Bose QuietComfort Earbuds (2024) vs Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds: Which Bose earbuds should you buy?

Bose refreshed the QuietComfort Earbuds in 2024, which have some welcome upgrades from the original Bose QuietComfort Earbuds (2020). On the other hand, Bose is still selling the QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds at a premium. So, which should you buy? The Bose QuietComfort Earbuds or the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds. We put both through our testing lab to find out.

Editor’s note: this article was published on October 10, 2024, and is the first version of the article. Updates will follow as the market changes.

What’s it like to use the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds (2024) compared to the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds?

Since the QuietComfort Earbuds no longer have a protruding stem design, they are slightly smaller and lighter than the QuietComfort Ultra earbuds. In terms of comfort, we found both are on about equal terms, as we could wear either for hours at a time. Both come with a variety of ear tips and fins to lock the earbuds into your ears.

The charging for the QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds is more portable than the one for the QuietComfort Earbuds. I found I could barely fit the QuietComfort Earbuds case in many of my pants pockets. You can wear either earbuds out in the rain or during a sweaty workout thanks to IPX4 water resistance.

Both the regular QuietComfort Earbuds and the QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds support tap controls. Only the Ultra Earbuds support swipe controls to adjust the volume. On the other hand, only the QuietComfort Earbuds support voice controls, which you can activate by saying “Hey Headphones”.

Do the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds (2024) or Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds have more features?

The QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds use the standard Bose app for accessing features like Immersive Audio, in-app EQ, firmware updates, and customizing the shortcut gesture. For the newer QuietComfort Earbuds, Bose built an entirely new app called the Bose QC Earbuds app. The new app improves the equalizer from 3-bands to 5-bands. You still can’t dial in the exact frequencies you want to adjust, but it is an improvement.

The new app for the QuietComfort Earbuds has a few unique features as well, such as Voice ID to detect your voice amongst a crowd for voice controls. There’s also a handy battery prediction feature that estimates how much talk time and listening time you have left in the earbuds and case, rather than just giving you a battery percentage number.

How do the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds (2024) and Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds connect?

The Bose QuietComfort Earbuds have Bluetooth 5.3, the same as the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds. The QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds have the advantage when it comes to Bluetooth codec support though, as only they support aptX. If you have a supported Android device, you can get high-res streaming quality over aptX.

We experienced a few connection issues with the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds in our lab. Often, one earbud would stutter or completely drop out while we were attempting to test the earbuds in our lab. On the other hand, we didn’t experience too many connection issues with the QuietComfort Earbuds when paired to an iPhone and Macbook. The issues we experienced could be fixed with a future firmware update, but for now, you might want to make sure you purchase from a store with a return policy.

Is battery life better on the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds (2024) or Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds?

In our battery testing, the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds lasted 6 hours and 11 minutes on a single charge. On the other hand, the new Bose QuietComfort Earbuds are rated to last 8.5 hours on a single charge. Your usage will vary depending on factors like volume and noise canceling, but either should get you through most normal use cases without a problem.

You can top up either set of earbuds a few times using their respective charging cases. The QuietComfort Earbuds (2024) case supports wireless charging, whereas the QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds case does not support wireless charging without the purchase of an additional accessory.

Do the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds (2024) or Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds block noise better?

The Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds have slightly better noise canceling than the standard Bose QuietComfort Earbuds. Our testing shows that the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds reduce the loudness of external noise by an average of 81%, while the QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds reduce the loudness of external noise by an average of 84%.

The charts above show the passive isolation and noise canceling performance that we measured for the QuietComfort Earbuds and QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds. As you can see, the performance is nearly identical.

Both earbuds also have an Aware mode, which amplifies surrounding noise so you can stay aware of your surroundings.

Do the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds (2024) sound better than the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds?

The new Bose QuietComfort Earbuds sound very similar to the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds. There is a high chance that you will enjoy the sound quality of either. You can also use the app equalizers to slightly tweak the sound of either.

Only the QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds support Bose Immersive Audio. We don’t find it sounds as good as other implementations of spatial audio, but if it is an important feature to you, you’ll need to upgrade to the Ultra model.

Multi-Dimensional Audio Quality Scores (MDAQS)

According to a simulated panel of hundreds of listeners, the QuietComfort Earbuds and QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds both sound very good. Surprisingly, the QuietComfort Earbuds get a slightly higher Overall score than the QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds, which means they are more likely to align with listener preferences.

Objective Measurements

The default frequency response of the new QuietComfort Earbuds is very similar to that of the QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds. Both have a U-shaped frequency response relative to our preference curve, with elevated bass and treble compared to the mids. The QuietComfort Ultra are a bit more extreme in this regard, with more sub-bass and treble emphasis than the regular QuietComfort Earbuds. If you don’t like the way the earbuds sound out of the box, we recommend lowering the bass and treble in the equalizer.

Do the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds (2024) or Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds have a better microphone?

You can use both the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds (2024) and the QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds for taking calls on the go. The standard QuietComfort Earbuds seem to do a better job of focusing in the voice, but you can take a listen for yourself in our samples below.

Bose QuietComfort Earbuds (2024) microphone demo (Ideal conditions):

Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds microphone demo (Ideal conditions):

Bose QuietComfort Earbuds (2024) microphone demo (Office conditions):

Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds microphone demo (Office conditions):

Bose QuietComfort Earbuds (2024) vs Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds: Price and availability

The Bose QuietComfort Earbuds (2024) have a starting price of $179. On the other hand, the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds have a more expensive starting price of $299. Both have widespread availability at tech retailers.

Should you get the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds (2024) or Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds?

Most people should go with the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds (2024). It is only worth it to upgrade to the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds if you want the best connection quality and you want Immersive Audio features. Otherwise, the regular QuietComfort Earbuds are a much better bang for your buck.

The cheaper earbuds even have some features that their more expensive siblings don’t have, such as wireless charging, an upgraded 5-band equalizer, and voice controls. For their price, the new Bose QuietComfort Earbuds provide good value.

How do the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds (2024) and QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds compare to the QuietComfort Earbuds II?

In our Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds vs Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II comparison, we saw that the QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds were a direct successor to the QuietComfort Earbuds II. The earbuds look and perform nearly identical, aside from some new tech inside the QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds. The main improvements the Ultra Earbuds brought were in connectivity tech and Immersive Audio. Therefore, it’s not really worth upgrading from the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II to the QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds.

If you are debating between the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II on a discount compared to the QuietComfort Earbuds (2024), you are probably better off getting the new QuietComfort Earbuds. The newer earbuds will have support from Bose for future firmware updates which could bring new features. We also found the new QuietComfort Earbuds fit better and have better sound quality than the QuietComfort Earbuds II.

Frequently asked questions