Searching for wireless headphones with substantial battery life, wearable fit, and active noise cancelling? You have likely come across some expensive noise-cancelling headphones. We’re comparing the Bose 700 and Soundcore Q35. Can a budget option hang with a premium player? We’ll break it all down.
Looking for more options for quality ANC headphones. Check our complete guide with our favorite models here.
Battery Life and Connectivity
When it comes to wireless headphones, battery life and wireless connectivity are key features: can you take them on a long commute? A marathon workout? What about relaxing around the house? Consider how long it takes to charge the battery, how long that charge lasts, and whether you can plug in your headphones to keep listening.
It takes about two hours for Anker Soundcore Life Q35 headphones to charge. They will hold that charge for a whopping 40 hours. When battery life runs out, plug in the included TRS to TRRS cable and keep listening. Best of all, the Anker Soundcore Life Q35 have LDAC support. This means three times more data transmitted to your Q35 active noise-cancelling headphones than standard Bluetooth codecs.
Meanwhile, the Bose 700 headphones also take about two hours to charge. You can clock a solid 20 hours of battery life in these wireless headphones. That’s enough for a long commute or an international plane ride. The auto-off timer shuts them down when it senses no movement–ideal if you’ve fallen asleep. Wire up with the included cable to keep listening. It should be noted that headphones can’t be used while charging.
Both devices support Bluetooth 5.0 and can connect to multiple devices with Bluetooth multipoint.
Verdict: Anker Soundcore Life Q35
Design and Form Factor
Whether you’re looking to block out ambient noises during a commute or to score a quiet trip to the gym, a comfortable fit is essential. Select your wireless noise-cancelling headphones with careful attention to the ear cup, materials, and clamping force.
The Anker Soundcore Life Q35 have a lightweight build and memory-foam ear cups; combine that with an obsidian blue sheen and you’ll be listening comfortably in style. The Q35 Bluetooth headphones even have a built-in sensor that detects when you remove them and pauses audio. Downsides: the headband’s padding is a little thin, and the earcups clamp harder than in previous models. Yet even a brief workout can shake off the Q35 headphones, and they’re not particularly breathable.
The Bose 700 Bluetooth headphones sport a stainless steel headband and tilted ear cups intended to provide durability and a comfortable fit. These wireless headphones deliver. Great materials mean build quality is solid and lightweight. Like most closed-back, over-ear headphones, the Bose 700s aren’t very breathable, and an intense workout will leave you with sweaty ears. But for casual listening, these headphones are sturdy and wearable. The futuristic design includes a headband that fades directly into the earcups and comes in “triple black,” “silver luxe,” and “soapstone.”
Verdict: Bose 700
Call and Sound Quality
Audio quality is still very important for a pair of noise-cancelling headphones. Both the Bose 700 and Anker Soundcore Life Q35 sport great sound quality for their price range. What matters here is the sound profile and clarity that ensure the experience you want in music, gaming, and phone calls.
The custom silk-diaphragm drivers in Anker Soundcore Life Q35 boast accurate reproduction across a wide frequency range. I found them to have enjoyable sound quality with solid clarity. For music lovers, these are great headphones that provide rich bass. Like many bass headphones, many may find other frequencies take too much of a backseat. Luckily, Soundcore has a great companion app. If the sound profile feels bass-heavy, the Soundcore app offers many EQ presets. The app also has a fully adjustable graphic EQ to dial-in the sound to fit your preferences. We should also mention that the Soundcore Life Q35 has LDAC support, which allows for the streaming of higher-quality music. The Q35 beamforming microphones use an AI algorithm to increase voice clarity and reduce distortion during phone calls.
The Bose 700 Bluetooth headphones deliver a slightly more balanced sound profile that is still a little warm. The slightly bass-heavy EQ should be enough for those who enjoy bass-heavy genres. But the mid-range is also great for podcast voices. The Bose Music app also has a graphic EQ to allow user customization for all kinds of listening. The integrated microphone works great for phone calls and recording, though some users report issues with muting it from a PC.
While this is closer than the price tags show, the Bose 700 are still the better sounding headphones. We still applaud the Anker Soundcore Life Q35 for delivering better than decent sound at the price point. Music sounds good, codec support beats some premium headphones, and the Soundcore app is one of the best.
Verdict: Bose 700
Soundcore Q35 vs Bose 700: Which Has Better Noise Cancelling?
Background noise fades around you as you slide into a song, a game, or a quiet plane ride. This is the beauty of active noise cancellation, one of the best features of wireless over-ear headphones. A button click engages active noise cancelling via internal microphones that detect and nullify ambient noise.
Noise isolation is a strength for Anker Soundcore Life Q35. Different modes for “Indoor,” “Outdoor,” and “Transport,” allow these headphones to create quiet in virtually any area. Engine rumble and subway sounds are muted with the Q35s, as is some workplace background chatter. Outdoor mode helps get rid of wind and traffic sounds when you’re on the go.
The Bose 700 headphones perform excellently at active noise cancelling. You can use the companion Bose Music app to set the ANC feature to the highest level, and a good amount of background noise disappears completely. That includes train and bus engines during commutes. Active noise cancelling was also surprisingly effective in combating vocal noise and surrounding city bustle. Even when they’re off, these headphones block noise surprisingly well. In fact, if you want to hear your surroundings, it’s helpful to set the Bose 700 headphones to level “0”. This will allow the Bose 700 microphone to allow more ambient noises to be heard. This may be better at times when situational awareness is needed.
As noise-cancelling headphones, the Bose 700 really outperforms the Anker Soundcore Life Q35. Of course, that should be expected with the premium price point of the Bose 700. We still wager that many will be willing to pocket the difference. That’s because the Anker Soundcore Life Q35 still perform solid active noise cancelling. It’s not just a tacked-on feature so Anker can call them noise-cancelling headphones. Of course, you should still opt for the Bose 700 if the noise-cancelling capability is your main priority.
Verdict: Bose 700
In Conclusion:
A comparison of Anker Soundcore Life Q35 vs. Bose 700 Bluetooth headphones comes down to core factors like battery life, design, sound quality, and active noise cancellation. Anker Soundcore Life Q35 win on long battery life, connectivity, and app support. The Bose 700 beats the Q35 and most competitors with great audio quality and amazing noise cancellation.
We think the Anker Soundcore Life Q35 still provides amazing value for noise-cancelling headphones. The Q35 have good noise-cancelling abilities and they don’t represent a drastic drop off in sound quality and design. If you’re looking for noise-cancelling headphones, without breaking the bank, the Anker Soundcore Life Q35 are a great choice. Especially if battery life is a big priority. We’d recommend the Sony WH-1000XM4 for premium noise cancelling headphones with better connectivity and app support.
Keith Collins has been writing for over 15 years for various publications. He’s a lover of music, home theater, and excellent sound quality. His fondness for technology in addition to his non-stop curiosity fuels his writing ventures.