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Bose Ultra Open Earbuds

Bose Ultra Open Earbuds

Scored on 148 verified owner verdicts, from 988 comments read across 4 communities
TL;DR
Owners are nearly unanimous that these are among the most comfortable earbuds they've worn, with the clip-on design disappearing on the ear and letting you stay aware of your surroundings, plus better sound than most expect from an open-ear style. The recurring gripes are call and mic quality, with people on the other end saying you sound distant or like you're on speakerphone, and the weak bass that comes from having no seal. Many also flag the high price, and a handful ran into connectivity drops or other reliability hiccups.

64% of 148 verified owners recommend the Bose Ultra Open Earbuds, based on real owner verdicts aggregated from Reddit, enthusiast forums, and YouTube.

See the problems 34 owners report →

What 148 owners say
988 comments reviewed · scored on the 148 clearest verdicts
64%
Recommend
94 owners
13%
Neutral
20 owners
23%
Don't recommend
34 owners
Last 6 months:32% recommend(19 recent verdicts)↓ trending down 36pts vs older reviews
Source
Score
N
Counted in the score
Reddit
64%
143
Other forums
75%
4
Independent blogsino affiliate links
0%
1
Reviewed, but not counted — and why
YouTubeiowner comments
58%
180
No clear verdictiSetup, tips & quirks
—
5

The headline score reflects owners (Reddit, enthusiast forums), independent lab tests, blogs with no affiliate links, and YouTube owner-comments when they line up with owners. YouTube is shown for perspective but kept out here — hover the i for why.

What owners like
  • Open design keeps you aware of your surroundings · 24 · 16%
  • Exceptionally comfortable, barely-there all-day wear · 23 · 16%
  • Surprisingly good sound for an open-ear bud · 20 · 14%
  • Secure clip-on fit that stays put during runs and workouts · 16 · 11%
  • Strong battery life · 8 · 5%
What owners flag
  • Weak or no bass due to the open, sealless fit · 9 · 6%
  • Poor call and mic quality · 8 · 5%
  • Expensive for what you get · 8 · 5%
  • Connectivity drops and bud reliability glitches · 6 · 4%
  • Sound leakage others can hear at higher volume · 3 · 2%
Who it's for
A great fit if
  • Runners and cyclists needing to hear their surroundings
  • People who can't tolerate anything inside the ear canal
  • All-day wearers wanting near-weightless clip-on comfort
  • Users with small ears where in-ear buds fall out
Look elsewhere if
  • Bass lovers or anyone wanting noise cancellation
  • People who rely on them for phone calls
  • Budget shoppers put off by the high price

Synthesized from what Bose Ultra Open Earbuds owners say — not a spec sheet.

Common questions

Do the Bose Ultra Open Earbuds have noise canceling?

No. Bose states that the Open Earbuds do not block out the world or have noise canceling, and points buyers who want that to its QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds instead. What these carry in the Bose app is an automatic volume feature that evens out playback as your surroundings get louder and quieter. Owners who need cancellation keep a sealed pair for that and use these for everything else.

How many hours do they play for?

Bose rates them at up to 7 hours of play time. That drops to up to 4 hours with Immersive Audio or Auto Volume switched on, and the case adds up to 19.5 hours with Immersive Audio off or 12 hours with it on. The 48-hour figure that appears on some listings is Bose's standby number, not play time. Owner experience divides, with some calling the battery impressive and others saying they never get near the rated runtime.

Can you wear them running in the rain?

Within limits. Bose rates them IPX4 and describes them as engineered to withstand bumps, drops, sprays and splashes, which is a splash rating rather than a submersion one, and it does recommend them for exercise. Bose publishes no water rating for the charging case, so that is the part to keep dry. The clip holding through workouts is what owners praise most consistently.

Why do callers say the mic sounds distant?

Call quality is the most repeated complaint on these. Owners describe the other end hearing them as though they were on speakerphone across the room, with words clipped off at the start, and some sent the earbuds back over it. 64% of 148 owners recommend them overall, but anyone who lives on calls sits in the group most likely to regret the buy.

Will they connect to a phone and a laptop at the same time?

