Bose Bose Ultra Open True Wireless Earbuds (Driftwood Review

The Bose Ultra Open Earbuds are ultra-comfortable and let you hear the world, but that's their main trick. Sound and mic quality are just okay, and they're very expensive. Best for people who can't stand in-ear buds and need constant situational awareness. Not worth it for most.

The Bose Ultra Open Earbuds are a weird flex. They're not trying to be the best-sounding earbuds you own. Instead, they're designed to be the most comfortable, all-day audio accessory you forget you're wearing. The open-ear design means you stay aware of your surroundings, and Bose's OpenAudio tech tries to keep your music private.

At $299, they're asking a premium price for a very specific experience. Our data shows they score high for 'social proof'—people like showing them off—but they land in the middle of the pack for core metrics like sound quality, comfort, and battery life. This is a niche product, not a jack-of-all-trades.

Performance is a mixed bag, and that's by design. The sound quality lands in the 41st percentile in our tests. You get decent, rich audio for an open-ear design, but it's not going to compete with a good pair of in-ears on a noisy street. The Bose Immersive Audio is fun for movies, but the lack of real noise cancellation (ANC is at the 41st percentile) means you're always hearing the world. Battery life is okay at up to 27 hours with the case, putting it in the 60th percentile. The mic quality is below average (38th percentile), so calls are fine for quick chats but not for important meetings.

At $299, the value proposition is tough. You're paying Bose premium prices for a product that, by its open design, sacrifices core performance areas like sound isolation and mic quality. If your top priority is absolute comfort and situational awareness, and money is less of an object, then maybe. For everyone else, you can get better overall sound, better battery, and better features for the same price or less.

Stacked up, the choice gets clearer. The Sony WF-1000XM5, at a similar price, will demolish these on sound quality, ANC, and mic performance, but you have to put them in your ears. The Bose QuietComfort Earbuds (also from Bose) offer world-class noise cancellation and better sound for the same money, but again, they're in-ears. If you're set on an open design, the Nothing Ear (a) offers a similar concept for a fraction of the price, though with less brand prestige and likely weaker software features. The Technics EAH-AZ100 is a better all-around audio performer if sound is your main goal.

Skip these if you commute on loud trains, work in a noisy office, or just want the best sound quality for your money. The lack of isolation is a deal-breaker in those scenarios. Also, gamers should look elsewhere—this product scored a dismal 12.8/100 for gaming in our database.

Buy these only if your #1 need is to hear your environment at all times and you find all in-ear options uncomfortable. They're perfect for runners who need traffic awareness, office workers who want to hear colleagues, or anyone who just hates the feeling of earbuds in their canals. For literally any other use case—commuting, gaming, focused work, or just enjoying music in peace—there are better, cheaper options.