Google Assistant will be on board the Bose QuietComfort 35 II (Update: pricing and availability details)

Update (9/18): We’re now getting more information on the pricing and availability of the Bose QuietComfort 35 II headphones. The first “Bisto” headphones featuring Google Assistant have been spotted on store shelves already. A customer at a Florida Best Buy spotted them over the weekend but was unable to purchase them since the official launch date looks set for Friday, September 22. The headphones will be priced at $349.

The release date is the most interesting news, however.. Google is holding an event on October 4 to reveal the new Pixel devices, where we also expected the company to unveil new Google Assistant-powered speakers, headphones, and other devices. It looks like these new QC35 IIs will go on sale prior to the event instead of being unveiled alongside Google’s other new hardware.

Original post (9/14): The next iteration Bose’s QuietComfort headphones will feature Google Assistant. Google has been working on bringing Assistant to other devices besides just phones and Google Home. We recently brought you news about upcoming speakers to feature Assistant, but Google has also been working on “Bisto”. Bisto is the codename for the effort to integrate Assistant into Bluetooth headphones. It looks like the Bose QuietComfort 35 II might be one of the first Bisto devices to hit the market.

Earlier this week photos were found in the iOS version of Google Assistant that detailed a pair of over-the-ear Bluetooth headphones. These headphones bore a striking resemblance to leaked pictures from August of the QC 35 II, specifically the button layout. It’s now been revealed through Bose marketing material found by The Verge that these are indeed the same headphones.

Pictures of the retail packaging are popping up too. A user took to Reddit to post pictures claiming to be the packing for the QuietComfort 35 II. On the side of the box, you can clearly see the Android logo and “Google Assistant Built-in”. There seems to be a button on the left side of the headphones specifically designed to activate Google Assistant as well.

The new QC 35 II’s look almost identical to their predecessor. This biggest change is the Google Assistant activation button which doesn’t appear on the original QuietComfort 35. They should come in black and silver and cost roughly the same price as the originals too. Battery life is stated to be 20 hours and the headphones weigh in at 5.7 ounces.

A customer who tried to buy the original Bose QuietComfort 35s from an Australian retailer was told that a refreshed version would be coming out in “two to three weeks”. That timeline lines up perfectly with Google’s October 4 event where we expect to see new Pixels and Google Assistant related announcements.