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Bose headphones and earbuds are known for their comfort, sound quality and excellent noise canceling, which is arguably the best out there, though Sony has been a close competitor in recent years as it vies to become the noise-canceling king. Among the best wireless headphones and best wireless earbuds on the market, Bose models tend to be fairly pricey but regularly go on sale.
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- Best Bose Headphones and Earbuds of 2025
- What are the best Bose headphones?
- Best Bose headphones are earbuds of 2025
- Best Bose noise-canceling headphones
- Best earbuds for noise-canceling
- Best legacy-style Bose noise-canceling headphones
- Best-sounding open earbuds with a clip-on design
- Factors to consider when buying Bose headphones
- How we test Bose headphones and earbuds
- Other Bose headphones we've tested
- Bose headphones FAQ
What are the best Bose headphones?
The flagship QuietComfort Ultra Headphones are Bose's best full-size headphones. However, if you want something smaller, the QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds are the ones to get and feature the best noise canceling on the market for earbuds. That said, you can't plug them into an inflight entertainment system on a plane because they're strictly wireless.
I've tested all the Bose models on this list and I'll update it with new Bose headphones and earbuds as they hit the market. Bose's newest headphone product is its Ultra Open Earbuds, the only model on this list that doesn't have noise canceling. They feature an innovative clip-on design (a big improvement over the design of cheaper clip-on earbuds that were previously on the market) and best-in-class sound for open earbuds.
Read more: Best Wireless Earbuds for 2025
What we updated: June 2025
We updated info on all the Bose headphones on this list, including the addition of multipoint Bluetooth to certain models. We also added more photos.
Best Bose headphones are earbuds of 2025
Pros
- Design is an upgrade
- Lightweight and very comfortable
- Excellent sound and great noise canceling
- Voice-calling performance is top-notch
- Immersive Audio mode offers some sound-quality enhancements
Cons
- Higher price than the previous model
- No USB-C audio
- Immersive Audio mode hurts battery life
Why I like them
Bose's flagship QuietComfort Ultra Headphones feature a more premium design than their predecessor, along with Bose's Immersive Audio feature, which delivers some sound-quality enhancements. Along with excellent sound and great noise canceling, the QC Ultra Headphones are also superb for making calls, with top-notch background noise reduction. Released in late 2023, I called these "a worthy adversary to Sony's highly rated WH-1000XM5 and Apple's AirPods Max headphones." Sony's new WH-1000XM6 headphones have edged slightly ahead of the QC Ultras, but they remain one of the top pairs of noise-canceling headphones on the market. Read my Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones review.
Reasons to buy
They're a good choice for frequent travelers, commuters and professionals who want comfortable, well-designed headphones with impressive overall performance, including excellent noise muffling capabilities.
Reasons to skip/keep looking
Those who are on a tighter budget should obviously look toward more midrange and budget headphones options. Also, Sony's new WH-1000XM6 headphones are arguably slightly better for around the same price. That said, since the QuietComfort Ultra Headphones came out in late 2023, they do end up going on sale fairly regularly.
Pros
- Fit Kit ear tips and stabilizer system gets you a secure, comfortable fit
- Best-in-class noise canceling and natural-sounding transparency mode
- Dynamic sound with well-defined bass
- Immersive Audio with "still" and "motion" spatial audio modes widens soundstage
- Slightly improved voice-calling
Cons
- Buds are a bit bulky
- No wireless charging or multipoint Bluetooth
- Immersive Audio mode hurts battery life (6 hours to 4 hours)
Why I like them
While Bose's QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds are a little bigger than many true-wireless earbuds, they've always fit my ears comfortably and securely thanks to their "interlocking fit" system with Fit Kit eartips and stabilizers (the Ultras feature a new notch to keep the stabilizers in place). Not only do the Ultras feature very good sound, but they deliver exceptional noise canceling -- possibly the best available -- and a pretty natural transparency mode. I also liked Bose's new Immersive Audio spatial audio technology with head-tracking, which helps open up the soundstage and improves the sound a bit (it does use extra battery life). These buds also have good voice-calling performance, though it's not quite as good as what you get with the AirPods Pro 2. Multipoint Bluetooth pairing was added in July 2024. Read my QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds review.
