Product Independently confirmed 3 publishers 2 min read Published Sep 17, 2026, 6:40 AM PDT

Bose splits its open-ear line into a $299 flagship and a $199 sport pair

Both new pairs clip to the outside of the ear and reach buyers on October 1, with preorders from September 19. Bose gave the dust and water rating to the $199 sport model and kept Cinema Mode for the $299 flagship.

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What happened

Bose announced the Ultra Open Earbuds (2nd Gen) at $299 and the Sport Open Earbuds at $199, with preorders opening September 19 and both pairs on sale October 1.
The second-generation Ultra keeps the cuff-clip shape and adds a new driver for deeper bass and higher volume, a beveled metal cap and a case that stands upright on a wireless charger.
The Sport model is the one Bose rated IP54 for dust and water, built around a thinner silicone cuff that the company says stays secure through head shakes and cartwheels.
Bose is presenting the Sport Open Earbuds as a completely new product even though the name belonged to a Bose model discontinued in 2021.

Why it matters

Who has to decide decision Anyone buying for people who move now shops down the price ladder, and the $299 pair has to justify itself on video and volume instead of durability.
What it limits constraint Engadget warns that heavy use of Immersive Audio and Cinema Mode dents runtime, so the nine-hour rating describes a day with the paid-for features switched off.
What's now possible capability Google Find Hub and Alexa+ arrive by firmware on launch day, so what the Ultra can do out of the box depends on that update shipping on time.

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Confirmed2 publishers

Volume was the complaint that followed the first Ultra Open around. Gizmodo's reviewer, who used the 2024 pair, wrote that "volume was easily one of the biggest downsides" ^[21]. Engadget's reviewer at the time called the cuff-clip silhouette divisive, and very comfortable ^[22]. Bose regards that product as its "flagship open-ear experience" ^[20], and The Verge credits it with helping kick off the clip-on trend nearly two and a half years ago ^[16].

Add the case and the cheaper pair lasts longer between wall sockets. Bose rates the Sport at up to seven hours of playback with 22 hours in its charging case, and the Ultra at up to nine hours with 19.5 hours in its case ^[10]^[25]^[8]. That is 29 hours against 28.5 ^[23].

The size of the Ultra's battery gain depends on which write-up you read. Engadget puts the first generation at 7.5 hours, so the new rating is 1.5 hours better, a 20 percent improvement ^[25]^[27]. The Verge says the old figure was seven hours; on that base the gain is two hours, or about 29 percent ^[26]^[27].

What the extra $100 buys is sound and software. The Ultra gets a new driver for deeper bass and higher volume ^[5], Cinema Mode using Bose's TrueSpatial processing ^[6], a three-band EQ in the app ^[17], an Apple Music playlist shortcut, and multipoint across two devices over Bluetooth 5.4 ^[18]. The Sport pair supports multipoint too, along with Auto Volume and the SpeechClarity call feature that isolates the wearer's voice ^[13]^[19]. Neither has noise cancelling, because the open design is built to let the room in ^[12].

Two conditions sort the purchase. If the buds have to survive sweat, the rated pair is the $199 Sport ^[11]. If the wearer watches video on the phone they are paired to, Cinema Mode is on the Ultra only ^[6]. A buyer who needs both is buying both, at $498 ^[24].

What to watch

Whether Bose publishes a dust and water rating for the Ultra Open Earbuds (2nd Gen) before October 1.
Whether the Google Find Hub and Alexa+ firmware actually lands on launch day as Bose says it will.
Whether the first-generation Ultra Open Earbuds get discounted below the Sport model's $199.

Clarity's read

What the record supports and how the coverage leans. The claims behind it follow.

Reality

Evidence52
Adoption15
Hype gap+18
Incentives65
Confidence62

Perspective Coverage

3 publishers

Builder: Builder 42%
Operator: Operator 30%
Investor: Investor 28%

Why these scores

Claim ledger

Ranked by verification strength, evidence, and original report placement.

