Bose earbuds sport pairing. Bose Sport Earbuds Review: Designed with Runners in Mind

Bose Sport Earbuds Review: Designed with Runners in Mind

Christine Many Luff is a personal trainer, fitness nutrition specialist, and Road Runners Club of America Certified Coach.

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Bose Sport Earbuds

The Bose Sport Earbuds are ideal for runners and athletes because they offer outstanding sound and exceptional comfort, all at an excellent value.

Bose Sport Earbuds

We purchased the Bose Sport Earbuds so our reviewer could put them to the test by running with them. Keep reading for our full review.

I started running decades ago as a middle schooler, and my experience with running headphones goes back almost as far—starting with the foam, on-ear pair that came with my beloved, yellow Sony Sports Walkman. Since then, I’ve tried countless brands and styles of running headphones, and in recent years I’ve been won over by the convenience and performance of wireless earbuds.

With a comfortable fit, exceptional sound quality, and solid water resistance, the Bose Sport Earbuds are a top pick among athletes. To see if they checked all the boxes for reliable headphones for runners, I charged up a pair and hit the road (and treadmill). For weeks, I ran 60 miles with the earbuds, testing their fit, ease of use, sound quality, durability, battery life, and overall value.

Who It’s For

The high-quality Bose Sport Earbuds are designed with athletes in mind. Their high-quality sound, secure fit, protection from moisture, and ease of use make them an ideal choice for runners of all levels. While runners and other active people will appreciate the earbuds’ stellar features, they’re also a solid option for anyone who wants reliable earbuds for listening to music or taking hands-free calls.

Fit: Comfortable and secure

During test runs, the earbuds felt comfortable to wear and secure from start to finish, even when I picked up the pace to a sprint or wore them on a nine-mile run. I also wore them during some pre-run dynamic warm-ups, which involved jumping and quick movements, but the earbuds didn’t budge.

The earbuds come with three sizes of Bose’s silicone StayHear Max ear tips, so you can customize them for the right fit. The ear tips create an airtight seal to the ear canal, while the flexible wings and umbrella shape grips your ear to keep the buds in place. As a result, these earbuds scored a 5 out of 5 for fit.

Ease of use: Simple set-up and controls

Setting up the earbuds was quick and easy, as they immediately paired with an iPhone. As soon as you put them in, the earbuds announce the device to which they’re paired and their battery level. It was also easy to adjust the volume, pause music, and take a call using the touch controls, which were very responsive. The wireless connection was solid and I had no issues with dropped connections.

The charging case is also extremely user-friendly, as it’s simple to open the lid and slide the earbuds into place. Unlike other charging cases that only have one battery indicator light, the Sport Earbuds’ case has five lights that indicate their current battery level, so you’re never left guessing whether they need to be charged. These features all add up to a perfect 5 out of 5 score for ease of use.

“During test runs, the sound was powerful and clear at all volume levels.”

Sound Quality: Clear, crisp, and robust

When it comes to sound quality, this pair is truly best in class for wireless earbuds. During test runs, the sound was powerful and clear at all volume levels.

The high tones, low tones, and bass notes while listening to music are impressive, especially for earbuds. The sound quality was also excellent when I listened to podcasts and took calls. Plus, the secure fit of the buds creates a tight seal, earning a 5 out of 5 for sound quality.

Durability: Well-made and water-resistant

The earbuds are backed by the Bose brand, which is well-known for its durable products that hold up to repeated use. Their IPX rating, which reveals how resistant an electronic device is to water, is a 4 out of 9, so they’ll stand up to sweat and rain. Even during long runs, the earbuds functioned properly and stayed securely in place. But since they’re not fully waterproof, the Bose Sport pair earned a 4.5 out of 5 for durability.

Battery Life: Suitable for running

The battery life is listed as five hours—sufficient for running, but not ideal if you like to wear your earbuds all day or at work. However, a quick, 15-minute charge on the go will add two more hours of listening time, earning them a 4.5 out of 5 for battery life.

“The pair felt comfortable and secure from start to finish, even when I picked up the pace.”

