These are the new Shokz OpenFit Air 2. They promise better sound quality than bone-conduction headphones, but with the same open-ear design that lets you hear what’s going on around you.
I’ve reviewed dozens of earbuds and headphones over the years, but I’ve pretty much settled on my AirPods Pro for everyday listening, and Shokz OpenRun Pro bone-conduction headphones for running and cycling.
For everyday use I want great sound, comfort and convenience. For running and cycling they also need to stay securely in place — and on the bike, they need to be loud enough to hear over the wind.
So can the OpenFit Air 2 replace both pairs?
I’ve been testing them to find out.
Overview
There’s not much to unbox — you just get the earbuds in their charging case and a user manual. They charge by USB-C with no wireless charging, and somewhat surprisingly, there’s no USB-C charging cable included either.
There are three colours currently available. I have them in black and ice blue, and they’re also available in white.
The case is slightly smaller than the one with my old OpenFit, but it’s still noticeably larger than my AirPods Pro case. It still fits comfortably into most pockets.
Pairing is straightforward. On compatible Android phones they support Google Fast Pair, so when the earbuds are in pairing mode, a prompt automatically appears and you can connect with a single tap. They also support Microsoft Swift Pair on compatible Windows PCs.
On Apple devices you can pair them normally over Bluetooth, or through the Shokz app, which you’ll probably want to download anyway.
They also support multipoint pairing, so they can stay connected to two devices at once. That’s useful, although it still doesn’t quite match the convenience of my AirPods Pro, which automatically switch between my Apple devices.
The clue is in the name, and these do feel very light on your ears. They weigh just 7.2g each and hook comfortably around your outer ear, with the speaker sitting just above your ear canal. Nothing actually goes inside your ear, leaving it completely unobstructed.
Despite weighing a little more than my AirPods Pro, I barely notice I’m wearing them. And unlike AirPods, even in Transparency mode, there’s nothing sitting inside my ear canal.
I think they look pretty good too — more minimalist and discreet than any other open-ear headphones I’ve tried.
Build quality is good. I’ve owned quite a few pairs of Shokz headphones over the years and they all lasted well. I’ve thrown my OpenRun Pro into a bag without a case countless times and they’ve survived just fine.
The OpenFit Air 2 use a flexible nickel-titanium alloy through the ear hook. It feels robust but still has plenty of flex, and despite wrapping around your ear I don’t notice any uncomfortable pressure points.
My favourite upgrade is the new pressure-sensitive controls. Instead of tapping them, you squeeze the button on the control area a little like you do with AirPods Pro.
There are gestures for a single, double and triple squeeze, as well as a press and hold, and they’re all configurable in the Shokz app.
I much prefer this to touch controls, particularly when exercising, where movement and sweat can make touch controls a bit hit and miss. You get clear feedback with every press, and you can even adjust how sensitive they are to pressure in the app. I’ve changed this to High.
Audio quality and performance
Unlike my OpenRun Pro, these don’t use bone conduction. They use conventional speakers that sit just outside your ear canal, directing sound towards your ear while leaving it completely open.
The Air 2 have an upgraded dual-driver design, together with Shokz technologies including OpenBass 2.0 and DirectPitch, designed to improve bass and overall sound quality while minimising sound leakage.
In my testing, they’re the best-sounding open-ear headphones I’ve tried so far. They sound bright and crisp, which makes them particularly good for podcasts and watching YouTube videos — which I do a lot of. They sound good with music too, but open-ear headphones do struggle with bass and these are no exception.
You can make adjustments to the EQ in the app, and it does make a noticeable difference, but they still don’t get close to my in-ear AirPods Pro for overall sound quality, particularly at the low end.
Bass isn’t actually the biggest issue with open-ear headphones for me though — it’s volume. For cycling, I only wear open-ear headphones so I can still hear the traffic and everything going on around me, which is the big advantage of open-ear headphones. But it also means they have to compete with traffic and wind noise, and most open-ear headphones I’ve tried so far just aren’t loud enough for me.
The Air 2 are noticeably better. At full volume I could still comfortably follow a podcast in normal wind conditions at speeds of around 20 mph or below. At higher speeds or in stronger winds they still aren’t quite loud enough for spoken audio, but music is less of an issue, where missing the odd bit doesn’t really matter.
They fit perfectly even with my helmet and sunglasses, and they feel easily secure enough for cycling.
And although they’re targeted more as a workout and lifestyle earbud, in my testing they’re easily secure enough for running too. The new pressure controls are also much easier to use when running.
They have an IP55 weather-resistance rating, which is better than my original AirPods Pro, and unusually, even the charging case has an IP54 rating. That’s reassuring if you’re using them outdoors. I got caught in a shower on the bike, with the case in my jersey pocket, and both the earbuds and case were absolutely fine.
One disadvantage of open-ear headphones is sound leakage. Shokz have tried to minimise this with their DirectPitch technology, and there’s even a Private EQ setting in the app to reduce it further.
But in my tests, certainly above around 50% volume, people nearby can still hear what you’re listening to. As long as you’re comfortable listening at lower volumes in quiet public spaces, they should be fine though.
The Air 2 also have two microphones in each earbud, with AI noise reduction designed to isolate your voice from background noise.
Call quality is very important to me, and I’ve tested these pretty thoroughly. My AirPods Pro have always been the earbuds to beat, and the Air 2 aren’t a million miles off. I’ve made quite a few calls with them and most people thought they sounded perfectly good.
Listening from the other end of the call myself, I did find they could sometimes sound a little processed and warbly, particularly with more background noise, but generally call quality was good.
Finally, battery life has been improved from six hours on the original OpenFit Air to eight hours on the Air 2, or up to 36 hours in total with the charging case. And if you do run out, a 10-minute charge gives you three hours of listening.
In my tests so far, battery life has been very good.
Conclusions
So, can the OpenFit Air 2 replace both my AirPods Pro and my OpenRun Pro?
For everyday listening, probably not. My AirPods Pro still sound noticeably better, particularly for music, and if you’re already in the Apple ecosystem they’re more convenient too.
But for running and cycling, I think these will replace my OpenRun Pro. They’re extremely comfortable, they stay securely in place, and I can still hear everything going on around me. Most importantly for cycling, they’re louder than other open-ear headphones I’ve tried. And I like their bright, clear sound, which works particularly well for the sort of things I listen to when I’m running and cycling.
I will miss the neckband on the OpenRun Pro. I like being able to just drop them around my neck when I’m not using them. But the OpenFit Air 2 are so light that I barely notice I’m wearing them anyway, so I think I’ll be quite happy just leaving them on.
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Buy the Shokz OpenFit Air 2:
Shokz: https://bit.ly/46wsGZc
Amazon: https://geni.us/dCQKKwD
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