Bose QuietComfort Ultra 2 launches with longer battery life

Bose has released the second generation of its QuietComfort Ultra headphones, making the updated over ear model available Oct. 2 with a retail price of $449. The new QuietComfort Ultra 2 brings several usability and audio features aimed at travelers and longtime noise cancelling users, including longer battery life, lossless USB-C playback, a new Cinema Mode for spatialized audio, and automatic wear detection.

Bose lists the headphones as offering up to 30 hours of battery life with active noise cancelling enabled and up to 45 hours with it off, an increase from about 24 hours in the prior generation. The company also added USB-C lossless audio support so users can listen via a wired connection with higher fidelity, and the USB-C cable can charge the headset while in use. A 2.5mm to 3.5mm analog cable is included for traditional wired listening and passive playback when the headphones are unpowered.

A number of software and convenience upgrades accompany the hardware changes. Bose’s CustomTune personalization analyzes listeners’ ear characteristics to adjust sound, and a new Cinema Mode is designed to expand spatial effects for movies and shows. The companion app adds finer ANC...