Bose unveiled its next-gen flagship QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds back in June shortly before we had a chance to test them out for ourselves, but the brand isn’t done yet. Today Bose is ready to reveal its brand-new flagship QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen) with a host of immersive audio upgrades, detection tech, and enhancements across the board.
Next-gen QuietComfort Ultra Headphones
By the sounds of it, Bose is taking the same approach to its next-gen over-ear flagships as it did with the aforementioned buds – don’t fix what ‘aint broke, just make’em better.
Bose says the new QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen) retain the hallmarks that made the previous-generation set one of the best in the game – one of the four horseman if you will, alongside AirPods Max, Sony XM6, and pick your fourth (it’s really more like three if you ask me, but that doesn’t sound as good) – while delivering a “suite of meaningful enhancements and new features.”
Bose’s lauded QuietComfort line has been delivering world-class noise cancellation for years, so any improvements here would just make them even better, and if they are anything like the new buds I just tested out, they are.
Bose says it has improved its proprietary ActiveSense tech with a new “new algorithm for more precise adaptive noise cancellation and natural sound.”
You’ll also find a new immersive audio Cinema Mode in place here – clear dialogue while maintaining a wide, externalized sound stage – great for movies and TV shows, but also podcasts and audiobooks.” This feature is also landing on the new buds too.
Alongside USB-C audio compatibility enabling the cans to be used with USB-C source devices for playback via a wired connection (notable for folks with penchant for lossless audio file formats), Bose is also introducing improved on-head detection – it is apparently so reliable “that habitual use no longer requires use of the power button.”
Another nice touch here is the ability to simply lay your headphones flat on any surface to disconnect from Bluetooth in seconds – this will engage a low power standby mode “that’s capable of running for months.”
All-in-all, I can’t wait to get my hands on these – full review inbound ASAP. It very much sounds like Bose is maintaining what made the previous-gen set so good and adding some notable improvements across the board here.
Update: Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen) are also now up for pre-order at Amazon – only in Black and Driftwood Sand.
The new Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen) are going up for pre-order today at $449 directly from Bose with four color options: Black, White Smoke, Driftwood Sand and Midnight Violet. They will hit store shelves on October 2, 2025.
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