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  1. Table of Contents
  2. Top
  3. Main Differences
  4. Design
    1. Style
    2. Comfort
    3. Controls
    4. Breathability
    5. Portability
    6. Case
    7. Build Quality
    8. Stability
    9. Headshots 1
    10. Headshots 2
    11. Top
    12. In The Box
  5. Sound
    1. Sound Profile
    2. Frequency Response Consistency
    3. Raw Frequency Response
    4. Bass Profile: Target Compliance
    5. Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance
    6. Treble Profile: Target Compliance
    7. Peaks/Dips
    8. Imaging
    9. Passive Soundstage
    10. Virtual Soundstage
    11. Weighted Harmonic Distortion
    12. Test Settings
  6. Isolation
    1. Noise Isolation - Full Range
    2. Noise Isolation - Common Scenarios
    3. Noise Isolation - Voice Handling
    4. ANC Wind Handling
    5. Leakage
  7. Microphone
    1. Microphone Style
    2. Recording Quality
    3. Noise Handling
  8. Active Features
    1. Battery
    2. App Support
  9. Connectivity
    1. Wired Connection
    2. Bluetooth Connection
    3. Wireless Connection (Dongle)
    4. PC Compatibility
    5. PlayStation Compatibility
    6. Xbox Compatibility
    7. Base/Dock
  10. Comments

Bose Ultra Open Earbuds vs Apple AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation

Side-by-Side Comparison

Products

Bose Ultra Open Earbuds
Apple AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation

Tested using Methodology v1.8

Updated Jan 29, 2025 07:16 PM

SEE PRICE
Amazon.com

Tested using Methodology v1.8

Updated Jan 28, 2025 06:06 PM

SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Bose Ultra Open Earbuds Picture
Apple AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation Picture
  1. Recommended in 2 articles:
  2. Earbuds For iPhone
  3. Apple

Variants

  • Ultra Open Earbuds (Black)
  • Ultra Open Earbuds (Carbon Blue)
  • Ultra Open Earbuds (Chilled Lilac)
  • Ultra Open Earbuds (Diamond 60th Edition)
  • Ultra Open Earbuds (Lunar Blue)
  • Ultra Open Earbuds (Moonstone Blue)
  • Ultra Open Earbuds (Sandstone)
  • Ultra Open Earbuds (Steve Lacy)
  • Ultra Open Earbuds (Sunset Iridescent)
  • Ultra Open Earbuds (White Smoke)
  • AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation (White)

Our Verdict

Bose Ultra Open Earbuds

Apple AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation

The Bose Ultra Open Earbuds Truly Wireless and the Apple AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation Truly Wireless are both open-back wireless earbuds, but the similarities mostly end here. The Bose will appeal to the fitness crowd, who value being able to hear their surroundings. They're more comfortable, and their wraparound fit provides greater stability. The Bose also have a significantly longer continuous battery life, at almost 10 hours. The Apple, by comparison, have a one-size-fits-all design that sits lightly in your ear canal. They come equipped with a decent ANC system that helps block out outside noise but can also filter in some external noise using 'Transparency' mode. They have a significantly more bass-heavy sound that helps bring out the kicks and basslines in electronic music. 

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Black
Ultra Open Earbuds
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White
AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Carbon Blue
Ultra Open Earbuds
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White
AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Chilled Lilac
Ultra Open Earbuds
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White
AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation
SEE PRICE
Walmart.com
Diamond 60th Edition
Ultra Open Earbuds
Searching
Finding store
 
Lunar Blue
Ultra Open Earbuds
Searching
Finding store
 
Moonstone Blue
Ultra Open Earbuds
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Finding store
 
Sandstone
Ultra Open Earbuds
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Steve Lacy
Ultra Open Earbuds
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Sunset Iridescent
Ultra Open Earbuds
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White Smoke
Ultra Open Earbuds
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Main Differences for
Neutral Sound

Threshold 

0.10

Neutral Sound 

5.0
7.3

Bass Profile: Target Compliance 
 

0.8
9.3

Peaks/Dips 
 

5.7
8.5

Imaging 
 

3.9
9.3

Treble Profile: Target Compliance 
 

5.0
3.3

Passive Soundstage 
 

2.9
1.2

Frequency Response Consistency 
 

6.7
9.4

Full Comparison

Design

Style  

Design Picture 2  

Bose Ultra Open Earbuds Design Picture 2
Apple AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation Design Picture 2

Type  

Earbuds
Earbuds

Enclosure  

Open-Back
Open-Back

Wireless  

Truly Wireless
Truly Wireless

Transducer  

Dynamic
Dynamic
Show text

Comfort 
 

8.0
7.0

Comfort Picture  

Bose Ultra Open Earbuds Comfort Picture
Apple AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation Comfort Picture