[1]
Bose added two open-ear products to its lineup, the Bose Sport Open Earbuds and the Bose Ultra Open Earbuds (2nd Gen), arriving October 1.
Reported SupportedView cited source
[2]
Both pairs can be preordered starting September 19 and are widely available October 1.
Reported SupportedView cited source
[3]
The Sport Open Earbuds feature a thinner cuff with a soft silicone matte finish providing more grip, and Bose says they will stay secure during head shakes, cartwheels and running.
Reported SupportedView cited source
[4]
The customizable shortcut button on the end of each Sport battery barrel has an added texture so it is easier to find while working out.
Reported SupportedView cited source
[5]
The Ultra Open Earbuds (2nd Gen) have a new driver delivering higher volume with automatic adjustments and deeper bass, plus a refreshed design with a new beveled finish on each earbud's metal cap.
Reported SupportedView cited source
[6]
A new Cinema Mode on the Ultra Open Earbuds (2nd Gen) simulates a wider, more immersive soundstage using Bose's TrueSpatial technology.
Reported SupportedView cited source
[7]
The Ultra Open Earbuds (2nd Gen) cost $299 and the Sport Open Earbuds cost $199.
Reported SupportedView cited source
[8]
The Verge reports an additional 19.5 hours of playback from the redesigned Ultra case, which can stand upright for use on a wireless charger.
Reported SupportedView cited source
[9]
Engadget reports just under 20 extra hours stored in the Ultra's wireless charging case, which now supports wireless charging and can stand upright.
Reported SupportedView cited source
[10]
Sport Open Earbuds battery life is rated at up to seven hours of playback plus an additional 22 hours with the wireless charging case.
Reported SupportedView cited source
[11]
The Sport Open Earbuds have IP54 dust and water protection; Engadget says users need not worry about sweat on a run but should not take them for a swim.
Reported SupportedView cited source
[12]
There is no ANC on the Ultra Open Earbuds (2nd Gen) because the design is meant to let the wearer hear what is going on around them.
Reported SupportedView cited source
[13]
The Sport Open Earbuds use custom-designed drivers and support Auto Volume and multipoint.
Reported SupportedView cited source
[14]
The new Sport Open Earbuds are being positioned by Bose as completely new, even though they adopt the same name as a discontinued product from 2021.
Reported SupportedView cited source
[15]
Gizmodo describes the $199 Sport Open Earbuds as Bose's entry into a new category.
Reported SupportedView cited source
[16]
The Verge says the Ultra Open Earbuds helped kick off the industry trend of clip-on wireless earbuds nearly two-and-a-half years ago.
Reported SupportedView cited source
[17]
The Ultra Open Earbuds offer a three-band EQ via the Bose app as well as an automatic volume control setting.
Reported SupportedView cited source
[18]
The Ultra Open Earbuds support multipoint connectivity with two devices over Bluetooth 5.4; on launch day Bose will add support for Google Find Hub and Alexa+ in a firmware update, and a new Apple Music shortcut jumps straight to pre-selected playlists.
Reported SupportedView cited source
[19]
SpeechClarity uses AI to isolate and enhance the wearer's voice for calls, and both the Ultra Open Earbuds (2nd Gen) and the Sport Open Earbuds come with SpeechClarity and Auto Volume.
Reported SupportedView cited source
[20]
Bose regards the 2024 Ultra Open Earbuds as its "flagship open-ear experience".
Reported SupportedView cited source
[21]
Gizmodo's reviewer, writing about the first-generation Ultra Open Earbuds, said "volume was easily one of the biggest downsides".
Reported SupportedView cited source
[22]
Engadget says the cuff-clip silhouette was, according to its reviewer at the time, divisive, and that it proved to be very comfortable.
Reported SupportedView cited source
[23]
With their cases included, the Sport pair offers 29 hours of playback against 28.5 hours for the Ultra pair, half an hour more for the cheaper model.
Derived Supported
[24]
Buying both models costs $498.
Derived Supported
[25]
Engadget reports maximum battery life on the Ultra Open Earbuds (2nd Gen) has been boosted to up to nine hours, up from 7.5 hours on the first-generation model.
Reported ContestedView cited source
[26]
The Verge reports battery life with the buds alone has been boosted to up to nine hours, from seven hours.
Reported ContestedView cited source
[27]
On Engadget's 7.5-hour baseline the Ultra's battery gain is 1.5 hours, a 20 percent improvement; on The Verge's seven-hour baseline it is two hours, about 29 percent.
Derived Contested
[28]
Engadget reports that if you plan to use the Immersive Audio and Cinema Mode settings a lot, battery life will take a considerable hit.
Reported InsufficientView cited source

Sources

3 independent publishers whose own reporting we read for this story.

engadget.com
1 article · September 17, 2026
Bose refreshes its Ultra Open Earbuds and adds a new sport model to the lineup
gizmodo.com
1 article · September 17, 2026
Bose Is Back in the Open Wireless Earbuds Game
theverge.com
1 article · September 17, 2026
Bose’s next open earbuds have more bass, more volume, and more battery life

Clarity analysis

How the coverage leans and what the record actually supports. Read the methodology

Perspective Coverage

How much of the coverage speaks to builders, operators and investors. It measures emphasis, not whether the story is right.

Builder42%

The three spec sheets are nearly identical, which is what a single morning briefing produces. The Verge is the fullest on hardware: nine hours from the buds, 19.5 more from the case, the new driver, the TrueSpatial Cinema Mode. Only Engadget gives the radio, with Bluetooth 5.4, two-device multipoint and a launch-day firmware update for Google Find Hub and Alexa+. Only Gizmodo names SpeechClarity, the AI call processing both models carry. The one figure the accounts disagree on is the first-generation battery baseline the improvement is measured against: 7.5 hours at Engadget and Gizmodo, seven at The Verge.

Operator30%

For anyone who will wear these on a run, the useful facts sit in two places. Engadget carries the IP54 rating and states the limit plainly: sweat on a run is fine, a swim is not. The Verge explains how the grip works, a thinner cuff with a soft silicone matte finish and a shortcut button textured so it can be found mid-workout. Bose claims the fit survives head shakes and cartwheels; both outlets repeat that claim, but neither has tested it. Engadget alone warns that heavy Immersive Audio and Cinema Mode use will shorten the nine hours, but Engadget does not say by how much. Preorders open September 19 and both models reach buyers October 1.

Investor28%

The shape of the launch is a $100 gap: $299 for the flagship, $199 for the fitness pair, and Bose keeps Cinema Mode for the expensive one while giving the sweat rating to the cheap one. Gizmodo is the only account that treats this as a competitive question, noting the premium Bose charges and that the sequel has to keep pace with "the ample competition". The Verge supplies the incumbency argument, crediting the original Ultra with helping start the clip-on trend nearly two and a half years ago. Engadget supplies the footnote about the name: Bose sold Sport Open Earbuds until 2021 and discontinued them.