I get the appeal of the Bose Sport Open Earbuds, just not at $199
The Bose Sport Open Earbuds (2026) are built with runners, cyclists, and other “active lifestyle” enthusiasts in mind, keeping your ears open to your surroundings while using a lightweight cuff design to stay put when you’re moving. And yes, Bose already used the Sport Open Earbuds name in 2021 for a completely different model. I guess coming up with a new name was one workout too many.
At $199, these are expensive for what are essentially dedicated cardio earbuds. We’ve tested cuff-style alternatives from CMF and EarFun that cost around $80, so Bose has to offer more than a familiar logo to justify the premium. Do the Bose Sport Open Earbuds do enough to earn a spot on your next run? Let’s lace up and find out.
How has this article been updated?
This article was published on October 9, 2026, and this is the first version of the article. Updates will follow as the market changes.
What’s it like to use the Bose Sport Open Earbuds?
The Bose Sport Open Earbuds are straightforward clip-on earbuds built for running, cycling, and other workouts where awareness of your surroundings takes priority over sound quality.
Design
Running and cycling are exactly where the open-ear design makes the most sense.
The Bose Sport Open Earbuds are built with exercise in mind, but they take a very different approach from the original Sport Open Earbuds. The 2021 model used large hooks that wrapped over your ears, while the new version uses a flexible silicone cuff that wraps around the side of your ear. Nothing sits inside your ear canal, so there are no ear tips or seal to worry about.
That open design also tells you a lot about what these earbuds are trying to accomplish. Their first job is to let you hear the world around you while you run, cycle, or work out. Playing music comes second. That means making some compromises to sound quality, but that’s the tradeoff for being able to hear traffic and everything else happening around you.
Their first job is to let you hear the world around you while you run, cycle, or work out. Playing music comes second.
That doesn’t automatically make them comfortable for everyone. Personally, I find the cuff around my ear a little bothersome, much like some people dislike silicone ear tips in their ear canals. It’s not painful, but I’m always aware that I’m wearing them. Fit also varies slightly between my ears. The right earbud stays snug, while the left moves around a little more. Your experience will depend on the shape of your ears, but it’s worth keeping in mind when choosing something designed for running and other high-movement activities.
Each earbud is lightweight, but how comfortable the cuff feels will depend on your ears.
I’m glad Bose uses physical controls rather than touch-sensitive ones. They’re easy to find while I’m moving, although adjusting the volume is more complicated than I’d like. You tap once and then tap and hold to raise or lower the volume, which makes it difficult to land exactly where I want. Most of the time, I end up pulling out my phone and adjusting the volume there instead.
The IP54 rating is another important part of the sports-focused design. The earbuds can handle sweat, splashes, and some dust exposure, so whether it’s a beach run or a foggy morning, you’re good.
Features
Bose isn’t known for packing its app with features, and that doesn’t change with the Sport Open Earbuds. That’s not necessarily a problem. These are fairly straightforward earbuds designed to keep you aware of your surroundings while running or working out, and the Bose app covers the basics.
You can check the battery level of each earbud and the charging case, manage your Bluetooth source, and adjust a three-band EQ for bass, midrange, and treble. There are also Bass Boost, Bass Reducer, Treble Boost, and Treble Reducer presets for quick adjustments.
The Sport Open Earbuds skip Immersive Audio and Cinema Mode, which makes sense given their more focused purpose.
You don’t get everything found on the $299 Bose Ultra Open Earbuds (2nd Gen). The Sport Open Earbuds skip Immersive Audio and Cinema Mode, which makes sense given their more focused purpose. I don’t see much reason to use spatial audio while I’m out for a run anyway.
There’s also a customizable shortcut assigned to a press and hold on the left earbud. You can use it to access your phone’s voice assistant or control Spotify, or turn the shortcut off entirely. There aren’t many additional features beyond that, but I don’t find myself missing much. For earbuds designed for running, cycling, or working out, the basics are enough.
How do the Bose Sport Open Earbuds connect?
I always remained aware of the cuff around my ear, even though it never became painful.
The Bose Sport Open Earbuds use Bluetooth 5.4 and support the SBC and AAC codecs. You also get Bluetooth multipoint for connecting to two devices at once, along with Google Fast Pair for Android devices.
There’s no support for higher-quality Bluetooth codecs, but I’m not too bothered by that here. The open design means environmental noise will compete with whatever you’re listening to, so a higher-quality codec isn’t a high priority for me. If sound quality is your top priority, you probably aren’t shopping for open-ear earbuds in the first place.
For the most part, my connection has been stable, but I did run into a couple of hiccups while walking downtown. My music briefly glitched out and collapsed into what sounded almost like mono audio from both earbuds before snapping back into proper stereo. It only happened a couple of times, but it’s worth mentioning, considering these earbuds are designed to be used while you’re out and about.
How long does the Bose Sport Open Earbuds’ battery last?
In our standardized battery test, the Bose Sport Open Earbuds lasted 8 hours and 5 minutes on a single charge, beating Bose’s seven-hour claim by just over an hour. That’s plenty for more than a few workouts.
Additionally, a 10-minute quick charge provides up to 1.8 hours of playback, and the case supports both USB-C and wireless charging.
How well do the Bose Sport Open Earbuds block out noise?
The Bose Sport Open Earbuds block out almost no outside noise, which is exactly what they’re designed to do. With your ear canals completely open, there’s no ANC and very little isolation. In our testing, the earbuds reduced perceived loudness by just 5.1% through isolation. If you’re running or cycling outside, traffic, other people, and everything else around you remains easy to hear.
Of course, the tradeoff is that all that outside noise competes with whatever you’re listening to. As I’ll get into below, that can have a noticeable effect on what you hear, especially when you move from a quiet room to a busy street.
How do the Bose Sport Open Earbuds sound?
How the Bose Sport Open Earbuds sound depends heavily on what’s happening around you.
Reviewer’s notes
Editor’s note: this review uses a hover-enabled glossary to describe sound quality based on a consensus vocabulary. You can read about it here.
Can you use the Bose Sport Open Earbuds for phone calls?
Should you buy the Bose Sport Open Earbuds?
The earbuds have an IP54 rating to handle sweat, splashes, and some dust exposure.
The Bose Sport Open Earbuds accomplish their main goal. They keep your ears open to traffic and everything else around you, and they give you enough sound quality to enjoy some music while you run, cycle, or work out. If staying aware of your surroundings matters more to you than sound quality, this type of design makes a lot of sense.
The problem is the $199 price. Cuff-style open earbuds are everywhere now, and we’ve tested decent alternatives like the CMF Clip Pro (
) and EarFun Clip 2 (
) that cost around $80. The Sport Open Earbuds don’t have a standout feature that makes them an obvious choice over those cheaper alternatives. Our measurements don’t strengthen the value proposition either, with an Overall MDAQS score of 2.1 and very little bass strength compared with our preference curve.
None of that makes the Bose Sport Open Earbuds bad at what they’re designed to do. Their first job is to keep you aware of your surroundings, and their second job is to play music. They accomplish both, but at $199, it feels like much of the premium is paying for the Bose logo. I’d wait for a sale.
For even more alternatives to buy instead of the Bose Sport Open Earbuds, be sure to check out our complete list of the best clip-on earbuds you can buy right now.
- IP54
- Physical controls
- Lightweight design
- Battery life
The Bose Sport Open Earbuds combine an open-ear design with a secure, lightweight fit built for exercise. With IP54 protection, multipoint connectivity, and up to 7 hours of battery life, they’re worth considering for workouts where awareness matters.
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