Bose Ultra Open 2nd Gen and Sport Open: Price, Battery, and Sound Explained
Bose announced two open-ear models, the $299 Ultra Open Earbuds (2nd Gen) and the $199 Sport Open Earbuds, with preorders from September 19 and general sale from October 1. The Verge
The 2nd Gen Ultra sits at the top of the open line. The Sport Open arrives on the same dates at a $100 lower price. The Ultra 2nd Gen comes in black, white smoke, cherry chocolate, olive green, and sky pink. The Sport Open comes in black, white smoke, and eucalyptus green.
On sound, the Ultra 2nd Gen uses a new driver, the small speaker inside each bud, tuned for higher volume with automatic adjustment and deeper bass. Bose added a Cinema Mode built on Bose TrueSpatial technology, which widens the soundstage, like a wider stage for sound, while keeping dialogue centered. The wider lineup also includes TrueSpatial head-tracking, which holds the sound field steady as you turn your head. SoundGuys
Battery life is one of the concrete differences. The Ultra 2nd Gen is rated for up to nine hours on the buds alone, up from seven hours on the prior generation. The charging case adds 19.5 hours of playback, was redesigned, and can stand upright for wireless charging. The buds have no ANC, or active noise cancellation, and are built to let the wearer hear surroundings.
The Sport Open is the cheaper option built for a secure fit during physical activity. Its battery is rated at up to seven hours plus an additional 22 hours with the wireless charging case. Both the Ultra 2nd Gen and the Sport Open include AI-driven SpeechClarity voice isolation, which separates your voice from background noise on calls.
For tracking the full Bose range, the split is now open versus sealed. The original Ultra Open Earbuds use an open-ear, cuff-like fit meant for audio quality and all-day comfort, and Bose lists that model at $199.00, down from $299.00. The sealed alternative is the $299 QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen), with Bluetooth connectivity, noise cancelling, personalized sound, and all-day comfort, plus Bose Immersive Audio and its own Cinema Mode for theater-like sound. That model is offered in Black, White Smoke, and limited-edition Deep Plum.
The broader context here is about tradeoffs. Open-ear avoids occlusion, that blocked-up feeling of a sealed tip, and preserves situational awareness. That matters for runners, cyclists, and office workers who need to hear a room. The cost is less isolation and weaker low-frequency, or bass, efficiency.
In my view, Bose is segmenting that tradeoff clearly instead of asking one product to cover it. One model pushes driver output, spatial processing, and battery for all-day open wear. The other trims price and prioritizes fit stability for movement, while keeping the same voice-isolation stack and spatial mode across both. For buyers, the path is short. Choose open if you need to hear surroundings. Choose sealed QuietComfort Ultra if you need cancellation. Within open, weigh battery, maximum output, and color range against $100 and a sport-tuned fit. Open-ear has grown from a comfort experiment into a parallel track with its own chip-level work on beamforming, focusing microphones in one direction, and spatial rendering.
