Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones 2nd Gen review: comfort and noise cancelling on long flights

I'd buy the Bose QuietComfort Ultra 2nd Gen for flying and put up with the plastic. I haven't worn a pair. The measurements below belong to the outlets I name, and the 8.1 is my reading of them.

Price

Bose lists them at $449 (checked November 1, 2026). Bose's page shows an $80 discount for orders placed by November 1, 2026, so don't assume it's still on. SoundGuys says they are priced right in line with the Sony WH-1000XM6.

Comfort is the point

SoundGuys scores comfort 9.0 out of 10. It describes angled drivers, a sliding band and ample padding. The weight is 264 g, against 254 g for the Sony.

There is a long-wear catch. SoundGuys reports heat buildup and ears touching the padding over long sessions. On a 10-hour flight I'd expect that to show up in the last third.

I couldn't find a number for clamp force. Treat anyone who says these never squeeze as guessing.

Noise cancelling: good, with one dissent

SoundGuys scores the ANC 8.7 out of 10 and says it does a fantastic job. It also says the gross noise attenuation hasn't really changed from the first generation. Isolation scored 7.1.

T3 calls it an ANC step backwards: after side-by-side A-B testing against the original, it says the new model lets some higher frequencies through. TechRadar's headline calls it an evolution, not a revolution, and its text calls the noise cancelling class-leading.

My take: if you own the first generation, don't upgrade for noise cancelling.

Battery beat the claim

SoundGuys quotes Bose at up to 24 hours with ANC on, and its standardized test measured 27 hours 12 minutes. Bose's current page says up to 30 h in Quiet and Aware mode and 23 with Immersive Audio on, with a 24-hour figure in the small print. I can't reconcile those, so trust the measured number and expect less than 30.

One owner on SoundGuys' page says the battery is worse than expected in real life. That's one person, not a test. Fast charging is listed at 15 minutes for about 2.5 hours of listening, which SoundGuys calls an alleged figure.

Sound and features

SoundGuys says it sounds decent, much like the first generation, with bass 3 to 6 dB above its house curve. Between units the 3 kHz to 8 kHz region varies a lot, and it tested two. Its HEAD acoustics model rates overall sound 4.7.

Codecs are SBC, AAC, aptX Adaptive, with no LDAC. The driver is 35 mm. Water rating: None.

The app covers EQ, immersive modes, ANC strength and connections. SoundGuys finds the EQ too simplistic. It also notes the CustomTune setup runs at startup and can't be re-run, and reports some connection issues.

The build

SoundGuys calls the plastic build mercifully light, and one owner calls the plastic quality very poor. At this price I'd expect better. A travel case ships in the box, and putting the cups flat pauses playback.

Who it suits

• Frequent flyers, who benefit most from the comfort score and measured battery.
• Anyone on Android who doesn't need LDAC.
• Not for workouts, since there's no IP rating.

Where I land

For a flight-only pair I lean toward these over the Sony WH-1000XM6 at a similar price, on comfort and measured battery. Check my Sony comparison before you do, and read the roundup for flying and how noise cancelling works. The product page has the full spec list.