Bose QuietComfort Earbuds Truly Wireless vs QuietComfort Ultra Headphones Wireless

Which Headphones Are Better?

Products

Bose QuietComfort Earbuds Truly Wireless
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones Wireless

Tested using Methodology v1.5

Updated Jun 03, 2024 03:44 PM

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Amazon.com

Tested using Methodology v2.0

Updated Jan 22, 2026 04:50 PM

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Our Verdict

Bose QuietComfort Earbuds Truly Wireless

Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones Wireless

The Bose QuietComfort Earbuds Truly Wireless and the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones Wireless serve different purposes, largely due to their different designs. The Earbuds are obviously meant to sit in your ears, as they're smaller and more portable, so you can easily toss them in a pocket while on the go. While both pairs offer ANC, the over-ear Ultra Headphones do a much better job on this front, blocking out a remarkably high amount of noise. Both headphones offer fairly balanced sound profiles, though the Ultra Headphones are a little warmer out of the box; you can tweak both sets to taste in the Bose Music app. The choice between the two ultimately comes down to your particular needs: fantastic ANC or high portability.

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Variants

  • QuietComfort Earbuds (Sandstone)
  • QuietComfort Earbuds (Soapstone)
  • QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (Black)
  • QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (Deep Plum)

Check Price

Sandstone
QuietComfort Earbuds
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Sandstone
QuietComfort Ultra Headphones
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Soapstone
QuietComfort Earbuds
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Black
QuietComfort Ultra Headphones
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Stone Blue
QuietComfort Earbuds
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Deep Plum
QuietComfort Ultra Headphones
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Triple Black
QuietComfort Earbuds
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Diamond 60th Edition
QuietComfort Ultra Headphones
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
 
Lunar Blue
QuietComfort Ultra Headphones
SEE PRICE
BestBuy.com
 
White Smoke
QuietComfort Ultra Headphones
SEE PRICE
BestBuy.com
Read more

Main Differences for
Neutral Sound

Threshold 

0.10

Neutral Sound 
 

7.6
No major differences between these headphones for neutral sound. See full list of tests below.

Full Comparison

Sound

Sound Profile 
 

Sound Profile  

 Preview Graph
Bose QuietComfort Earbuds Truly Wireless Sound Profile
 Preview Graph
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones Wireless Sound Profile

Normalization Frequency 
 

950 Hz

Bass Amount 
 

Slightly Emphasized (2 dB)

Bass Amount 
 

0.33 dB

Treble Amount 
 

-1.28 dB

Treble Amount 
 

Balanced (-1 dB)

Sound Signature 
 

Warm
Show Text 

Frequency Response Consistency 
 

9.4
7.0

Consistency L  

 Preview Graph
Bose QuietComfort Earbuds Truly Wireless Consistency L
 Preview Graph
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones Wireless Consistency L

Consistency R  

 Preview Graph
Bose QuietComfort Earbuds Truly Wireless Consistency R
 Preview Graph
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones Wireless Consistency R

Std. Deviation 
 

0.13 dB
1.09 dB
Show Text 

Raw Frequency Response 
 

Raw FR L  

 Preview Graph
Bose QuietComfort Earbuds Truly Wireless Raw FR L
 Preview Graph
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones Wireless Raw FR L

Raw FR R  

 Preview Graph
Bose QuietComfort Earbuds Truly Wireless Raw FR R
 Preview Graph
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones Wireless Raw FR R

Bass Profile: Target Compliance 
 

9.1
8.9

Bass Profile: Target Compliance  

 Preview Graph
Bose QuietComfort Earbuds Truly Wireless Bass Profile: Target Compliance
 Preview Graph
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones Wireless Bass Profile: Target Compliance

RMS Deviation From Target 
 

1.36 dB
3.1 dB

Low-Frequency Extension 
 

11.23 Hz
20 Hz

Low Bass 
 

1.88 dB
3.49 dB

Mid Bass 
 

1.66 dB
3.7 dB

High Bass 
 

0.3 dB
-0.13 dB
Show Text 

Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance 
 

9.1
9.4

Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance  

 Preview Graph
Bose QuietComfort Earbuds Truly Wireless Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance
 Preview Graph
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones Wireless Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance

RMS Deviation From Target 
 

1.22 dB
1.03 dB

Low Mid 
 

0.01 dB
0.45 dB

Mid-Mid 
 

-0.36 dB
0.66 dB

High Mid 
 

1.49 dB
-1.05 dB
Show Text 

Treble Profile: Target Compliance 
 

8.1
9.8

Treble Profile: Target Compliance  

 Preview Graph
Bose QuietComfort Earbuds Truly Wireless Treble Profile: Target Compliance
 Preview Graph
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones Wireless Treble Profile: Target Compliance

RMS Deviation From Target 
 

2.91 dB
1.59 dB

Low Treble 
 

1.69 dB
-0.52 dB

Mid Treble 
 

-0.87 dB
-1.4 dB

High Treble 
 

-6.21 dB
-6 dB
Show Text 

Peaks/Dips 
 

8.1
8.1

Peaks/Dips Graph 
 

 Preview Graph
Bose QuietComfort Earbuds Truly Wireless Peaks/Dips Graph
 Preview Graph
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones Wireless Peaks/Dips Graph

Peaks 
 

1.24 dB
1.13 dB

Dips 
 

0.78 dB
1.29 dB
Show Text 

Stereo Mismatch 
 

6.6

Frequency Response Mismatch  

 Preview Graph
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones Wireless Frequency Response Mismatch

Phase Response Mismatch  

 Preview Graph
Bose QuietComfort Earbuds Truly Wireless Phase Response Mismatch
 Preview Graph
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones Wireless Phase Response Mismatch

Weighted Amplitude Mismatch 
 

0.53
0.58 dB

Weighted Frequency Response Mismatch 
 

1.2
1.41 dB

Weighted Phase Mismatch 
 

11.15
2.6°
Show Text 

Group Delay 
 

1.2

Group Delay  

 Preview Graph
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones Wireless Group Delay

Weighted Group Delay 
 

3.6 ms
Show Text 

Cumulative Spectral Decay 
 

CSD  

Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones Wireless CSD

PRTF 
 

0.9
5.3

PRTF  

Bose QuietComfort Earbuds Truly Wireless PRTF
 Preview Graph
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones Wireless PRTF

PRTF Accuracy (RMS Deviation) 
 

N/A
6.19 dB

PRTF Size (Avg.) 
 

N/A
6.67 dB

PRTF Distance 
 

N/A
9.17 dB

Openness 
 

1.6

Acoustic Space Excitation 
 

1.8
Show Text 

Harmonic Distortion 
 

8.4

Harmonics Levels  

 Preview Graph
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones Wireless Harmonics Levels

THD Ratio  

 Preview Graph
Bose QuietComfort Earbuds Truly Wireless THD Ratio
 Preview Graph
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones Wireless THD Ratio

WHD @ 94 dB SPL 
 

0.167
0.15%

WHD @ 104 dB SPL 
 

0.092
0.40%
Show Text 

Electrical Aspects 
 

Impedance  

Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones Wireless Impedance

Sensitivity @1kHz-1V 
 

N/A

Bluetooth Max SPL 
 

100.3 dB
Show Text 

Virtual Soundstage 
 

0.0
3.3

Virtual Soundstage 
 

Compare High-Res
Bose QuietComfort Earbuds Truly Wireless Virtual Soundstage
Compare High-Res
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones Wireless Virtual Soundstage

Head Modeling 
 

No
No

Speaker Modeling 
 

No
On/Off

Room Ambience 
 

No
No

Head Tracking 
 

No
Adjustable

Virtual Surround 
 

No
No
Show Text 

Test Settings 
 

Firmware 
 

1.0.7-9846+620b71c
1.6.7+g6ebabd2

Power 
 

On
On

Connection 
 

Bluetooth 5.0
Bluetooth

Codec 
 

SBC, 16-bit, 48kHz
SBC, 16-bit, 44.1kHz

Test Instrument  

Audio Precision APx517B

EQ 
 

No EQ
No EQ

ANC 
 

High
Quiet

Tip/Pad 
 

Silicone (small)
Default

Microphone 
 

Integrated
Integrated
Show Text 

Imaging 
 

8.6

Group Delay  

 Preview Graph
Bose QuietComfort Earbuds Truly Wireless Group Delay

Phase Response Mismatch  

 Preview Graph
Bose QuietComfort Earbuds Truly Wireless Phase Response Mismatch
 Preview Graph
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones Wireless Phase Response Mismatch

