Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds 2 Review: Comfort, Sound, and Noise Cancellation Improvements

The Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds 2 offer a combination of comfort, immersive audio, and advanced noise-canceling performance that makes them a strong competitor in the premium earbuds market. Priced at $249–$299, they are available in five colors and provide excellent fit and long-term wear comfort, outperforming both Sony’s WF-1000XM5 and Apple’s AirPods Pro 3 in this regard. The earbuds feature enhanced drivers, support multiple Bluetooth codecs including aptX Adaptive and aptX Lossless, and offer spatial audio with head-tracking options through the Immersive Audio mode. Bose’s AI-powered ActiveSense noise cancellation adapts to changing environments, while the Aware mode ensures natural voice clarity in noisy settings. Battery life reaches up to six hours per charge with ANC, with an additional 24 hours via the case. However, some issues were noted, including connectivity glitches with multipoint pairing and challenges updating the firmware. Despite these minor drawbacks, the earbuds are praised for sound quality, secure fit, and feature set, making them a recommended choice for long-term use, travel, and immersive listening. Overall, the Bose QC Ultra Earbuds 2 earned ZDNET’s Editors’ Choice award for their combination of comfort, sound quality, and adaptive noise cancellation.