How We Tested

I ran with these earbuds for about four weeks, compiling about 60 miles on roads, trails, and the treadmill. Some runs were shorter distances of only 2 to 3 miles, while others were longer at 8 or 9 miles. I varied my pace quite a bit, so I could test whether the earbuds stayed securely in my ears. I also ran in light rain as well as hot, sweat-inducing temperatures, to put the earbuds’ moisture protection ability to the test.

Price: An excellent value for the money

The Bose Sport Earbuds price usually ranges from 150 to 180, which is similar to its direct competitors. It’s a worthwhile investment for runners who want high-performance, water-resistant headphones with exceptional sound and good battery life. While you can find less expensive wireless earbuds with many of the same features, they likely won’t deliver the same sound quality, fit, and durability. And if you wear them while doing other types of workouts, like strength training on a balance board or walking on a treadmill desk, you will definitely get your money’s worth.

The Competition: Smaller size, better battery life

If sound quality and a comfortable fit are your top priorities for running headphones, it’s tough to beat the Bose Sport Earbuds. Here’s how the competition stacks up:

“While you can find less expensive wireless earbuds with many of the same features, they likely won’t deliver the same sound quality, fit, and durability.”

Jabra Elite 4 Earbuds: The price may be lower, but you’ll sacrifice some key features. Compared to the Jabra Elite 4 Earbuds, the Bose Sport Earbuds offer a crisper sound and more powerful bass. Plus, the buttons aren’t as easy to use as the Bose’s touch controls.

Apple Airpods Pro: The Apple Airpods Pro charging case is a favorite for its design and portability, but the Bose Sport’s case is still fairly compact and charges quickly. And the Bose Sport’s 5-hour battery life easily tops the Airpods Pro’s 4.5.

Beats Fit Pro Earbuds: One trade-off is that the Bose earbuds are a bit bulkier compared to options like the Beats Fit Pro Earbuds, but the size is necessary for the technology. And while their sound is top-notch, Bose earbuds don’t completely block noise like these earbuds do. But when running outdoors, some people actually prefer earbuds without active noise canceling like the Bose pair, so they can stay safely aware of their surroundings.

Bose’s QuietComfort Earbuds: If you do want the option of noise cancellation and are willing to pay a little more, Bose’s QuietComfort Earbuds offer that feature, with all the other benefits of the Sport Earbuds.

Yes, buy these if you’re a runner looking for best-in-class earbuds.

Engineered for runners and active people, the Bose Sport Earbuds offer impressive, well-rounded sound and a reliable fit. They’re also durable and water-resistant, so they can stand up to even the longest, most sweat-inducing runs.

The Bose Sport earbuds offer a comfortable and secure fit with a great sound — there’s just one thing missing

Live Science Verdict

Comfortable and secure with a sumptuous sound, there’s plenty to like about the Bose Sport earbuds. Their uniquely-shaped StayHear Max silicone tips and fins sit snug inside the ear, ensuring they don’t fall out during fast-paced sessions, and their sweatproof IPX4 rating meant we never had to worry about wearing them for intense workouts. There’s no ANC and the battery life isn’t the best, but downsides were few and far between beyond this.

Pros

• Secure, comfortable fit
• Enjoyable, detailed sound
• Simple yet effective touch controls

Cons

• – Battery life isn’t the best
• – The frame protrudes from the ear more than others
• – No Active Noise Cancellation

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When buying sports headphones, you want a pair that feel comfortable, won’t fall out and sound great on the move. The brilliant Bose Sport earbuds do all this and more — no wonder they’re on our roundup of the best running headphones.

We were lucky enough to get our hands on a pair and quickly set about putting them to the test in a series of long slogs, sprints, hardcore home workouts, CrossFit WODS and more, to make sure they could handle a full-throttle fitness schedule. And, we’re happy to report, they passed with flying colors.

Their uniquely-shaped StayHear Max silicone earbuds might look strange at first, but they provide a surprisingly good seal. Combined with silicone fins designed to sit against your inner ear, we found they offered a stable fit so the headphones didn’t tumble to the ground during higher impact activities. What’s more, we were pleased to discover the silicone is softer than other models we’ve tried like the JBL Reflect Flow Pros, so our ears didn’t ache during longer sessions.

