Bose QuietComfort Ultra (2nd Gen) earbuds review: superb ANC thanks to AI
With an updated design and new AI tricks to improve your listening experience, these $299 buds put up one heck of a fight
🏆 Rating: 4/5
🥇 Editor’s Choice
✅ Pros
🔊 Sound quality is lively and rich
🔇 Excellent ANC for a pair of earbuds (and even better thanks to AI)
🫥 Transparent mode works well for conversations
🔋 Reliable battery life with up to 6 hours of usage
⚡️ Wireless charging finally arrives
🎧 Tweaked design makes the buds more comfortable
✌️ Dual-device connectivity
🎨 Three colors to choose from
❌ Cons
😬 AI noise suppression can hiccup with loud sounds
🪫 Immersive Audio drains your battery
Touch controls get in the way
🎛️ EQ settings aren’t very robust
💰 Pricier than popular competitors
The Shortcut review
You can have your own personal party with the latest high-end earbuds from Bose. The QuietComfort Ultra (2nd Gen) earbuds offer a better fit, improved noise-cancelling, and the same price as the previous generation. Bose already had a winning formula with the original QC Ultras, but the latest generation ups the ante with better comfort and ANC.
With the second generation, these $299 earbuds have impressed me once again. They have some of the best noise cancellation you’ll find in a pair of buds (only second to Apple’s AirPods Pro 3), and it’s been improved with new AI tricks. With excellent audio quality, solid battery life, and a comfortable design, the QC Ultra (2nd-gen) is one of the best wireless earbuds you can buy.
If you’re ready to make the switch from a pair of AirPods Pro, Galaxy Buds, or something else, you’re going to love what Bose has to offer. You’ll just have to be okay paying a premium, as they’re $50-$100 more than most other earbuds.
Full review
Design
🦻 A comfortable fit. The second-generation QuietComfort Ultra earbuds are more comfortable to wear all day. I liked the design of the original model, and now that Bose has tweaked it with a new guard to prevent earwax build-up, they’re easier to insert into your ears and stay in place. I tested them while sitting at my desk, walking around outside, and working out – these buds didn’t budge.
📐 Big and bulky. I had a similar complaint last time around, and I still feel this way: the buds and the case are way too big and bulky. The buds themselves are physically larger than many other wireless earbuds I’ve tested, and the case feels huge. It takes up a lot of room in my pocket and the catch-all at the top of my backpack. It isn’t ungodly big or anything, but it’s up there.
🎨 Three color choices. Bose has a trio of colors to pick from: Black, White Smoke, and a limited-edition Deep Plum. I asked for the White Smoke to review, which I prefer to the other two colors. The Deep Plum is a unique look, though, one that I haven’t seen on most other earbuds. It’s a great way to stand out if you want to be flashy.
Disable the touch controls. Bose incorporates a touch-sensitive area on each earbud for playback and volume controls. While the controls technically work, they’re extremely easy to trigger unintentionally. Simply adjust one of the earbuds to fit your ear, and you’ll find yourself pausing your music, adjusting the volume, and more. Fortunately, the second-generation QC Ultras allow you to disable them in the companion app, which I promptly did upon setting them up. I recommend you do the same.
💦 Some sweat resistance. The QC Ultra earbuds are mostly fine for the gym. The IPX4 rating means they’ll survive against a little water, like sweat or light rain, but that’s about it. The AirPods Pro 3, for example, have an IP57 rating, which makes them more resistant to dirt and water. The Pixel Buds 2 Pro offer a similar IP54 rating. I’ve worked out with them, and the QC Ultras seemed fine, so if you plan to wear them to the gym, you’ll be good.
Sound
🔊 Premium sound with plenty of depth. I was surprised by how wide the soundstage is on the QC Ultra IIs. Bose has done a great job at optimizing the drivers it includes to produce high-quality, premium sound that’s reminiscent of wearing a pair of over-ear headphones. Music is rich with good instrumental separation, with mids remaining intact and not getting too lost in the mix. Highs are a bit softened, but clear nonetheless, while the low-end offers enough punch to get you revved up at the gym without offending audiophiles.
🎶 Great for all kinds of music. I listened to all kinds of music with these earbuds, from country to hip-hop to classical jazz. They delivered in every area; acoustic guitars were warm and sounded life-like, while saxophones were loud without being overbearing. I checked out J.I.D.’s new album, God Does Like Ugly, and I enjoyed its boom-trap production thanks to the QC Ultra II’s low-end response.
👂 Custom to you. Bose’s CustomTune technology adjusts the sound quality based on your own hearing and how well the buds are sealed off. Each time you put them in, you hear an orchestral sound that plays to optimize audio quality in real time. I don’t know how significant a difference this feature makes compared to earbuds that don’t offer a similar feature, but it’s apparent that Bose prioritizes sound quality on an individual level.
