Bose just unveiled the successors to some of our favorite open earbuds — and there’s even a cheaper option to make Shokz a little, er, shocked

Bose unveils two new clip (or ear cuff style) earbuds
Bose Sport Open Earbuds are a more affordable, simple option
Ultra Open Earbuds 2nd Gen supersede our top picks, with some refinements

For a long time, the Bose Ultra Open Earbuds took pride of place as the ‘best premium open earbuds’ in our round-up of the absolute best open earbuds. Even if the Shokz OpenDots 2 hadn’t stolen that spot recently, it’s likely a new competitor would have — this category is growing like you wouldn’t believe.

And Bose is back too, with upgraded flagship open earbuds called, as you might have guessed, the Ultra Open Earbuds (2nd Gen), which bring some refinements over the first-gen clip-style buds. They’re set to sell from October 1, for £299.95 (about $400, AU$600, but we’re waiting on international pricing).

This offering doesn’t come alone. Likely taking inspiration from rival Shokz and the OpenDots Air, Bose has unveiled a cheaper alternative and called it the Sport Open Earbuds. These buds cut some of the features, use a different design, and will start selling on October 15, for £179.95 (roughly $240, AU$360). That makes them Bose’s first affordable open earbuds.

Lay me down on a bed of Boses

The Bose Ultra Open Earbuds (2nd Gen) on some orange blocks. — (Image credit: Bose)

Let’s start by looking at the sequel set: the Ultra Open Earbuds (2nd Gen). These mostly retain the angular look of the originals, but with a slightly revised look for a better hold, and a charging case that’s easier to open and close (and has little feet so it can stay upright).

Under the hood, there have been a number of small refinements like a higher volume, extended battery life and improved bass response. They also feature Bose’s TrueSpatial audio, improving on Bose Immersive Audio, to provide better spatial audio while you’re exercising.

Like the previous Ultras, these are a premium product, and I see most people skipping them for the price tag alone. That’s where the other buds come in.

The Bose Sport Open Earbuds ditch the angular look of the Ultras, for a more standard curvy clip-style design. That is to say, despite being new, I’ve been seeing these puppies for years.

Bose hasn’t detailed the audio specs of these buds — it rarely does for its headphones, frustratingly for coverage — but reading between the lines, the Sport Open won’t have quite the same bass response as the Ultras. I’m sure they won’t sound bad, but you’re not getting Ultra sound.

I’m pleased to see that the Sport Open have an IP54 rating, which makes them better-protected than the IPX4 Ultras, even if their battery life is slightly worse at 7 hours. However most features, specifically Bose ones, are likely missing here. There’s no mention of TrueSpatial Audio, for example.

With the Bose Sport Open Earbuds, you’ll likely miss some of the fancy tools of the Ultra. But just as in the Shokz rivals mentioned before, many users might not mind, if they’re getting a more affordable product for it. I see the Sport Open being the more popular of the two here.

A note, before you get too excited for the new buds. While researching this article, I noticed that the original Bose Ultra are enjoying quite a solid discount in the US, perhaps to clear stock. You can get them for just $200 at Amazon, which is a $100 saving, effectively making them a better pair of ‘budget’ buds than the Sport Open. Just food for thought.

Bose - Ultra Open-Ear