Smart enabled/compatibility: Yes

Waterproof: Water resistant, IPX4

Battery life: 5 hours (up to 10 hours with charging case)

OS support: Yes

Bluetooth: Yes

Noise-canceling: No

They made our music sound great too. Bose promises an “acclaimed, lifelike sound”, and we think it delivered, particularly on genres like rock and country. They may not have the same powerful bass as other headphones but anyone who likes to soundtrack their training sessions with guitar and vocal-led tunes will definitely be impressed.

The Bose Sport earbuds lose out on a perfect score because of their lack of Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) — an omission that puts them behind several rivals including the Soundcore Liberty 3 Pros — and comparatively poor five-hour battery life. But, if neither of these things are deal breakers for you, then we highly recommend these impressive running headphones.

Price and release date

The Bose Sport earbuds were released in November 2020 and have an MSRP of 179 (or £180 in the UK) on the Bose website. However, they can often be picked up at a lower or discounted rate.

Set-up and design

You can link the Bose Sport earbuds to your phone via Bluetooth and start listening — something we were able to sort in a matter of seconds. However, for a more personalized experience we recommend downloading the sophisticated yet simple Bose Music app. This will give you the opportunity to adjust the touch controls and play with the EQ settings, so you can fine-tune your sound.

You can further personalize the headphones by switching out the silicone earbuds and wings, with a selection of three easily interchangeable sizes to choose from.

We were big fans of the app, which put everything we needed at our fingertips without overcomplicating things, and being able to pick the right silicone tips for our ears ensured a secure fit.

When it comes to the design, Bose’s signature clean aesthetic again came to the fore. The earbuds feel premium, with matt gray frames that take a leaf out of Batman’s lookbook. We found the umbrella-shaped StayHear Max silicone tips and fins were comfortable yet effective at preventing the headphones from falling out while running, and the compact case can easily slip into a thanks to its slim profile.

The frames are on the chunky side, protruding from our ears more than some of the smaller earbuds we’ve tried, like the Adidas FWD-02 Sports. But we were still able to take our sweatshirt off without the neckline knocking them loose — a common conundrum among true wireless buds.

Controls

The Bose Sport’s intuitive touch controls are among the best we’ve encountered. There’s no single tap option, minimizing the risk of accidentally pausing a song just as it approaches the drop. Instead, you double tap the right earbud to start or stop your music, and you can customize the double tap control for your left earbud — just use the app to assign it to open and start playing a suggested Spotify playlist, check the earbud’s battery level or skip a track.

You can also adjust the volume by swiping up or down on the frame, and answer calls with a couple of taps too. So, there’s no need to fish your phone out of your and disrupt your run.

Fit

We found the Bose Sport earbuds excelled when it came to their fit. Rather than the circular silicone earbuds we’re used to, they feature unique StayHear Max tips which are more ovular. These are intended to provide a good fit and seal, and we found they achieved this with aplomb.

They also have silicone fins attached to the tips that sit against the inside of the ear. After putting the buds in place and twisting them so the fins sat flush against our ears, we found these offered a really safe fit that was unmoving throughout every form of exercise we tried.

The silicone used to make the fins is also softer than many of their rivals too, so we were able to wear them for longer without our ears beginning to ache.

When setting them up, we would recommend using the Bose Music app’s “Fit Check” section. This won’t actively tell you which of the three sizes of silicone tips are the best fit for you, but it will describe how they should feel to help you select the right ones.

Sound quality

On its website, Bose claims these headphones’ lifelike sound will make it feel like your favorite musicians are performing in front of you. This may be somewhat hyperbolic, but we found the balanced, detailed sound is incredibly accessible and enjoyable, even when we were moving at speed.

EDM fans wanting bone-rattling bass may need headphones with slightly more oomph, like the Adidas FWD-02, but we found the Bose Sports were excellent when it came to neutral sounds, doing justice to our favorite vocal and instrumental-led tracks.

