Bose’s New Hi-Fi Speakers Are Its Biggest Swing at Sonos in Years

The American hi-fi great just introduced a new smart speaker, a flagship Dolby Atmos soundbar and a wireless subwoofer.

Blue turntable with a clear dust cover and two beige Bose speakers on a blue cabinet with vinyl records.

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By Tucker Bowe

Published May 5, 2026

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Updated May 6, 2026

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Bose has been one of Sonos’s biggest rivals in the multi-room audio space for quite some time. It has its own ecosystem of speakers, soundbars and subwoofers that can connect over Wi-Fi and be grouped to form stereo and surround sound configurations. And most have been priced almost identically to their Sonos counterparts.

That said, it’s been a few years since Bose has refreshed its home speaker lineup. That’s now changing with its new Lifestyle Collection, which features three products: an entry-level smart speaker, a flagship Dolby Atmos soundbar, and a flagship wireless subwoofer.

Like before, each of these new speakers looks like a direct Sonos rival. And, as before, each can be grouped via Bose’s app in either a multi-room or home theater system configuration. However, they also support Google Cast and Apple AirPlay, so each can easily be grouped with other wireless speakers from other manufacturers.

Bose Lifestyle Collection

Two black soundbars with circular control pads, two white compact speakers, and a black subwoofer on a wooden floor. — The Lifestyle Collection consists of three products: a smart speaker, a Dolby Atmos soundbar and a wireless subwoofer.

Bose’s new smart speaker

The Bose Lifestyle Ultra Speaker is the company’s new entry-level smart speaker. In Sonos terms, it can best be described as a hybrid between the Era 100 ($219) and Era 300 ($449) smart speakers.

At $299, it’s priced between the two and has similar features.

White Bose speaker on a white surface with green decorative items and a hand reaching towards it. — The Bose Lifestyle Ultra Speaker in white. It also comes in black and a limited edition Driftwood Sand finish, the latter of which costs extra.

Like its Sonos rivals, the Bose Lifestyle Ultra Speaker is a wireless speaker that supports Wi-Fi and Bluetooth streaming. There’s also an auxiliary jack on the back of the speaker, so you can easily use it as a wired speaker with a computer or turntable.

(The difference is that Bose opted for a 3.5mm jack instead of USB-C, which should make it a little easier to connect Bose’s newest speaker to legacy sources.)

Blue turntable with transparent dust cover and beige speakers on a blue cabinet with vinyl records. — The Bose Lifestyle Ultra Speaker features a 3.5mm jack on the back for wired connections.

In terms of size, the Bose Lifestyle Ultra Speaker is more similar to the Era 100. It also has the same number of drivers: three.

In terms of performance, the Bose Lifestyle Ultra Speaker carves its own path. It’s a standalone mono speaker rather than a stereo speaker (like the Era 100 and Era 300), features two front-firing and one up-firing driver. So, if you want the best stereo experience, you need to get two and configure them in a stereo pair.

Beige oval Bluetooth speaker with circular speaker grille and fabric handle. — The Bose Lifestyle Ultra Speaker features three drivers, including one up-firing.

Thanks to this up-firing driver, the Bose Lifestyle Ultra Speaker promises to sound somewhere in between the Era 100 and the Era 300, the latter of which is the only standalone Sonos speaker with a dedicated up-firing driver.

And because Bose’s newest speakers can also function as rear channels in a soundbar system (just like Sonos’s Era speakers), you can get two rear-channel speakers with real up-firing height channels, and it’s going to be cheaper than if you wanted to do the same in a Sonos setup.

So, Bose is just doing things a little differently.

Long black soundbar with a glossy top panel and circular touch controls on a purple illuminated surface. — The Bose Lifestyle Ultra Soundbar comes in two finishes, black or white.

Bose’s new Dolby Atmos soundbar and subwoofer

Now to the home theater speakers.

The Bose Lifestyle Ultra Soundbar is the company’s new flagship Dolby Atmos soundbar (taking that title from Bose’s Smart Ultra Soundbar, which was released in late 2023 and priced at $999).

At $1,099, it’s priced and positioned as a direct rival to Sonos’s current flagship soundbar, the $1,099 Arc Ultra.

White Bose soundbar with fabric cover and circular control panel on a purple cabinet under a wall-mounted TV. — The Bose Lifestyle Ultra Soundbar has a fabric grille and glass accents.

The Bose Lifestyle Ultra Soundbar is a 5.2-channel soundbar that features nine drivers: four front-facing full-range drivers, two up-firing full-range drivers, a center tweeter and two of Bose’s proprietary PhaseGuide drivers.

According to the brand, the Dolby Atmos soundbar is “capable of playing back three-dimensional sound with lifelike realism and a convincing sense of height, all by itself.”

Black Bose subwoofer speaker on a blue carpet next to a dark blue cabinet with gold legs and a geometric gold handle. — The Bose Lifestyle Ultra Subwoofer is the company’s new flagship wireless sub.

The Bose Lifestyle Ultra Subwoofer is the company’s newest flagship wireless subwoofer. Priced at $899, it’s a direct rival to the Sonos Sub 4, which costs exactly the same.

According to the brand, the Lifestyle Ultra Subwoofer “delivers deep, controlled bass that remains clear at any volume, adding weight and authority for the ultimate home theater experience.”

White Bose subwoofer speaker on purple carpet next to a purple media console with a white soundbar on top. — The sub comes in black or white finishes.

Like before, this new soundbar can be paired with two of Bose’s newest Lifestyle Ultra Speakers (designated as rear channels) and up to two of its newest wireless subwoofers. This creates a 7.1.4-channel surround sound system.

All the speakers in Bose’s Lifestyle Collection share a cohesive design. The Lifestyle Ultra Speaker and Lifestyle Ultra Soundbar each have a textured knit fabric grille to better match your home decor. The Lifestyle Ultra Soundbar and Lifestyle Ultra Subwoofer each have premium glass pane accents.

All models come in white or black finishes. As you can see in the photos, the Lifestyle Ultra Speaker comes in a third finish, Driftwood Sand, with a beige fabric grille and a solid white oak base.

Modern living room with a gray sectional sofa, black chair, white floor speakers, purple round rug, wall-mounted TV, and white subwoofer. — The new system can be configured in a 7.1.4-channel surround sound configuration.

Availability and pricing

All three speakers in Bose’s Lifestyle Ultra collection are available for preorder now, with an official release date of May 15th.

The Bose Lifestyle Ultra Speaker costs $299 in either black or white. The limited edition models in “Driftwood Sand” cost an extra $50.

The Bose Lifestyle Ultra Soundbar costs $1,099, while the Bose Lifestyle Ultra Subwoofer costs $899.

Black Bose smart speaker with fabric grille and touch controls on top against a white background.

About the Author: Tucker Bowe has been on Gear Patrol’s editorial team since 2014. With a passion for consumer tech and hi-fi, he tracks everything from headphones and turntables to smartphones and wearables. If it lights up or makes noise, he probably covers it.

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