Weighted Group Delay 
 

0.17

Weighted Phase Mismatch 
 

11.15
2.6°

Weighted Amplitude Mismatch 
 

0.53
0.58 dB

Weighted Frequency Mismatch 
 

1.2
1.41 dB
Show Text 

Weighted Harmonic Distortion 
 

8.2

Weighted Harmonic Distortion  

 Preview Graph
Bose QuietComfort Earbuds Truly Wireless Weighted Harmonic Distortion
 Preview Graph
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones Wireless Weighted Harmonic Distortion

WHD @ 90 
 

0.167
0.15%

WHD @ 100 
 

0.092
0.40%
Show Text 
Design

Style  

Design Picture 2 
 

Compare High-Res
Bose QuietComfort Earbuds Truly Wireless Design Picture 2
Compare High-Res
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones Wireless Design Picture 2

Type  

Earbuds
Over-ear

Enclosure  

Closed-Back
Closed-Back

Wireless  

Truly Wireless
Yes

Transducer  

Dynamic
Dynamic
Show Text 

Comfort 
 

7.0
8.5

Comfort Picture 
 

Compare High-Res
Bose QuietComfort Earbuds Truly Wireless Comfort Picture
Compare High-Res
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones Wireless Comfort Picture

Weight  

0.03 lbs
0.56 lbs

Clamping Force 
 

0 lbs
0.8 lbs
Show Text 

Controls 
 

7.2
7.6

Controls Picture 
 

Compare High-Res
Bose QuietComfort Earbuds Truly Wireless Controls Picture
Compare High-Res
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones Wireless Controls Picture

OS Compatibility 
 

Not OS specific
Not OS specific

Ease Of Use  

Okay
Decent

Feedback  

Okay
Good

Call/Music Control  

Yes
Yes

Volume Control  

Yes
Yes

Microphone Control  

No
No

Channel Mixing 
 

No
No

Noise Cancelling Control  

Presets
Presets

Talk-Through 
 

On/Off
On/Off

Additional Controls  

Voice Assistant
Voice Assistant
Show Text 

Breathability 
 

9.2

Breathability After Picture  

Bose QuietComfort Earbuds Truly Wireless Breathability After Picture

Avg.Temp.Difference  

0.8 °C
Show Text 

Portability 
 

9.2
6.4

Portability Picture 
 

Compare High-Res
Bose QuietComfort Earbuds Truly Wireless Portability Picture
Compare High-Res
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones Wireless Portability Picture

 

2.0" (5.1 cm)
7.5" (19.0 cm)

 

1.5" (3.8 cm)
5.9" (14.9 cm)

 

1.0" (2.5 cm)
1.5" (3.8 cm)

Volume  

2.90 in³ (47.52 cm³)
65.65 in³ (1,075.78 cm³)

Transmitter Required  

No
No
Show Text 

Case 
 

7.5
8.0

Case Picture 
 

Compare High-Res
Bose QuietComfort Earbuds Truly Wireless Case Picture
Compare High-Res
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones Wireless Case Picture

Type  

Hard case
Hard case

 

3.5" (8.9 cm)
8.3" (21.1 cm)

 

2.0" (5.1 cm)
6.1" (15.4 cm)

 

1.4" (3.6 cm)
2.1" (5.4 cm)

Volume  

9.40 in³ (154.04 cm³)
107.08 in³ (1,754.68 cm³)
Show Text 

Build Quality 
 

8.0
8.0

Build Quality Picture 
 

Compare High-Res
Bose QuietComfort Earbuds Truly Wireless Build Quality Picture
Compare High-Res
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones Wireless Build Quality Picture
Show Text 

Stability 
 

8.0
7.0

Stability Picture 
 

Compare High-Res
Bose QuietComfort Earbuds Truly Wireless Stability Picture
Compare High-Res
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones Wireless Stability Picture
Show Text 

Headshots 1  

Angled Picture 
 

Compare High-Res
Bose QuietComfort Earbuds Truly Wireless Angled Picture
Compare High-Res
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones Wireless Angled Picture

Side Picture 
 

Compare High-Res
Bose QuietComfort Earbuds Truly Wireless Side Picture
Compare High-Res
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones Wireless Side Picture

Headshots 2  

Front Picture 
 

Compare High-Res
Bose QuietComfort Earbuds Truly Wireless Front Picture
Compare High-Res
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones Wireless Front Picture

