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

QuietComfort Headphones replaced QuietComfort 45 on 14 September 2023, at $349 and in stores from 21 September 2023, as the Bose over-ear without the Ultra’s extras. The second-generation Ultra, announced on 10 September 2025, widened the gap instead of closing it.

What the extra money buys

Start with the codec. The Ultra adds aptX Adaptive to SBC and AAC for Snapdragon Sound-certified devices, and Bose’s UK listing names Snapdragon Sound itself. QuietComfort Headphones stays on SBC and AAC. The Ultra also runs Bluetooth 5.4, against 5.1, and calls out Google Fast Pair for Android.

Then the sound modes. CustomTune fits playback to your ears each time you put the Ultra on, and Immersive Audio is Bose’s spatial mode. Cinema Mode, new on this generation, widens the stage and emphasizes dialogue, and Bose pitches it for podcasts and audiobooks as well as video. QuietComfort Headphones has none of the three.

Plug the Ultra into a compatible source over USB-C and it plays lossless audio at 16-bit and 44.1 or 48 kHz, with the low latency Bose markets for desktop and phone games. Its noise cancelling gets an updated adaptive algorithm, Aware Mode adds ActiveSense, which Bose says smooths the response to sudden noise, and on-head detection can start playback on a paired source without a press of the power button.

What you still get for less

You still get adjustable Bose noise cancelling, with Quiet and Aware modes and Custom blends of the two in the Bose app, and Spotify Tap starts a listening session from a button. It connects to two devices at once, just like the Ultra, over Bluetooth 5.1 with A2DP, AVRCP, HFP, HSP and Bluetooth Low Energy. Bose even rates its range slightly further: 33 feet (10 meters), against 30 feet (9 meters) for the Ultra.

Battery: longer on the Ultra, until Immersive Audio is on

QuietComfort Headphones is rated for up to 24 hours with noise cancelling on, and Bose gives it no separate figure with noise cancelling off. The Ultra runs up to 30 hours with noise cancelling on and Immersive Audio off, and up to 45 with noise cancelling off. Switch Immersive Audio on, though, and the Ultra’s 23 hours lands just under the cheaper pair’s 24.

Weight and packing

QuietComfort Headphones weighs 0.520 pounds to the Ultra’s 0.583, about an ounce less by Bose’s figures, and Bose puts the Ultra’s entire product system at 1.061 pounds. Bose lists QuietComfort Headphones at 7.68 by 6.18 by 3.15 inches and the Ultra at 1.772 by 6.299 by 8.071 inches.

The Ultra folds, and Bose says it idles in a low-power standby for a long stretch once it’s laid flat or folded into its case. QuietComfort Headphones packs the way QuietComfort 45 did, with cups that swivel into the carry and storage case. Bose lists the Ultra’s materials as plastic, aluminum and protein leather and QuietComfort Headphones’ as metal, plastic and protein leather, with removable cushions on both.

Price

QuietComfort Headphones launched at $349, and Bose’s US store later listed it at $359. The Ultra (2nd Gen) launched at $449, with pre-orders from 10 September 2025 and stores from 2 October 2025, by Bose’s date. On listings, the retail codes are QC-HEADPHONEARN for QuietComfort Headphones and QCUH2 for the Ultra (2nd Gen). Prices drift from launch, so check Bose before you buy.