Bose Ultra Open Earbuds review: the best-sounding clip-on, with a rain rating

What this review is based on

This page reads Bose's own product page for the first and second generation (both fetched September 21, 2026) and applies the site's rubric to what Bose publishes: the fit system, the IP rating, weight, battery figures, charging, codecs and controls. Where a conclusion goes beyond what Bose states, it is labeled as our reading. The full method is at How We Rank.

Who it's for, and who should skip it

For: people who wear glasses, hats or helmets and can't stand an ear-hook; people who want a real button on each earbud; people whose exercise is walking, cycling, moderate gym work or running in rain rather than a soaking treadmill hour; anyone who values the Bose app, EQ and Immersive Audio.

Skip: heavy sweaters, hot-yoga and spin-class regulars, and anyone who has already killed an IPX4 pair. Also skip it if you need more than 7 hours per charge (the 2nd Gen gets 9) or if you want wireless charging on the 1st Gen (only the 2nd Gen has it).

Fit and retention

The Ultra Open is the cuff that defined the clip-on category. A flexible bridge joins a speaker pod on the inside of the outer ear to a battery barrel on the outside. Bose lists each earbud at 0.014 lb (about 6.4 g), which puts it in the same light class as the Shokz OpenDots and Soundcore AeroClip. Nothing sits in the canal and nothing goes over the ear.

On our rubric a clip-on scores 8 of 10 for fit security: secure through running, cycling and lifting, one notch below an ear-hook or a neckband for hard repeated impact, where a cuff can rotate on landing. If your sport is box jumps or contact, see the hook and neckband options on earbuds that don't fall out.

Sweat and the IPX4 question

Bose's page says “IPX4 rating for water resistance.” Under IEC 60529 the second-digit 4 test is splashing water from any direction; the X means dust wasn't rated. That is a genuine rating and it covers rain and a normal amount of sweat. What it doesn't cover is the situation people write to us about: an hour of sweat pooling in a hinge and a charging contact, every day, with salt left behind when it dries.

Sound, leakage and Immersive Audio

Bose doesn't publish a driver size, so we score sound on what it does publish: AAC and SBC codecs, a Bose EQ, and Immersive Audio, a spatial mode that Bose says cuts battery from 7 hours to 4 on the 1st Gen. The design pushes sound toward the canal from the pod, which is the same approach every open-ear uses; Bose's reputation and pricing are the reason we score it a 9 on sound, and that is a reputation judgment we label as such. Leakage is inherent to any open ear and Bose publishes no leakage-control mode; see open-ear sound leakage if you mostly listen in quiet rooms.

Battery, charging and controls

Up to 7 hours per charge with Immersive Audio and Auto Volume off, up to 4 with either on. The case adds up to 19.5 hours, a 10-minute charge adds up to 2 hours, and a full earbud charge takes an hour. Bose lists standby at 48 hours. Multipoint is supported (two devices at once). Controls are a button on each barrel, customizable in the app, which is our preferred control type for anything used with wet fingers.

1st Gen vs 2nd Gen

The 2nd Gen keeps the cuff and the IPX4 rating. It changes: battery to 9 hours (5 with one spatial feature, 4 with both), Bluetooth 5.4, two microphones with SpeechClarity, a wireless-charging case, a metallic finish and a new Cinema Mode. Bose lists each 2nd Gen earbud at 0.013 lb, marginally lighter. If the 1st Gen is discounted and calls aren't a priority, it is the same fit and the same sweat story for less.

Alternatives

Against Sony's cuff

The other premium clip-on worth weighing this against is Sony's, and the decision turns on controls and a leakage mode rather than on sound: Bose Ultra Open vs Sony LinkBuds Clip.