These Bose clip-on earbuds made me a believer in the form factor (and they're on sale)

ZDNET's cardinal takeaways

• Bose Ultra Open earbuds athletics a clip-on design, making them a large alternate to accepted bone-conduction headphones.
• Thanks to Bose's OpenAudio technology, the earbuds are perfect for runners who privation to bask euphony portion remaining alert of their environment.
• For the higher price, the artillery beingness could beryllium better.

The Bose Ultra Open earbuds are connected merchantability for $250 connected Bose's website, with escaped two-day shipping included. The merchantability includes the newly-released Deep Plum colorway and volition past until May 11.

Also: The champion headphones for moving out: Expert tested and reviewed

Living successful the city, I'm not the biggest instrumentality of utilizing noise-canceling headphones oregon earbuds portion I workout successful the park, locomotion astir connected engaged streets, oregon commute connected the subway. But I'm a euphony person who cares a batch astir the dependable prime of what I perceive to.

Sure, bone conduction headphones exist, but they often person a one-size-fits-all approach, either feeling excessively escaped oregon bulky connected the head. You could besides alteration transparency mode connected your noise-canceling earbuds to amended perceive your surroundings, but I often can't perceive my euphony implicit the New York City chaos. 

Also: I was skeptical of clip-on earbuds, but Soundpeats' latest brace made maine a believer

That's wherefore erstwhile Bose sent maine its caller Ultra Open Earbuds, I was excited to effort an alternate to some of the supra options for my outdoor activities. Could these earbuds beryllium a runner's champion friend? Here's my verdict.

Starting from the outside, the abbreviated and stout lawsuit makes it precise pocketable, but the amusive happens erstwhile you unfastened it up to uncover the Ultra earbuds within. The earbuds person a G-shaped plan that resembles a clip-on earring, which I've ne'er seen before. They cling to your outer ear, and the curved cylinder connected the bottommost wraps astir it to anchor it into place. Shake your caput each you'd like: these earbuds are not budging. 

Also: The champion noise-canceling earbuds: Expert tested and reviewed

To make a dependable that is some large and backstage (there is simply a small dependable leakage), the earbuds utilize Bose's OpenAudio technology, which is portion bony conduction and portion aerial conduction. Bone conduction occurs erstwhile dependable straight vibrates the bones successful the interior ear, and aerial conduction happens erstwhile sounds are transmitted done the aerial and into the receptor canal. If the vibrations from bone-conduction headphones thin to marque you dizzy oregon uncomfortable, these are a large alternative.

The Ultra Open earbud is shaped similar a G.

Nina Raemont/ZDNET

I took the Ultra Open earbuds connected 4 outdoor runs and recovered they excelled successful debased to moderately noisy environments, similar a engaged street. I could perceive each item of my euphony and each honk and siren from the cars connected the road. When I listened to Car Seat Headrest's Can't Cool Me Down, I was good alert of the sounds astir maine and inactive enjoyed each item successful the song. 

While moving successful the parkland to Olivia Rodrigo's Brutal, I turned connected Immersive Audio, Bose's spatial audio feature, which enables a multidimensional listening experience. With this diagnostic turned on, the song's guitar riffs and Rodrigo's layered harmonies sounded similar they were each astir me, which electrified my run.

The earbuds person a useful fastener power connected the backmost of the earbud for pausing and playing music. In the realm of workout earbuds, I've recovered fastener controls to enactment acold amended than wireless interaction controls, fixed however finicky a wireless interaction power tin beryllium and however it works champion erstwhile you're sedentary. While running, wireless interaction controls don't enactment arsenic well, and a fastener power is overmuch much responsive. 

Also: Why these Bose headphones are inactive the champion I've listened to - adjacent though they're a twelvemonth old

These earbuds are not arsenic performant successful areas wherever you'd want noise-canceling technology, similar connected a subway oregon plane. Since they don't (and can't) cancel noise, you won't perceive each of your audio portion wearing these successful exceptionally noisy places. I wore the Ultra Open earbuds connected the subway portion listening to a podcast and heard astir of what my favourite podcaster was saying, but galore sentences were drowned retired by the clanging metallic cars. 

Nina Raemont/ZDNET

I'm not the benignant of idiosyncratic who wears earbuds adjacent erstwhile I'm not listening to music, but with the ear-hanging plan of the Ultra Open, I listened to my euphony connected the commute to Trader Joe's and kept them connected arsenic I shopped. These are the astir comfy and casual earbuds I've worn and could easy deterioration them for a full time and not consciousness fatigued.

Also: My favourite bony conduction headphones person 3 invaluable information features

For artillery life, the Ultra Open tin past up to 7.5 hours earlier needing a recharge, truthful adjacent powerfulness users shouldn't person to accent astir endurance. One contented I've had with Bose earbuds successful the past is that erstwhile the artillery begins to falter, truthful does the connection. That's nary antithetic with the Ultra Open earbuds, truthful I'd urge regularly charging them to debar this. 

ZDNET's buying advice

If you are looking for a brace of earbuds that puts spatial consciousness astatine the apical of the precedence list, the Bose Ultra Open earbuds are the mode to go. I'd urge these to outdoor exercisers, but I'd besides urge them to anybody who listens to euphony everyplace they spell but wants an earbud that won't instrumentality them retired of their environment. 

However, if your day-to-day takes you to environments wherever you bash tendency noise-canceling, see your different options. If you privation earbuds with stellar transparency mode and effective noise-canceling, see the Apple AirPods Pro 2, the Bose QuietComfort Ultra, and for little money, the JLab JBuds ANC 3.