Rear Picture 
 

Compare High-Res
Bose QuietComfort Earbuds Truly Wireless Rear Picture
Compare High-Res
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones Wireless Rear Picture

Top  

Top Picture 
 

Compare High-Res
Bose QuietComfort Earbuds Truly Wireless Top Picture
Compare High-Res
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones Wireless Top Picture

In The Box  

In The Box Picture 
 

Compare High-Res
Bose QuietComfort Earbuds Truly Wireless In The Box Picture
Compare High-Res
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones Wireless In The Box Picture
Show Text 
Isolation

Noise Isolation - Full Range 
 

8.4
9.5

Noise Isolation - Full Range Graph  

 Preview Graph
Bose QuietComfort Earbuds Truly Wireless Noise Isolation - Full Range Graph
 Preview Graph
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones Wireless Noise Isolation - Full Range Graph

Noise Cancelling  

Yes
Yes

Overall Attenuation 
 

-23.09 dB
-27.00 dB

Isolation Audio 
 

Bass 
 

-17.22 dB
-20.79 dB

Mid 
 

-22.51 dB
-29.81 dB

Treble 
 

-30.02 dB
-31.42 dB
Show Text 

Noise Isolation - Common Scenarios 
 

9.5

Noise Isolation - Common Scenarios Graph  

 Preview Graph
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones Wireless Noise Isolation - Common Scenarios Graph

Airplane Noise Attenuation 
 

-22.12 dB

Airplane Noise Isolation Audio 
 

Office Noise Attenuation 
 

-21.71 dB

Office Noise Isolation Audio 
 

Street Noise Attenuation 
 

-24.15 dB

Street Noise Isolation Audio 
 

Show Text 

Noise Isolation - Voice Handling 
 

Female Voice 1 
 

Male Voice 1 
 

Female Voice 2 
 

Male Voice 2 
 

ANC Wind Handling 
 

ANC Wind Handling Graph  

 Preview Graph
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones Wireless ANC Wind Handling Graph

ANC Wind Noise 
 

Show Text 

Leakage 
 

8.4
7.3

Leakage  

 Preview Graph
Bose QuietComfort Earbuds Truly Wireless Leakage
 Preview Graph
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones Wireless Leakage

Leakage Audio 
 

Overall Leakage @ 1ft 
 

30.95 dB
37.83 dB
Show Text 
Microphone

Microphone Style 
 

Integrated 
 

Yes
Yes

In-Line 
 

No
No

Boom 
 

No
No

Detachable Boom 
 

No
No

Mic  

Yes
Yes

Recording Quality 
 

6.5
7.8

Microphone Frequency Response  

 Preview Graph
Bose QuietComfort Earbuds Truly Wireless Microphone Frequency Response
 Preview Graph
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones Wireless Microphone Frequency Response

Recorded Speech 
 

LFE 
 

184.86 Hz
281 Hz

FR Std. Dev. 
 

6.89 dB
2.3 dB

HFE 
 

7,782.91 Hz
6,088.74 Hz

Weighted THD 
 

1.863
0.055

Gain 
 

9.2 dB
33.39 dB
Show Text 

Noise Handling 
 

4.3
6.5

SpNR  

 Preview Graph
Bose QuietComfort Earbuds Truly Wireless SpNR
 Preview Graph
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones Wireless SpNR

SpNR 
 

12.18 dB
22.71 dB

Noise Gate 
 

Always On
No

Speech + Pink Noise Handling 
 

4.5
6.5

Speech + Pink Noise Audio Sample  

Speech + Subway Noise Handling 
 

4.0
6.5

Speech + Subway Noise Audio Sample  

Show Text 
Active Features

Battery 
 

7.1
8.2

Battery Type 
 

Rechargable
Rechargable

Continuous Battery Life 
 

7.3 hrs
29 hrs

Additional Charges 
 

2.0
0.0

Total Battery Life 
 

21.9 hrs
29 hrs

Charge Time 
 

1.5 hrs
2.3 hrs

Power-Saving Feature 
 

Standby mode
Auto-Off Timer and Standby Mode

Audio While Charging 
 

Yes
No

Passive Playback 
 

No
No

Charging Port  

USB-C
USB-C
Show Text 

App Support 
 

8.0
8.0

App Picture 
 

Compare High-Res
Bose QuietComfort Earbuds Truly Wireless App Picture
Compare High-Res
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones Wireless App Picture

