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Shokz Headphones

Scott Armstrong

November 18, 2024

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Shokz is an American company founded in 2011 as AfterShokz LLC. The company describes itself as designers and producers of innovative headphones. Whilst other companies are pursuing the idea of complete isolation via active noise cancel headphones, Shokz is going in the opposite direction. Its believe is that people should be aware of their environment even when they have headphones on.

How well has this company faired in this course and how good are their products? These and more are question that we will answer as we look at some of its top products. These will include:

1. OpenMove
2. OpenRun
3. OpenSwim
4. OpenFit
5. OpenRun Pro

Before we get right into the review of these products, let’s first lay a background, explaining the technology that this company uses. All its headphones transmit sound via bone conduction. This will sound strange to many when they first hear about it.

Here’s the thing, every human being hears themselves in two ways – via the open ears and through bone conduction. This applies just to your own voice. The voice you hear when you speak is therefore a mix of the audible sound wave picked up by your ears plus the vibration of the sound waves through your bones – bone conduction.

This is therefore the reason why you will be surprised when you hear a recording of your voice for the first time. This is because that will be the first you are hearing yourself through your ears only, without the contribution of the sound from your bone conduction. Simply put, you’re hearing yourself the way others hear you.

Now that we’ve laid this background, you understand that it’s not a new technology but something that has already been known. Shokz, and some other companies are only trying to improve the quality of sound that you can hear through this means.

Now let’s get to the review proper…

Score by Specs

Quick Overview

• Bluetooth Version – 5.1
• Battery Life – 6hrs
• Fast Charge – No
• Companion App –  No
• Waterproof – IP55
• Charging Port – USB-C
• Controls – Buttons
• Noise Cancelling – No
• Weight – 29g

We will begin this review with Shokz’ least expensive product – The Shokz OpenMove. According to the company, it was created with versatility in mind and for everyday use. If you’re accustomed to the traditional ear or headphones, seeing these, you’d immediately know that there’s something different about them.

First, you do not insert them into your ears. What should have been the ear tips are flat because they are meant to lay flat on the cheekbones close to the ear. It transmits sound through bone conduction which is the principle upon which all of Shokz products are designed.

The headphone looks well-made, especially with the titanium headband and polycarbon ear hooks. They are also lightweight and quite comfortable to have on for long periods. The fact that you do not have to insert the tips into your ears should naturally make for increased comfort.

The fit of these headphones is critical for correct performance. If the pads shift out of place just a bit, the quality of sound you’ll be hearing may change. You may even stop hearing any sound. This is one of the issues that users of this headphone will face. The pads have to be placed at the perfect spot for the perfect conduction and sound.

This means that, despite the headphone’s great IPX rating, which shows adequate protection against water and dust, they will only be suitable for some types of workout. Any workout that will make the pads shift – bench press for example, will be difficult to cope with.

The sound you can get from these phones emphasizes the high and mid frequencies. You should therefore not expect the pumping bass you get from earbuds. In fact, you may find the bass almost missing in some songs. Since it has no bass boost function, there’s little that can be done about this.

The Shokz OpenMove uses Bluetooth 5.1 and can connect easily to multiple devices simultaneously. It’s also compatible with the following Bluetooth profiles: A2DP, AVRCP, HSP, HFP and supports SBC codec.

It takes about 2 hours to get the battery fully charged. Once fully charged, it has a use time of 6 hours and a standby time of about 10 days.

If you’re looking for headphones on which to enjoy great music, then this is not for you. These headphones are for general purpose use. You can use them for calls, while on the go, and for casual listening while taking stroll or even while at work. The idea is that you will always be fully aware of your surroundings while using these.

Score by Specs

Quick Overview

• Bluetooth Version – 5.1
• Battery Life – 8hrs
• Fast Charge – Yes (10-minute charge = 1.5-hour playtime)
• Companion App –  No
• Waterproof – IP67
• Charging Port – Proprietary 2-pin magnetic charging connector
• Controls – Buttons
• Noise Cancelling – No
• Weight – 26g

The OpenRun is basically the same with the OpenMove with some upgrades. Starting from the sound quality, just as with the OpenMove, don’t expect to get thumping bass sounds from these headphones. You can however enjoy some low mids, especially in songs where the mids and highs are not overwhelming.

