Bose QuietComfort Ultra headphones: 2nd Gen vs 1st Gen

What happens next after you make some of the most comfortable and effective noise-cancelling headphones on the market?

It’s a question I’m sure the folks at Bose had to ask themselves when developing the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones Gen 2. They became available Oct. 2, two years after the release of the original QuietComfort Ultra headphones.

While the nearly unchanged design suggested on first glance that Bose hadn’t changed much, I knew I needed to put them head-to-head. So, which headphones should you buy if you’re looking for some of the best long-wearing noise-cancelling headphones? And should first-gen owners upgrade to the new Bose headphones? You’ll have to read the full comparison to find out.

Bose QC Ultra Gen 2 vs. Gen 1: Specs

While these headphones may appear similar, there are some differences in their builds worth knowing before we get into the comparison.

Battery life

• First generation: 24 hours of battery life (18 hours with immersive audio), 15-minute quick charge for 2.5 hours of playback

• Second generation: 30 hours of battery life (23 hours with immersive audio), 15 minutes of charge for

Listening modes

• First generation: Aware, quiet, immersive (spatial audio), auxiliary cable (with headphones powered on)

• Second generation: Aware, quiet, immersive (spatial audio), lossless with USB-C cable connection, passive playback with auxiliary connection

Bluetooth and connection

• First generation: Bluetooth 5.3; SBC, AAC, and AptX Adaptive codec support; multipoint pairing on up to two devices

• Second generation: Bluetooth 5.4; SBC, AAC, and AptX Adaptive codec support; multipoint pairing on up to two devices

Colorways

• First generation: Black, white smoke, lunar blue, deep plum

• Second generation: Black, desert gold, driftwood sand, midnight violet, white

Weight

Bose QC Ultra Gen 2 vs. Gen 1: Sound quality

First things first: the absolute best sounding headphones of 2025 are likely going to be the Sony WH-1000XM6 headphones (barring any surprises in these final two months of the year). If you’re an audiophile above all else, you’ll definitely want to check those out.

However, that doesn’t mean the QuietComfort Ultra line goes down without swinging. Bose knows how to make a balanced sound profile, and with the second-generation headphones, they upped the ante. While I wouldn’t call the difference night and day, the second-gen headphones generally sounded richer and more well-rounded compared to the first-gen headphones. (This upgrade felt not unlike that between the Sony XM5 and XM6 headphones).

I’m not sure I would automatically notice a difference on a casual listen through, but testing the headphones on songs back to back made the differences stand out. On the second-gen headphones, Daniel Caesar and H.E.R.’s “Best Part” came through with more clarity and blend, which made details like vocal harmonies stand out even more. That clarity wasn’t so sharp as to warp the original sound of songs — Ella Fitzgerald’s smoky vocals on “Misty” felt especially like a warm hug to my ears on the second-gen headphones.

The listening experience on the second generation QC Ultras is ever so slightly improved, but the immersive audio setting on both generations could use work.
Credit: Bethany Allard / Mashable

Perhaps the clearest test was the subconscious bopping of my head that happened while I listened to Twice and Megan Thee Stallion’s “Strategy” on the second-gen headphones. Don’t get me wrong, the first-generation Ultras produced a nice, full sound that still did justice to the song; they just didn’t quite match up with the second-generation headphones. With those, I felt fully immersed in the pop song, feeling an excellent blend of the bass line and vocals.

Speaking on immersion, the immersive audio quality on both headphones is about the same, which is to say I wasn’t too impressed by it. Bose hasn’t quite figured out how to create a sound that feels like it’s coming around you without losing the richness that makes their headphones sound so good in the first place. While there’s definitely that spatial audio quality, it almost feels like the sound profile has been hollowed out from the middle on both headphones.

Also a little lacking was the equalizer — Bose kept the simple three-band equalizer for the second-gen headphones, which is serviceable, but not on par with options from other brands.

The equalizers for the first and second generation headphones are exactly the same.
Credit: Bose / Screenshot

Credit: Bose / Screenshot

Winner: Bose QuietComfort Ultra (2nd Gen)

Bose QC Ultra Gen (2nd Gen) vs. 1st Gen: Noise cancellation

Bose claimed that the second-gen Ultras come with improved adaptive ANC. Though I tested both headphones while on walks near busy streets, while working from a house where seven people live, and right on the other side of a window from a very noisy leaf blower, I can’t say that I really noticed a difference between the two.

Granted, that could be the testing conditions not putting the adaptive ANC through the wringer (and the ANC on the first-gen headphones is pretty killer anyway).

Where the second-gen headphones do have more of a leg up is in how easy it is to adjust the ANC level through the companion app. The second-gen headphones have a noise control tab straight on the main screen of the app, which allows you to adjust the ANC from level one to 10.

The first gen app has no tab for adjusting noise cancellation.
Credit: Bose / Screenshot

While the second gen app features the “noise control” tab.
Credit: Bose / Screenshot

You can technically also adjust the ANC on the older headphones, but you have to through the “modes” tab on the app, then create a new listening mode, where you can then preset the noise cancellation level. In other words, for a premium pair of headphones, it requires more effort than it should.

