Key Takeaways
- Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds are unrivaled in noise cancellation, making them the best choice for blocking unwanted noise.
- The earbuds offer excellent sound quality, providing deep and rich audio with clear vocals.
- While the touch controls can be a bit difficult to use, and the bulky case lacks wireless charging, the overall comfort and ANC performance of the earbuds make them a versatile choice for travel and everyday use.
There’s no reason to beat around the bush: the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds are simply the best at noise cancellation—period. The music quality can be debated and maybe the fit or size isn’t right for everyone, but after trying nearly every pair of top-of-the-line wireless earbuds over the last several years, it’s easy to claim Bose is still in a league of its own when it comes to blocking unwanted noise.
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds
QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds are the ultimate wireless noise-canceling earbud experience. Bose Immersive Audio pushes the boundary of what it means to listen by taking what you’re hearing out of your head and placing it in front of you. It sounds so real it’s almost like you could reach out and touch it.
- Connectivity
- Bluetooth
- IP rating
- IPX4
- Spatial Audio
- Bose Immersive Audio
- Port
- USB-C
- Earbuds battery life
- 6 hours
- Dimensions (charging case)
- 2.61 x 2.34 x 1.05in (66.79 x 59.44 x 26.67mm)
- Best ANC performance available
- Great sound quality
- Extremely comfortable
- Touch controls can be hard to use
- Bulky case doesn?t have wireless charging
- Immersive Audio was forgettable
What’s New With the QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds?
- The microphones have been tweaked for better clarity
- The rubber “stability bands” have been adjusted for better fit
- Bose Immersive Audio added
- Bluetooth 5.3 instead of 5.1
- AptX added
All-in-all, The QC Ultra Earbuds are a minor update to last year’s QuietComfort Earbuds 2 (or II). It’s more of a revision that better aligns the Ultra Earbuds with the new Ultra Headphones. The products are better in sync now, which should ultimately help consumers make purchasing decisions in the long run.
While I don’t recommend someone who bought the previous Earbuds 2 recently ditch them for the new Ultra Earbuds, but anyone who hasn’t purchased a new pair of earbuds in a while should be thrilled by the culmination of this product.
QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds Design and Fit
I exclaimed the stability bands that circle the outer perimeter of the earbuds, but I found it difficult to see much of a difference between last year’s and the tweaked ones this year. As I went back and forth between the previous Earbuds 2 and the Ultra Earbuds, I could feel more of a change than I could actually see.
It’s a small tweak that made the stability bands a little less obvious in my ears, but they still sit snuggly. I had no problem with fit or comfort using last year’s model, but given a choice, I would probably choose the newer stability bands.
There are multiple size options in the box, but I stuck with the default size in the end. I didn’t notice any other differences in fit, and Bose doesn’t mention any other tweaks. Even the chunky case is the same.
Despite the bulky size of the Ultra Earbuds, they stayed put in my ears. The combination of shape and stability band gave them a secure feeling, so I never had to worry about them falling out, even while running. On top of being secure, they were just comfortable to wear for long periods of time. That gives them the upper hand when it comes to being useful for travel. My wife did try the earbuds on, and they were simply too big for her ears. So people with small ears are still out of luck for Bose's best earbuds.
Sound and Call Quality: The Noise Has Been Canceled
For the last 12 months, I have been comparing every pair of premium earbuds to the QuietComfort Earbuds 2. Each time a company claimed unrivaled ANC, I would pit them directly against Bose’s earbuds, and every time, Bose’s offering would be the one to make my environment less noisy, rather than the other one.
The QC Ultra Earbuds have the same ANC performance as the previous model, so these are the best pair of ANC earbuds you can find. I used these in coffee shops, on the street, with simulated airplane noise, and elsewhere. In each instance, they blocked out the unwanted sounds better than other earbuds.
The flip side to blocking out noise is letting in sound when you need to hear it. Bose’s Aware mode is also one of the best around. I noticed almost no digital artifacts or compression in the audio through the earbuds. My surroundings had a natural sound, including still hearing the key presses on my keyboard.
Bose advertises better call quality thanks to changes in the microphones. I thought the recording of my voice sounded fine overall, but they didn't block my surrounding noise as I thought they should. The background noise could be distracting for people you're calling. Some examples of mic quality are below.
I used the QC Ultra Earbuds primarily to listen to music, but also to watch some shows. The songs I streamed all sounded deep and rich with a desirable fullness to them. The low end predictably thumped, like a lot of Bose products, while vocals were clear and easily discernable. Everything I listened to sounded excellent.
If turned on, Bose Immersive Audio makes any audio passing through the earbuds try to sound multi-dimensional and more spatial. I didn’t find the mode offensive, but I also didn’t find it really compelling.
I have appreciated Dolby Atmos in Apple Music because the format gives space and depth to songs mixed for it. Dolby Atmos Music can play with unique spatial placements of instruments, but it’s more about giving artists a bigger box for their music to live and exist in. It's probably less gimmicky than a lot of people realize.
Since Spotify doesn’t use Dolby Atmos tracks yet, I did think Bose Immersive Audio made streaming music from the streaming service sound a little better—less flat. I wouldn’t buy these earbuds for the Immersive Audio feature, however, and it’s debatable how much I'll really use it in the future.
Immersive Audio does take more battery life to operate, so you’ll be looking at closer to four hours if you use it, instead of about six hours of standard listening time.
The Less Desirable Parts of These Earbuds
Even though these earbuds are some of the most comfortable with the best ANC, they aren’t perfect. The issues are considerable, but mostly, they're workable to get all their benefits. These are a few areas I would love to see addressed next time around.
- The earbuds use touch controls, which I found to be very hit-or-miss. Sliding up and down for volume, double tap, and touch and hold all worked most of the time, but each took more effort and concentration than I wanted to dedicate to operating earbuds. Some kind of physical click or press in the future would be amazing.
- The case is big and bulky, barely pocketable, but it still doesn’t include wireless charging. That feature requires a $50 case add-on.
- The IPX4 rating makes me nervous to use them as fitness earbuds, even though they didn't fall out of my ears. I would love a little more water resistance added in the future.
- I wish the earbuds were a little slimmer or smaller. They didn't fit in my wife's ears, so she couldn't hear the ANC performance. Also, when earbuds are bulky, they tend to get caught on jackets and sweaters when removing them. It may not be possible to get the world’s best ANC and great sound in a slimmer package, but the size is still worth noting.
Price and Availability
The Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds are available now for $299. The earbuds are available at various retailers in Black and White Smoke colors. You can find the Moonstone Blue color exclusively at Bose.com.
Should You Buy the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds?
The lack of wireless charging is a wild omission for $300 earbuds. Mediocre touch controls can also muddy the listening experience to some degree. Still, I reach for the QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds on every trip I take. They nail the most important parts of earbuds—comfort, sound, and ANC.
Although I like the QC Ultra Earbuds the most for travel, I found them to be great for daily work, too. I have used them for running to great success as well. They are a versatile product. I’m waiting to see how these compare directly to the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones, as an over-the-ear option, but for a more compact pick, these take the cake.
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds
QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds are the ultimate wireless noise-canceling earbud experience. Bose Immersive Audio pushes the boundary of what it means to listen by taking what you’re hearing out of your head and placing it in front of you. It sounds so real it’s almost like you could reach out and touch it.