Verdict

The Bose Sport earbuds tick nearly every box a great pair of running headphones should. Their silicone tips and fins offer a secure fit that won’t let you down when sprinting, they’re comfortable enough to be worn for longer workouts without causing your ears any discomfort, and we loved the brilliantly rich, detailed sound.

The lack of ANC is a disappointment as it means you can’t drown out distracting sounds during runs and gym trips, and the five-hour battery life is just over half that of many competitors, meaning these won’t satisfy many marathon runners and other endurance athletes.

However, if you’re looking for a pair of headphones that will make your music sound fantastic throughout a varied fitness routine these headphones are a fantastic choice.

Beats Powerbeats Pro

The Bose Sport’s battery life is one of the few black marks against its name. If you’re an endurance athlete looking for a secure, comfortable set of earbuds that won’t let you down, hour after hour, then look no further than the Beats Powerbeats Pro. We found the soft, flexible plastic hooks did a great job of keeping them in place, and their nine hours of playback time (boosted to 24 hours with the portable charging case) is enough for most sporting endeavors.

Mifo O5 Plus

Or, if you want some quality ear candy without paying through the nose, the Mifo O5 Plus earbuds are a great option. They look the part with a classy chrome finish, fit like a glove, and you can pick up a pair for under 100.

The Bose Sport Earbuds is a pair of solid true wireless earbuds that doesn’t reach its full potential

Tom’s Guide Verdict

The Bose Sport Earbuds is a notable upgrade over the SoundSport Free, but only in a few areas.

Pros

• Bright, balanced sound
• Lighter and smaller than the QuietComfort Earbuds
• Secure fit
• Bluetooth 5.1

Cons

• – Short battery life
• – Extremely limited feature set
• – Uncomfortable the longer they’re worn

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Our writers and editors spend hours analyzing and reviewing products, services, and apps to help find what’s best for you. Find out more about how we test, analyze, and rate.

Colors: Baltic Blue, Glacier White, Triple Black

Battery life (rated): 5 hours, 15 (with charging case)

Size: 0.74 x 1.05 x 0.83 inches (per bud), 3.5 x 2 x 1.25 inches (charging case)

Weight: 0.24 ounces (per bud)

Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.1

Bose had a moderately successful true wireless debut with the SoundSport Free, and now the heritage audio brand has set its sights on creating one of the best workout headphones out there with the Sport Earbuds.

Redesigned for optimal fit and extended functionality, the Sport Earbuds brings more performance to the table than their predecessor. The inclusion of Bose’s powerful mic array and Active EQ technology also gives this model bigger sound and enhanced call quality. However, this set of buds is not the game-changer we anticipated, due to shortcomings in key categories, including features and battery life. Keep reading our Bose Sport Earbuds review to know more.

Despite these flaws, brand loyalists who love Bose’s minimalist aesthetic appeal and warm sound will still find some great value out of these relatively affordable fitness buds.

Bose Sport Earbuds: Price and availability

The Bose Sport Earbuds is available for 179 at major online retailers, including Amazon, Best Buy or directly from Bose.

Bose Sport Earbuds review: Design

It’s easy to confuse the Sport Earbuds for Bose’s flagship model, the QuietComfort Earbuds. The matte-finished design with laser-etched Bose logo on the front makes them almost look identical, though you can identify the sportier version by its smaller form, the small vents on the front, and two of the aforementioned color options (Baltic Blue and Glacier White), which the QC Earbuds do not come in. Overall, these buds have an understated look that is less of an eyesore than its noise-cancelling sibling.

Construction-wise, the Sport Earbuds is solidly built and will withstand the daily abuse you’ll put them through. The frame is built from high-end composite plastic that is tough to penetrate, plus it is IPX4-rated for sweat and weather resistance. As great as this sounds, the reality is most consumers would prefer their wireless sport earbuds come waterproof, especially at the Sport Earbuds sub-luxury price point. We have seen several premium models (such as the Jaybird Vista and Jabra Elite Active 75t) and cheap models (like the JLab Epic Air Sport ANC) grant this. Why not Bose?