Reasons to buy
If you're looking for earbuds with best-in-class noise canceling and very good sound quality, the QC Ultra Earbuds fit the bill. They should also fit most ears well, and Bose tends to have good customer support should you have any issues. Just look for them at a discount, because they've been on the market since September 2023.
Reasons to skip/keep looking
These buds are pretty pricey, and there are other premium buds to consider in this price range (or cost less if you're on a tighter budget). Also the QC Ultra earbuds are bulkier than options like AirPods Pro 2, which may be an issue for those who prefer a more compact earbud design.
Pros
- Classic QuietComfort design with very comfortable fit
- Very good sound and noise canceling with new Wind Block feature to reduce wind noise during outdoor use
- Good voice-calling performance
- Included cable with integrated microphone for wired calls (and wired listening)
Cons
- Higher price than earlier QC45 model despite minimal changes
- Lacks Immersive Audio feature and premium materials found in the Quiet Comfort Ultra model
- Value proposition is questionable with fewer advanced features compared to similarly-priced competitors
Why I like them
When Bose released its new flagship QuietComfort Ultra Headphones in late 2023, it also replaced the QuietComfort 45s with a new, slightly updated model simply called the QuietComfort Headphones. Like the QC 45s, this model carries on the very comfortable, tried-and-true, legacy QuietComfort design that's been around for a few generations that many people still love. The QC Ultra Headphones add Bose's new Immersive Audio feature and have a more refined design with some metal parts; they also have Bluetooth 5.3 instead of Bluetooth 5.1. But the QuietComfort Headphones still feature very good sound -- the Ultras offer a small step up in sound quality -- excellent noise canceling and strong voice-calling performance.
As for differences between these and the QC45s, Bose says it adjusted some of the electronics to improve battery life (now 24 hours up from 22) and adjusted the logos to make the products "visually distinguishable and more in line with its latest design language." It also added an inline microphone to the auxiliary cable to "help with some users who may prefer a plug-and-play solution rather than Bluetooth pairing." There's also a Wind Block feature and some additional small performance improvements due to software upgrades. Finally, the headphones come in several new color options, including pink. Some colors may only be available at bose.com.
Reasons to buy
If you're a fan of Bose's earlier "iconic" headphone design, starting with the QC35 (or maybe even the QC25), these are the Bose headphones for you. Cheaper than the QuietComfort Ultra Headphones, they also regularly go on sale for $250 or less, making them a more attractive value.
Reasons to skip/keep looking
The QuietComfort Ultra Headphones are better headphones overall, with improved all-around performance and a more premium design.
Pros
- Innovative clip-on fit with flexible rubber joint and lightweight design (0.01 lbs) for long-term comfort
- 12mm drivers create very good sound for open earbuds with ample bass, good clarity and nice openness
- Decent voice-calling performance with good voice clarity
- Customizable, easy-access control button on barrel of each bud for voice-calling, track changes, volume control and listening modes
Cons
- Expensive
- Look may not appeal to everyone
- Not great for noisy environments
- No Bluetooth multipoint connection or ear-detection sensors
They weren't the first clip-on earbuds, but Bose's Ultra Open Earbuds really kickstarted this sub-genre of true-wireless earbuds. They literally clip onto the side of your ears, kind of like earrings, and their open design has micro speakers that fire sound into your ears while still being able to hear what's happening around you. They're somewhat overpriced, but otherwise, there's a lot to like about them, including a surprisingly comfortable, secure fit and very good sound quality for open buds. Read my Bose Ultra Open Earbuds review.
Reason to buy
If you're looking for open earbuds that allow you to hear the outside world, Bose's Ultra Earbuds are among the best out there. They feature a very comfortable, secure fit with strong sound quality for open earbuds in a premium design.
Reason to skip/keep looking
They're a little overpriced. I'd like to see these closer to $200 -- they do often go on sale for $250.
