Bose Bose - QuietComfort Ultra Wireless Noise Cancelling Over-the-Ear Headphones - Lunar Blue Review

The Bose QuietComfort Ultra headphones disappoint in key metrics. Their noise cancellation ranks in the underwhelming 34th percentile, and battery life is a weak spot. For a premium product, you're buying the Bose name and immersive audio features, not top-tier performance.

The Bose QuietComfort Ultra headphones are a premium offering with a focus on personalized, immersive audio. Their CustomTune tech adapts sound to your ears, and they promise up to 24 hours of battery life. But our data shows they're a mixed bag. They land in the 41st percentile for sound quality, which is squarely middle of the pack, and their noise cancellation ranks in the 34th percentile, meaning it's underwhelming compared to many rivals. For a product named 'QuietComfort,' those are surprising numbers to lead with. They weigh 254g and connect via Bluetooth 5.3, which is solid.

Performance-wise, these headphones are a story of features versus results. The Bose Immersive Audio and CustomTune promise a tailored experience, but the overall sound score is just average. Their ANC performance falls behind most competitors we've tested. Connectivity is their strongest technical point, sitting in the 74th percentile, so pairing and connection stability should be reliable. Battery life, however, is a real weak spot, ranking in the 17th percentile. That 24-hour claim might hold up, but it lags behind what many other headphones in this class can deliver.

The value proposition here is tricky. The price isn't listed in our data, but we see a wild spread across vendors from $299 to $7649. That $299 point is likely the real MSRP, and the $7649 is probably a bizarre listing error. At a likely $299, you're paying for Bose's brand and their immersive audio features, but you're getting performance that's often middle of the pack or worse. For pure price-to-performance, there are better ratios out there.

Compared to top competitors like the Sony WF-1000XM6 or the Apple AirPods Pro, the Bose Ultras fall short in core areas. The Sony's are renowned for best-in-class ANC and sound, areas where the Bose rank in the 34th and 41st percentiles respectively. The AirPods offer a more seamless ecosystem integration for Apple users. Even against Bose's own QuietComfort Ultra True Wireless earbuds, the over-ear version doesn't show a clear performance advantage in our scores. The Jabra Evolve2 might beat it for call quality, given the Bose's mic is only about average (61st percentile).

Skip these if you prioritize absolute performance. Travelers should avoid them, as they scored a dismal 10.4/100 for travel, likely due to mediocre ANC and battery. Gamers and budget-conscious buyers should also look elsewhere, as they scored poorly in those categories (28.4 and 28.1 respectively). If your main needs are world-class noise cancellation, long battery life, or the best sound quality, our data shows other headphones beat these convincingly.

Our data-backed recommendation is cautious. If you're deeply invested in the Bose ecosystem and really want their specific Immersive Audio feature, they're an option. But for most buyers seeking premium over-ear headphones, the numbers don't lie. You can find better noise cancellation, better sound quality, and better battery life from other brands at similar or lower prices. These are a features-first headphone that doesn't quite deliver on the fundamentals.