There are some small details that show Bose put some thought into developing the Sport Earbuds for practical use. I mentioned the vents on the front, but there are also vents placed at the bottom of the casing for the mics, which were done to boost call quality and virtual assistance support (more on that later). You’ll also notice the thick sensor on the inside part of the bud that automatically detects when the earbuds are removed.

Let’s talk about the charging case. First of all, thank the heavens that this isn’t the monstrosity that is the QuietComfort Earbuds case. This one is lighter, smaller, and more portable. At the same time, it still isn’t the most accommodating travel companion due to its thickness. But it is solid, meaning the buds will be stored safely. I also like the five LED battery lights and locking clasp on the front, along with the integrated Bluetooth button on the inside for manual pairing.

Bose Sport Earbuds review: Comfort and fit

The sensor is an extension of the sound port and allows the buds to sit firmly on the concha. Bose’s StayHear Max silicone eartips help to enhance fit, creating a tight seal on the canal, while the flexible wings mold nicely into the folds of the outer ears. You will need to properly adjust them (a quick twist should do the trick) before setting out on your daily 5K runs. There are two extra sets of tips as well for smaller and larger ears.

Unfortunately, the Sport Earbuds isn’t the most comfortable pair of buds to wear. The durable casing presses up against your ears the longer you wear the buds, and those with a low pain threshold will start to feel some discomfort after about 45 minutes of wear; I don’t recommend them for casual listening. This didn’t bother me much during workouts, though I did feel my ears pulsating a bit when in recovery mode, which forced me to take them off.

Bose Sport Earbuds review: Touch controls and digital assistant

The touch controls on the QuietComfort Earbuds were 50/50 and are less favorable on the Sport Earbuds. You’re only given access to about four commands and they can only be enabled either through a double-tap (e.g. play/pause, answer/end call) or long-press gesture (e.g. enabled virtual assistant). To enable the fourth command, you have to go into the Shortcut setting in the app to toggle and assign it; this gives you the option to either hear battery levels or skip forward a track by double-tapping the left earbud. As with the QuietComfort Earbuds, the lack of single or triple-tap gestures is a missed opportunity.

One positive is that the touch panels are responsive, so you shouldn’t have any trouble enabling the short list of commands. The Sport Earbuds motion detection is pretty accurate as well, as music automatically paused whenever I took off one of the buds. There was some minor latency when placing the buds back on my ears to resume play; there was about a 2-second delay before music turned back on.

You should use the digital assistant as much as possible to operate the buds because the feature works incredibly well. Thank Bose’s powerful mic array for this, which does a fantastic job of picking up vocals, along with the great software integration that allows Siri and Google Assistant to register and respond to voice commands quickly. Being able to spout off inquiries during workouts, from requesting NFL scores to sending voice-to-text messages, was effortless.

Bose Sport Earbuds review: Audio quality

Audio on the Sport Earbuds is satisfying, with Bose’s proprietary drivers and Active EQ giving the buds a warm, balanced soundstage that’s close to what you’ll hear from the Bose 700. This is pretty impressive, especially for the price. Even though I feel the SoundSport Free’s signature delivers more punch, the Sport Earbuds is better balanced, which allowed me to enjoy music fully and hear subtle nuances in recordings.

The growling bass on Travis Scott’s “Sicko Mode” is an adrenaline shot to your ears and will have you mean-mugging when ramping up speeds on the Peloton. Reverberation was impactful and smooth, leaving no distortion on the soundscape. Sticking with boomy selections, I went to some 90’s hip-hop go-tos for exercising and got plenty of energy blasting KRS-One’s “Outta Here,” as the infectious jazz bassline and pounding snares stimulated a second wind when finishing my run.

Shortly after my workout, I jumped into some Salsa and loved the frequency control on songs like Willie Colon’s “Guajiron.” Tonality was spot-on, as the buds delivered an accurate rendition of the natural sounds for each instrument; bongos hit hard, and the piano play was strikingly melodic. This showed me the Sport Earbuds could handle orchestral-heavy tracks with ease, which encouraged me to pull up some Jazz classics. The sense of liveliness on low-fi recordings like Thelonious Monk’s “’Round Midnight” was superb, with the lively sax play and vivid piano cords feeling like the musicians are performing in person.

