Best Wireless Earbuds · head-to-head

Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen) vs Nothing Ear (2024)

A sourced, side-by-side comparison. Nothing Ear (2024) is cheaper at $149. Every spec and price links to its source.

Which is better: the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen) or Nothing Ear (2024)?

The Nothing Ear (2024) wins 1 of the 1 specs we compare head to head; the other wins 0. The Nothing Ear (2024) is the cheaper at $149. The Nothing Ear (2024) both leads on specs and costs less — the straightforward pick.

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Full spec sheet

marks the stronger figure where "more" — or "less", for price and weight — is unambiguously better.

Spec Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen) Nothing Ear (2024)
US price $299 $149
BrandBoseNothing
Released2025-062024-04
ANC Yes Yes
Driver (mm) 11
Battery buds hr 6 5
Battery case hr 24 24
Bluetooth 5.3 5.3
IP rating IPX4 IP54
Wireless charging Yes Yes
Codecs SBC, AAC, aptX Adaptive SBC, AAC, LDAC, LHDC 5.0
Weight per bud (g) 7.3 4.6
Release 2025-06 2024-04

Sources — Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen): bose.com (verified 2026-06-15). Nothing Ear (2024): us.nothing.tech (verified 2026-06-15).

What's the difference between the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen) and Nothing Ear (2024)?

Where the two actually differ on the specs we track (4 of 9). Matching specs are omitted.

  • Battery buds hr: Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen) 6 vs Nothing Ear (2024) 5
  • IP rating: Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen) IPX4 vs Nothing Ear (2024) IP54
  • Codecs: Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen) SBC, AAC, aptX Adaptive vs Nothing Ear (2024) SBC, AAC, LDAC, LHDC 5.0
  • Weight per bud (g): Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen) 7.3 vs Nothing Ear (2024) 4.6

What reviewers say

Sourced tester consensus for each — the "what people who used it think" layer, not just specs.

Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen)

Two whitelisted outlets (SoundGuys, What Hi-Fi) both hands-on tested these and rate them a strong premium pick at an unchanged $299 / £299: class-leading noise cancelling and a comfortable, secure fit via Bose's stability bands. SoundGuys measured 85% external-noise reduction and a below-average 5h34m battery, and knocks the poor 3-band EQ. Verdicts split on sound: What Hi-Fi awards five stars for richer, punchier tuning, while SoundGuys' reviewer personally dislikes the bass/treble-heavy signature and calls the refresh minor enough to just buy the cheaper 1st-gen on sale. (2 sourced reviews, 2 lab-tested.)

Praised: Class-leading active noise cancellation; Comfortable, secure fit aided by stability bands; No price increase, still $299 / £299.

Flagged: Battery is a relative weak point (below average per SoundGuys; heavily drained by Immersive Audio per What Hi-Fi); Minor, iterative upgrade over the 1st-gen buds; Poor, limited 3-band EQ tuning options.

Nothing Ear (2024)

No sourced tester review yet.

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