Hardwired
In Hardwired, AC Senior Editor Harish Jonnalagadda delves into all things hardware, including phones, audio products, storage servers, and networking gear.
I used dozens of earbuds over the years, and while I use IEMs while I’m home, I prefer wireless earbuds when I’m traveling as they’re just much more convenient. My go-to choice right now is the Xiaomi Buds 5 Pro, but I’ve been using Bose’s QuietComfort Ultra for close to a month now, and they’ve been incredible.
The QuietComfort Ultra aren’t affordable by any measure; they retail for $299 on Amazon and Best Buy, and that’s $100 more than the Sony WF-1000XM5 (which are on sale from their $299 retail). Annoyingly, Bose’s earbuds miss out on niceties like wireless charging, which is available on most $100 models these days. The case is on the bulkier side as well, and while it is still pocketable, I don’t get why it’s so much bigger than most other products in this category.
Thankfully, that’s about the only drawback I’ve had with the QuietComfort Ultra; these earbuds combine a great fit with a fabulous bass-heavy sound signature, and they easily connect to two devices at once. The best part is that with Snapdragon Sound integration, you can unlock higher-quality streams — if you’ve got a phone that also has the requisite codecs.
I used the QuietComfort Ultra with the Xiaomi 15 Ultra as the phone comes with Snapdragon Sound as well, and it was a good pairing. The buds use AptX Adaptive and have a built-in gaming mode that lowers the latency, and it makes a noticeable difference.
Audio quality is among the best of any earbuds I’ve used yet. Phone manufacturers are doing a much better job in this area, and the recent slate of earbuds from Samsung, Google, and Xiaomi deliver a vibrant sound with plenty of useful extras. But with the QuietComfort Ultra, it’s evident that Bose put its learnings from previous QuietComfort models to good effect, because they sound incredible.
The earbuds have an engaging bass with excellent rumble and dynamics, and this makes listening to most modern music highly engaging. The mids are clean, with good vocal presentation and instrument separation, and I didn’t notice any harshness to the sound.
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Basically, the QuietComfort Ultra have a fun sound that lends itself well to diverse genres, and if you need buds with standout sound, these are my go-to recommendation now. In fact, my wife liked these so much she said she’s stealing the buds once I’m done with my testing — that’s a better endorsement than anything I have to say.
Outside of that, you get decent customizability with Bose’s app; it’s straightforward to connect the buds to the app, and you can adjust the sound to your liking. While not a 10-band EQ, you get the ability to tweak the mass, mids, and treble, and it is nifty. It’s easy to set up custom modes and adjust the level of noise isolation and immersive audio.
Talking about isolation, the buds do a fantastic job in this regard. The ANC is easily the best of any earbuds around, and the earbuds are effective at reducing ambient noise, like the hum of an air conditioner, traffic sounds, or the whine of a jet engine when you’re flying.
Then there’s the fit; the buds are noticeably bigger than their rivals, and while I wasn’t sure about the fit when I got started, they don’t exert much pressure on the ear canal, and are great to wear for hours on end. The distinctive design with a bulbous shell makes the buds highly comfortable to wear, and while you don’t get as secure a fit as the buds don’t nestle into your ear cavity quite as much, I didn’t have any problems doing chores around the house with these on.
Connectivity is via Bluetooth 5.3, and the earbuds have Google Fast Pair, so it was easy to connect to various devices. The buds are saved to your Google account, and when they’re in range of a new device that has your account, you can easily set them up. I used the QuietComfort Ultra with my Vivo X200 Pro, X200 Ultra, Pixel 9 Pro Fold, Pixel 9 Pro XL, iPad Pro M4, and Redmagic 10S Pro in addition to the Xiaomi 15 Ultra, and it has been faultless.
While they’re costly, the QuietComfort Ultra deliver a fantastic sound, and they fit better than the design suggests. Noise isolation is outstanding, you get the best high-res codec currently available, and they last up to six hours on a charge. If you’re not satisfied with the sound of your earbuds and are ready to upgrade, these are among the best you can get today.
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds
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