Budget
Before anything else, you'll want to figure out how much you're willing to spend on new Bose headphones. The quality of value-priced Bose headphones continues to improve, so you can find good affordable headphones for less than $100. But the premium models, which offer better build quality and performance, tend to cost $200 or more -- sometimes much more.
Fit (comfort)
It's key that the headphones you buy fit your head well. They should offer a comfortable fit that's snug yet not too snug. Ideally, you want headphones you can wear over the course of a day with minimal breaks.
Durability
You want headphones that hold up well over time, so look for models that we note have sturdy build quality.
Maximize performance and features for your budget
You want the best-sounding headphones with the best noise-canceling, call quality, and features for whatever you're able to spend.
Return policy
It's critical to buy your headphones at a retailer that has a good return policy, in case you have buyer's remorse. Some people who are having trouble deciding between two models sometimes buy both, try them out for a few days, and then return one.
We test Bose earbuds and headphones based on five key criteria, comparing similarly styled and priced models. These criteria are design, sound quality, features, voice-calling performance and value.
- Design: We assess not only how comfortable the earbuds or headphones fit (ergonomics) but their build quality and how well the controls are implemented. For earbuds, we also look at water- and dust-resistance ratings.
- Sound quality: We evaluate sound quality by listening to a set playlist of music tracks and comparing models to top competing products in their price range. Sonic traits such as bass definition, clarity, dynamic range and how natural the headphones sound are key factors in our assessment.
- Features: Some great-sounding headphones and earbuds aren't loaded with features, but we do take into account what extra features are on board. These include everything from noise-canceling and transparency modes (ambient sound mode) to special sound modes to ear-detection sensors that automatically pause your music when you take the headphones off your ears.
- Voice-calling performance: When we test voice-calling performance, we make calls in the noisy streets of New York and evaluate how well earbuds and headphones reduce background noise and how clearly callers can hear your voice.
- Value: We determine value after evaluating the strength of the headphones and earbuds against all these criteria and what they're are able to deliver compared to other models in their price class.
Which are better headphones: Sony or Bose?
Both companies make very good headphones, which offer excellent active noise canceling. Some people may argue that Sony has a very slight lead right now, but others may slightly prefer Bose. The Sony WH-1000XM5 is one of our top-rated pairs of headphones, but Bose's QuietComfort Earbuds 2 arguably have the best noise canceling at the moment.
Which Bose headphones are best?
The short answer: The QuietComfort Ultra Headphones are clearly Bose's top headphones. But if you're not a fan of full-sized over-ear headphones, the QuietComfort Earbuds 2 arguably have the best noise canceling at the moment and are a smaller option. If you're the active type, the open-style Ultra Open Earbuds might suit your workout needs. Ultimately, your "best" Bose headphones will come down to personal preference.
Is Bose coming out with new headphones in 2025?
In February 2024, Bose released the Ultra Open Earbuds, which we called "daringly different." The novel headphones clip onto the side of your ears and feature an open design with micro speakers that fire sound into your ears while still being able to hear what's happening around you.
More recently, Bose released the QuietComfort Earbuds, a more affordable option for folks priced out of its $299 flagship QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds. The new QC Earbuds, as Bose calls them, don't perform quite as well as the QC Ultra Earbuds, but they do offer strong sound and noise-canceling performance while adding a few features not found in the Ultras.
Are noise-canceling headphones worth it?
Many of the Bose options for headphones are equipped with noise-canceling technology. The feature has become pretty common. While the best noise-canceling headphones (by that I mean the headphones that offer the best noise canceling) tend to be fairly expensive, like the QuietComfort Earbuds 2, you can certainly find cheaper models that offer decent noise cancellation. I do think that if noise canceling is important to you, it's better to spend more money on the best pair of noise-canceling headphones you can afford. And it's worth noting that many of the premium models get discounted sporadically during the year, so you can often save $50 or more on many top headphones if you time your purchase right.
What are the flagship Bose headphones?
The QuietComfort Ultra Headphones serve as Bose's flagship model, offering advanced technology that makes a compelling alternative to both the Sony WH-1000XM5 and Apple AirPods Max. If you're not sure where to start with Bose, the QC Ultra Headphones are a safe bet.