These headphones emphasize the mids and highs, making vocals and instruments in the mid frequencies more pronounced. Even with the PremiumPitch 2.0+ that promises powerful bass, this will not be a great headphone to listen to and enjoying music. It’s best as a simple companion at work, while you take a walk or for certain workout sessions. You will hear the music with a lot of the lows missing or very reduced but you will also hear everything going on around you, which is the whole point of Shokz’ philosophy.

The OpenRun has an improved battery life of about 8 hours with the same standby time of 10 days. It also has a fast charge function which delivers about 90 minutes of use time after 10 minutes of charging.

Just as with the OpenMove, it uses Bluetooth 5.1 and supports the same profiles; A2DP, AVRCP, HSP, HFP and the same SBC codec. It can also connect to multiple devices at the same time.

One important thing to note here is that these are specialized headphones with specific application scenarios. For example, it is a bad idea to chew while using these headphones. Remember that the sound you’re hearing is brought to you via bone conduction. Chewing will add its own vibration; that is aside from possibly displacing the pads and causing some fluctuation in the audio quality.

So, if you need headphones that will not interfere with your awareness of your environment and also allow you to casually listen to music, podcasts, ebooks or make calls, then this may be for you.

Score by Specs

Quick Overview

• Bluetooth Version – N/A
• Battery Life – 8hrs
• Fast Charge – No
• Companion App –  No
• Waterproof – IP68
• Charging Port – Pogo pins
• Controls – Buttons
• Noise Cancelling – No
• Weight – 30g

The Shokz OpenSwim is a pretty straightforward product with a clear target audience. While generally similar to other headphones from Shokz, especially with regards to design and physical attributes, there are major operational differences that we will dwell on.

Let’s begin with the similarities. As with the previously reviewed models, this also has an 8 hour battery life and a 10-day standby time. Yes, it also uses bone conduction and PremiumPitch 2.0 for improved audio.

The major difference between the OpenSwim and other headphones from Shokz is the absence of Bluetooth connection. In its place, the OpenSwim has a 4GB storage where you can save your music files. It supports MP3, WAV, WMA, AAC, and FLAC file types. So, you can only listen to content you’ve already uploaded to the memory card.

The second difference is the absence of a microphone. Shokz doesn’t expect you to be talking to anyone or the fishes as you swim. You only get to listen in silence. Given the specialized nature of these headphones, this makes sense. Why add features that you won’t really need?

Like we stated earlier and from the name, this was designed for use by swimmers, hence its IP68 rating which indicates that it is suited for extended immersion in water. This does not however mean that it won’t function out of water. It just wouldn’t make too much sense to get it for outside water use, given the absence of functions like Bluetooth and microphones.

The audio quality on this is what you would have come to expect from Shokz headphones. Hopefully, you won’t miss or even need the thumping of the bass while under water.

So if you are a swimmer or want to run in the rain, this is a product specifically designed for you.

Score by Specs

Quick Overview

• Bluetooth Version – 5.2
• Battery Life – 7hrs (28 with charging case)
• Quick Charge – Yes (5-minute charge = 1-hour playtime)
• Companion App – Yes
• Waterproof – IP54
• Charging Port – USB-C
• Controls – Touch control
• Noise Cancelling – No
• Weight – Earbuds: 8.3g, charging case: 57g, total weight: 73.85g

Just when we were getting bored with the similarities in Shokz headphones, up comes the OpenFit. This model of Shokz headphones differs from others in a number of ways and it all begins with the physical design.

All the models that we’ve reviewed to this point have been single unit or one-piece designs with a headband. The OpenFit is different with its two-piece design. Each ear gets its own separate unit more like the more common wireless earbuds. The OpenFit has a hook shape that loops around the ear, providing a secure anchor that ensure that they do not fall off during those runs or workout sessions.

In line with OpenFit’s similarity to current true wireless earbuds, it comes with a charging case. The ear pieces themselves have a playtime of about 7 hours. The charging case can provide three additional full charges, bringing the total possible play time to about 28 hours. It takes about 60 minutes to fully charge the OpenFit in the charging case while it takes about 2 hours to get the charging case fully charged. A 5-minute quick charge will yield 1-hour of listening time.

