Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones

Bose's latest flagship pair of wireless ANC headphones impress

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₹24,989

With the top-of-the range QuietComfort Ultra Headphones, Bose has shown not only that it can play with the class leaders, but raise the bar in certain areas.

The Ultra Headphones look like a premium pair of over-ears, and the use of metal for the arms and yokes combined with the pleather on the headband and earcups make for an attractive combination. Like a lot of modern designs, the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones fold flat, but they're still hinged which means they (and the supplied carry case) take up less space and are easier to just throw in a bag if you're in a hurry. That's something you can't say about the Apple AirPods Max.

The grip pressure on the Bose is well judged, and the clamping force is slightly stronger than the Sonys, which we think some users will prefer. The all-round cushioning on the earpads is still good enough to make for a comfortable listening experience - they offer a good seal and level of isolation.

On the right earcup there's a button for power/Bluetooth pairing, a clever capacitive touch strip for volume and accessing shortcuts, and a multifunctional button which can be used for various tasks, including switching listening modes, answering calls and controlling playback.

The capacitive strip (or ridge) is quite short and tucked away but we found it nice and responsive when sliding our thumb to move the volume up and down.

The left earcup has an LED indicator, 2.5mm jack and USB-C charging port (unfortunately, you can't listen over a wired USB connection). Bose claims battery life is up to 24 hours with Immersive Audio turned off and 18 hours with it turned on, and these figures seem to be matched during testing, although they do still lag behind the Sony XM6's 30 hours.

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