor is coming. Bose’s active noise cancellation tech is some of the best in the business, so an upgraded pair could well cruise into the ranks of the best noise-cancelling headphones.
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The apparent design, shown in photographs attached to the filing, is very close to that of the QuietComfort 35 II. The headband is thicker than that of the Bose 700, while the earcups are more rounded and convex. The QuietComfort 45’s controls also seem to be positioned identically to how the 35 II places its buttons, including the sliding power and Bluetooth pairing switch on the right earcup.
One visible change is the USB-C port on the right earcup; on the QuietComfort 35 II, this is a micro-USB port. That could mean the QuietComfort 45 will support faster charging.
Elsewhere, some of the onboard microphone grilles look to have shifted around, but otherwise this pair of ANC headphones cuts a familiar figure.
The FCC filing mentions nothing about pricing, but it wouldn’t be surprising if Bose launched the QuietComfort 45 at a more affordable price point than the Bose 700; this would reflect the QuietComfort 35 II’s lower MSRP.
That’s assuming, of course, that Bose hasn’t found ways to significantly upgrade the QuietComfort 45’s internal hardware. Improved ANC seems like a given, though it will be interesting to see what else Bose has in store. After all, even if the the QuietComfort 45 does turn out cheaper than the Bose 700, this pair will need to challenge the Sony WH-1000XM4, AirPods Max and the rest of the best over-ear headphones.
We may be waiting a while for an official release, though. As part of the filing, the FCC has granted Bose a short-term confidentiality agreement on items like additional photos and the instruction manual. This agreement expires on January 12 2022, so a reveal around January 10 or 11 could be on the cards.
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