The Shokz OpenFit Air True Wireless are a follow-up to the Shokz OpenFit True Wireless. Like their predecessor, they don't employ a bone-conducting design; instead, you can think of them as two mini speakers that sit outside your ear canal. The idea is that hearing more ambient sounds will help you remain aware of your surroundings. The key difference between these and their predecessor is that the OpenFit Air come with multipoint Bluetooth support. So how do they fare when put through their paces?
Our Verdict
The Shokz OpenFit Air are great for sports and fitness. They're decently comfortable and have a stable fit that will stay on for all but the most intense workouts. Their open-ear design allows you to stay aware of your surroundings while exercising outdoors, and their IP54 rating ensures they can withstand splashes of rain. Still, if you plan to exercise in very noisy areas, you might find that their lack of noise isolation makes hearing your audio a little too challenging. The addition of multipoint Bluetooth is a nice touch, but their controls are only adequate, so you might find yourself wishing you had more ways to control your audio while mid-run.
Decently comfortable fit.
Great on-ear stability.
Bad noise isolation (by design).
The Shokz OpenFit Air are poor for travel, but they're not designed for this purpose. By design, these earbuds don't block out any of the noise around you, so if you wear them on a plane or train, you'll hear all the engine rumble and passenger chat you would if you weren't wearing any buds at all. That said, they're decently comfortable, and they come with a carrying case that will protect the buds if you toss them into a carry-on, providing the buds with three additional charges if needed.
Decently comfortable fit.
Bad noise isolation (by design).
Mediocre leakage performance (by design).
While not a traditional choice, the Shokz OpenFit Air can be a suitable option for work if you like to listen to music while chatting with colleagues, as the design allows you to hear both audio and your coworkers simultaneously. Their mic has a reasonable recording quality, so you can make calls in a pinch, but you'll probably want to do so in a relatively private area, as their mic isn't the best at separating your voice from any noise around you. They're comfortable enough to wear for extended periods, but their battery won't last through a whole workday without needing a recharge. They're also obviously a poor choice if you value silence or privacy, as they won't block out the sounds of chatty coworkers, and anyone nearby will hear your audio if you listen loudly.
Decent microphone noise handling.
Bad noise isolation (by design).
Mediocre leakage performance (by design).
The Shokz OpenFit Air aren't suitable for wireless gaming. You can use them with PCs via their Bluetooth connection, but their latency is too high to be suitable for gaming.
The Shokz OpenFit Air are Bluetooth-only headphones; you can't use them wired.
The Shokz OpenFit Air have okay audio reproduction accuracy. That said, many of their technical shortcomings are by design, as their open fit and driver architecture struggle to reproduce bass frequencies. As a result, they have a bright sound profile, and their frequency response occasionally deviates from this in the treble range, which can cause sibilants to alternate between sounding shrill and dull. While their drivers' design results in some phase issues in our testing, they aren't audible. Similarly, the earbuds produce low amounts of harmonic distortion, which won't be audible.
The Shokz OpenFit Air have terrible noise isolation, though this is by design. Their open-ear design means they offer almost no attenuation of external frequencies, no matter their pitch. That said, if you're considering picking these up, it's likely due to their ability to let in external noise.
The Shokz OpenFit Air have an okay mic performance. Your voice will be intelligible when using the microphone, although it'll sound a little thin. It does a satisfactory job of separating your voice from its background, meaning you should remain understandable if you need to take calls in a moderately busy environment, like a downtown street.
The Shokz OpenFit Air have decent frequency response consistency. You'll need to ensure they're well-positioned on your ears, but once you do, you'll be rewarded with consistent audio delivery. If you have longer hair or glasses, it's worth taking a few seconds to ensure the fit isn't being obstructed by either.
Performance Usages
Changelog
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Updated Mar 12, 2026:
This review has been updated to Test Bench 2.1, which removes the Group Delay test, and rebalances scoring for the Harmonic Distortion test and Audio Reproduction Accuracy performance usage. For more details, consult our full changelog.
- Updated Mar 12, 2026: This review has been updated to Test Bench 2.1, which removes the Group Delay test, and rebalances scoring for the Harmonic Distortion test and Audio Reproduction Accuracy performance usage. For more details, consult our full changelog.
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Updated Dec 09, 2025:
This review has been updated to Test Bench 2.0, which adds the following tests: Stereo Mismatch, Group Delay, Cumulative Spectral Decay, PRTF, Harmonic Distortion, and Electrical Aspects. We've added new performance usages and updated the text throughout the Sound tests.
- Updated Nov 18, 2025: We've converted this review to Test Bench 2.1, which features minor updates to our sound tests.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
The Shokz OpenFit Air True Wireless come in three colors: 'Black,' 'White,' and 'Pink.' This is our model's label.
If you come across another variant of these headphones, please let us know in the comments.
Popular Headphones Comparisons
The Shokz OpenFit Air True Wireless are a follow-up to the Shokz OpenFit True Wireless. They share a similar ear-hook design with both their predecessor and other open-fit earbuds, like the Bose Sport Open Earbuds Truly Wireless. These kinds of designs are meant to help you stay aware of your surroundings while on a run outside. Their truly wireless design also makes them a little more portable than other open-type designs like the Shokz OpenRun Pro Bone Conduction, which are attached to a neckband. That said, the OpenRun Pro Bone Conduction have a slightly higher IP rating than the OpenFit Air True Wireless, so they can withstand being immersed in water.
Check out our picks for the best headphones for running.
The Shokz OpenFit Air and the Shokz OpenFit True Wireless share a similar open-fit, ear-hook design that helps you stay aware of your environment while running outdoors. The OpenFit True are the better choice for most people as they're more comfortable, have a better mic, and have a more balanced sound profile. That said, the OpenFit Air can connect to two Bluetooth devices simultaneously.
For most people, the Shokz OpenFit Air are a better choice for running outdoors than the Shokz OpenRun Pro Bone Conduction. The OpenFit are more stable on the ear and easier to transport since they don't have a neckband. That said, some runners might find the OpenRun more comfortable. The OpenRun's continuous battery life of 14 hours is also far superior to the 6.5 hours the OpenFit offer, but the OpenFit's case provides an extra three charges, while the OpenRun's doesn't provide any. Annoyingly, the OpenRun use a proprietary cable to charge, unlike the OpenFit, which charge via the USB-C port on their case.
The Bose Ultra Open Earbuds are better open-fit workout earbuds than the Shokz OpenFit Air. The Bose are more comfortable and stable and their continuous battery life is three hours longer. That said, the Bose are much more expensive than the Shokz, and they don't support multi-device pairing.
The Bose Sport Open Earbuds Truly Wireless are better open-fit earbuds than the Shokz OpenFit Air. While both pairs lack bass, the Bose's treble is more even and detailed than the Shokz's, which can be rather piercing. The Bose also have a better build quality. That said, both pairs will withstand water splashes, and only the Shokz support Bluetooth multi-device pairing.
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You can also discover how we produce recommendations like this one so that you can find the best headphones (or earbuds!) for your needs.
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