Bose QuietComfort Ultra (2nd Gen) Review: Built for Travel

If you spend a lot of time on planes, trains or in open-plan offices, this Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen) review is aimed at you. These over-ear wireless headphones put noise cancelling and comfort first, then add Bluetooth multipoint, spatial audio and a wired USB-C mode for listening at a higher quality. They sit in the mid-range part of the market and suit frequent travellers who want calm above all else.

This review is based on Bose's published specifications and on what independent expert reviews report. It is not based on our own hands-on testing.

What the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen) are

This is the second generation of the Bose QuietComfort Ultra headphones, described by reviewers as an incremental upgrade. It offers a Quiet Mode that cancels noise, an Aware Mode that lets your surroundings in, and a lightweight build meant to be worn for hours. It also includes a Cinema Mode for video dialogue, lossless listening over USB-C, and the ability to charge while you listen.

Expert reviewers rate the headphones consistently. They average 8/10 across 3 expert reviews, with Tom's Guide, What Hi-Fi? and Trusted Reviews each giving them 4 out of 5. That is a solid, dependable score rather than a runaway winner, and it matches the broader picture below: very strong at what it is built for, with some compromises elsewhere.

Design and build

The headphones weigh 0.583 lb, and reviewers describe them as light and comfortable. Reviewers praise them as light and comfortable for long listening sessions. The materials are listed as plastic, aluminum and protein leather.

Five colours are available: Black, White Smoke, Midnight Violet, Desert Gold and Driftwood Sand. A carry case comes in the box, along with a 3.5 mm to 2.5 mm audio cable and a 39" USB-C cable. A case is useful for anyone who will be throwing these in a bag, and the two cables cover both wired options from day one.

One criticism is worth noting: reviewers describe the touch volume strip and the controls as fiddly. If you like clear physical buttons for every function, that may bother you. If you mostly set things up in the app and leave them, it matters less.

Noise cancelling and Aware Mode

Noise cancelling is the main reason to consider these headphones. Reviewers often call the noise cancelling the best available, and that reputation drives the recommendation for travellers and commuters. Quiet Mode is the noise cancelling mode. Aware Mode lets in your surroundings, which helps for announcements, crossing roads or a quick chat.

You are not locked into a single behaviour. Noise cancelling can be turned off or adjusted manually in the Bose app, so you can dial it back if you find full cancelling too isolating. Turning it off also improves battery life, as covered below.

If you are still deciding between earbuds and over-ear designs, our guide to the best noise-cancelling headphones shows how the different types compare.

Sound and features day to day

CustomTune and Immersive Audio

CustomTune adapts the sound to the shape of your ears, so the tuning is personalised rather than one-size-fits-all. Immersive Audio adds spatial sound, and the new Cinema Mode is designed to bring out dialogue in video. Reviewers say the spatial audio and Cinema Mode work on both iOS and Android, which matters if your household or your devices are mixed.

There is a trade-off with Immersive Audio: it shortens battery life and quick-charge playback, as the figures below show. If you want maximum runtime, you will probably switch it off.

How the sound compares

A common criticism is that the sound is less detailed than some rivals, with the Sony WH-1000XM6 named as an example. Reviewers also point to limited EQ and heavy reliance on the Bose app. So these suit listeners who prioritise noise cancelling and comfort over sound detail or extensive EQ tweaking.

Wired listening over USB-C

The USB-C connection supports lossless listening at 16-bit, 44.1kHz or 48kHz. You can also charge while listening with the included USB-C cable. That is a practical feature on a long-haul flight or at a desk, where you can plug in and not worry about the battery. A 2.5 mm aux input is there too, using the included 3.5 mm to 2.5 mm cable.

Battery life and charging

The headline figure is up to 30 hours of playback. Turn on Immersive Audio and that falls to 23 hours; turn noise cancelling off and it rises to 45 hours. Those three numbers give a realistic picture: you will get a lot of use between charges, and you can choose to trade features for extra runtime.

Quick charging is a strong point. Fifteen minutes of charging gives up to 3 hours of playback, or up to 2 hours with Immersive Audio. A full charge takes 3 hours. For travel, the quick top-up is the more useful number, since it covers a commute or the gap before a boarding call.

Connectivity

The headphones use Bluetooth 5.4 with a range of up to 33 feet. Supported codecs are SBC, AAC and aptX Adaptive. Bluetooth multipoint keeps two devices connected at once, so you can stay paired to a laptop and a phone and move between them without re-pairing. For anyone who works and travels with more than one device, that is one of the more useful features here.

What experts like and what they criticise

The praise falls into a few clear themes. Reviewers highlight the noise cancelling, the light and comfortable fit, the up to 30 hours of battery with quick charging, the USB-C lossless audio with charge-while-listening, and the spatial audio and Cinema Mode on iOS and Android.

The criticisms are just as consistent. A common one is that this is only an incremental upgrade, so owners of the first generation have little reason to switch. Others are the less detailed sound compared with some rivals, the limited EQ and reliance on the app, and the fiddly touch volume strip and controls. None of these undermines the noise cancelling or comfort, but they decide whether the headphones suit you.

Who should buy it

These headphones are a good fit if you:

• travel or commute often and want top-tier noise cancelling above all;
• need to wear headphones for hours and care about comfort;
• switch between a phone and a laptop and want multipoint;
• like the idea of a wired USB-C mode and charging while you listen;
• watch video on your headphones and want Cinema Mode.

Who should skip it

Skip or think twice if you:

• already own the first generation, since reviewers call this an incremental upgrade;
• put sound detail first, in which case compare rivals such as the Sony WH-1000XM6;
• want deep EQ control without relying on an app;
• dislike touch controls and want everything to be physical.

How it fits in the wider category

This Bose model leans towards isolation and comfort, with a feature list that has grown to include lossless USB-C and Cinema Mode. Sound detail and EQ flexibility are where reviewers say other options may suit some listeners better. For a side-by-side look at the field, see our guide to the best noise-cancelling headphones.

Verdict

The Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen) are a refined, travel-focused pair of headphones. Their value lies in how well they quiet the world and how easy they are to wear for a long time, backed by generous battery life, fast charging, multipoint Bluetooth and a wired USB-C option. They are not a big leap over the first generation and they are not the most detailed-sounding option, but for frequent travellers and commuters who want calm and comfort, they are an easy shortlist entry.

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