Brandwave

KEF vs Ultimate Ears:Which is more popular?

In September 2026, KEF had more branded searches than Ultimate Ears among bluetooth speaker brands worldwide. KEF had about 143,000 branded searches, while Ultimate Ears had 91,700. KEF made up 1.3% of all bluetooth speaker brand searches we track, and Ultimate Ears accounted for 0.82%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about bluetooth speaker brands, Ultimate Ears appeared in four of the five answers and KEF in none.

Among bluetooth speaker brands worldwide in September 2026

Who do people search for more?

KEF, about 56% more searches than Ultimate Ears

KEF 143K searchesUltimate Ears 91.7K searches

Who does AI mention more?

Ultimate Ears, mentioned in 4 of 5 answers, KEF in 0

Ultimate Ears in 4 of 5KEF in 0 of 5

Who does AI recommend more?

Ultimate Ears, the only one of the two named

Ultimate Ears first in 4KEF never named

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Top bluetooth speaker brands in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Ultimate Ears was mentioned in four out of five: in two of the three ChatGPT answers and in both Google AI Overviews. KEF did not appear in any of the five answers.

Most recommended by AI

Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.

  1. JBL1st
  2. Bose2nd
  3. Soundcore3rd
  4. Ultimate Ears4th
  5. Sony5th
  6. Marshall6th
  7. Sonos7th
  8. Bang & Olufsen–
  9. KEF–

Mentioned by AI

Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.

  • JBL5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Soundcore5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Bose4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Ultimate Ears4 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Sony3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Marshall2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Sonos1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Bang & Olufsen0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • KEF0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers

See every answer about bluetooth speaker brands

5 answers

Not named in any answer:

Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in the United States on October 19, 2026.

Is KEF or Ultimate Ears more popular in search?

This chart shows how often people search Google for KEF and Ultimate Ears by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all nine bluetooth speaker brands we track, month by month, from English-language searches worldwide.

KEF and Ultimate Ears among bluetooth speaker brands worldwide, by month

Share of searches by month for KEF, Ultimate Ears. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthJBLSonySonosSoundcoreBoseMarshallBang & OlufsenKEFUltimate Ears
Oct 202540%29.1%8.7%5.5%6.9%4.2%3%1.7%0.98%
Nov 202542.1%27.8%9.6%4.8%7.6%3.2%2.7%1.3%0.97%
Dec 202544.4%28%8.1%4.9%7%3.2%2.2%1.3%0.96%
Jan 202642.2%31%7.6%4.8%5.6%3.7%2.6%1.5%0.86%
Feb 202638.6%32.8%8.1%6%6%3.3%2.8%1.6%0.91%
Mar 202638%31.8%9.3%5.9%6.1%3.7%2.6%1.5%1%
Apr 202646.4%27.8%7.2%5.3%5.4%3.3%2.3%1.3%0.95%
May 202642.3%28.4%8.4%6.3%6.1%3.4%2.9%1.4%0.94%
Jun 202643.7%28.3%7.2%6.3%6%4%2.3%1.3%0.94%
Jul 202641.7%31.5%6.8%5.3%5.8%4.5%2.2%1.3%0.9%
Aug 202640.9%31%7.4%5.8%5.9%4.3%2.5%1.3%0.84%
Sep 202639.1%32.2%7.7%6.1%5.5%4.5%2.7%1.3%0.82%

How has the KEF and Ultimate Ears comparison changed over the last 12 months?

3 findings
  • KEF was ahead of Ultimate Ears in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, KEF’s share of searches among bluetooth speaker brands worldwide moved from 1.7% to 1.3%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 168K to 143K.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Ultimate Ears’ share of searches among bluetooth speaker brands worldwide moved from 0.98% to 0.82%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 99.1K to 91.7K.

How did search popularity change for bluetooth speaker brands worldwide in September 2026?

1 change

  1. Estimated monthly branded searches for KEF worldwide fell 14.9% over 12 measured months, from 168K to 143K in September 2026.

How are branded searches counted?

6 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using KEF’s and Ultimate Ears’ names. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brands is growing, holding steady, or fading.

KEF

2 branded search terms

  • kef
  • kef speakers

Ultimate Ears

4 branded search terms

  • speaker ultimate ears
  • ue boom
  • ultimate ears
  • ultimateears

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Other head-to-heads among bluetooth speaker brands

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