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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.

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.”