Weight  

0.03 lbs
0.02 lbs

Clamping Force 
 

0 lbs
N/A
Show text

Controls 
 

6.8
6.8

Controls Picture  

Bose Ultra Open Earbuds Controls Picture
Apple AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation Controls Picture

OS Compatibility 
 

Not OS specific
Not OS specific

Ease Of Use  

Good
Great

Feedback  

Good
Good

Call/Music Control  

Yes
Yes

Volume Control  

Yes
No

Microphone Control  

No
Mute/Unmute

Channel Mixing 
 

No
No

Noise Cancelling Control  

No
On/Off

Talk-Through 
 

No
On/Off

Additional Controls  

Presets
Voice Assistant
Show text

Breathability 
 

Breathability After Picture  

Avg.Temp.Difference  

Portability 
 

9.5
9.6

Portability Picture  

Bose Ultra Open Earbuds Portability Picture
Apple AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation Portability Picture

 

1.4" (3.5 cm)
1.3" (3.3 cm)

 

1.1" (2.8 cm)
1.0" (2.6 cm)

 

0.7" (1.8 cm)
0.7" (1.7 cm)

Volume  

1.08 in³ (17.64 cm³)
0.88 in³ (14.49 cm³)

Transmitter Required  

No
No
Show text

Case 
 

7.5
9.0

Case Picture  

Bose Ultra Open Earbuds Case Picture
Apple AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation Case Picture

Type  

Hard case
Hard case

 

2.6" (6.5 cm)
1.8" (4.6 cm)

 

2.0" (5.0 cm)
2.0" (5.0 cm)

 

1.0" (2.6 cm)
0.8" (2.1 cm)

Volume  

5.16 in³ (84.50 cm³)
2.95 in³ (48.30 cm³)
Show text

Build Quality 
 

8.0
8.0

Build Quality Picture  

Bose Ultra Open Earbuds Build Quality Picture
Apple AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation Build Quality Picture
Show text

Stability 
 

9.0
7.5

Stability Picture  

Bose Ultra Open Earbuds Stability Picture
Apple AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation Stability Picture
Show text

Headshots 1  

Angled Picture  

Bose Ultra Open Earbuds Angled Picture
Apple AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation Angled Picture

Side Picture  

Bose Ultra Open Earbuds Side Picture
Apple AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation Side Picture

Headshots 2  

Front Picture  

Bose Ultra Open Earbuds Front Picture
Apple AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation Front Picture

Rear Picture  

Bose Ultra Open Earbuds Rear Picture
Apple AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation Rear Picture

Top  

Top Picture  

Bose Ultra Open Earbuds Top Picture
Apple AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation Top Picture

In The Box  

In The Box Picture  

Bose Ultra Open Earbuds In The Box Picture
Apple AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation In The Box Picture
Show text
Sound

Sound Profile 
 

Sound Profile  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Normalization Frequency 
 

600 Hz
500 Hz

Bass Amount 
 

-21.2 dB
-1.0 dB

Treble Amount 
 

2.9 dB
-6.2 dB
Show text

Frequency Response Consistency 
 

6.7
9.4

Consistency L  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Consistency R  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Avg. Std. Deviation 
 

0.69 dB
0.13 dB
Show text

Raw Frequency Response 
 

Raw FR L  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Raw FR R  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Bass Profile: Target Compliance 
 

0.8
9.3

Bass Profile: Target Compliance  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

RMS Deviation From Target 
 

26.7 dB
2.5 dB

Low-Frequency Extension 
 

118.15 Hz
20.74 Hz

Low Bass 
 

-37.73 dB
-2.81 dB

Mid Bass 
 

-14.66 dB
0.47 dB

High Bass 
 

-2.41 dB
0.3 dB
Show text

Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance 
 

9.6
9.4

Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

RMS Deviation From Target 
 

0.63 dB
0.81 dB

Low Mid 
 

0.3 dB
0.17 dB

Mid-Mid 
 

-0.28 dB
-0.75 dB

High Mid 
 

-0.82 dB
-0.48 dB
Show text

Treble Profile: Target Compliance 
 

5.0
3.3

Treble Profile: Target Compliance  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

RMS Deviation From Target 
 

5.01 dB
6.55 dB

Low Treble 
 

2.83 dB
-6.97 dB

Mid Treble 
 

2.92 dB
-5.28 dB

High Treble 
 

-5.78 dB
-3.27 dB
Show text

Peaks/Dips 
 

5.7
8.5

Peaks/Dips Graph 
 

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Peaks 
 

2.82 dB
0.8 dB

Dips 
 

2.86 dB
1.51 dB
Show text

Imaging 
 

3.9
9.3

Group Delay  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Phase Response Mismatch  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Weighted Group Delay 
 

4.06
0.23

Weighted Phase Mismatch 
 

39.63
0.78

Weighted Amplitude Mismatch 
 

3.35
0.44

Weighted Frequency Mismatch 
 

2.66
0.53
Show text

Passive Soundstage 
 

2.9
1.2

PRTF  

Bose Ultra Open Earbuds PRTF
Apple AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation PRTF

PRTF Accuracy (Std. Dev.) 
 

