Introduction
Imagine a pair of earbuds that lets you listen to your favorite music or podcast without cutting you off from the world. Enter the Bose Ultra Open Earbuds — a bold step in wearable audio that embraces your surroundings instead of shutting them out. If you’ve ever felt uneasy wearing traditional in-ear buds when walking through traffic, exercising outdoors, or simply wanting awareness of your environment, these open-ear earbuds might just be the answer.
About the Product
The Bose Ultra Open Earbuds adopt a unique open-ear design (rather than sealing your ear canal) and are shaped like a sleek ear-cuff that wraps gently around the ear. According to Bose, their proprietary OpenAudio technology “allows the earbuds to play rich, immersive audio privately even though the speakers sit a short distance from your ear canal.”
Here’s a quick overview of what they bring to the table:
- They leave your ears open so you can still hear ambient sounds (traffic, conversations, announcements) while your audio plays.
- They use Bose’s OpenAudio technology to deliver rich sound despite not being in-ear
- They offer a cuff-style fit: a light-as-air flex grip behind the ear for secure wear.
- Battery life: Up to ~7 hours of playback (around ~4 hours when “Immersive Audio” is used) and up to ~48 hours standby.
- Additional features: Bluetooth multipoint (connect to two devices), SimpleSync for pairing with Bose soundbars/speakers, water resistance (IPX4).
- Important to note: They do not include active noise-cancellation (ANC) — the design intention is openness, awareness, not isolation.
Features
Let’s dig a little deeper into some of the standout features:
1. Open-Ear Design with Awareness
Unlike traditional earbuds that block out ambient sound, the Ultra Open Earbuds let you stay connected to your environment. As described by Bose, they wrap around your ear “so gently you might forget they’re even there” while still delivering private sound. For situations like outdoor workouts, commuting, or just wanting to keep an ear on what’s happening around you, this is a strong advantage.
2. OpenAudio™ Technology & Immersive Audio
By placing tiny speakers a short distance from your ear canal and using clever audio engineering, the OpenAudio tech serves up “rich, high-quality, private sound” despite the open-fit. The “Immersive Audio” mode adds spatialized sound to give a more expansive listening experience.
3. Comfortable, Secure Fit
The earbuds feature a flexible joint and a light-as-air grip that wraps the ear without intrusive tips in the ear canal. This cuff-inspired shape is designed for all-day wear comfort.
4. Connectivity & Smart Features
- Bluetooth multipoint: You can connect the earbuds to two devices simultaneously (e.g., your phone + laptop).
- SimpleSync: If you own compatible Bose speakers/soundbars, you can sync audio between them.
- App support: Via the Bose app, you get adjustable EQ (bass/mid/treble), volume auto-adjust (based on ambient noise), firmware updates, etc.
5. Battery & Durability
- Up to ~7 hours of playback (with standard mode) and around ~4 hours when using Immersive Audio.
- Up to ~48 hours of standby time.
- Water-resistant rating IPX4, so splashes and sweat won’t ruin them.
How to Use
What Makes It Outstanding
Why choose the Ultra Open Earbuds over other true-wireless models? Here are some compelling points:
- Freedom + awareness: Many earbuds give you either premium sound or ambient awareness (for safety/comfort). This model leans towards both — you hear your music and the world around you.
- Comfort for longer wear: Because there’s no tip sealing your ear canal, many will find this fit less fatiguing for long sessions (office work, walking errands, casual listening) compared to conventional in-ear buds.
- Sound quality in an open format: Usually open-ear buds compromise on bass or richness because they don’t isolate the ear canal. Bose’s OpenAudio tech aims to mitigate that, so you get better sound than many open-ear designs. For example, reviewers noted that while bass isn’t as deep as sealed in-ear models, the clarity, mid-range and overall feel are very good.
- Better suited for safety-aware use: If you cycle, run, commute in traffic or simply want to keep aware of announcements or conversations, this design makes sense. Some review points mention they are ideal for bikes/walking because you remain aware of your surroundings.
Conclusion
The Bose Ultra Open Earbuds carve out an interesting niche: premium sound combined with openness to your environment. They are not about locking you away in your music — they’re about letting music come to you while you still stay connected to the world. If your lifestyle includes outdoor movement, multitasking around home or office, or simply you dislike the feeling of earbuds plugging your ears, these could be a very smart pick.
Of course, keep in mind their trade-offs: there’s no active noise cancellation (so if you want full sound isolation, this isn’t for you). Bass depth may not match the best in-ear sealed designs. And for some users, the fit may take a little adjustment due to the cuff shape. But for what they set out to do — offer premium audio + ambient awareness + comfort — they do it impressively. Available in Amazon