Videos sounded just as good on the Sport Earbuds. When glued to my MacBook Pro screen for the recent 2020 presidential election 2020 updates, I was rewarded with loud, crisp-sounding vocals that made listening to political commentators on poorly connected Zoom calls tolerable. The level of clarity produced on podcasts was amazing as well.

Bose Sport Earbuds review: App and special features

If you thought the feature set on the QuietComfort Earbuds was pretty scarce, then expect greater disappointment with the Sport Earbuds. Outside of the digital assistant, any extended functionality it offers is made available through the Bose Connect app, and it isn’t much.

All that you’ll find are a volume adjuster, battery level indicators for both earbuds, music player controls (when streaming music), tips on how to wear and use the earbuds, and several toggle controls. Of those, you’ll only end up using are the In-Ear Detection toggle, plus the aforementioned Shortcut setting. There are no adjustable EQ, music presets, or Find My Earbuds features, nor are there any innovative modes like Jabra’s Soundscape, which is very useful for recovery and has 12 different ambient noise settings to help you relax.

What is more disappointing is that the Transparency and Self Voice modes are missing on the Sport Earbuds. Having no ambient listening mode makes no sense, especially since it is considered a standard feature on most modern wireless earbuds, casual or sporty, and provides outdoor exercisers better awareness of their surroundings. Since the buds do a really good job of isolating noise, you won’t be able to hear what’s happening around you, which isn’t helpful if you’re running in heavy traffic areas.

Something else that is MIA: multipoint technology. It wasn’t featured on the QC Earbuds, therefore, it’s not really a huge omission, but it would have been nice to have for when you want to pair the buds to two devices simultaneously.

Although, through testing, there was a moment where I managed to connect the Sport Earbuds to my Google Pixel 3 XL and MacBook Pro at the same time. But the connection dropped on my laptop after a minute and there was a lot of bugginess occurring when streaming Spotify on both devices. Maybe this is a feature in beta we stumbled upon that could be available in a future firmware update, but it remains uncertain for now.

Bose Sport Earbuds review: Battery life and charging case

When officially announced, Bose informed us that playtimes on the Sport Earbuds would be middling: 5 hours on a single charge. This is basically Airpods-level battery life and a lot shorter than category leaders like the Elite Active 75t (7.5 hours) and Powerbeats Pro (9 hours). Seeing as there are no listening modes and that the buds house less powerful internals than the QC Earbuds, there is no reason for this.

I ended up having to recharge the buds several times, and I noticed the battery levels dropped more quickly than expected; we’re talking 10% to 15% per hour. I managed to squeeze in a few 1-hour workouts when fully charged, though it only took about three days before I had to toss the buds into the charging case.

Speaking of which, the charging case only holds 15 hours total (3 extra charges) and falls far short of the competition. At least the Powerbeats Pro and Airpods cases get you 24 additional hours, while the Elite Active 75t case is higher at 28 hours. If you’re only planning to use the Sport Earbuds for workouts, that isn’t the worst thing, but this won’t cut it on long business trips. Also, the case does not support wireless charging.

Bose Sport Earbuds review: Call quality and connectivity

The QC Earbuds have set the standard for call quality in the category, and though the Sport Earbuds don’t offer the same results, the model is still a reliable calling headset, as long as you don’t use them in drafty environments. The few calls I took indoors sounded fine, with many of my colleagues saying I sounded loud and clear, for the most part.

Outdoors was a mixed bag, and I don’t fault the Sport Earbuds completely. I was dealing with heavy winds throughout testing (the joys of living in Florida during hurricane season), so it was difficult measuring quality. My wife barely heard me when running outside in brisk conditions, and though she was able to make out sentences when winds calmed down, the call quality wasn’t as super-clear as on the QuietComfort Earbuds.

