Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds vs Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen)

Bose announced the first QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds on 14 September 2023, in stores from early October, and followed them with the 2nd Gen on 12 June 2025 at the same $299. Almost two years on, four things changed: the case, the call microphones, multipoint at launch and a published codec list. The case is the easiest to price, because Bose used to charge $49 for it.

What changed, and what didn’t

Spec	Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds	Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen)
Announced	14 September 2023	12 June 2025
US launch price	$299	$299
Wireless charging	$49 cover, sold from 20 October 2023	Built into the case
Call microphones	Dynamic mixing and adaptive filters; no count given	Eight, 4 per bud, with AI noise suppression
Codecs	Not published	SBC, AAC, aptX Adaptive
Multipoint	Added in firmware 4.0.20	Two devices from launch
Noise cancelling	Adjustable, with CustomTune	Enhanced and adaptive, with CustomTune
Bluetooth	5.3	5.3, 30 ft range
Battery, Immersive Audio off	Up to 6 hours	Up to 6 hours
Battery, Immersive Audio on	Up to 4 hours	Up to 4 hours
Charging case	Three extra charges	Three extra charges; 18 hours at 100 percent
Quick charge	20 minutes for about 2 hours	20 minutes for about 2 hours
Water	Buds IPX4; keep the case dry	Buds IPX4; case not water resistant
Fit kit	Tips and stability bands, nine combinations	Tips S, M, L; bands 1, 2, 3; wax guard
Touch controls	Touch	Capacitive touch you can turn off
Colors	Black, White Smoke	Black, White Smoke, limited Deep Plum

Wireless charging is now in the box

The 2023 case charges over USB-C. For wireless charging, Bose sold a $49 silicone cover on Bose.com from 20 October 2023, and it also fits QuietComfort Earbuds II. The 2nd Gen builds it in: line the button on the back of the case up with the center of a compatible charger. The box also has a 12-inch USB-C cable.

So at the same $299 launch price, the 2nd Gen includes what used to be a $49 accessory. Over a cable, Bose says the buds take about 2 hours to charge and the case about 3, and it rates the 2nd Gen’s USB-C input at 5 volts and 1.2 amps.

Calls: eight microphones and SpeechClarity

Bose described the 2023 pair’s calls by method rather than hardware: dynamic microphone mixing, and adaptive filters that pick whichever microphone hears less wind. For the 2nd Gen it gives a count, four microphones in each bud or eight in all, adds AI noise suppression, and names the feature SpeechClarity.

Bose says some of that call processing was first developed for hearing aids. That’s about voices on calls, not a hearing-aid mode, and neither pair has one.

Codecs, multipoint and pairing

The 2nd Gen lists SBC, AAC and aptX Adaptive, which needs a Snapdragon Sound phone, plus Google Fast Pair for Android. Bose’s 2023 announcement didn’t list codecs or Fast Pair, so the 2nd Gen is the safe pick if you want aptX Adaptive.

Multipoint, two source devices with audio from one at a time, reached the 2023 pair after launch in firmware 4.0.20; the 2nd Gen had it from the start. Both run Bluetooth 5.3, and Bose rates the 2nd Gen’s range at 30 feet. Neither has Find My or ultra-wideband.

Noise cancelling, by Bose’s account

Both have CustomTune: a tone measures your ear, and Bose adapts the sound and the noise cancelling to it. Bose called the 2023 pair’s noise cancelling “world-class” and adjustable. It calls the 2nd Gen’s enhanced and adaptive, with smoother ActiveSense steps in Aware Mode, the setting that lets outside sound in. There’s no decibel figure for either, so the improvement rests on Bose’s word.

Battery life didn’t move

Both are rated for up to 6 hours with Immersive Audio off and 4 with it on, so the spatial mode costs two hours on either pair. A 20-minute charge buys about 2 hours on both.

Both cases hold three extra full charges. Bose puts the 2nd Gen’s at 18 hours when the case is at 100 percent; add the 6 in the buds and either pair comes to 24 hours by that arithmetic.

Fit, size and water

Both seal with tips and stability bands. Bose redesigned the 2023 bands to lock in place, compared with QuietComfort Earbuds II, and its later tables count nine combinations of tip and band. The 2nd Gen box lists small, medium and large tips, bands numbered 1, 2 and 3, and a wax guard on the tips.

Size and weight look unchanged. Bose’s later figures put the 2023 pair at about 0.017 pounds a bud and 0.132 pounds for the case. The 2nd Gen’s support specs give the same, 0.017 pounds (0.01 kilograms) a bud and 0.132 pounds (0.06 kilograms) for the case, though Bose’s US store lists the 2nd Gen bud at 0.016 pounds. A 2nd Gen bud measures 1.18 by 0.49 by 0.98 inches, and its case 2.61 by 2.35 by 1.06 inches.

Both rate the buds IPX4, the sweat and splash rating Bose carried over from QuietComfort Earbuds II. Keep both cases dry: Bose marks the 2nd Gen’s case as not water resistant, and tells 2023 owners not to get the outside of the case wet.

The 2nd Gen’s capacitive touch controls can be switched off in the Bose app, the app once called Bose Music, which handles Custom Modes, EQ and shortcuts on both generations.

Price

Both launched at $299 on Bose.com. The 2023 pair came in Black and White Smoke; the 2nd Gen adds a limited Deep Plum. A new 2023 pair makes sense only at a discount bigger than the $49 the wireless cover cost, and only if its calls are good enough for you. If you already own one, update the firmware and keep it. Bose’s prices move, so check Bose.com before you buy.

If you’re also considering Sony, the 2nd Gen against Sony’s flagship earbuds covers codecs, battery and price.