Bose Ultra Open Earbuds have attracted considerable attention from users seeking comfortable, situationally aware alternatives to traditional in-ear and over-ear headphones.

The Good

• Comfort and Wearability: Many users praised the comfort and long-wear capability of the Bose Ultra Open Earbuds, particularly those who struggle with traditional earbud fit:
  • “I finally can listen to music for more than an hour without my ears hurting.” (6 upvotes) “
  • Comfort: 10/10! So good.” (3 upvotes)
  • “I can’t keep any earbuds in my ears, and I walk a lot on city streets, so I need to be aware of my surroundings… These headphones have been a lifesaver. They are so comfortable and the battery life lasts forever.” (7 upvotes)
  • “Not buying another pair of something else ever if I can help it. Years of in-ear earbuds falling out because of my awkwardly angled ear canal and small ears solved.” (7 upvotes)
• Sound Quality:Users frequently expressed surprise at the sound depth and clarity, noting it exceeded expectations for an open-ear design:
  • “The sound is so good it freaks me out sometimes.” (3 upvotes)
  • “Best earbuds yet for listening to music. The sound quality is just amazing — I frequently think I’m in front of a real stereo system.” (5 upvotes) “Sound is impressive — very open and has a lot of sub bass even at 50% volume.” (4 upvotes)
• Situational Awareness A key advantage for many was being able to enjoy music while staying aware of their surroundings:
  • “The biggest advantage of this design is listening to music quite loud while being totally aware of surrounding voices and sounds.” (7 upvotes)
  • “Using it for city biking makes me feel safe riding and listening to music.” (5 upvotes)
  • “I just worked a 10-hour shift with both earbuds on while talking to customers — they didn’t overpower my ears one bit.” (3 upvotes)
• Secure Fit Despite their open design, users found the fit reliable even during movement:
  • “I have violently shook my head several times, but they’ve never fallen off.” (4 upvotes) “Fit is very snug — you can honestly full-on sprint and they’ll stay in.” (3 upvotes)

The Not So Good

• Call Quality Issues The most common complaint was poor microphone and call performance:
  • “Everything about them is awesome, except for the microphone call quality — it’s downright atrocious. Everyone I call points it out.” (22 upvotes)
  • “The call quality is truly terrible.” (3 upvotes) “I bought the Bose ones but they were bad for phone calls — the volume was too low even at max.” (5 upvotes)
• Bluetooth Connectivity Problems: Connectivity inconsistencies were also reported across multiple threads:
  • “I experience Bluetooth problems with the Bose like once a day. Out of all TWS I’ve owned, they’re by far the worst.” (3 upvotes)
  • “Never-ending connection issues… They behave like old-school Bluetooth headphones that lose connection around Wi-Fi or other Bluetooth devices.” (3 upvotes)
• Battery Life Concerns: Battery longevity was inconsistent for some users: “They last for five hours for me, max, even when fully charged.” (5 upvotes) “Right earbud seems to die much faster than the left — not sure why.” (4 upvotes)

Comparison to Alternatives

• vs. Shokz OpenDots: “I tried both the Bose Ultra Open and Shokz OpenDots — kept the latter. The curve just fits my ears better and the silicone’s so soft.” (3 upvotes) “I also find Shokz more comfy. For me, the call quality is already great for WFH.” (3 upvotes)
• vs. Sony LinkBuds: “Get Sony LinkBuds. Open design, exceptional call quality. In fact, made for phone calls.” (3 upvotes) “I found the Sony buds fell out a lot when running or working out.” (3 upvotes)
• vs. Budget Alternatives: “The Soundpeats Pearl Clip Pro comes close for far less money, and the Soundcore AeroFit 2 is awesome for a hook style open.” (3 upvotes) “Personally I’d give the cheaper Soundcore ear-clip models a try — I’ve had really solid experiences with that brand.” (3 upvotes)

Tips and Tricks

• Keep Volume Moderate“They’re not meant to be played above 65% — otherwise it defeats the open-ear purpose of hearing your surroundings.” (4 upvotes) “They’re great at low volume — it’s like small speakers playing in the background, with surprisingly good imaging.” (4 upvotes)
• Device Switching“Hold the device-swap button until you hear the name of the device. Keep holding until you get to the one you want.” (6 upvotes) “Yeah, it’s not one click per device — keep holding until it cycles through.” (3 upvotes)
• Battery Optimization“With stereo-only mode (no immersion, no adaptive volume), I get 7.5 hours easily. The 20-min charge for 2 hours of playtime also works great.” (3 upvotes) “I bought two sets so I never have to worry about charge times.” (3 upvotes)

The Verdict

Overall, Reddit users express mixed but largely positive opinions of the Bose Ultra Open Earbuds. The standout strengths are comfort, situational awareness, and surprisingly rich sound quality for an open-ear design. They’re particularly appreciated by users who can’t tolerate in-ear buds or need ambient awareness for commuting, office work, or casual listening. However, common frustrations include poor call quality, frequent Bluetooth issues, and inconsistent battery performance.