Bose Ultra Open Earbuds vs Sony LinkBuds Open

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Ultra Open Earbuds compared with LinkBuds Open

	BoseUltra Open Earbuds	SonyLinkBuds Open
Overview
Released
Released	February 2024	October 2024
Sound
Type
Type	Open-ear	Open-ear
Noise cancelling
Noise cancelling	No	No
Spatial audio with head tracking
Spatial audio with head tracking	Yes	Yes
Driver size
Driver size	–	11 mm
Bluetooth codecs
Bluetooth codecs	SBC, AAC and aptX Adaptive	SBC, AAC and LC3
Chip
Chip	–	V2
Drivers
Drivers	Bose OpenAudio, a transducer in a tightly controlled acoustic structure that aims sound at the ear canal with little leakage	11 mm ring-shaped driver with a high-compliance diaphragm and high-power neodymium magnet
Chip
Chip	–	Integrated Processor V2
Noise cancelling detail
Noise cancelling detail	–	No noise cancelling; the open-ring design lets outside sound through; Adaptive Volume Control adjusts the volume to your surroundings; Speak-to-Chat
Audio features
Audio features	Bose Immersive Audio (Still keeps the sound in place as you turn your head; Motion lets it follow) using an onboard IMU; Auto Volume adjusts the volume to the noise around you; three-band EQ in the Bose app; aptX Adaptive with Snapdragon Sound devices	DSEE upscaling; 360 Reality Audio with head tracking; LE Audio (LC3); BGM effect; equaliser in the app
Battery
Listening time (maker's claim)
Listening time (maker's claim)	Up to 7 hours	Up to 8 hours
With the case
With the case	Up to 26.5 hours	Up to 22 hours
Wireless charging
Wireless charging	No	No
Battery life detail
Battery life detail	Bose UK's page gives up to 7 hours per charge (4 hours with Immersive Audio or Auto Volume on) and up to 19.5 more hours from the case (12 hours with Immersive Audio on); the launch press release and owner's guide give 7.5 hours per charge and 27 hours in total (3.5 hours per charge with both Immersive Audio and Auto Volume on); up to 48 hours connected but not playing	Up to 8 hours with AAC, SBC or LC3; 8 hours from the earbuds plus 14 hours from the case, 22 hours in total; talk time up to 4.5 hours; standby up to 13 hours; the equaliser, DSEE, Speak-to-Chat and Adaptive Volume Control shorten battery life
Charging case
Charging case	USB-C; earbuds charge in up to 1 hour, the case in up to 3 hours; a wireless charging case cover is sold separately	USB-C; about 2.5 hours to fully charge the case, 1.5 hours for the earbuds; 46.0 × 46.0 × 29.4 mm
Fast charging
Fast charging	10 minutes in the case gives up to 2 hours of playback	3 minutes of charging gives about 1 hour of playback
Design
Weight (each earbud)
Weight (each earbud)	6.4 g	5.1 g (better)
Water and sweat resistance
Water and sweat resistance	IPX4	IPX4
Bluetooth
Bluetooth	5.3	5.3
Two devices at once
Two devices at once	Yes	Yes
Controls
Controls	A physical button on top of each earbud's battery barrel for play, pause, skip, volume and calls; press-and-hold shortcut customisable in the Bose app (for example Switch Source)	Wide Area Tap on the earbud or the face in front of the ear (tap twice to play or pause; three times to skip or answer calls; five or more times for volume), reassignable in the app; head gestures to answer calls; voice control; Quick Access; IR sensors pause music when an earbud is taken out
Microphones
Microphones	–	A microphone on each earbud, with Precise Voice Pickup Technology and AI noise reduction for calls
Fit and ear tips
Fit and ear tips	Cuff-shaped design that clips onto the side of the ear, with a silicone-coated flex arm joining the speaker to a battery barrel behind the ear; plastic (PC-ABS), metal and silicone	Open-ring design held in place by Fitting Supporters; either earbud can be used on its own
Case weight
Case weight	0.097 lb (about 44 g)	About 30.6 g
Water resistance detail
Water resistance detail	IPX4 for the earbuds	IPX4 equivalent for the earbuds, excluding the sound outlet, ventilation holes and microphone holes; the charging case is not water resistant
Works with
Works with	Bose app (launched with Bose Music) for iOS and Android; multipoint connection to two devices since a July 2024 update; Google Fast Pair; Personal Surround Sound as rear speakers with the Bose Smart Soundbar (2024)	Sony | Sound Connect app for iOS and Android; multipoint connection to two devices; LE Audio with compatible devices; Auto Switch with the LinkBuds Speaker; Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa; Google Fast Pair and Microsoft Swift Pair; Bluetooth 5.3 Class 1, about 10 m range
Colours
Colours	Black and White Smoke at launch; Bose UK has since sold several limited editions, currently Desert Gold	Black, White, Violet (Olivia Rodrigo edition)
In the box
In the box	Two earbuds, charging case, USB-C (A to C) cable (30 cm), safety sheet	Earbuds, charging case, USB-C cable (USB-A to USB-C), documents