App Name  

Bose Music
Bose Music

iOS  

Yes
Yes

Android  

Yes
Yes

macOS  

No
No

Windows  

No
No

Equalizer 
 

Graphic + Presets
Graphic + Presets

ANC Control 
 

Presets
Presets

Mic Control  

No
No

Room Effects 
 

No
Yes

Playback Control 
 

Yes
Yes

Button Mapping  

Yes
Yes

Surround Support 
 

No
No
Show Text 
Connectivity

Wired Connection 
 

0.0
6.6

Cable Picture 
 

Compare High-Res
Bose QuietComfort Earbuds Truly Wireless Cable Picture
Compare High-Res
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones Wireless Cable Picture

Analog Audio 
 

No
Yes

USB Audio 
 

No
No

Detachable 
 

No
Yes

Length 
 

N/A
3.28 ft (1.00 m)

Connector 
 

No Wired Option
1/16" TRS

Latency - Analog 
 

35.0 ms

Latency - USB 
 

N/A
N/A

Recorded Latency 
 

Recorded Latency Connection  

Analog
Show Text 

Bluetooth Connection 
 

7.1
7.5

Bluetooth Version 
 

5.1
5.3

Multi-Device Pairing 
 

No
2 Devices

NFC Pairing 
 

No

Quick Pair (Android) 
 

No

Quick Pair (iOS) 
 

No

Line Of Sight Range 
 

219.00 ft (66.75 m)
334.65 ft (102.00 m)

Latency - SBC 
 

172 ms
292 ms

Latency - aptX 
 

N/A
N/A

Latency - aptX Adaptive (High Quality) 
 

372 ms

Latency - aptX Adaptive (Low Latency) 
 

85 ms

Latency - LDAC 
 

N/A

Recorded Latency 
 

Recorded Latency Codec  

aptX Adaptive (Low Latency)

AAC Support 
 

Yes

PC Latency (aptX HD) 
 

N/A

PC Latency (aptX-LL) 
 

N/A

iOS Latency 
 

38 ms

Android Latency 
 

81 ms
Show Text 

Wireless Connection (Dongle) 
 

0.0
0.0

Line Of Sight Range 
 

N/A
N/A

Latency - Dongle 
 

N/A
N/A

Recorded Latency 
 

N/A

PC Compatibility 
 

Analog 
 

No
Audio Only

Wired USB 
 

No
No

Non-BT Wireless 
 

No
No
Show Text 

PlayStation Compatibility 
 

PS4 Analog 
 

No
Audio Only

PS4 Wired USB 
 

No
No

PS4 Non-BT Wireless 
 

No
No

PS5 Analog 
 

No
Audio Only

PS5 Wired USB 
 

No
No

PS5 Non-BT Wireless 
 

No
No
Show Text 

Xbox Compatibility 
 

Xbox One Analog 
 

No
Audio Only

Xbox One Wired USB 
 

No
No

Xbox One Non-BT Wireless 
 

No
No

Xbox Series X|S Analog 
 

No
Audio Only

Xbox Series X|S Wired USB 
 

No
No

Xbox Series X|S Non-BT Wireless 
 

No
No
Show Text 

Base/Dock 
 

2.2
0.0

Type 
 

Charging Case
No Base/Dock

USB Input 
 

No
No

Line In 
 

No
No

Line Out 
 

No
No

Optical Input 
 

No
No

RCA Input 
 

No
No

Dock Charging 
 

Yes
No

Power Supply 
 

USB-C
No Base/Dock
Show Text 

Check Price

Sandstone
QuietComfort Earbuds
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Sandstone
QuietComfort Ultra Headphones
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Soapstone
QuietComfort Earbuds
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Black
QuietComfort Ultra Headphones
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Stone Blue
QuietComfort Earbuds
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Deep Plum
QuietComfort Ultra Headphones
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Triple Black
QuietComfort Earbuds
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Diamond 60th Edition
QuietComfort Ultra Headphones
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
 
Lunar Blue
QuietComfort Ultra Headphones
SEE PRICE
BestBuy.com
 
White Smoke
QuietComfort Ultra Headphones
SEE PRICE
BestBuy.com

Bose QuietComfort Earbuds Truly Wireless

Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones Wireless

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