You also get a good-but-not-great battery life of 25 hours and a beam-forming microphone array that isn’t quite as good as we had hoped. These aren’t deal breakers, but they do make the Bose QuietComfort 45 less appealing than some of its competitors. The QuietComfort 45 is easily confused with any other QC over-ear model. The minimalist, collapsible design of glass-filled nylon, synthetic leather, and impact-resistant materials, as well as the button and logo placements, were left untouched. However, Bose did implement some changes, which are detailed below. First, there are now metal hinges at the pivot points, which increases the durability of these headphones. Furthermore, the logo is no longer debossed and reflective; instead, it is laser-etched. What else is there? More microphones were crammed into the earcups, as evidenced by the multiple dimples on each side. Furthermore, the headband padding is made of leather rather than suede. Some changes are welcome, while others are not, but the overall appearance remains chic and professional. The QuietComfort 45 is slightly heavier than the QC35 II (8.5 ounces to 8.2 ounces). When holding each model, you can tell the difference, but they’re both equally comfortable when worn. The plush padding was gentle on my ears and skull. Fit is also dependable. Adjust the extenders to the correct length and they will not fall off your head. The earcups also have good grip and stick to your ears, and the cutouts are large enough to allow for some ventilation and reduce moisture buildup. Bose copied and pasted the control scheme from the QC35 II onto these cans. Again, most commands are handled by the three-button module on the right earcup. A multifunctional button is flanked by volume rockers, which can be used to play/pause/answer/end calls (1x press), skip track (2x press), play previous track (3x press), or activate the native assistant (long press). The power/pair toggle remains on the front of the device. Then there’s the Action Button on the left earcup, which now serves only one purpose: switching between ANC modes. You can no longer delegate it to the digital assistant.
