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AC Contributor, vinyl collector, and hobbyist drummer Brady Snyder dives into the world of headphones, earbuds, speakers, streaming, and everything in between in Android Audio.
When choosing a pair of truly-wireless earbuds, most people simply buy the ones that match their phone brand — like AirPods, Pixel Buds, Galaxy Buds, or OnePlus. However, there’s something to be said about using earbuds by audio-first companies like Sony or Bose. In particular, Bose’s QuietComfort Ultra earbuds were known for delivering premium sound and active noise-canceling (ANC) on the go.
Now, Bose is here with a second-generation revision of the QuietComfort Ultra earbuds, and they’re even better. I’ve spent about a month testing them against all the best earbuds, including new releases like AirPods Pro 3. They’ve come with me on runs, international flights, and everything in between.
While competition in this space is fierce, the QuietComfort Ultra earbuds (Gen 2) make it clear that these Bose earbuds are the one to beat. If you can stomach the $299 price tag that’s on the higher side, you won’t be disappointed by these earbuds.
Bose QuietComfort Ultra earbuds (Gen 2): Pricing and availability
Bose debuted the QuietComfort Ultra earbuds (Gen 2) in September 2025, exactly two years after the originals launched. There are more color choices this time, with Bose offering the Gen 2 in Black, White Smoke, Deep Plum, and Midnight Violet. I tested the White Smoke, and they’re more subtle, but some of the other colors look more exciting.
The Bose QuietComfort Ultra earbuds (Gen 2) retail for $299, which is the same price as the first-generation pair. You can buy them from Bose’s official site, and at third-party retailers like Best Buy and Amazon. Keep an eye out for upcoming holidays if you’re trying to snag a deal on the QuietComfort Ultra earbuds (Gen 2).
Bose QuietComfort Ultra earbuds (Gen 2): What’s good
Any conversation about the QuietComfort Ultra earbuds (Gen 2) has to start with their design and fit. They’re the exact same as the first-generation model, but that’s because they didn’t need changing. The Bluetooth earpiece-style appearance of the earbuds does make them look a bit dated, although the design helped Bose cram battery life and audio gear into this package.
QuietComfort Ultra earbuds (Gen 2) are certainly on the larger side; however, the big surface on the outer side of the earbud provides plenty of room for swipe gestures and media control. There are no buttons on the earbuds, just the capacitive touch area, which can be personalized in the Bose app on iOS and Android.
I have issues with certain earbud styles staying in my ear securely, and naturally, I thought the large footprint of the QuietComfort Ultra earbuds (Gen 2) would pose an issue. My experience turned out to be the complete opposite.
The silicone ear tips with a built-in earwax guard, the stability bands, and overall design combine to create a secure and comfortable fit. You get three pairs of ear tips and stability bands each in the box to tailor your fit. The stability bands are crucial — they’re silicone inserts that rest against your outer ear and ear lobe to add another point of security.
I took the QuietComfort Ultra earbuds (Gen 2) on multiple runs, and became even more impressed with their fitment. I can comfortably say these earbuds offer the best fit of any pair that doesn’t have a physical ear hook for stability. My typical running earbuds are the Powerbeats Pro 2, which have an ear hook, but the QuietComfort Ultra earbuds (Gen 2) felt just as secure. In fact, the Bose earbuds actually felt better in the ear, but they’re lacking the hooks for peace-of-mind.
In other words, the QuietComfort Ultra earbuds (Gen 2) are more than suited for comfortable, everyday wear and can even handle double duty as a workout pair. They do only have an IPX4 water-resistance rating, so be wary of sweat and rain.
There are more changes when it comes to audio and ANC, but the overall experience is the same. You still get Bluetooth 5.3 support and compatibility with AAC, SBC, and AptX Adaptive codecs. Unfortunately, support for AptX on phones isn’t as good as we’d like it to be, so you may need a transmitter to take advantage of the earbuds’ 24-bit lossless support.
In terms of sound, the QuietComfort Ultra (Gen 2) deliver the best bass performance I’ve ever heard out of a pair of wireless earbuds. It doesn’t seem to come at the expensive of the rest of the soundstage, with mids and highs still present. The earbuds have an Immersive Audio mode for those that like a spatial effect, and the Bose app adds a stellar EQ that lets you tune the sound signature to your liking.
While the Bose earbuds prioritize bass much like the OnePlus Buds Pro 3 and the Nothing Ear 3, I find that their sound profile doesn’t change the listening experience for indie and jazzy tracks — that’s a good thing. So, even though you can adjust the EQ if you find the earbuds too bassy, you probably won’t need to.
