Bose QuietComfort series has launched a new generation of in-ear noise canceling earbuds – Bose QuietComfort Ultra. It brings stronger noise canceling, spatial audio and Snapdragon Sound support.
Bose QuietComfort Ultra specs and features:
- Bluetooth 5.3 with SBC/AAC codec
- 6 hours playback of per charge (ANC ON)
- Charging case can charge earbuds fully 3 times
- IPX4 waterproof rating (rain and sweat resistant)
- Comes with 3 sets of eartips, USB-C cable, user manual
- $215 – Check latest price on Amazon US, Amazon Germany or other Amazon countries
Appearance Design, Comfort and Battery Life
The appearance of the charging case continues the style of Bose QuietComfort II – it looks like a shield from the front, with the Bose Logo and an indicator light in the center. There is a bluetooth pairing button on the back of the charging case, and a USB-C charging interface at the bottom.
Bose QuietComfort Ultra earbuds still adopt the special-shaped design style. The earbud cavity is roughly ergonomically designed and bean-shaped, but there is a short-stem on the outside of the cavity, making the overall shape very unique.
There are speaker hole, in-ear detection sensor hole, sound pickup microphone hole and L/R logos on the inside of the earbud cavity. In addition, the L/R logo is also marked on the stabilizing ring.
Although the special-shaped design looks strange, after wearing it, the curve on the front side of the cavity forms a good fit with the auricle – so the overall wearing experience is very comfortable.
The default size M silicone eartips can adapt to the ear shape of most users, while the stabilizing ring can further improve wearing stability on the basis of comfort.
Also, thanks to the ergonomic curve and short-stem design of the earbuds, when wearing QuietComfort Ultra and lying on your side, it will not cause too much pressure on the ears.
Connection – App Support
The earbuds uses the Bluetooth 5.3 chip and support SBC/AAC codec. In the factory state, open the charging case cover and the earbuds will enter pairing mode – at this time, select “Bose QC Ultra” in the bluetooth device list of your phone to complete the connection.
Also, Bose QuietComfort Ultra earbuds support multi-point connection, which can connect two bluetooth devices.
Bose QuietComfort Ultra earbuds support the Bose Music App. After installing and opening the App, it will automatically connect to the earbuds.
Bose QuietComfort Ultra earbuds support the Bose Music App – once you install and open the app, it automatically connect to the earbuds.
Moreover, since Bose QC Ultra support Snapdragon Sound technology, when using a mobile phone that support Snapdragon Sound, a prompt to “Turn on Snapdragon Sound Technology” will appear. At this point, you can enjoy the excellent experience brought by Snapdragon Sound, including aptX Adaptive technology, and high-resolution lossless audio (up to 24-bit 96kHz).
In the App, Bose provides noise cancelling control, multipoint connection bluetooth device management, immersive audio control, custom control methods, equalizer settings (EQ), firmware updates, and more.
Controls – Battery Life
The touch control method is consistent with Bose QuietComfort II. The touch area of Bose QC Ultra is located at the Bose logo on the back of the earbuds. Supports recognition of single-tap, double-tap, triple-tap, swipe up/down, and long press. The default control scheme includes different operations such as play/pause, track switch, and noise cancelling mode switch, etc. Swipe up and down to adjust the volume.
The battery capacity of the charging case is 680mAh, and the battery capacity of the earphones is unknown. After turning on ANC mode, the single battery life is up to 6 hours, and the total battery life is up to 24 hours. The Bose QuietComfort Ultra supports wireless charging and fast charging – charge in 20 minutes and listen to music for 2 hours.
Sound Description – Immersive Audio Modes (Spatial Audio)
Bose QuietComfort Ultra earbuds inherit the “CustomTune technology” of the previous model. The main upgrade of QuietComfort Ultra is new immersive audio technology (spatial audio), which creates a multi-dimensional soundstage through proprietary digital signal processing software. So no matter what music source or streaming platform you use, you should benefit from spatialized listening, putting you in the so-called “sweet spot” whether you’re sitting in the office or on the road.
In the basic stereo mode, the listening experience of Bose QC Ultra earbuds basically continues the excellent performance of Bose QC II. The tri-frequency is balanced, while slightly enhancing the high and low frequency to achieve stronger resolution and dynamic effects. This will be familiar to users who updated from Bose QC II to QC Ultra.
After turning on immersive audio through the Bose Music App, the soundstage of the earbuds will be greatly enhanced, and the sound will seem to change from dual-channel to one space, improving the presence.
The immersive audio has two modes – static mode and dynamic mode, both of which can effectively improve the soundstage performance. In dynamic mode, the earbuds will detect head movement in real time through sensors to change the soundstage, which is equivalent to AirPods Pro’s head tracking. In static mode, the soundstage is fixed.
Active Noise Cancellation and Transparent Mode
By default, the Bose QuietComfort Ultra provides two noise canceling modes: ANC Mode and Transparent Mode.
I tested it in a variety of different scenarios such as the office, the subway, and outdoors – their noise reduction capabilities are more refined and the results are very good.
When ANC is turned on and adjusted to the maximum noise cancelling level, the noise in the environment will be greatly reduced, almost achieving “silence”. In addition to mid-low-frequency noise, it also has excellent noise cancelling effects on mid-high-frequency vocals.
For example, the sound of air conditioners and fans in the office is almost inaudible. The sound of vocals and keyboard clicks can also be reduced by about 60% to 70%. If you play white noise, there will be almost no external noise interference.
Bose QuietComfort Ultra supports noise cancelling level adjustment and transparent mode, and support the “noise dynamic sensing” function. If the earbuds detects that the external environment is too noisy in transparent mode, it will automatically perform moderate noise cancelling to allow the user to hear the music.
Conclusion
The Bose QuietComfort EarBuds series is loved by many users for its excellent hearing and noise cancelling capabilities. And the Bose QuietComfort Ultra earbuds have reached new heights in these two aspects of experience. Also, QuietComfort Ultra adds lossless and spatial audio functions that make a meaningful difference.