N/A
N/A

PRTF Size (Avg.) 
 

N/A
N/A

PRTF Distance 
 

N/A
N/A

Openness 
 

10
3.1

Acoustic Space Excitation 
 

3.1
1.9
Show text

Virtual Soundstage 
 

2.9
5.0

Virtual Soundstage  

Bose Ultra Open Earbuds Virtual Soundstage
Apple AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation Virtual Soundstage

Head Modeling 
 

No
On/Off

Speaker Modeling 
 

On/Off
On/Off

Room Ambience 
 

No
No

Head Tracking 
 

On/Off
On/Off

Virtual Surround 
 

No
Personalized Spatial Audio
Show text

Weighted Harmonic Distortion 
 

6.4
7.6

Weighted Harmonic Distortion  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

WHD @ 90 
 

0.751
0.239

WHD @ 100 
 

0.488
0.153
Show text

Test Settings 
 

Firmware 
 

1.9.8+g0413358
7B19

Power 
 

On
On

Connection 
 

Bluetooth 5.3
Bluetooth

Codec 
 

SBC, 16-bit, 48kHz
AAC, 16-bit, 48kHz

Test Instrument  

TP-Link BE9300 BT 5.4
Audio Precision APx517B

EQ 
 

Default
Adaptive EQ

ANC 
 

No ANC
On

Tip/Pad 
 

Default
Default

Microphone 
 

Integrated
Integrated
Show text
Isolation

Noise Isolation - Full Range 
 

0.1
6.9

Noise Isolation - Full Range Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Noise Cancelling  

No
Yes

Overall Attenuation 
 

-0.31 dB
-17.68 dB

Bass 
 

0.12 dB
-16.68 dB

Mid 
 

0.52 dB
-21.98 dB

Treble 
 

-1.75 dB
-14.15 dB
Show text

Noise Isolation - Common Scenarios 
 

0.2
7.6

Noise Isolation - Common Scenarios Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Airplane Noise Attenuation 
 

-0.42 dB
-18.69 dB

Airplane Noise Isolation Audio 
 

Office Noise Attenuation 
 

-0.32 dB
-17.67 dB

Office Noise Isolation Audio 
 

Street Noise Attenuation 
 

-0.44 dB
-19.17 dB

Street Noise Isolation Audio 
 

Show text

Noise Isolation - Voice Handling 
 

Female Voice 1 
 

Male Voice 1 
 

Female Voice 2 
 

Male Voice 2 
 

ANC Wind Handling 
 

ANC Wind Handling Graph  

Bose Ultra Open Earbuds ANC Wind Handling Graph
See details on graph tool

ANC Wind Noise 
 

N/A
Show text

Leakage 
 

7.3
8.3

Leakage  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Leakage Audio 
 

Overall Leakage @ 1ft 
 

37.68 dB
31.95 dB
Show text
Microphone

Microphone Style 
 

Integrated 
 

Yes
Yes

In-Line 
 

No
No

Boom 
 

No
No

Detachable Boom 
 

No
No

Mic  

Yes
Yes

Recording Quality 
 

6.9
6.7

Microphone Frequency Response  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Recorded Speech 
 

LFE 
 

87.24 Hz
285.09 Hz

FR Std. Dev. 
 

3.57 dB
4.61 dB

HFE 
 

6,267.15 Hz
4,902.93 Hz

Weighted THD 
 

28.627
1.163

Gain 
 

-8.63 dB
27.43 dB
Show text

Noise Handling 
 

7.0
6.7

SpNR  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

SpNR 
 

18.87 dB
31.12 dB

Noise Gate 
 

Always On
No

Speech + Pink Noise Handling 
 

7.0
7.5

Speech + Pink Noise Audio Sample  

Speech + Subway Noise Handling 
 

7.0
5.5

Speech + Subway Noise Audio Sample  

Show text
Active Features

Battery 
 

7.9
6.7

Battery Type 
 

Rechargable
Rechargable

Continuous Battery Life 
 

9.5 hrs
4.5 hrs

Additional Charges 
 

2.8
4.0

Total Battery Life 
 

26.6 hrs
22.5 hrs

Charge Time 
 

0.8 hrs
0.5 hrs

Power-Saving Feature 
 

Auto-Off Timer
Standby mode

Audio While Charging 
 

Yes
Yes

Passive Playback 
 

No
No

Charging Port  

USB-C
USB-C
Show text

App Support 
 

7.0
7.0

App Picture  

Bose Ultra Open Earbuds App Picture
Apple AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation App Picture

