Shokz’s OpenFit Air earbuds are my favorite sports-oriented open-ear earbuds to date
Yogis, runners, swimmers, gather together! Shokz just launched two new headphones and you should know more about them. Why? Well, I attended the launch event and the Shokz OpenFit Air are my favorite open-ear earbuds to date.
So let’s start with that – but if you want to learn more about the new OpenSwim Pro bone conduction headphones (which now support Bluetooth 5.4 And MP3 capability) scroll down.
The OpenFit Air are open-ear true wireless earbuds that, as you’d expect, build on the Shokz OpenFit that launched in August 2023. However, the fit has now improved significantly – Shokz has worked hard to trim and remove excess bulk from its ergonomic shape. ear hook, cavity design and teardrop cross-section – and for me the time is remarkably well spent.
The bottom (the part that touches your ear) of the earbud is now covered with a silky smooth silicone finish. If you wear them right, you might think you’re wearing them wronglyas the 18 x 11mm dynamic composite driver doesn’t feel particularly close to your ear at all – and that’s the whole point.
At the launch event in London, UK, I plucked them from their pocket-sized pouch, slipped them over my shell-like ones and nothing pulled; nothing irritated or felt out of place in any way. In fact, I was barely aware of their presence.
You’d expect that the downside to all this lightness, including a 0.75mm flexible nickel-titanium memory alloy construction, would be safety. Maybe they would be thin or easy to loosen once I started moving? Not at all – and I know this because I attended a private yoga class wearing them. Even if I say so myself, I’m a little crooked.
The instructor put me to the test for 30 minutes. All the while, I could hear both her instructions and the New Order album I’d chosen to stream, and I never had to touch my ear to adjust the OpenFit Air once.
The new millennial pink colorway (in addition to the more traditional black and white finishes) is also a hit, as it makes it harder for me to detect that I’m even wearing headphones in class – something that can make instructors wary, and that we should also take this into account (after all, we have to listen to their instructions).
The OpenFit Air earbuds do not deliver sound via bone conduction, like the Shokz OpenRun Pro does; Shokz uses its proprietary DirectPitch technology with OpenBass algorithm for low-frequency enhancement here and for me it’s some of the best audio I’ve heard from such a design. The expected compromise, when it comes to designs that don’t completely cover or penetrate your ear canal, usually lies in the weight and impact of the bass.
This isn’t a full review of the Shokz OpenFit Air, you understand, but I felt the sonic presentation was remarkably immersive during the few hours I wore it – especially as the voices around me were still clear.
Battery life is estimated at six hours (or 28 hours total with the case), and an IP54 rating means they’ll survive even the sweatiest spin classes. With four microphones, handling calls is a breeze. In addition, you get four EQ presets in the handy app (Standard, Vocal, Bass boost or Treble Boost), multipoint pairing and the ability to customize what the on-ear controls do. For me, double-tapping the left button to pause music, the right button to skip songs, and long-pressing to adjust the volume is an all-day pleasure.
Prices? Naturally. The Shokz OpenFit Air is available from today (June 5) in black, white and my pink set, for £119 (which is about $150 or AU$229).
OpenSwim Pro – now with Bluetooth 5.4
Shokz’s second set of just-released sports-focused headphones is called the OpenSwim Pro (replacing the 2022 Shokz OpenSwim), and this is more traditional territory for Shokz – as headphones that produce sound not through your eardrums, but as vibrations are picked up through your cheekbones could be considered ‘traditional’. These are IP68 waterproof bone conduction headphones that sit comfortably on the back of your head. To clarify, that IP68 rating means they can be submerged in up to two meters of water for up to two hours – which would be a serious swim for anyone.
Once again, there’s a nickel-titanium alloy frame covered in soft silicone material, but this time you get Shokz’ PremiumPitch 2.0+ technology handling the audio chops and – a first for Shokz – they support Bluetooth 5.4 streaming And MP3 storage and playback (32 GB, which is approximately 8,000 songs). Switching from MP3 playback to Bluetooth streaming can be done at the touch of a button, on the headphones or in the Shokz app.
The OpenSwim Pro has two EQ profiles (standard or vocal) plus four built-in microphones with echo cancellation, multipoint to two devices simultaneously and a claimed endurance of nine hours.
The Shokz OpenSwim Pro is available now for £169 (so about $215 or AU$325).
How do they sound? That’s coming as I could only wear one set at a time – but watch this space. Will they be one of the best bone conduction headphones (or even one of the best waterproof headphones) we’ve had the pleasure of taking a dip in? Time will tell.