Odi Productions
In this article, I’m going to share my HONEST Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds 2nd Gen review for those who are wondering whether they are WORTH IT. I’ll also be comparing the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds 2nd Gen vs 1st Gen, AirPods Pro 3, AirPods Pro 2, Sony WF-1000XM5, Technics AZ100, Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro, and more!
I’m going to do my best to share whether these wireless earbuds are worth it, and ideally who these are perfect for. I’ve owned these for a while now and have quite a few thoughts.
I’ll be sharing my critical opinion with 10 years of experience as a professional music producer, audio engineer, and tech journalist.
Let’s dive right in!
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds 2nd Gen Review in Short
The Bose QuietComfort Ultra 2nd Gen is a welcome refinement over the 1st Gen, with improved sound quality, much improved microphone quality, and slightly improving world-class noise cancelling performance to be the best in the market. Competes in the wireless noise cancelling earbuds class with the likes of Apple AirPods Pro 3, Sony WF-1000XM5, Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds 1st Gen, AirPods Pro 2, Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 4, Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro, and Google Pixel Buds Pro 2.
Pros and Cons
- World-class noise cancelling
- One of the most comfortable fits
- aptX Adaptive support
- Improved mic quality over 1st Gen
- There’s better pure sound quality options
- On the pricier side
Order HERE for the LOWEST PRICE AVAILABLE (Do NOT pay retail):
Disclosure: These affiliate links may provide a discount and in return, give us a commission in order to keep this website 100% independent to ensure honest unfiltered reviews 🙂
Comfort + Features
Comfort
The design of the newer 2nd Generation of Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds is unchanged from the 1st Generation, and for good reason.
I found the 1st Gen Bose QC Ultra Earbuds to be one of the most comfortable pairs on the market, and the same is true of the 2nd Gen.
The ergonomics of the design makes it easy to just pop these in and get a solid physical seal with minimal adjustment.
In addition to multiple eartip sizes, these also include multiple wing tips for a more customized fit to the ear, as pictured above on the left side of the earbud.
The wingtip attachment and design also makes these earbuds one of the most secure fits in terms of staying in place with movement.
The comfort on these is better than some of its popular competition such as Sony WF-1000XM5, Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 4, and Apple AirPods Pro 2nd Generation.
It’s more of a toss-up between the equally new AirPods Pro 3rd generation, but I might slightly lean towards the Bose.
Features
The Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds 2nd Gen was originally released in September 2025, so it has many modern wireless earbud features:
- IPX4 water resistance rating (sweat resistant and light splashes of water)
- aptX Adaptive support
- Built-in microphones for taking calls
- Wireless charging case
- Spatial Audio with Head-Tracking
- Cinema Mode
- Bluetooth 5.3
- Multi-point connection
- Adaptive Noise Cancelling
- Transparency Mode
- Custom EQ
- Companion app for iOS and Android
The differences with the 1st Gen Bose QC Ultra Earbuds is rather minimal, mainly with the new wireless charging case and “Cinema Mode”.
The high-res codec support of aptX Adaptive is a welcome sight, something missing from Apple AirPods.
Also, it’s nice that there is a native Bose app offered for both iOS and Android users alike.
Microphone Quality
One critique of the original 1st Gen QC Ultra Earbuds is the underwhelming microphone quality.
This has been addressed in the 2nd Gen with the inclusion of “AI SpeechClarity” with enhanced noise suppression to isolate the human voice better than the 1st Gen.
The result is a welcome improvement, and arguably the most prominent upgrade from the 1st Gen.
That said, if the absolute best mic quality is your priority, I’d still go with the AirPods Pro 3, which is simply excellent and has set a new bar.
The Sony WF-1000XM5 is still competitive and in some cases superior when it comes to mic quality as well, as they use bone-conduction technology that is especially effective against wind noise.
Battery Life
- With ANC on: 6 hours of battery life on a single charge / 24 hours total with charging case
- With ANC off: 6 hours on a single charge / 24 hours total with charging case
- Fast Charge: 20 minutes = 2 hours of playback
This battery life is firmly average for the class, as some competitors can reach 7-8 hours on a single charge, and 30 hours with the charging case.
This is unchanged from the 1st Gen.
Comfort + Features Score: 9.0 out of 10
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds 2nd Gen Noise Cancelling Performance
The Bose brand name is practically synonymous with noise cancelling from their long-running “QuietComfort” series of headphones.
The 1st Gen of the QC Ultra Earbuds is still considered pretty world-class for noise cancelling performance, and the 2nd Gen improves ever so slightly upon that.
Testing them back to back, it’s quite close enough to hear any major differences.
I’d say if there was one advantage of the 2nd Gen, it’s that the active noise cancelling does seem slightly more consistent and smoother.
Either way, you can’t go wrong with either the 2nd Gen or 1st Gen Bose QC Ultra Earbuds for noise cancelling.
These are the best in the game right now, along with the AirPods Pro 3. I might slightly lean towards the Bose 2nd Gen if absolute pure noise cancelling is my top priority.
Noise Cancelling Score: 9.5 out of 10
Sound Quality
Sound quality was one of my personal critiques with the 1st Gen, which sounds fine, but nothing particularly noteworthy.
