These Bose Ultra Open Earbuds Are $100 Off Right Now

Open-ear headphones are growing in popularity, probably because active noise cancellation technology has become so good that people have forgotten what the world around them is like and no longer want to shut it out. The Ultra Open Earbuds are Bose’s attempt to ride the tech wave of trends, and they’re a very good option in this area, earning an 8/10 from our colleagues at CNET. And at their current price of $199.99 (originally $299.99), they’re also a great deal. This is the lowest price they’ve ever been, according to price trackers, and they come in seven different colors.

Open-ear models are not suitable for everyone, especially audiophiles. They have the same disadvantage as bone conduction headphones: they let in noise pollution, and the bass and some mids can seem weak. But the trade-off may be worth it if you want to stay aware of your surroundings, and with these headphones you’ll definitely be able to hear if a cyclist is about to pass you while you’re running down the bike path.

The Bose Ultra Open Earbuds are not waterproof, but they are water resistant; they wear a IPX4 ratingwhich means they can take some splashing, but cannot be submerged in water. The charging case uses a USB-C cable, but you can purchase a wireless charging case (sold separately) for an additional $50 if you don’t want to rely on a cable. Regardless, you’ll get about 7.5 hours of juice from the earbuds if Immersive Audio is turned off, and about two full charges from the case, for a total of about 27 hours.

Although these earbuds don’t have a multipoint connection, they do have a feature to pair two devices simultaneously and switch between them with the press of a button on the earbud – a sort of controlled multipoint connection. They are compatible with Bluetooth 5.3 and work with AAC, AptX Adaptive and SBC codecsso Android devices will experience better sound than Apple users. Both users will be able to customize the EQ on the app and use the features, which you can learn more about in CNET’s 8/10 review.