Yes. Bose lists Bluetooth multipoint, which it describes as connecting to two devices simultaneously, along with SimpleSync for pairing to Bose smart soundbars and speakers. The codecs on Bose's own spec sheet are SBC and AAC. Connection drops and playback glitches do turn up in owner reports, including buds that stopped connecting to anything at all.

What is in the box, and does the case charge wirelessly?

Bose lists two earbuds, the charging case, a 12-inch USB-C cable (A to C) and a safety sheet, with no power adaptor included. The case in the box charges through its USB-C port only, and Bose sells a wireless charging case cover for this model as a separate accessory. The warranty is one year from the date of purchase. Owners have flagged the bundled case not charging wirelessly as a gap for a product positioned this high in the Bose range.

How buyers rate it elsewhere

Retailers' own star averages, for comparison — separate from our vetted owner-verdict score above.

Top quotes, sourced

988 reviewed · 279 shown
Sentiment
Community
Sort
YouTube— neutral

“Price is too high but love the idea of them”

YouTube▲ recommend

“For me they were worth every penny.”

YouTube▼ don’t recommend

“the fact they arent good for calls is killing me”

YouTube▼ don’t recommend

“No one can hear me during a call. Your mic sounds a thousand times better than the call quality I'm experiencing.”

YouTube— neutral

“The more I use these the more I'm liking them. I have quite a few open earbuds from the Tozo's, 1more, Soundpeats, and the Shokz. I do like the Shokz the best, but the Bose do sound good”

YouTube▲ recommend

“Im actually liking the design. A lot of earbuds always fall out when i run or just aren't comfortable”

YouTube▼ don’t recommend

“Just got them. Sending them back.”

YouTube— neutral

“I did buy them, but I think they are overpriced.”

YouTube▲ recommend

“they are glasses friendly”

YouTube▼ don’t recommend

“paying $300 for it is insane for what has to be like 15 dollars of materials”

YouTube— neutral

“I had a similar reaction to Bridget’s when I learned of the price. Otherwise, I think these are pretty cool.”

YouTube▲ recommend

“I am enjoying the design - as someone with smaller ears that has not had success with any other earbud - these stay in my ears and are quite comfortable”

YouTube— neutral

“My only issue with these earbuds is that they don't have wireless charging”

YouTube▼ don’t recommend

“Worse headphones you could buy.”

YouTube▲ recommend

“I have tried these and they are extremely comfortable. You can't feel them in your ears; and the sound was surprisingly good for an open style earbud.”

YouTube▼ don’t recommend

“Very buggy… connection drops in the middle of listening… sometimes just one ear bud connects the other one doesn’t. Way too buggy for this price range.”

YouTube— neutral

“I love the sound on these but I am constantly being told by people I’m talking to on the phone that they can’t hear me.”

YouTube▼ don’t recommend

“I've got bigger ears and cant get enough reach without causing pain (ear ridge) after a few minutes.”

YouTube▲ recommend

“they fit nicely without hurting my ear, they are aesthetically pleasing”

YouTube— neutral

“my last two products, the Earbuds 1 and then QuietComfort ultra, being hyper buggy and faulty”

YouTube▲ recommend

“I have been using these earbuds for 3 days and they sound great for a non-noise cancelling pair of buds.”

YouTube▼ don’t recommend

“after 2 weeks, they stopped charging. I'm not sure what happened. I returned them.”

YouTube— neutral

“My only beef with them is that I do find myself checking to make sure they’re in my ear properly. The sound quality seems better on the older Bose models though.”

Showing 1–24 of 279

Common problems & things to know

Practical notes owners raise — setup, quirks, and issues to watch for. They don't say whether the person likes the product, so they're not counted in the score, but they inform the pros, cons, and who it's for.

Redditⓘ good to know

“I have the Bose Ultra Open Earbuds but have been told when they’re a little louder, people around me can hear them”

Redditⓘ good to know

“I have the same issue with my Bose Ultra Open earbuds. It is just the left one and only while I am walking.”

Redditⓘ good to know

“I also have the Bose Open Earbuds Ultra for walking/running as I want to hear my surroundings.”

Redditⓘ good to know

“Might be a defective set”

Redditⓘ good to know

“Very frustrating.”