Bose
Bose Ultra Open Earbuds
$299
Released 2024-02
Best Open Ear Earbuds · head-to-head
A sourced, side-by-side comparison. Sony LinkBuds Open (WF-L910) is cheaper at $199.99. Every spec and price links to its source.
Bose
$299
Released 2024-02
Sony
$199.99Cheaper
Released 2025-01
On the specs we track, they're closely matched. The Sony LinkBuds Open (WF-L910) is the cheaper at $199.99.
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. Prices verified at capture; live price may differ.
✓ marks the stronger figure where "more" — or "less", for price and weight — is unambiguously better.
| Spec | | |
|---|---|---|
| US price | $299 | $199.99 |
| Brand | Bose | Sony |
| Released | 2024-02 | 2025-01 |
| Msrp usd | 299 | 199.99 |
| Fit style | cuff | open-ring |
| Driver size (mm) | — | 11 |
| Battery buds hours | 7 | 8 |
| Battery total hours | 27 | 22 |
| Bluetooth version | 5.3 | 5.3 |
| IP rating | IPX4 | IPX4 |
| Weight per bud grams | — | 5.1 |
| Wireless charging | No | No |
| Multipoint connect | Yes | Yes |
Sources — Bose Ultra Open Earbuds: bose.com (verified 2026-06-27). Sony LinkBuds Open (WF-L910): sony.com (verified 2026-06-27).
Where the two actually differ on the specs we track (4 of 10). Matching specs are omitted.
Sourced tester consensus for each — the "what people who used it think" layer, not just specs.
All four whitelisted outlets (SoundGuys, What Hi-Fi, TechRadar, Engadget) reviewed this exact model hands-on. All four praise the comfortable clip-on open fit that stays put during workouts and all-day wear. Three (SoundGuys, What Hi-Fi, TechRadar) explicitly flag the $299 / £299 price as high. They split sharply on sound: TechRadar and What Hi-Fi call the bass impressively full, while SoundGuys and Engadget find it subdued and the open design a genuine compromise. (4 sourced reviews, 4 lab-tested.)
Praised: Comfortable, secure clip-on open fit that stays put during workouts and all-day wear; Situational awareness suits running, cycling and office use; Very little sound leakage for an open design.
Flagged: Expensive at $299 / £299, on par with Bose's flagship in-ear ANC buds; Subdued bass and sound quality compromised versus sealed in-ear buds; Mediocre microphone / call quality in wind or ambient noise.
Three whitelisted hands-on reviews survived verification (What Hi-Fi?, SoundGuys, GSMArena). Verdict: a clever, feature-rich open earbud whose ring driver sacrifices bass and struggles in noisy places, and whose one-size fit is polarizing. Comfortable and secure for two testers, unwearable for another. Good measured battery (8h18m-9h30m from the buds), but mediocre sound value at $200. (3 sourced reviews, 2 lab-tested.)
Praised: Comfortable, secure fit from the air-filled wing supports (for testers whose ears suit them); Prominent, natural midrange is the sonic high point; Strong feature set: LC3/LE Audio, multipoint, Auracast, head-gesture controls.
Flagged: Weak, near-absent bass and limited overall sound quality inherent to the ring/open design; Open design leaks sound out and lets noise in, so music is easily drowned out in noisy places; One-size-fits-all fit is polarizing and can fail entirely on smaller ears.