While the OpenFit has an IP54 rating, making it safe for dust and sweat, the charging case has no such protection. You should therefore get your device fully charged and ensure that the charging case is in a secure place before you set out.

The OpenFit uses Bluetooth 5.2, an upgrade from the 5.1 version used by the previous models that we reviewed. It supports AAC and SBC codecs, again an upgrade from previous models and also allows for multi-point pairing.

Let’s now take a look at how it sounds. Was there any improvement in this regard? One the thing we can gladly report is that the OpenFit is supported by the Shokz App which provides additional features with which you can make some adjustments to the sound you hear. Some of the functions that you can access on the App include personalized EQ modes, button functions customization, and more.

With the personalized EQ mode, you can choose from any of these presets: Bass Boost, Treble Boost, Vocal, and Standard. You can also use the 5-band EQ to create your own custom EQ setting. This allows for improved sound quality, at least from the user’s perspective.

One last thing that we will mention about the OpenFit is its noise cancellation feature. Its noise cancellation feature is for calls. This feature cancels background noise, allowing the person on other side of the call to hear more of your voice and less of the background noise.

These are the basic offerings of the OpenFit. Even with the improved EQ capabilities, there’s still a limit to the fullness of the sound quality that you can enjoy with these, especially given the fact that your sound will always be merging with whatever ambient sound may be around you. To this end, these headphones are still best for folks who need to be constantly aware of their surroundings while enjoying some casual music, podcast, lecture or audio book.

Score by Specs

Quick Overview

• Bluetooth Version – 5.1
• Battery Life – 10hrs
• Fast Charge – Yes (5-minute charge = 1.5-hour playtime)
• Companion App –  Yes
• Waterproof – IP55
• Charging Port – Proprietary 2-pin magnetic charging connector
• Controls – Buttons
• Noise Cancelling – No
• Weight – 29g

We end this review with the OpenRun Pro, easily one of Shokz’s top shelf products. This model reverts to the traditional design of Shokz’s headsets; that is the neck band design. You can therefore expect much of the same in terms of fit and general use.

The OpenRun Pro connects via Bluetooth version 5.1. It also supports multi-point pairing and is compatible with the following profiles: A2DP, AVRCP, HSP, HFP and the SBC codec. All of these features are basically the same as the OpenRun.

Why then is this mode called OpenRun Pro and sold at a higher price?

The most significant difference or upgrade as far as we are concerned is the fact that it works with Shokz’ companion App. This opens up new features that, among other things, give you the option of tweaking the EQ. You can therefore enjoy better sound quality, at least based on your EQ preference.

Another difference which can be regarded as an upgrade from the OpenRun is the battery life. While the OpenRun offers an 8-hour battery life, this Pro model increases it to 10 hours. The fast charge time is also reduced from the 10 minutes required to get 1.5 hours of playtime on the OpenRun to 5 minutes to achieve the same 1.5 hours on the OpenRun Pro.

One interesting thing with the OpenRun Pro is that it has a lower IP rating than the OpenRun. The OpenRun has a classification of IP67, which offers far more resistance against dust and water than the IP55 rating of the more expensive OpenRun Pro.

Are these upgraded features worth the price difference? Well, that’s something you’d have to decide based on your personal preference.

Conclusion

To avoid unnecessary repetitions, we’ve decided to inform you of some things that you should be aware of. These are things that are common across the different models.

Aside from the OpenFit which has a 2-piece design, every other headphone from Shokz has the 1-piece design with a neckband. This design poses a challenge for certain users. If you wear glasses, you may find the earbuds moving out of place quite often. Given the need for precision in the placement of the buds or pads on the cheek bone, such displacements will result in constant fluctuations in the audio quality.

The same thing will be applicable with bikers who have to wear protective helmets or during cold weather when you may have to have winter headwear on. Some users have however reported that they have less displacement issues when they wear the headphones over the helmet or headwear.

Like we mentioned briefly in one of the reviews, these are not headphones that you can use while eating. The chewing motion will interfere with both the sound and placement of the buds.

One thing that is pretty clear is that these headphones have specific uses and will not be ideal as an “only” headphone. They will serve well in certain use cases but you will need to have more traditional headphones when you want to enjoy a more complete and immersive sound experience.

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Scott Armstrong

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