The Shokz OpenFit Pro are the manufacturer's flagship open-fit, dynamic driver earbuds. This model features some bells and whistles not usually seen in open-ear designs, like noise reduction technology and Dolby Atmos compatibility, in an attempt to bridge the gap between Shokz's sports-oriented designs and premium in-ears. Despite the extra features, their ear hook design, including stability fins and an IP55 rating, means they're no slouch as a running companion or workout buddy.
Our Verdict
The Shokz OpenFit Pro are great for sports and fitness. They offer a highly stable, comfortable fit that won't get dislodged during hill sprints or bumpy trail runs. The IP55 weather resistance protects them against sudden downpours and particularly sweaty runs alike, while the soft silicon plastic ear hooks are unlikely to cause friction with your ear. Though the fit can be slightly less stable for glasses-wearers, the included stability fins can help counter this. While they only last 5.6 hours on a single charge with the ANC enabled, this figure doubles when you forgo this feature in favor of situational awareness.
IP55 rating against dust and water damage.
Comfortable, very stable fit.
Bluetooth multi-device pairing.
Only 5.6 hours of battery life.
The Shokz OpenFit Pro are disappointing travel buds. They're comfortable enough to be worn for long voyages, and the slimline carrying case can easily be tucked away in a bag or pocket. While they come equipped with an ANC system, it does very little to tamp down on the sound of vehicle engines and chattering travelers, providing just a bit of mid-range attenuation. Their battery life with ANC enabled leaves much to be desired, at 5.6 hours, but you can always disable it and enjoy double the battery life.
Bluetooth multi-device pairing.
Highly ineffective ANC performance.
Only 5.6 hours of battery life.
The Shokz OpenFit Pro are generally inadequate for office work, though they might be useful for those that need to be constantly available for in-person collaboration. While they're comfortable enough to wear for an entire workday, their five hours or so of battery life can't keep up, and you'll need to dip into the three extra charges in the case. This is assuming you use the noise reduction feature, though, which is largely ineffective at attenuating sounds like co-workers chatting and the whirr of the microwave in the office kitchen. If you choose to embrace the external world, you'll be rewarded with double the battery life. The integrated mic is also satisfactory for work calls, rendering your voice with enough detail to sound intelligible, though it'll sound a little thin.
Bluetooth multi-device pairing.
Highly ineffective ANC performance.
Only 5.6 hours of battery life.
The Shokz OpenFit Pro aren't suitable for wireless gaming. Even with Low Latency Priority mode enabled, audio latency is too high for wireless gaming without the nuisance of sync issues between your video and audio.
The Shokz OpenFit Pro can't be used with a wired connection, so they're unsuitable for this use.
The Shokz OpenFit Pro are decent for audio reproduction accuracy. Their frequency response mostly follows their bright sound, though some peaks and dips in the treble range can cause sibilants to be rendered inconsistently. As with most open designs, they struggle to reproduce bass-range rumble, reproducing only the punch and attack of kick drums. The treble range is on the darker side, which can take some of the sizzle out of splashy hi-hats. Still, the L/R drivers are well-matched in terms of amplitude and phase, and there's no coloration of your audio due to harmonic distortion at both regular and elevated listening levels.
The Shokz OpenFit Pro have a bad noise isolation performance. While they come equipped with a noise reduction feature, it attenuates only a paltry amount of mid-range external noise, slightly dampening background conversations. Their open-ear design means they struggle to block out bass or treble-range noise, like jet-engine rumble or fridge hum, and the ANC system provides no support in these ranges. They leak quite a bit of audio too, so those around you might hear a thin approximation of what you're playing, especially if you crank the volume.
The Shokz OpenFit Pro have a good microphone performance. The integrated mic renders your voice intelligible, though some roll-off in the bass range can make it sound artificially thin. The mic does a great job of separating your voice from its background, too, helping your voice stay understandable in busy streets and under flight paths.