One of the Sport Earbuds’ greatest strengths is wireless performance, which is spearheaded by Bluetooth 5.1. Keep in mind this is one of a few models at the moment supporting the latest Bluetooth protocol. This gives users faster, stabilized connectivity and solid range. I didn’t experience any dropout or stuttering when within a 35-foot radius of my connected device. This allowed me to move freely from room to room and continue streaming Spotify in peace, while enjoying my jams uninterrupted out on my run trails.

I can’t stress enough how important the Bluetooth button on the charging case is, especially if you’re dealing with a finnicky mobile device, much like I did with my Pixel 2 XL (yes, I own a 2 XL and 3 XL, this isn’t a typo). While re-pairing was instantaneous on all of my other devices, my 2XL would act up at times, but pressing the Bluetooth button always fixed the problem.

Bose Sport Earbuds review: Verdict

The Bose Sport Earbuds is a step forward, but still requires more improvement. Bose certainly fixed some of the problems of the SoundSport Free, such as the heavy, unstable design, inadequate noise isolation, and poor connectivity. Sound remains solid with Bose’s warm signature feeding your ears rich bass, and the mics have been strengthened to make calls and virtual assistant support more serviceable.

But I’m still taken aback by the lack of battery life and special features on the Sport Earbuds. In short, they fall short. I’m not saying Bose had to make its buds as feature-laden as Jabra or Sony’s models. However, the company should have added something as basic as a Find My Earbuds option or Transparency mode. These are two features that Bose may want to prioritize next firmware update.

If you’re someone who pledges their allegiance to Bose or consistently shops for the brand’s latest releases, and want sporty headphones to fuel their workouts, then the Sport Earbuds seem like an ideal match. Just know there are other options out there that get you more performance for nearly the same price or less.

Bose’s Best-Selling Earbuds Are Finally On Sale (And Now Cheaper Than Airpods)

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Popular on Rolling Stone

Few audio brands have earned the kind of industry-wide and consumer-wide respect like Bose, and that’s for good reason. The company, which is approaching its 60th anniversary soon, has been at the forefront of both audio engineering and wearable technology for decades, with speakers, soundbars and headphones that deliver on both sound quality and inspired (read: cool) design.

If you know Bose, you’ll know that the brand rarely discounts its products, but we spotted a deal right now that gets you a pair of Bose Sport True Wireless Earbuds marked down to just 129. The new wireless earbuds deal (which we spotted at Amazon) has the earbuds lower than what Apple is selling its Airpods Pro for right now (on sale for 199).

The Bose wireless earbuds deliver clear, full, confident sound, with crisp highs and booming bass. Bose is known for its audio quality, and these Bose Sport earbuds re-create real, life-like sound, as if you were in the concert hall or studio with the artists themselves.

These Bose earbuds are slightly better than Airpods in terms of battery life too: each charge gets you up to five hours of playtime with Bose (compared to around four hours, in our testing, with the Airpods Pro). Get an extra 10 hours by using the included charging case. And get up to two full hours of battery life with just a 15-minute charge.

The buds pair easily to your phone or laptop via Bluetooth, and a built-in mic lets you take calls on-the-go, or take your video chats at work without disturbing those around you.

The earbuds are sweat-resistant and water-resistant, making them great for workouts. Taking them on the run? This set includes three different pairs of Bose’s “StayHere Max” eartips so you can find the most comfortable and secure fit. We’ve tested these Bose earbuds for running and found that they stay put even when we’re on the move, and they’re more comfortable in our ears than Airpods.

What we like: the Bose app lets you customize your audio profile, check battery life, adjust settings and more, all from your phone.

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Don’t take our word for it though: Bose is currently endorsed by NFL star quarterback Russell Wilson (see featured image up top). These Bose Sport earbuds also boast a 4.3-star rating (out of five) from more than 30,000 reviewers online.

Amazon’s Bose earbuds sale currently has three colors available in the Bose Sport wireless earbuds: black, “glacier white” (pictured above) and “baltic blue.” This is a limited-time deal so we recommend that you add to cart soon before quantities run out. See the full deal offering here.