Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds Truly Wireless  Headphones Review

The Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds have a warm sound signature similar to their predecessor, the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II Truly Wireless. If you prefer a different sound, the companion app offers a graphic EQ and presets that let you tweak the sound to your preferences.

Users contacted us regarding a high noise floor while the ANC was on, resulting in 'coil-like' sounds and beeps. While subjectively listening to the buds for a while with ANC on, we could also hear this kind of noise from our unit at random times, mostly from the left earbud. These buds also have a somewhat high noise floor, meaning the headphones generate quite a bit of their own sound. If you've experienced this issue, please inform us in the comments.

These Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds have fantastic frequency response consistency. The manufacturer has implemented their CustomTune technology with these earbuds. This technology analyzes your ears and adjusts the ANC and sound profile over repeated uses. The manufacturer claims they'll adapt to your ears, listening environment, and musical preferences over time to optimize their performance. This means that the frequency response between listening sessions is slightly inconsistent compared to previous QuietComfort iterations, as the earbuds slightly re-tune the ANC and sound profile every time you use them. As a result, you might find it easier to get a more consistent sound after a few listening sessions.

The bass response has great compliance with our target. The response is overemphasized across the entire range, so kick drums have plenty of thump and punch. On tracks like Young Thug's Wyclef Jean, the subby bassline has plenty of rumble and punch, which complements the track's pared-down production.

These buds do an excellent job of complying with our mid-range target. While the whole range is quite balanced, there's a small boost in the low-mids that adds warmth to basslines but can also muddy up vocals. Similarly, a dip in the mid to high-mid nudges vocals and instruments to the back of the mix. This is particularly noticeable in bass-heavy tracks, where prominent drums and basslines slightly overshadow vocals and lead instruments. In songs like Mitski's I Love Me After You, the boomy, reverb-drenched kicks in the intro make the lead vocal and piano sound distant and less defined.

The compliance with our target in the treble range is impressive. The overall response is slightly tilted down, with a gentle reduction in amplitude the higher up the frequency range you go. The peak in the low treble makes vocals and instruments sound detailed and exciting, while sounds like cymbals are a little veiled at the top of the range.

The Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds have decent peaks and dips performance. A peak between the high-mid and low-treble brings out the upper harmonics of vocals and instruments, and another peak in the mid-treble makes sibilants, like S and T sounds, overly bright. However, this is followed by a sharp dip between the mid and high-treble that can remove some of the airiness in female vocals.

These buds are fantastically well-matched in terms of amplitude and frequency response. Objects are precisely located in the stereo field, and sounds like percussion transients are well-defined. They're less well-matched when it comes to phase as there are some small mismatches in the mid-range, though they'll be audible only to the most astute audiophiles.

The group delay performance is passable. There are no issues through most of the frequency range, so sounds like cymbals sound clear and present. But group delay in the low-bass falls above the audibility threshold, meaning rumbly 808 kick drums feel a bit loose and flabby.

The Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds' design means their audio bypasses your outer ear and does not interact with your pinna.

The Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds have remarkably low distortion. Regardless of your listening level, your audio will be purely and cleanly reproduced.

Like the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones Wireless, these buds feature Immersive Audio technology that you can use in either 'Still' or 'Motion' mode. 'Still' places the virtual speakers in front of you and tracks your head to ensure sound comes from the original direction of the audio. If you swivel your head to the left, the audio will seem like it's playing to your right. By contrast, the 'Motion' mode tracks your head to ensure that these virtual speakers stay positioned in front of you at all times. However, these buds lack the processing capabilities for multi-output surround sound content like Dolby Atmos. Instead, they use Digital Signal Processing (DSP) to virtually model a wider stereo soundstage.

These are the settings used to test the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds, and our results are only valid in this configuration.

The Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds have kept the same sleek, streamlined look of the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II Truly Wireless. These buds have a stem design and feature the manufacturer's logo embossed on the glossy exterior. As with the previous gen, the stability fins and ear tips are part of a swappable design that makes it easy to try out different fits. They come in three standard color variants: 'Black,' 'White Smoke,' and 'Moonstone Blue.' Customized buds can be purchased in various glossy or matte textured finishes at ColorWare for an added fee. On the site, you can mix and match a variety of neutral shades all the way through iridescent and neon colors with engravings on the case. Besides the exterior, these are all the same model.

The Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds are very comfortable. Their ergonomic design ensures that the tips can create a good seal without going deep into your ear canal. The included selection of silicone ear tips makes it easy to achieve a comfortable fit, and the variety of stability fins provided allows you to find a set that feels snug and stable. The form factor of these buds does mean that they stick out of your ear slightly, and their fit can loosen if they get snagged on something or if you're lying down on your side.

The Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds have good controls. You can tap the touch-sensitive surface on either bud to activate functions, and they have a nice responsiveness. However, it's easy to accidentally tap them while placing them in your ears. There's also no audio feedback to let you know when you've successfully registered a command, except for switching ANC modes and a max/min volume warning. With firmware 4.9.30, you can also disable all touch controls if you want to completely avoid accidental inputs.

On either bud:

• Single tap: Plays and pauses audio. Also accepts calls.
• Double tap: Skips to the next track. Also ends calls.
• Triple tap: Skips to the previous track.
• Touch and hold: By default, this cycles between ANC modes: 'Quiet', which is ANC on, and 'Aware', which is a talk-through mode, so that you can hear your environment without taking your earbuds out. You can also remap these controls to add a shortcut of your choice.
• Swipe up: Raises the volume.
• Swipe down: Lowers the volume.

Like most wireless in-ears, they have a very portable design, which you can slip into bags or pockets while taking up minimal space. Their case is also small enough to fit into bags or coat pockets.

The Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds come with a good carrying case. It's made of hard plastic with a matte coating that feels smooth. The lid is magnetically secured, but it's made of hollow plastic that's not as sturdy as the rest of the case. There's also an LED power indicator to let you know the buds are charging. Sadly, this case doesn't feature wireless charging, which has been missing since the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds Truly Wireless.

These earbuds have a decent build quality that slightly disappoints compared to their predecessor, the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II Truly Wireless. The buds are made of plastic with a metal strip on the stem that houses the touch-sensitive control surface. They're also certified IPX4 for resistance against splashes of water. The case feels decently sturdy despite its plastic construction. However, the case lid feels flimsier than the rest of the case, which detracts from the overall build quality. The silicone ear tips are also made of a soft, pliable material that tore easily throughout our testing process.

These buds have a very stable in-ear fit thanks to their stability fin design. There are nine different fin and ear tip combinations, so you can find a stable fit for your ear shape. You can wear them during workouts, and they won't fall out of your ears.

• Bose QuietComfort Ultra earbuds
• 3x stability fins
• 3x ear tips
• USB-A to USB-C charging cable
• Carrying case
• Manual

The Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds have an excellent noise isolation performance. Like the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II Truly Wireless, they use CustomTune technology, which adapts the ANC performance depending on your environment and ear shape, increasing and decreasing attenuation levels across different frequency ranges. As a result, ANC performance can differ across listening sessions, even if you achieve a similar in-ear fit. Using the 'Quiet' mode, which is the maximum setting for this feature, they can reduce higher frequency sounds like office chatter and fridge hum very well. However, they excel at providing isolation against bass-range noise like low engine rumbles. If you're looking for better full-range noise isolation, particularly against ambient voices in the mid-range, check out the Technics EAH-AZ100.

With firmware 4.9.30, we noticed slight improvements to raw ANC performance (which is reflected in the current results). That said, the most noticeable changes come with the introduction of 'ActiveSense,' which more effectively adapts to transient noises like a door slamming shut and attenuates them.

They do an excellent job tackling sounds you'll likely encounter in your day-to-day life. Their ANC system can isolate you from a large range of airplane noise, which is handy for long trips, as well as street noise. The ANC system also effectively tackles office noise like coworkers talking.

Unlike other sounds, wind directly interacts with the ANC's microphones. Even though this sound doesn't reach your ears, the ANC system still tries to cancel it out, causing loud and unwanted noise. At the same time, the amount of wind noise can vary depending on the angle due to the buds' shape and size. Unfortunately, they lack a wind reduction feature to help limit the annoyingness of this sound.

