Bose adds a cheaper Sport model alongside a second gen Ultra Open, both still clipping onto your ear rather than going in it

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Bose has expanded its open ear earbud lineup with two new releases that split the difference between price point and use case rather than simply iterating on one product line. The Sport Open Earbuds come in at 199 dollars and are clearly aimed at the gym and outdoor running crowd, while the second generation Ultra Open Earbuds hold steady at 299 dollars and lean more toward everyday listening and richer audio quality for people who are not necessarily exercising while wearing them.

Both models keep the same clip on, cuff shaped open ear design Bose has been refining for a few generations now, and both weigh in at a featherlight 10 grams per earbud, which matters a lot for anything designed to stay comfortably clipped onto your ear for hours at a stretch. The Sport model adds a silicone padded clip specifically built for durability and grip during movement, along with an IP54 rating for sweat and splash resistance that the higher end Ultra Open does not appear to prioritise in the same way, reflecting the different environments each product is actually built for.

Battery life splits along similar lines. The Sport Open earbuds manage up to 7 hours per charge, which is respectable for an open ear design but noticeably shorter than the Ultra Open's 9 hours, a gap that probably comes down to the more power hungry spatial audio and head tracking features packed into the pricier model. Both support Bluetooth 5.4 with multipoint connectivity along with Google Fast Pair and Find Hub, so switching between devices or tracking a lost earbud works consistently across the whole lineup.

The Ultra Open second generation is where Bose has clearly put its audio engineering effort this cycle, promising richer sound with deeper bass compared to the first generation alongside Qualcomm aptX Adaptive support, automatic volume adjustments and a dedicated Cinema Mode for watching video. Colour options split the personality of each line nicely too, with the Sport model offering white and black paired with electric blue or green accents built for visibility during activity, while the Ultra Open sticks with classic black and white plus a set of limited edition colourways in olive green, cherry chocolate and sky pink for people who want their earbuds to look a bit more considered.

Pre-orders for both models opened on September 9, with general availability following on October 1. Pricing staying flat on the Ultra Open despite the audio upgrades is a small but notable detail, since plenty of second generation audio hardware tends to creep upward in price even when the improvements are fairly incremental, and Bose choosing not to do that here at least keeps the value proposition roughly where it was before.

Bose's next open earbuds have more bass, more volume, and more battery lifewww.theverge.com

[NeonPhantom]

Keeping the Ultra Open price flat at 299 despite the audio improvements is actually a pretty consumer friendly move, most companies would have found a way to bump the price ten or twenty dollars just because the second generation exists. Good on Bose for not doing that here.

[Rob72]

Splitting into a proper sport tier and a leisure tier rather than trying to make one earbud do everything makes a lot of sense to me. Open ear earbuds have always had that awkward positioning problem of being marketed for both running and casual listening at once, and this at least lets you pick based on what you actually need.

[Vacant Niamh]

Cinema Mode and head tracking on the Ultra Open sounds like a genuinely nice feature for watching something on a tablet or laptop without needing to jam earbuds in, though I am curious how noticeable the spatial audio effect actually is on an open ear design that is not sealing against your ear canal the way in ear buds do.

[Gold Terry]

The three week gap between preorders opening September 9 and general availability starting October 1 is a fairly standard staggered rollout at this point, but it is always worth flagging for anyone who wants to actually get their hands on either model closer to release rather than waiting weeks after ordering.

[ReacherBadger]

Ten grams per earbud is genuinely tiny and probably the main selling point of this whole open ear category over regular in ear buds for long listening sessions. I have never had the ear fatigue with clip on designs that I get from silicone tips jammed in for hours.

[Rhys_52]

The IP54 rating only being on the Sport model and not the Ultra Open feels like a slightly odd choice given plenty of people wear their everyday earbuds in light rain or while doing chores that could involve some splashing. Would have been nice to see that rating carried across both models honestly.