Bose is using AI to provide better ANC and call quality, and it leads to impressive results. Aside from the basic ANC and Aware modes, there’s a new ActiveSense mode here that offers transparency while still blocking out extreme burst of noise. Think a police siren or a passing train near a busy street. It’s impressive, and I successfully used the ANC to cancel out noise on part of an intercontinental flight, even though I’d still prefer over-ears for that specific use case.
Bose QuietComfort Ultra earbuds (Gen 2): What’s not good
There are only two clear drawbacks to the QuietComfort Ultra earbuds (Gen 2) worth pointing out. The first is that the capacitive touch controls are lackluster, and had me wishing for physical buttons. They don’t miss any gestures or tap, which is great, but are a little overeager. Adjusting the fit of your earbuds by twisting them into your ear will probably pause your music, which can be frustrating at times.
Earbuds like Powerbeats Pro 2, which have a play/pause button and volume rocker, provide a better on-earbud experience than Bose — that’s too be expected. But other earbuds with capacitive earbud stems, such as the AirPods Pro 3 and Galaxy Buds 3 Pro, are also better at avoiding accidental inputs.
Then, there’s a battery life. It’s great that the QuietComfort Ultra earbuds (Gen 2) now come with a wireless charging case as standard. Before, you had to add a clunky wireless charging cover for an extra $50 to add that feature.
However, the six-hour battery life per earbud is unimpressive. The charging case only brings that total up to 24 hours, so heavy users like myself find themselves needing to charge the case multiple times per week. It’s also worth noting that if you turn on Immersive Audio, that’ll fall to just four hours of battery life per earbud.
Six hours of playback time isn’t out of the ordinary with ANC enabled, but it’s barely enough to cover my regular flight from Phoenix to New York, and it won’t last a full workday. Apple just added eight-hour battery life to the AirPods Pro 3, so the QuietComfort Ultra earbuds (Gen 2) are starting to lag behind in this regard.
Bose QuietComfort Ultra earbuds (Gen 2): Competition
There’s never been more competition for great wireless earbuds for ANC, so Bose had its work cut out for it when making the QuietComfort Ultra earbuds (Gen 2). I think they’re the pair of wireless earbuds to beat — other products might beat Bose in one or two areas, but none match the complete experience. For instance, I’ve been testing the brand-new AirPods Pro 3 against the Bose earbuds, and Apple’s earbuds are better at battery life and noise canceling but are still severely behind in comfort and fit.
I’d also give Bose the edge over the Sony WF-1000XM5 earbuds, which simply cannot fit in my ears comfortably, and don’t sound as good in my view. The closest competitor in sound may be the Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro, which are similarly full in the low-end but don’t fit as securely and have worse ANC.
As such, if you have $299 to spend on ANC earbuds with excellent fitment, the Bose QuietComfort Ultra earbuds (Gen 2) are your best option.
Bose QuietComfort Ultra earbuds (Gen 2): Should you buy them?
You should buy these if…
- You want industry-leading comfort and a secure fit for workouts
- You crave a full and deep sound signature with excellent bass
- You need platform-agnostic ANC earbuds that work with any Bluetooth device
You shouldn’t buy these if…
- You find the earbud and charging case size to be too large
- You’d rather buy a cheaper pair of earbuds closer to the $200 price point
- You don’t like the earbuds’ loud audio profile and booming bass
Bose delivers fantastic sound and great ANC on the QuietComfort Ultra earbuds (Gen 2), but so do many other audio brands. What separates the Bose earbuds from the field is their top-notch comfort and fit. While you might expect them to be uncomfortable or finicky due to their large size, the opposite is true. Between their design, custom ear tips, and silicone stabilizers, the QuietComfort Ultra earbuds (Gen 2) are the most comfortable wireless earbuds I’ve ever worn.
The tricky thing about comfort and fit as a feature is that it’s different for everyone. I trust the QuietComfort Ultra earbuds (Gen 2) to fit for most people’s ears, but not all will need the fine-tuned fit and security. Some would be just fine wearing AirPods, Galaxy Buds, or Pixel Buds. If that’s the case for you, snagging a high-end pair of earbuds from Apple, Samsung, or Google might be a better option than paying as much as $100 more for Bose earbuds.
Bose QuietComfort Ultra earbuds Gen 2
The ones to beat
While there are many challengers, the Bose QuietComfort Ultra earbuds (Gen 2) provide the best mix of comfort, battery life, sound quality, and ANC. They’re expensive, but are worth it if you want the best of the best.
