Which has better battery life?

The 2nd Gen. Bose rates it at up to 9 hours versus up to 7 on the original, and the original drops to about 4.5 hours with Immersive Audio on.

Is the 2nd Gen worth the extra money?

If you take calls in noisy places or listen for long stretches, yes: SpeechClarity, Auto Volume and two extra rated hours are real gains. If you mostly listen briefly outdoors, the original covers the same open-ear job.

Do either of them cancel noise?

No. Both are open-ear designs with no active noise cancelling, so you hear your surroundings by design. Use them where awareness matters, not on a loud flight.

Can I wear them running in the rain?

Both are rated IPX4, which covers sweat and light splashes. Neither is waterproof, so don't submerge them or wear them in heavy rain.

Which is better for phone calls?

The 2nd Gen. It adds SpeechClarity to isolate your voice from background noise, while the original relies on a standard built-in microphone.

Do both support multipoint?

Yes. Both connect to two devices at once over Bluetooth; the 2nd Gen uses Bluetooth 5.4 and adds Google Fast Pair for quicker setup.

Bose Ultra Open-Ear Earbuds vs Bose Ultra Open Earbuds 2nd Gen

Buy the 2nd Gen if battery life and call clarity matter most: Bose rates it at up to 9 hours versus 7 on the original, and it adds SpeechClarity and Auto Volume. Buy the original Ultra Open if you find it cheaper and mainly want the open-ear fit and Immersive Audio. Both are open-ear, IPX4, multipoint earbuds with no noise cancelling, so the gap is battery, Bluetooth version and software features.

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