So does the 2nd Gen improve upon it?
The short answer is yes, but let me explain in more detail.
First let’s start with the continued high-res codec aptX Adaptive support, carried over from the 1st Gen.
This is a feature that the popular Apple AirPods competitor doesn’t have, but something like the more audiophile-aimed Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 4 has.
For this test, I used aptX Adaptive along with my Questyle QCC Dongle Pro:
![Questyle QCC Dongle Pro [MFi Certified] USB-C Bluetooth Audio Adapter with LDAC,aptX Lossless&aptX-Adaptive,Low Latency Bluetooth 5.4 Dongle for PS5,Wireless Lossless Transmitter for PC/Headphones](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/21jT-Cm5ZVL._SL500_.jpg)
My first listening impressions of the 2nd Gen versus the 1st Gen is that there is so much more openness and airiness.
The 1st Gen was dominated by its bass response, pretty much drowning out the rest of the frequency response, leading to a muddier, darker, and somewhat claustrophobic sound.
The 2nd Gen is like a breath of fresh air, with a lot more treble detail cutting through the mix, particularly in the vocals.
Vocals had a tendency to get drowned out or take a backseat in the 1st Gen, and now they’re more forward, front and center.
Now the stock sound profile is still leaning consumer-friendly, with the prominent bass still very present, just not as overpowering as before.
To my ear, there is a clear upgrade in overall fidelity, clarity, and dynamics over the 1st Gen, but I’m still not blown away by the pure sound quality from an audiophile perspective.
The competition is fierce in the wireless earbud landscape today, with standouts like Technics AZ100, Bowers & Wilkins Pi8, Denon PerL Pro, Status Pro X, and Noble FoKus Rex 5 just to name a few.
I’m just not getting the same level of resolution, separation, layering, and dynamics as those mentioned above.
I firmly still put the Bose QC Ultra 2nd Gen in the sound quality tier of the Sony WF-1000XM5, Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro, Google Pixel Buds Pro 2.
As for the AirPods Pro 3, although not having the most ideal stock sound profile, is arguably better pure technical sound quality than the Bose QC Ultra 2nd Gen, despite not having high-res codec support.
Or at the very least, I enjoy listening to the AirPods Pro 3 more.
Sound Quality Score: 7.9 out of 10
Value
The Bose QC Ultra Earbuds 2nd Gen retails for $299 USD, but can be found on sale for $249.
They are priced slightly higher than its competition, as even the AirPods Pro 3 is $249 at full retail, and going down to $229 on sale.
Many others are found just under $200 like the Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 4, Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro, and Google Pixel Buds Pro 2 to name a couple.
That being said, the Bose QC Ultra 2nd Gen does present a rare combination of having arguably the best noise cancelling performance and elite comfort for the class.
I’m docking a couple points here due to the sound quality (which is not bad, but not elite) and being slightly more expensive than its competition, especially at full retail.
Value Score: 8.0 out of 10
Overall Scoring Breakdown
Comfort + Features (15% of score): 9.0 / 10
Noise Cancelling (25% of score): 9.5 / 10
Sound Quality (50% of score): 7.9 / 10
Value (10% of score): 8.0 / 10
Total: 8.5 out of 10
Is the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds 2nd Gen Worth it?
The Bose QC Ultra 2nd Gen is more of a refinement over the 1st Gen than a complete overhaul, but the welcomed improvements in sound quality and microphone quality make it worth it.
Thankfully unchanged in its design from the 1st Gen, the 2nd Gen is just as comfortable and secure-fitting as its predecessor, and one of the best fits in the market.
The noise cancelling performance is the clear star of the show, and has been slightly refined over the 1st Gen, now putting these at #1 for wireless earbuds noise cancelling.
My only warning is that if you’re an audiophile seeking absolute peak sound quality, even at the expense of noise cancelling and comfort, there is quite a few options I’d reach for instead.
Lastly, if you’d like to save some money and keep supporting RecordingNOW.com’s 100% independent, unbiased reviews, do consider using some of our affiliate links below to shop and even just compare prices. We purchase all products we review with our own money to maintain the highest level of integrity, and your support goes into that plus a continuously improving site experience.
Order HERE for the LOWEST PRICE AVAILABLE (Do NOT pay retail):
Disclosure: These affiliate links may provide a discount and in return, give us a commission in order to keep this website 100% independent to ensure honest unfiltered reviews 🙂
How We Tested and Our Methodology
RecordingNOW.com is a 100% independent publisher with over 10 years of experience testing and reviewing consumer electronics and headphones.
We currently purchase the products we test with our own money, and are not paid by any company or manufacturer to influence our opinions or decisions.
After purchasing the product, we conduct up to hundreds of hours of detailed hands-on testing in a controlled, acoustically-treated environment.
ODi Productions is our resident expert and author of this article, with 10 years of experience as a professional music producer, tech journalist, and audiophile.
Read Next
Best Wireless Noise Cancelling Earbuds
Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 4 Earbuds Review
Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro Review
Google Pixel Buds Pro 2 Review
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds 1st Gen Review
Anker Soundcore Space Q45 Review
Anker Soundcore Space One Review
Skullcandy Crusher ANC 2 Review
Bose QuietComfort Review (2023 Model)