To adjust the ANC manually on the first gen headphones, navigate to the “modes” tab.
Credit: Bose / Screenshot

And as you choose a listening mode to add, you can adjust the ANC level for that mode.
Credit: Bose / Screenshot

Winner: Tie

Bose QC Ultra (2nd Gen) vs. 1st Gen: Comfort and design

The design of these two headphones is near identical, with the same on-ear button placement and general look. Aesthetically, Bose opted for a shiny accent piece on the headband, as opposed to the satin brush finish on the first-gen headphones. The second-gen headphones are also 0.02 pounds heavier, but the difference in how they felt on my head was indiscernible.

A power/Bluetooth button, volume slider, and multifunction button can be found on both sets of headphones.
Credit: Bethany Allard / Mashable

The on-ear controls, however, are located in exactly the same position and have the same exact functionality.

Two incredibly comfortable sets of ear cushions — but one is just a little better than the other.
Credit: Bethany Allard / Mashable

Despite their similarities, I found the second-gen headphones to be ever so slightly more comfortable (a feat I didn’t think possible, especially considering three separate Mashable staffers have deemed the first-gen headphones the most comfortable they’ve ever tried). The ear foam on the second-gen headphones feels ever so slightly firmer while still offering a healthy amount of give, which I think helps situate the headphones on my head better overall.

As for storage and travel, both headphones have identical carrying cases, making that particular aspect of their design a pure tie.

The identical carrying cases of the different QC Ultra generations.
Credit: Bethany Allard / Mashable

Winner: Bose QuietComfort Ultra (2nd Gen)

Bose QC Ultra (2nd Gen) vs. 1st Gen: Connection

While the first gen of the QC Ultras did a lot right, my biggest points of contention with those headphones all came back to how they connected (and stay connected to devices).

As I’d experienced with other Bose products, the multipoint connection of the first-gen QC Ultra headphones didn’t always perform the way you’d expect for $449. With two devices connected, it wasn’t uncommon for lagging audio when switching between devices or stuttering audio when both devices were paired (even if I was only actively streaming audio from one).

Though less commonly used, their wired connection left something to be desired. I wanted to test it using the aux cable to listen to an interview transcript. With other headphones, you can do this powered off, or passively. You’ll lose out on the top-quality audio you get by having the headphones powered on, but it’s not a big deal if you’re listening to something like an interview or simply want to save your battery. Bizarrely, the first-gen headphones don’t allow you to listen to audio via the aux cable without powering on the headphones as well, meaning passive playback isn’t an option.

Less egregious (but more commonly encountered) was the lag between pressing the power button and actually hearing the headphones turn on. Initially, I thought the button wasn’t working, and it wasn’t until using the headphones for a while that I realized I just had to wait longer than expected to hear the noise that indicated the headphones had turned on and connected (which although minor, could lead to some minor annoyance when powering them on — again, not something I expect to encounter at $449).

These are all issues that have virtually disappeared with the second generation Ultras.

For starters, I haven’t had a single issue with the multipoint connection in the two weeks I’ve been testing the QC Ultra 2 headphones, which might be a Bose first for me. Beyond that, Bose improved the on-head detection of the second gen headphones and added a lay flat mode, which automatically disconnects the headphones from Bluetooth and puts them into a low power mode. The latter feature wouldn’t work if the connection was finnicky in anyway, but every time I tested it, the headphones easily disconnected and reconnected.

Only the second generation Ultras (left) go into low power mode in this position.
Credit: Bethany Allard / Mashable

Bose also gave wired playback a serious upgrade with the second generation model. Not only is passive playback now available with the aux cord (making the headphones an even better choice for air travel, IMO), but there’s also a second option for wired listening. The included USB-C cable can be used to charge and play your audio back at the same time. The headphones do need to be powered on for the audio to transmit, but this is less aggravating considering there is an option for passive playback.

Wired! Playback!
Credit: Bethany Allard / Mashable

Best of all, the newer headphones connect much faster when powered on, minimizing any annoyance.

Winner: Bose QuietComfort Ultra (2nd Gen)

Bose QC Ultra (2nd Gen) vs. 1st Gen: Value

At full price, the first gen Bose QC Ultra headphones go for $429 and the second generation headphones go for $449.

A quick pricing history: upon their 2023 release, the older Bose’s debuted at $429, and it was only in May of this year they quietly got a $20 price bump to $449. Following the release of the newer Ultras, they’ve dropped back down.

All this to say, at full price, it’s hard to recommend the first generation Ultras, considering that the second gen smooth over some of their flaws, and make minor improvements where they already excelled. That said, Black Friday is around the corner, and the first Bose QC Ultras have been known to get nice price cuts. As I write this in the early days of November, they’re $100 off, going for just $329, but they’ve hit an even lower price in the past at $299. In other words, if you’re trying to save more cash, the newer gen might go on sale during Black Friday, but the real value pick is the first gen headphones.

Winner: Bose QuietComfort Ultra (1st Gen) on sale, 2nd Gen at full price