App Name  

Bose Music
iOS Interface

iOS  

Yes
Yes

Android  

Yes
No

macOS  

No
Yes

Windows  

No
No

Equalizer 
 

Graphic + Presets
No

ANC Control 
 

No
On/Off

Mic Control  

No
No

Room Effects 
 

Yes
No

Playback Control 
 

Yes
No

Button Mapping  

Yes
Yes

Surround Support 
 

No
Yes
Show text
Connectivity

Wired Connection 
 

0.0
0.0

Cable Picture  

Bose Ultra Open Earbuds Cable Picture
Apple AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation Cable Picture

Analog Audio 
 

No
No

USB Audio 
 

No
No

Detachable 
 

No
No

Length 
 

N/A
N/A

Connector 
 

No Wired Option
No Wired Option

Latency - Analog 
 

N/A
N/A

Latency - USB 
 

N/A
N/A

Recorded Latency 
 

N/A
N/A

Recorded Latency Connection  

No Wired Audio
No Wired Audio
Show text

Bluetooth Connection 
 

6.9
7.3

Bluetooth Version 
 

5.3
5.3+H2 chip

Multi-Device Pairing 
 

No
Yes (Apple Ecosystem)

Quick Pair (Android) 
 

No
No

Quick Pair (iOS) 
 

No
Yes

Line Of Sight Range 
 

334.65 ft (102.00 m)
250.33 ft (76.30 m)

Latency - SBC 
 

303 ms
243 ms

Latency - aptX 
 

N/A
N/A

Latency - aptX Adaptive (High Quality) 
 

372 ms
N/A

Latency - aptX Adaptive (Low Latency) 
 

95 ms
N/A

Latency - LDAC 
 

N/A
N/A

Recorded Latency 
 

Recorded Latency Codec  

aptX Adaptive (Low Latency)
SBC

AAC Support 
 

Yes
Yes
Show text

Wireless Connection (Dongle) 
 

0.0
0.0

Line Of Sight Range 
 

N/A
N/A

Latency - Dongle 
 

N/A
N/A

Recorded Latency 
 

N/A
N/A

PC Compatibility 
 

Analog 
 

No
No

Wired USB 
 

No
No

Non-BT Wireless 
 

No
No
Show text

PlayStation Compatibility 
 

PS4 Analog 
 

No
No

PS4 Wired USB 
 

No
No

PS4 Non-BT Wireless 
 

No
No

PS5 Analog 
 

No
No

PS5 Wired USB 
 

No
No

PS5 Non-BT Wireless 
 

No
No

Xbox Compatibility 
 

Xbox One Analog 
 

No
No

Xbox One Wired USB 
 

No
No

Xbox One Non-BT Wireless 
 

No
No

Xbox Series X|S Analog 
 

No
No

Xbox Series X|S Wired USB 
 

No
No

Xbox Series X|S Non-BT Wireless 
 

No
No

Base/Dock 
 

2.2
2.2

Type 
 

Charging Case
Charging Case

USB Input 
 

No
No

Line In 
 

No
No

Line Out 
 

No
No

Optical Input 
 

No
No

RCA Input 
 

No
No

Dock Charging 
 

Yes
Yes

Power Supply 
 

USB-C
USB-C
Show text

Check Price

Black
Ultra Open Earbuds
Searching
Finding store
White
AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Carbon Blue
Ultra Open Earbuds
Searching
Finding store
White
AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Chilled Lilac
Ultra Open Earbuds
Searching
Finding store
White
AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation
SEE PRICE
Walmart.com
Diamond 60th Edition
Ultra Open Earbuds
Searching
Finding store
 
Lunar Blue
Ultra Open Earbuds
Searching
Finding store
 
Moonstone Blue
Ultra Open Earbuds
Searching
Finding store
 
Sandstone
Ultra Open Earbuds
Searching
Finding store
 
Steve Lacy
Ultra Open Earbuds
Searching
Finding store
 
Sunset Iridescent
Ultra Open Earbuds
Searching
Finding store
 
White Smoke
Ultra Open Earbuds
Searching
Finding store
 

Bose Ultra Open Earbuds

Apple AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation

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