Bose's new open-ear earbuds start at $199 and skip ANC

Bose has announced two open-ear earbuds that leave the ear canal uncovered, led by the Sport Open Earbuds at $199 and the Ultra Open Earbuds (2nd Gen) at $299. Preorders open on 19 September and both go on sale on 1 October through Bose.com and selected retailers.

The pitch is awareness. Because nothing seals the ear, wearers keep hearing traffic, announcements and the conversation next to them. Bose states plainly that neither model offers active noise cancellation, framing that as the point of the design rather than a gap in it.

What each pair brings

The Sport Open Earbuds are built for running, gym work and time outdoors. A soft silicone C-arm cuff anchors around the ear, the physical buttons are textured for sweaty fingers, and the earbuds carry an IP54 rating for sweat, splash and dust. Custom dynamic drivers handle the sound, while Auto Volume lifts and lowers loudness as the noise around you changes. Bose rates battery life at seven hours, with 22 more in a case that stands upright and charges wirelessly.

The Ultra Open Earbuds (2nd Gen) keep the cuff silhouette of the original with a new driver that Bose says produces deeper bass and higher volume. Cinema Mode, powered by Bose TrueSpatial, widens the soundstage for video and podcasts while holding dialogue in the centre. The metallic cap gains a bevelled finish, the case now stands upright and charges wirelessly, and battery life runs to nine hours, plus 19.5 stored in that case. Snapdragon Sound with aptX Adaptive is supported on compatible Android devices.

The same audio engine underneath

Both pairs use Bose OpenAudio, which delivers sound through the air near the ear rather than through bone conduction, with Bose SoundDesign processing balancing clarity against bass. Each earbud carries a dedicated microphone and a voice-pickup unit for SpeechClarity, Bose's name for its voice-isolation processing, which the company describes as its best call quality in an open-ear design.

Connectivity is Bluetooth 5.4 with multipoint pairing for two devices, the SBC and AAC codecs and Google Fast Pair. Shortcuts can be assigned to Spotify Tap, a phone's own voice assistant and, on the Ultra model, cycling through Bose Immersive Audio. A firmware update after launch is promised to add Google Find Hub, Alexa+ and an Apple Music shortcut, while the Bose app adds a three-band equaliser, Auto Volume control and firmware management.

Bose will offer both pairs in Black or White Smoke. The Sport model also comes in a limited-edition Eucalyptus Green, and the Ultra Open (2nd Gen) in limited-edition Cherry Chocolate, Olive Green and Sky Pink. Raza Haider, president of Bose Premium Consumer Audio, said the company wanted to bring the same focus on comfort and design into sport while improving its flagship pair.

Our opinion

The open-ear category has been splitting into two camps, and Bose has now picked a side in public. Rivals have started fitting active noise cancellation into shells that leave the ear open; Bose's answer is that blocking sound out is the wrong job for this shape, and that better voice isolation plus automatic volume should cover what a filter cannot. It is a defensible position, and this is the first time Bose has stated it as a product decision rather than a limitation to be explained away.

The commercial risk sits in the price. At $299, the Ultra Open (2nd Gen) asks as much as a premium sealed pair, from a company whose central promise is that you will still hear the bus coming. Bose has hedged by holding the Sport model at $199 and by attaching Find Hub, Alexa+ and Apple Music shortcuts to a post-launch firmware update, which keeps the hardware selling toward a roadmap rather than a specification sheet. Whether buyers read 'no noise cancellation' as an honest feature or a missing one is the only question that really matters here, and Bose will not have the answer until the October numbers land.