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QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds
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Tune Flex
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What we think

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The PerfectRec Earbuds or Headphones team Learn more
Updated April 11, 2024·

If you prioritize noise canceling and sound quality for a premium audio experience, choose the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds, especially for activities like air travel and exercise where their active noise canceling and sweatproof features excel. However, keep in mind they come at a premium price and have a moderate battery life and lacking performance on calls. On the other hand, the JBL Tune Flex offers very good sound quality at a lower price, also suitable for exercise with its sweatproof certification and gives you a low latency mode for better sync during videos and gaming, but they may not be as comfortable or provide as effective noise isolation as the Bose. Give Feedback

this description is based on the product variant with some specs and product variant with some specs. At the time of writing, the variant with some specs cost some dollars and the variant with some specs cost some dollars.
Advantages of the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds
  • Very good for music
  • Very good for TV and video
  • Very good for exercise
Advantages of the JBL Tune Flex
  • Excellent for podcasts and audiobooks

Key differences

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Music

8.6
QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds
Tune Flex
7.3
The Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds is very good for music, while the JBL Tune Flex is good.

Phone Calls

5.1
QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds
Tune Flex
6.3
The JBL Tune Flex is only fair for phone calls, while the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds is poor.

Podcasts and Audiobooks

6.0
QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds
Tune Flex
9.0
The JBL Tune Flex is excellent for podcasts and audiobooks, while the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds is only fair.

Noise Reduction

8.9
QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds
Tune Flex
6.5
The Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds is very good for noise reduction, while the JBL Tune Flex is only fair.

Cost

$249
QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds
Tune Flex
$60
Product image
Product image

$50

$100

$150

$200

$250

$300

$350

The Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds has a price of $249 and the JBL Tune Flex costs $60.

Build Quality

9.0
QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds
Tune Flex
8.5
The Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds has excellent build quality, while the JBL Tune Flex has very good build quality.
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Key similarities

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Gaming

8.8
QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds
Tune Flex
8.5
The Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds and JBL Tune Flex are both very good for gaming.

TV and Video

8.1
QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds
Tune Flex
7.8
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds to be very good for TV and video, while the JBL Tune Flex is good.

Battery

6.5 Hours
QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds
Tune Flex
6.5 Hours
The Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds has 6.5 hours of battery life. The JBL Tune Flex has 6.5 hours of battery life.

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How the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds and the JBL Tune Flex compare to other earbuds and headphones

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Spec Comparison

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Bose QuietComfort Ultra EarbudsJBL Tune Flex
Bose QuietComfort Ultra EarbudsJBL Tune Flex

GENERAL

Price
$249
$60
Brand
BoseJBL
Release Date
September 1, 2023September 1, 2022
Form Factor
EarbudsEarbuds
Connectivity
WirelessWireless

SOUND

Music Score
8.7/107.3/10
Phone Calls Score
5.1/106.3/10
Gaming Score
8.8/108.6/10
TV and Video Score
8.2/107.8/10
Exercise Score
8.4/107.7/10

PERFORMANCE

Battery life
6.5 Hours6.5 Hours
Wireless charging
NoNo
Charging time
2 Hours2 Hours
Bluetooth version
5.35.2
Case Battery Life
2118

FEATURES

Active Noise Cancelling
YesYes
Noise Reduction Score
8.9/106.5/10
Virtual Surround
YesNo
Android App
YesYes
iOS App
YesYes
Mic Quality
6.2/105.1/10

BUILD AND DESIGN

Build Quality
9/108.5/10
Comfort score
8.4/107.6/10
Size
MediumLarge
Weight (headset or single earbud)
7.7 Grams9 Grams
Microphone style
IntegratedIntegrated

Shopping

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Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds

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Dig into reviews and images

Soundguys

Christian Thomas | October 2023
"Bose put the time in to fix the major issues with the previous earbuds, and the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds are very befitting of its price point. While you might be tempted to save a few bucks and go with the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II on sale, fight the urge. There are enough upgrades here to justify the newer model."

JBL Tune Flex

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MajorHiFi

Gabby Bloch | May 2023
"JBL is offering a similar design and arguably better resolution than the more expensive AirPods 3rd Generation. Add to that a comfortable and versatile fit, an equalizer and pretty decent ANC, and you’ve got a quality wireless earphone. I would have loved longer battery life and more crystal calls, but for the price, you can’t complain. A solid deal overall."

Get a great deal on the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds or the JBL Tune Flex

About Bose

Bose is an American audio equipment manufacturer based out of Framingham, Massachusetts. Founded in 1964 by Amar Bose with the goal of creating a speaker system that could accurately recreate the sound of a concert hall, Bose has become one of the most prominent players in the modern consumer audio market due to the premium feel of their products and their wide brand recognition.

About JBL

JBL is an American audio equipment manufacturer. Owned by Harman International which is, itself, owned by Samsung Electronics. JBL markets a wide array of monitoring speakers, professional headphones and consumer market headphones and earbuds. It was founded in 1946 by James Bullough Lansing (whose initials give the company its name) and has become one of the most prolific audio companies ever. Their products were responsible for audio during the 1969 Woodstock Festival.

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Why trust us

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This information was produced and vetted by the PerfectRec earbuds & headphones team. We are a product research and recommendation organization that meticulously reviews and evaluates the latest earbuds or headphones information and makes it digestible for you.

By the numbers

108
Earbuds and headphones evaluated
11,340
Earbuds and headphones stats compiled
15
Proprietary Earbuds and headphones ratings developed
95,000
Recommendations made
14,250
Consumer hours saved

About the Earbuds or Headphones team

Joe Golden, Ph.D

CEO and Earbuds and Headphones Editor
Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.

Jason Lew

Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Jason is a staff expert and software engineer that has been making laptop recommendations for 7 years and moderates one of the largest laptop subreddits.

Chandradeep Chowdhury

Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Chandradeep is a staff expert and software engineer and expert in televisions and monitors. He’s been making monitor recommendations for ten years.

Luis Torres

Earbuds and Headphones Expert
Luis is a Mexico-based headphones expert. He’s been making headphone recommendations for five years and has close to 100 pairs in his personal collection.

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