Five years after the release of the highly lauded over-the-ear QC35 headphones, Bose has finally announced a successor - and no, we're not talking about the QC35 II

Today, the Massachusetts audio giant has unveiled the Bose QC45, which despite looking similar to the previous models, features an array of tiny upgrades to make the overall experience much more satisfying. 

First up is an upgrade to the battery department, where Bose says the new QC45s can last wirelessly up to 24 hours on a single charge, a nice increase from the previously advertised max use time of 20 hours. 

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Bose QuietComfort 45

With hard-to-beat sound and an excellent folding design, these are our go-to pick for travelling.

One of the nice additions about Bose over-the-ear cans is that they've always offered a hardwired backup method, which means even if you run out of juice, you can still get some good listening time out of them - just keep in mind active noise cancellation (ANC) tech only works when you have a Bluetooth connection and some battery charge. 

New this year is AWARE mode, which sounds a lot like Apple’s Transparency mode on the AirPods Pro and Max line. These modes allow you to continue listening to your music with audio passthrough beamed via the external mics into your ears - allowing you to more clearly hear the outside world if you need to have a quick chat with a store clerk or be a little more alert when crossing a busy intersection. 

Finally, the company is also making the switch from Micro-USB to USB-C and touting that a 15 minute charge can offer up to two hours of listening time. 

The Bose QC45 headphones are available to pre-order with a release on 23 September for $329 in the United States. Information on a UK release has yet to be revealed.