Bose launches $99 wired noise-cancelling earbuds amid wired revival

Circana reported a turnaround in wired headphone sales. In the second half of 2025, sales rose 10 percent compared with the same period a year earlier. In early 2026, they were up 20 percent. WIRED reported that young people are driving the trend, including celebrities wearing wired earbuds and a song about them.

Bose’s president of consumer audio, Raza Haider, noticed the shift. He told WIRED he saw wired earbuds on campus when dropping his teen off at college last year. The company moved quickly: Haider told WIRED the earbuds went from idea to final product in about eight or nine months.

On September 28, 2026, Bose opened preorders for the Bose Noise Cancelling Wired Earbuds. The price is $99 in the U.S.; What Hi-Fi lists £99 and AU$170 for other markets. The earbuds ship on October 15 and come in Black, White Smoke, and a limited-edition Dewdrop Mint. They connect through USB-C, not a 3.5mm jack, and draw power from the phone, tablet, or computer they are plugged into. There is no battery to charge and no app to install.

The wired connection is central to the product's appeal. Bose says it supports lossless audio with playback fixed at 24-bit/48kHz, and the source can be any sample or bit rate. A direct USB-C link also reduces latency, which Bose says keeps sound in sync for videos, games, and content creation. Four microphones, two on each earbud, enable active noise cancellation. Users can switch among Quiet Mode, Aware Mode, and ANC Off. An inline remote with physical buttons controls volume, playback, calls, and mode cycling; a microphone on the remote is designed to reduce clothing rustle during calls.

The earbuds are rated IPX4 for sweat and water resistance and include multiple sizes of silicone ear tips and stability wings. A zippered carrying case is included. WIRED's early hands-on with a late-stage prototype reported clear detail across lows, mids, and highs, and called the noise cancellation effective. WIRED also noted the central control panel is heavy, which adds cable tension and tangling.

Bose describes the launch as a response to a "cultural renaissance" for wired listening. Haider told What Hi-Fi the company wanted to "set a new standard for what wired earbuds can be". Gear Patrol and TechSpot note this is Bose's first wired earbuds in more than a decade, following the QuietComfort 20 from 2013.

How-To Geek frames the wired revival as a rebellion against unnecessary tech, with no pairing, battery anxiety, or fear of dropping a bud. The new Bose earbuds combine that simplicity with modern features like ANC and lossless playback. As of September 28, preorders are open through Bose and Best Buy, with shipping scheduled for October 15.