TLDR Review: Bose Ultra Open Earbuds 2nd Gen
Verdict
The Bose Ultra Open Earbuds (2nd Gen) are a significant upgrade, especially if you value sound quality, battery life, and situational awareness. They excel in outdoor and transit environments, offering immersive audio without compromising your awareness of surroundings. However, if noise cancellation, noise isolation, or a more secure fit are priorities—especially for workouts or noisy settings—you may want to consider alternatives like the Bose Sport Open Earbuds or other in-ear models with active noise cancelling.
- Top pro:
- Significantly better sound quality with deeper bass and higher volume than the first gen
- Top con:
- Lacks active noise cancellation or noise isolation, so they spill sound and don’t block noise
Pros
- •Significantly better sound quality with deeper bass and higher volume than the first gen
- •Longer battery life of around 9 hours per charge, plus nearly 20 hours from the case
- •Comfortable, secure fit suitable for extended wear and physical activity
- •Open-ear design provides situational awareness without feeling disconnected
- •Effective in noisy outdoor or transit environments, thanks to increased volume
- •Supports Bluetooth 5.4, SBC, AAC, and aptX Adaptive codecs for reliable, lag-free connection
- •IPX4-rated for sweat and light rain, great for outdoor or active use
- •Wireless charging case with an upright stand adds convenience
- •New Cinema Mode adds spatial audio for videos, and SpeechClarity improves call quality
- •Modern, sleek aesthetic with metallic accents and limited-edition colors
Cons
- •Lacks active noise cancellation or noise isolation, so they spill sound and don’t block noise
- •Slight sound leakage at high volume can disturb others nearby
- •Auto Volume feature can overcorrect in noisy environments, leading to unexpected loud sounds
- •Not suitable for intense workouts or running due to open design and lack of secure fit
- •Open-ear setup means less bass and limited noise control
- •Inconsistent controls; gestures can be slow or misfire when moving
- •Slightly high price point at $299, which might be a stretch for some budgets
- •Cinema Mode is not ideal for podcasts or movies, as it emphasizes soundstage over clarity
- •Call quality degraded in noisy settings; wind noise can still be problematic
- •Design might not appeal to those wanting a more discreet or in-ear fit
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How we researched this
About this review: it summarizes the professional reviews and customer ratings ShopSavvy collected for this product, alongside prices from ShopSavvy's price data.
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