🤷 Immersive Audio remains unimpressive. I didn’t like how Immersive Audio worked on the original QC Ultra buds, and it’s once again lackluster on the second generation. Head-tracking works well enough, but the sound quality of music, movies, and podcasts has an audible drop. The spatial mapping or 3D effect this mode produces sounds artificial. It’s far from the quality of Dolby Atmos on Apple’s AirPods, mostly because it’s hard to find media that plays well with it.
Noise cancellation and transparency
🤫 Cue the Deep Purple. “Hush” is the name of the game with the second-gen QC Ultra earbuds. Bose has upgraded its noise cancellation chops with AI, which helps suppress louder sounds and puts everything at an even keel. Between that and Bose’s signature noise-canceling quality, these earbuds deliver some of the best ANC on the market. From traveling on the subway to sitting in loud coffee shops, I’ve been more than satisfied with what these buds can block.
📣 Loud sounds can be an issue. The AI algorithm that Bose uses to silence loud sounds is new this generation, and while it works well most of the time, I’ve had it trip out in certain scenarios. If there’s a sudden increase in volume outside (like from the sound of a balloon popping or a car horn), the ANC will catch it too late and increase noise cancellation to an uncomfortable, higher level. It only lasts for a few seconds afterward, but I’ve had it happen more times than I can count. If you’re sitting at your desk working with the buds on, you likely won’t experience this phenomenon, but it’ll likely pop up once you start walking around outside.
🫥 Solid transparency. Like the original model, I really like Bose’s transparent mode on the second-gen QC Ultras. It served well for conversations, with speakers’ voices sounding clear and crisp. I’ll admit, outside noise was a bit tinny at times and not quite as life-like as I was expecting. Still, it elevated the pitches and tones I needed to converse with others while wearing the buds, and at the end of the day, that’s all I needed.
☎️ Decent calls. The microphones on these earbuds are pretty good. Folks I spoke to over the phone while wearing them said I sounded clear, or at least as clear as I usually sound.
EQ, app, and smart features
🎛️ A touch of customization. Compared to other earbuds I’ve tested, the second-generation QC Ultras offer less customization. Bose’s companion app gives you a barebones EQ app with a few presets and not much more, while Immersive Audio modes can be adjusted based on the amount of noise cancellation you want. You can also tweak the touch controls. Beyond that, you simply set up these earbuds and forget about them. That’s great for most users, but those who want the perfect soundstage for their tastes will want to look elsewhere.
🧠 Not very smart. The QuietComfort Ultra earbuds have some features like multi-point connectivity that help keep them competitive, but in terms of smart features, they’re missing out. With no Find My Device support, integrated AI assistants, snazzy head-tracking gestures, or other technically impressive features, the QC Ultras remain the buds to get if all you care about is sound quality.
Battery life
🔋 Very good endurance. Bose quotes the QC Ultra (2nd Gen) with up to six hours of listening time while using ANC, and in my experience, that holds true. I can nearly cruise through a full day of work before these buds konk out. What’s more, the case supplies up to 24 total hours of listening time, which is handy for travel.
🪫 Immersive Audio is a power-drainer. The only thing you should avoid using is Immersive Audio if you want good battery life. It cuts down listening time to a maximum of four hours, and in my experience, it was more like 3.5 hours. It’s nice to use on occasion, but you’ll notice that you’re chewing through your battery life far more often.
⚡️ Finally, wireless charging. When it’s time to recharge, you have two choices: the USB-C port on the bottom or wireless charging. This is the first time Bose’s QC Ultra earbuds have shipped with wireless charging, and boy, is it about time. I’ve loved being able to set them down on the Qi charging pad at my bed to juice them up. It’s one of those conveniences you don’t realize you need until you have it, then you can’t live without it. Plus, I’ve tested a lot of earbuds with wireless charging, and Bose’s neglectful omission of the feature was too hard to ignore in the past.
Should you buy the Bose QC Ultra II earbuds?
Yes, if…
✅ You want excellent sound quality
✅ You need top-tier ANC
✅ You want dependable battery life
✅ You want something different than AirPods
No, if…
❌ You like having granular control over EQ settings (get the Sony WF-1000XM5)
❌ You need smart features (get the AirPods Pro 3 or Pixel Buds Pro 2)
❌ You don’t want to spend $300 on your next earbuds (get the AirPods Pro 3 or Pixel Buds Pro 2)
Max Buondonno is an editor at The Shortcut. He’s been reporting on the latest consumer technology since 2015, with his work featured on CNN Underscored, ZDNET, How-To Geek, XDA, TheStreet, and more. Follow him on X @LegendaryScoop and Instagram @LegendaryScoop.