Technology

Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones 2nd Gen land, boasting even better ANC, USB-C audio and a much-needed battery bump

AnyFans 2025-09-10

By Becky Scarrott

the technology experts

België (Nederlands)

Deutschland

North America

US (English)

Australasia

New Zealand

View Profile

Search TechRadar

Popular Phone Brands

Samsung Galaxy

Google Pixel

Operating Systems

More from Home

Home Reviews

Home Buying Guides

View Browse

Popular Brands

Tech Radar Pro

Tech Radar Gaming

Apple event

Back to school

Nintendo Switch 2
NYT Wordle today
Best web hosting
Best laptop

Don’t miss these

Earbuds & Airpods
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen) review: Bose just did it again with the best noise cancellation in earbuds to date

I use my Bose QuietComfort headphones every day – here’s why you should keep an ear out in case they drop in price again over Prime Day

Wireless Headphones
Baseus and Bose have teamed up on a new pair of headphones – here’s what I made of them after days of testing

Wireless Headphones
Nothing’s first noise-cancelling headphones are official, they’re crammed with features, and they look wild

Wireless Headphones
The best budget headphones from Bose are now $120 off at Amazon

Best Bose headphones

The world’s first dual-driver open earbuds and two more headphones all tuned by Bose: Baseus goes all in on audio at IFA 2025

Wireless Headphones
I tried Cambridge Audio’s ‘Special Edition’ headphones and everything that made the originals great is here, but one new perk surprises me

Earbuds & Airpods
The best noise-cancelling earbuds for all budgets, as chosen by TechRadar experts

One of the best cheap headphones makers just unveiled new high-spec wireless earbuds and ANC cans – all under $100

Earbuds & Airpods
Status Audio’s new 3-driver wireless earbuds have us very excited – they could be the perfected version of some nearly-genius buds

Earbuds & Airpods
These affordable and well-rated Bose QuietComfort Earbuds are a steal at $149

The best headphones 2025

The excellent Sonos Ace headphones return to a record-low price for Labor Day

Wireless Headphones
4 reasons why we still rate the Sony WH-1000XM4 as the best headphones for most people 5 years after they launched – and there’s 1 in particular

Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones 2nd Gen land, boasting even better ANC, USB-C audio and a much-needed battery bump

Becky Scarrott

10 September 2025

No, pearls don’t grow on trees – and neither do Bose headphones

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

(Image credit: Bose)

Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen) arrive today, September 10
‘Improved adaptive noise cancellation’, USB-C audio and new ‘Cinema Mode’
Stunning new colors… and a hefty price tag

Stop what you’re doing: this is huge. The best noise-cancelling headphones for Bose fans (and among the best ANC cans we’ve ever tested, period) now have a successor.

The Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen) – for that is their name – join their recently-released five-star earbuds counterparts, the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen).
And Bose is carrying over its apparent commitment to go a bit artsy with the colorways with these second-generation models; pictured above is ‘Driftwood Sand’ (also available for the Ultra Open Earbuds) and below you’ll see ‘Midnight Violet’ (also a finish option for the Ultra Open Earbuds and the newly released 2nd-gen QC Ultra Earbuds) in addition to standard Black or White Smoke finishes.

You may like

Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen) review: Bose just did it again with the best noise cancellation in earbuds to date

I use my Bose QuietComfort headphones every day – here’s why you should keep an ear out in case they drop in price again over Prime Day

Baseus and Bose have teamed up on a new pair of headphones – here’s what I made of them after days of testing

What else is new? Well, just like AirPods Max now support USB-C wired audio, Bose’s new flagship cans will also work with their USB-C cable for 16-bit/44.1kHz or 48kHz audio quality – and also the 2.5mm audio jack that featured on the older model.

Elsewhere, the ten (10!) microphones placed inside and outside each ear cup are now combined with an improved ActiveSense algorithm for “more precise adaptive noise cancellation and natural sound”.

(Image credit: Bose)
Better Bose battery life? Brilliant
Even a quick glance at the headline of our Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones review reveals the one area we wanted to see improved: the juice pack. Up to 24 hours with a ANC on would no longer cut it in 2025, and Bose has upped the stamina to a claimed 30 hours with ANC deployed for the updated model (although it’s still 23 hours with Immersive Audio on, ie. ANC and various degrees of spatial audio added to the mix) or 45 hours with ANC turned off.
One nice perk here is that the headphones can now be charged during use via the USB-C port, a feature I’ve loved using with the AirPods Max.

Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inbox
Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more.
Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsorsBy submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.
There’s also a brand new Cinema Mode, billed as “a new immersive audio mode from Bose allowing for clear dialogue while maintaining a wide, externalised sound stage – great for movies and TV shows, but also podcasts and audiobooks” (a feature that is also simultaneously releasing in the new 2nd-gen QC Ultra Earbuds).
Alongside Snapdragon Sound support (so aptX Adaptive is firmly on the menu) the QCUH (2nd Gen)’s Bluetooth version is now 5.4, so an update on the older set’s 5.3 chipset.
Should we talk money? Of course we should. The Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen) are available from today, September 10 2025, priced £449 – ie. the same launch price as the October 2023 inaugural model.
Although we haven’t had official confirmation on pricing and availability worldwide, if Bose is going with the same launch price as the originals, that would make them $429 / AU$649 and although I’m thankful Bose hasn’t increased pricing in-line with inflation, competition is rife at this level.
For that money, the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen) really really must deliver the goods. Why? To put it bluntly, because the excellent May 2025-issue Sony WH-1000XM6 are $20 (or £50) cheaper…
How good are they for the money? We’re busy crossing the ‘t’s and dotting the ‘i’s on it, we assure you. A full Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen) TechRadar review will land very soon.
You may also like

4 reasons why the Google Pixel Buds 2a could be the $129 earbuds to beat in 2025 – and one key area in which they disappoint
A gentle reminder to clean your earbuds and headphones: study reveals they may carry 10x more bacteria than a toilet seat
See TechRadar’s pick of the best over-ear headphones

See more News about Headphones

Becky Scarrott

Social Links Navigation
Audio Editor

Becky became Audio Editor at TechRadar in 2024, but joined the team in 2022 as Senior Staff Writer, focusing on all things hi-fi. Before this, she spent three years at What Hi-Fi? testing and reviewing everything from wallet-friendly wireless earbuds to huge high-end sound systems. Prior to gaining her MA in Journalism in 2018, Becky freelanced as an arts critic alongside a 22-year career as a professional dancer and aerialist – any love of dance starts with a love of music. Becky has previously contributed to Stuff, FourFourTwo and The Stage. When not writing, she can still be found throwing shapes in a dance studio, these days with varying degrees of success.

You must confirm your public display name before commenting

Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.

Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen) review: Bose just did it again with the best noise cancellation in earbuds to date

I use my Bose QuietComfort headphones every day – here’s why you should keep an ear out in case they drop in price again over Prime Day

Baseus and Bose have teamed up on a new pair of headphones – here’s what I made of them after days of testing

Nothing’s first noise-cancelling headphones are official, they’re crammed with features, and they look wild

The best budget headphones from Bose are now $120 off at Amazon

Best Bose headphones

Latest in Headphones

Yamaha just launched two new enormous high-end headphones and I need them

I used a live translation feature like AirPods Pro 3’s for earbuds, and I’m not convinced it’s what we need

Apple’s Live Translation isn’t exclusive to AirPods Pro 3 – it’s coming to some older earbuds too

Apple didn’t even mention the AirPods Pro 3 upgrade I’m most excited by in its livestream: a case that’s even harder to lose

Forget the new features, the AirPods Pro 3’s most boring upgrades are their killer selling points

AirPods Pro 3 vs AirPods Pro 2: here’s how Apple’s new earbuds compare to the current model

Latest in News

DJI just accidentally leaked its new Osmo Nano action cam – and it looks like a strong Insta360 rival

OpenAI brings back Standard Voice Mode after ChatGPT users pushed back hard

How to watch ‘Downton Abbey Celebrates the Grand Finale’ online – stream Downton Special 2025 from anywhere

Windows 11 has a new update – these are the top 5 features, but there’s also an annoying drawback

ChatGPT saying goodbye to ChatGPT is the funniest thing I’ve seen all week

Arm unveils new Lumex AI focused smartphone CPUs with some impressive stats

Hot News_tariffs news_big country news_anyfans news

Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones 2nd Gen land, boasting even better ANC, USB-C audio and a much-needed battery bump

Wynton Hall to Politico: AI Raises a ‘Trillion-Dollar Question’ for Conservatives

Aurora considering various road resurfacing projects

It’s getting ugly at Miss USA as CEO is allegedly replaced

Apple Preparing Four New 2nm Chipsets In 2026, With At Least Two Of Them Adopting An Advanced Packaging Technology

Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones 2nd Gen land, boasting even better ANC, USB-C audio and a much-needed battery bump

You Might Also Like

Wynton Hall to Politico: AI Raises a ‘Trillion-Dollar Question’ for Conservatives

Aurora considering various road resurfacing projects

It’s getting ugly at Miss USA as CEO is allegedly replaced

Apple Preparing Four New 2nm Chipsets In 2026, With At Least Two Of Them Adopting An Advanced Packaging Technology