The Shokz OpenFit Pro generally deliver audio consistently if you take the time to achieve the right fit. This can be harder if you wear glasses, though, as your glasses' arms can cause the earbuds' drivers to be positioned further away from your ear canals.
Performance Usages
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
The Shokz OpenFit Pro are available in just one color variant 'Black', and we took a photo of our unit's label. If you encounter another variant of these headphones, let us know in the comments, and we'll update our review.
Popular Headphones Comparisons
The Shokz OpenFit Pro occupy an awkward hinterland between the open-ear, sports-oriented designs that the manufacturer has staked their reputation on, and premium in-ear buds. For athletes and gymgoers, the Shokz OpenFit Air are comparably stable and comfortable workout headphones that come in at a lower retail price. You miss out on features like noise reduction and Dolby Atmos compatibility, but there are better choices for this, even in the open-ear realm. The Apple AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation offer superior ANC performance, for example, without fully sealing your ear, and come with a virtual soundstage feature. They're not quite as comfortable and stable as Shokz products, though, and require some investment in the iOS ecosystem to get the best out of them.
Check out our picks for the best wireless earbuds for running and working out, or explore some bone conduction alternatives in our best open-ear and bone conduction headphones.
The Shokz OpenRun Pro 2 Bone Conduction and the Shokz OpenFit Pro are both workout and fitness-oriented earbuds that utilize different sound reproduction technologies. The former uses bone conduction drivers, which bypass the ear canal. While this leaves your ear canal totally unobstructed, for unparalleled situational awareness, it creates a sound that lacks almost all bass range frequencies and can vibrate your jaw uncomfortably at higher volumes. Meanwhile, the OpenFit Pro use dynamic drivers positioned outside your ear canal. This still gives you some situational awareness and rolls of some bass range frequencies, though the effect isn't as drastic as with bone conduction headphones. Both have comfortable, stable, and sturdy designs (though the OpenFit Pro are more portable) and both have similar battery life performances, so choosing between them ultimately comes down to which driver technology you prefer.
The Shokz OpenFit Air and the Shokz OpenFit Pro are both open-ear, dynamic driver buds that are primarily designed for fitness and workout use. The Air offer a slightly more stripped-down feature set for a lower retail price, that eschews features like Dolby Atmos compatibility and noise reduction, in favor of a comfortable, stable fit and protection against dust and water damage. The Pro bring these extra features to the table and deliver solid improvements when it comes to stability and comfort. Given they both have similarly bright sound profiles with some scope for adjustment via the Shokz app, you're better off choosing the one that fits your fitness and workout needs. If you're a casual runner looking to get into the open-ear world, the Air are a great entry point, whereas the Pro's improved stability and comfort can be a better choice for extreme endurance athletes.
The Bose Ultra Open Earbuds and the Shokz OpenFit Pro are flagship open-ear buds from their respective manufacturers. They're both oriented towards sports and active use, so both have comfortable fits and IP ratings that help them withstand some elemental damage. The Bose have superior stability, regardless of your ear shape. As with most open-ear designs, both buds struggle to reproduce bass frequencies well, but the Bose are able to render mid- and treble-range content more accurately. They also have a longer continuous battery life, which can come in handy on long bike rides. While the Shokz come with a noise reduction feature, it's highly ineffective and reduces the battery life significantly.
The Shokz OpenFit Pro are the flagship version of the Shokz OpenFit True Wireless. The Pro version come with premium features, like noise reduction and Dolby Atmos compatibility. If you're just looking for some open-ear buds to take on jogs or to gym sessions, the OpenFit True Wireless have marginally worse stability, comfort, and build quality but are still very capable workout buddies at a lower retail price. While they lack the aforementioned premium features, as well as others like Bluetooth multi-device pairing, for most runners, these will be surplus to requirements. Still, if you're looking for a more rounded feature set and don't mind paying a premium, the Pro version are worth looking at. Just don't expect much from their ANC system.
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