Bose Debuts QuietComfort Ultra Headphones With Upgraded Noise Canceling and Small Improvements

A few months ago, Bose unveiled a second-gen version of its QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds ($299) that featured some modest improvements, including better noise canceling. The company is following a similar playbook with its flagship over-ear QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen), which are available now for preorder for $449 ($50 more than their predecessor). They deliver better noise canceling, according to Bose, along with some other small performance and feature upgrades. 

Read more: Best noise-canceling headphones of 2025

The new Ultras look exactly the same as the original QuietComfort Ultra Headphones that were released in 2023. They come in two new color options — driftwood sand and midnight violet — along with the more standard black and white smoke colors. 

While it’s unclear exactly what has changed from a hardware standpoint, Bose says the second-gen model introduces “a suite of meaningful enhancements and new features.” The upgrades include:

• USB-C audio: The headphones now support wired audio listening using a USB-C cable linked with your your computer, smartphone or tablet.
• Improved adaptive noise cancellation: Bose says its proprietary ActiveSense tech is improved “with a new algorithm for more precise adaptive noise cancellation and natural sound.”
• New immersive-audio Cinema Mode: Bose says the new mode allows for clear dialogue while maintaining a wide, externalized sound stage. It works for movies and TV shows, but also podcasts and audiobooks (note: this feature will also be availailble with Bose’s new second-gen QC Ultra Earbuds). 
• Improved on-head detection: Bose has made the headphones turn off and on more reliably through on-head detection alone, so you no longer have to use the power button. 
• A simpler disconnect method: If you lay your headphones flat on any surface they’ll disconnect Bluetooth “in seconds,” according to Bose, going into a low-power standby mode that’s capable of running for months. 
• Improved battery performance: Battery life is now rated for up to 30 hours (23 with Immersive Audio on, 45 with ANC turned off) and the headphones can now be charged during use via the USB-C port. 

I haven’t yet tested the upgraded QuietComfort Ultra Headphones  yet, but I have been testing the brand’s new second-generation Ultra Earbuds, and the noise canceling has improved (it’s quite impressive). I’m pretty confident the noise-muffling capabilities of this flagship Bose over-ear model will likely rival the ANC (active noise canceling) of Sony’s flagship WH-1000XM6 headphones that I awarded a CNET Editors’ Choice earlier this year. There’s no mention of any sound improvements, but perhaps Bose has made some tuning adjustments. 

The Trump administration’s tariffs seem to be having an impact on list prices of headphones. The original QualityComfort Ultra Headphones started out at $379 before getting bumped up to $399 and then to $449 more recently (they’re on sale now for $379). This updated model arrives with that elevated $449 price.

Sony’s flagship WH-10000X6 headphones, which compete directly with Bose’s Ultra Headphones, also got a $50 price bump to $450. I’ll let you know which headphones I prefer after testing the Bose later this month. 

Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (Second Gen) key specs 

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