Bose QuietComfort Ultra

Comfy to wear ; Very good noise-cancellation ; Excellent wireless performance ; Engaging audio quality

Average call quality ; Noise-cancellation seems slightly diminished compared to previous gen ; More expensive than previous model

The same look and sound – but not quite the same noise-cancelling performance. The Bose QC Ultra Earbuds remain an impressive pair of true wireless earbuds, but there are areas for improvement

Class-leading noise-cancellation ; Very comfortable to wear ; Reliable wireless performance ; Richer but still balanced sound

Odd call performance ; Sony still the more exciting listen ; Expensive ; Immersive Audio works but lacks detail and sounds thin

The QuietComfort Ultra Headphones are the best noise-cancelling over-ears on the market with Bose somehow managing to best its predecessors’ already excellent performance.

Punchy, musical sound ; Solid, weighty bass ; Excellent ANC ; Comfortable

Immersive Audio slashes battery life ; No wireless charging

History repeats itself with Bose’s new flagship wireless earbuds – they nail comfort, noise-cancelling and sound quality

Folding design ; Rich, full-bodied sound ; Punchy, dynamic delivery ; Exceptional noise cancelling

Immersive Audio is unconvincing ; Expensive compared to key rivals ; Can’t be used via USB-C

Bose has brought its ‘A’ game with the QuietComfort Ultra Headphones. These flagship wireless headphones are pricey, but they deliver class-leading, customisable ANC, while sound quality is both hugely accomplished and hugely entertaining. They have...

Fantastic, detailed sound with rich bass ; Class-leading noise-stopping power ; Comfortable and premium, with folding design ; Great smart features

24-hour battery life is weak ; Some will prefer a more neutral sound ; No USB-C audio input ; No LE Audio support (but it's promised)

The Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones are not cheap, but from the moment you start using them, they feel worth every penny. The sound quality is electrifying, and the noise cancellation swallows you into a black hole of silence. They're also...

Top notch sound ; Incredible comfort ; Great app with powerful EQ ; Incredible noise cancellation ; Aware mode is fantastic

They look strange ; Case is larger than some ; 2 hour case recharge

Put simply – if you're in the market for one of the best sounding pairs of earbuds, these sit in scarce company. They are some of the very best, complete with a top notch app with a really usable range of adjustment on offer. You'll even find...

Excellent device-agnostic head-tracked immersive audio ; Lossless audio codec support ; Still the best noise-cancelling in a set of earbuds

Case cannot charge wirelessly unless you buy a cover ; Physically very similar to the QCE II

Glance at the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds and you may think not much has changed in a year. And you'd be right, until we look a little deeper. Under the hood, you now get Snapdragon Sound certification with aptX Adaptive support, plus Bose's...

Outstanding noise cancellation ; Confident, detailed performance ; Great control app

Undoubtedly pricey ; Immersion Mode is hit and miss

The Bose QuietComfort Ultra surprise probably no one by being a superb pair of headphones, offering market-leading noise cancellation and a confident, detail-oriented performance that makes the most of whatever music you throw at them. They are...

Deeply impressive noise-cancellation ; Detailed, balanced and confident sound ; Light and comfortable to wear

Bafflingly expensive ; Look and feel doesn’t match the asking price ; Not every song suits being ‘immersive’

They sound brilliant, cancel noise like champions and they’re comfortable, too. But the look and feel isn’t great and they are bafflingly expensive compared to the competition.

Top-notch noise cancellation ; Big, detailed and engaging sound ; Impressive spatial technology

Average battery life ; Pricier than closest rivals

A top-notch pair of in-ears that takes audio experiences to the next level while still delivering that industry-leading ANC. Are they worthy of an upgrade over their predecessors though? Probably not.