Bose QuietComfort Ultra Open Earbuds Review

Bose has long been the king of quiet, but what happens when they embrace the noise of the world around you? The new QuietComfort Ultra Open Earbuds challenge the very definition of personal audio, offering a premium listening experience without sealing you off. They represent a bold, and frankly fascinating, attempt to merge high-fidelity sound with total situational awareness.

Bose built its empire on shutting the world out, so the QC Ultra Open Earbuds feel like a delightful paradox. Instead of plugging your ear canal, these earbuds clip onto your outer ear like a piece of minimalist jewelry. The design is an engineering marvel, featuring a flexible hinge connecting a soft-touch silicone hook to a polished metallic audio barrel. They are astonishingly light and comfortable; after a few minutes, it’s easy to forget you’re wearing them at all. This “ear-cuff” approach makes them remarkably secure for walking or jogging, though intense, high-impact exercise might test their stability. The build quality is quintessentially Bose—premium, refined, and built to last.

The core of the experience is Bose’s OpenAudio technology, which projects sound directly towards your ear canal without contact. The result is surprisingly impressive. The audio is clear, detailed, and far richer than you’d expect from an open design. Vocals and instruments are crisp, and the soundstage feels wide and natural. Bose’s Immersive Audio, its take on spatial audio, is the star feature here. It creates a fixed soundscape, making it feel like you’re listening to a pair of high-end speakers in front of you. Turning your head causes the audio to realistically shift, which is fantastic for podcasts and video content, though it can feel a bit processed for certain music genres.

Of course, this open-air approach comes with a fundamental trade-off: bass and sound leakage. Physics dictates that without a seal, low-end frequencies lose their punch. While the bass is present and clean, it lacks the deep, resonant thump that in-ear headphone users are accustomed to. More importantly, these earbuds leak sound. At low to medium volumes in a moderately noisy environment, it’s a non-issue. But if you crank them past 60-70% in a quiet office or on a silent train, your neighbors will absolutely hear your playlist. This is not a bug but a feature of the design, prioritizing environmental awareness above all else. You can hold a conversation and hear approaching traffic perfectly, making them ideal for outdoor runners and office workers who need to stay connected.

On the tech front, the Ultra Open Earbuds are well-equipped. They feature a simple physical button on each bud for reliable controls—a welcome change from finicky touch sensors. Connectivity is handled by Bluetooth 5.3 with multipoint pairing, and the inclusion of Snapdragon Sound with aptX Adaptive is a huge win for Android users, delivering high-resolution, low-latency audio. The companion Bose Music app offers EQ customization and control over the Immersive Audio settings. Battery life is decent but not class-leading, offering up to 7.5 hours of playback (or 4.5 with Immersive Audio on), with the case providing an additional 19.5 hours.

Ultimately, the Bose QC Ultra Open Earbuds are not trying to replace your noise-cancelling headphones. They are an expertly crafted solution for a very specific problem. They are for the avid runner who needs to hear their surroundings, the remote worker who wants background music without missing the doorbell, or anyone who simply despises the sealed-off feeling of traditional earbuds. They deliver a premium, comfortable, and unique listening experience, but their high price and inherent audio compromises make them a specialized tool rather than an everyday workhorse for the masses.

Where to Buy:

Check it out on Amazon