What’s the deal?
The Bose Ultra Open earbuds are on sale for $250, $50 less than their original price. This deal applies to the Black, White, Lunar Blue, Moonstone Blue, and even the Diamond 60th Anniversary Edition colorways. You can find this deal on Amazon<!–> Walmart–>, andBose’s website<!–>.
ZDNET key takeaways
- At $300, the Bose Ultra Open earbuds–> are a great alternative to bone-conduction headphones.
- Thanks to Bose’s OpenAudio technology, the earbuds are ideal for runners who want to enjoy music while remaining aware of their environment.
- A lack of touch controls means you need to keep your phone close for navigation.
Living in the city, I’m not the biggest fan of using noise-canceling headphones or earbuds while I exercise in the park, walk around on busy streets, or commute on the subway. But I’m a music lover who cares a lot about the sound quality of what I listen to.
Sure, bone conduction headphones exist, but they often have a one-size-fits-all approach, either feeling too loose or bulky on the head. You could also enable transparency mode on your noise-canceling earbuds to better hear your surroundings, but I often can’t hear my music over the New York City chaos.
Also: These headphones solved my biggest issue with listening to music while running
That’s why when Bose sent me its new Ultra Open Earbuds<!–>, I was excited to try an alternative to both of the above options for my outdoor activities. Could these earbuds be a runner’s best friend? Here’s my verdict.
Starting from the outside, the short and stout case makes it very pocketable, but the fun happens when you open it up to reveal the Ultra earbuds within. The earbuds have a G-shaped design that resembles a clip-on earring, which I’ve never seen before. They cling to your outer ear, and the curved cylinder on the bottom wraps around it to anchor it into place. Shake your head all you’d like: these earbuds are not budging.
Also: These Bose earbuds are my favorite for noise cancellation
To create a sound that is both loud and private (there is a little sound leakage), the earbuds utilize Bose’s OpenAudio technology, which is part bone conduction and part air conduction. Bone conduction occurs when sound directly vibrates the bones in the inner ear, and air conduction happens when sounds are transmitted through the air and into the ear canal. If the vibrations from bone-conduction headphones tend to make you dizzy or uncomfortable, these are a great alternative.
are the way to go. I’d recommend these to outdoor exercisers, but I’d also recommend them to anybody who listens to music everywhere they go but wants an earbud that won’t take them out of their environment.
However, if your day-to-day takes you to environments where you do desire noise-canceling, consider your other options. If you want earbuds with stellar transparency mode and effective noise-canceling, consider the Apple AirPods Pro 2<!–>, the Bose QuietComfort Ultra–>, and for less money, the JLab JBuds ANC 3<!–>.
When will this deal expire?
Deals are subject to sell out or expire at any time, but Bose says that this deal runs through Oct. 13. ZDNET remains committed to finding, sharing, and updating the best product deals for you to score the best savings. Our team of experts regularly checks in on the deals we share to ensure they are still live and obtainable.