Commuters craving the sound of silenced have a new saviour. Bose has updated its QuietComfort Ultra wireless earbuds to a second generation, with even better ANC along with a bunch of other welcome upgrades. It’s not like the firm isn’t also afraid to get loud, though – it’s also updating one of its most popular portable speakers, and adding an all-new model to the line-up.
The QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd gen) might be a mouthful to say, but improved adaptive noise cancelling promises to more smoothly filter out sudden loud noises than the original QC Ultra in-ears. Hopefully that means no more obnoxious muscle car exhausts or subway trains ruining that album you’ve had on repeat.
It’s rocking Bose’s tried-and-tested sound calibration tech, which personalises audio and noise cancelling based on your environment and the shape of your ear. The ear tips have been redesigned to stop yucky wax built-up, too. Bose has tapped AI to help the Ultra 2nd Gen’s eight microphones (four for each ear) reduce background distractions at the same time as keeping your voice clear for phone calls, whether you’re using both buds at once or just one.
Capacitive control haters will be happy to hear you can now disable the touch buttons completely through the Bose companion app, to guarantee you don’t get any accidental presses when adjusting the fit – or your hair.
Wireless charging is the other new addition, saving you from hunting around for a cable when it’s time to refuel. You had to pay extra for an optional case with the first-sen pair. Battery life hasn’t changed between generations, so you’re still looking at six hours of listening (or four with Immersive Audio switched on). The case can hold three full charges, and will give you two extra hours of listening after twenty minutes.
It uses the same Bluetooth 5.3 connectivity as the first-gen Ultra Earbuds, with aptX adaptive streaming, Snapdragon Sound low-latency, and Google Fast Pair.
The QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds 2nd gen are set to go on sale from June 26, and are up for pre-order right now directly from Bose. You’ll be able to snag a pair in Black, White Smoke, or the limited-run Deep Plum colour. They’ll set you back $299/£299.
Joining them is the new SoundLink Plus, a rugged Bluetooth speaker that promises big sound from a relatively compact case. It weighs in at under 2kg, but finds room inside for a bass driver, tweeter, and four passive radiators – along with a battery good for 20 hours of play time. It can double as a portable power bank for your other tech, too.
There’s no danger of losing it if you get the limited edition Citrus Yellow model. Black and Blue Dusk colours are also on the way. All three have the same powder-coated steel grille and soft-touch silicone finish as the rest of the SoundLink range, and are IP67 water resistant. They also float, and have a rugged nylon wrist strap for easy lugging.
Get two together and you can pair ’em in stereo, or pop it into party mode with any other SoundLink speaker. It’s launching on June 26 for $250/£250.
Finally, Bose has given its diddy SoundLink Micro speaker the 2nd Gen treatment.
New for 2025 is a removable nylon strap to make it easier to clip the compact speaker onto your bike or bag. USB-C charging also makes the grade, and battery life has been boosted to twelve hours between top-ups. There’s a single driver and dual passive radiators inside, and the whole thing is IP67 resistant.
It’s not due to arrive until later in the year, where it should set you back $120/£120 in black or blue dusk colours.
