Bose Unveils $199 Sport Open Earbuds and $299 Ultra Open 2 as Cuff Line Expands

Q: With louder volume and immersive Cinema mode, do these new open earbuds secretly defeat the entire purpose of staying aware of your surroundings?

No. They push open-ear earbuds closer to conventional listening, but they do not erase the core trade-off: your ear canal remains open, so outside sound still gets in. What Bose is doing is addressing the category’s biggest weaknesses. Open earbuds are popular precisely because runners, cyclists, commuters and office workers want situational awareness, but they usually sacrifice bass, detail and loudness. A stronger driver, Auto Volume and Cinema mode are Bose’s attempt to make the format more usable and enjoyable without turning it into a sealed, noise-isolating earbud. There is still no active noise cancellation here, and Bose explicitly keeps these models “non-occluding.” That said, awareness is not guaranteed just because the design is open. If users turn the volume up high enough, especially with richer bass and a more expansive spatial mode, audio can still mask traffic, voices or announcements. Auto Volume may also raise playback in noisy places, which helps audibility but can reduce practical awareness if overused. So the real answer is that Bose is narrowing the sound-quality gap, not defeating the purpose. These earbuds still preserve more environmental awareness than in-ear or noise-canceling models, but they rely more on user restraint than on technology to keep that awareness meaningful. For workouts, commuting and casual multitasking, they remain aligned with the open-ear idea; for maximum immersion, sealed earbuds or headphones are still the better tool.

Q: Can a $199 fitness earbud with merely average water resistance truly survive the grueling workouts of serious athletes?

For most serious athletes, yes—but only for sweat, rain, dust, and hard movement, not for immersion or extreme wet conditions. The Bose Sport Open Earbuds are built around stability more than sealing. Bose says the smaller C-shaped cuff, soft silicone finish, and tactile controls are meant to stay put during running, gym work, and fast head movement, and the company is explicitly marketing them for strenuous exercise. That matters as much as water resistance for athletes, because fit failure is often the bigger problem in training. The limitation is the IP54 rating. In practical terms, that is solid protection against sweat, splashes, light rain, and dust, but it is not swim-proof and not class-leading for workout earbuds. Competing sport-focused models such as some Shokz, JBL, and budget rivals offer IP55, IP66, IP67, or even IP68, which provide a larger safety margin for heavy sweat, downpours, mud, or repeated rinse-offs. So the answer depends on the athlete. For runners, cyclists, gym users, and outdoor trainers who want situational awareness, IP54 is likely sufficient if the earbuds are dried and cleaned after use. For triathletes, swimmers, obstacle racers, or anyone training in prolonged heavy rain, they are the wrong tool. At $199, Bose is selling comfort, open-ear awareness, and a secure sport fit—not maximum ruggedness. Serious athletes can use them confidently for most workouts, but not for the harshest environments where higher-rated rivals are safer.

3 articles · Updated · Bloomberg · Sep 17

$199 Sport Open and $299 Ultra Open 2 headline Bose’s latest open-ear push, with preorders starting Sept. 19 and shipments due Oct. 1.
Sport Open targets workouts with a lightweight, dust-resistant design, textured physical buttons and up to 7 hours of battery life.
Ultra Open 2 focuses on upgrades to the pricier model, adding lower lag, a redesigned case with wireless charging and up to 9 hours of battery life.
Both earbuds keep Bose’s C-shaped cuff design that wraps around the earlobe, extending the company’s distinctive open-ear lineup.