The leakage performance is great. Most of the leakage is between the mid to treble range, and escaping audio sounds thin. Even at higher volumes, your audio won't disturb people around you.

The integrated mic's recording quality is okay. The mic is far from your mouth, so your voice lacks body. However, you'll still be understandable to whoever's on the other end. We've also recorded a call to showcase the earbuds' mic system with a human speaking rather than our test rig.

The mic's noise handling performance is okay. While the Bose's noise handling performance was originally quite poor, firmware 4.9.30 introduced SpeechClarity processing. The new noise processing keeps your voice intelligible above moderate noise, though the mic system is overwhelmed when confronted with loud, sustained noise like a subway arriving at a station.

The Bose QC Ultra Earbuds have decent battery performance. The manufacturer advertises up to six hours of continuous battery life (up to four hours with Immersive Audio enabled), but we measured a little over that. The case also holds an additional three full charges, which can be useful if you need to recharge on the go. There's even a useful power-saving feature that puts the buds on standby mode when you take them out of your ears. It's also possible to use one of the buds while the other charges in the carry case. However, battery life can depend on use.

We've seen some user reports of battery charging issues with firmware update 4.9.30. However, we were able to drain and fully charge the earbuds without any issues. If you encountered a similar issue, please let us know in the comments.

Bose Music is a great companion app for these earbuds. It allows you to customize your audio experience by using EQ (both a graphic EQ and presets), and you can turn the 'Immersive Audio' function on/off with optional head tracking. You can adjust the volume, remap controls, and change the Bluetooth source. There's a 'shortcut' feature to allocate useful functions that are immediately accessed via the earbuds' touchpads. Plus, you get a handy earbud seal test that can tell you if you've achieved a good fit. With firmware 4.9.30, you can also set an exclusive Spotify shortcut and disable touch controls completely if you prefer to control playback and volume with your connected device.

Finally, there are plenty of options for adjusting the intensity of the ANC. You can toggle between three ANC modes by default: 'Quiet,' 'Aware,' and 'Immersion,' but you can also create new ANC presets and set custom levels for ANC and immersion levels. Moving the ANC slider doesn't decrease the strength of the ANC; it instead increases the Talk-Through strength relative to the ANC level. Increasing the Talk-Through strength will incorporate more audio from your surroundings, as captured by the built-in mic. Here is a video of the app.

These headphones come with a USB-C to USB-A cable to recharge their carrying case.

The Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds have good Bluetooth connectivity. They have Google Fast Pair, which lets you seamlessly connect to Android devices. As of firmware 4.0.20., they support multi-device pairing with two devices (as shown in this screenshot). This allows you to connect to two devices simultaneously, but you can only listen to music through one device at a time. You can also set up the 'Bluetooth Carousel' shortcut in the app to cycle through paired devices directly through the touch controls. Besides using the 'Bluetooth Carousel' shortcut, switching devices is as easy as pausing audio playback on the first device and hitting 'play' on the second connected device.

While the latency with the basic SBC codec is too high to watch videos without lipsync issues, there's a gaming mode that can help decrease the lag. You can also select aptX Adaptive (Low Latency) to lower latency if you're streaming video. aptX Adaptive uses variable transfer rates by design, so it can provide high-quality audio under ideal conditions with the aptX Adaptive (High Quality) setting. However, it doesn't have a consistent transfer rate like aptX Lossless codec, which is less common. Still, if you prioritize lossless audio above all, you can get it on the Creative Aurvana Ace 2 True Wireless. By comparison, the upside of aptX Adaptive is that you can prioritize low latency for watching video content without going out of sync.

Some users online have reported connectivity issues with these buds, whereby they would disconnect after a few minutes of playback. We tested them with a few devices but haven't encountered any connectivity issues. Please let us know in the comments if you've experienced such issues.

These earbuds can connect to Bluetooth-enabled PCs with full audio and mic compatibility. However, there's no other way to connect these headphones to your PC.

The headphones come with a carrying case that charges via a USB-C cable. However, unlike previous QuietComfort models, you can't charge the case wirelessly.