Over the past few years the wireless earbuds market has seen a clear shift in what people buy and how they use it. Not long ago, anyone after good sound, serious noise cancelling and a proper listening experience would have reached straight for traditional in-ears.
Open-ear designs, meanwhile, were treated as a niche choice. They sit comfortably and suit sport, but people questioned their sound, their bass and how well they coped with noise in the real world. That’s why plenty of buyers, especially the ones who care most about audio, skipped open-ear entirely when shopping at the premium end.
That’s changing. Audio technology has moved on, and open-ear brands have put more work into their designs, so the old weaknesses are being chipped away one by one. Shokz is among the most prominent of those brands, sticking with the open-ear philosophy, focusing on comfort and on staying aware outdoors, while pushing sound quality far enough to cover everyday listening.
This time round I got to spend some time with the brand’s newest model, the OpenFit Pro.
A modern, upmarket design
The first thing that struck me about the box and the earbuds themselves was the finish. Shokz’s earlier models leaned light, sporty and fairly utilitarian. The OpenFit Pro feels noticeably more premium.
The outer packaging is made from recycled material, and the case inside carries the same feel. It suits buyers who want something that looks smart as much as buyers who want something for the gym. A small detail, but it’s what earns the “Pro” in the name.
It isn’t only the materials. The whole look is more grown up. These aren’t earbuds that only make sense for running, the gym or outdoor sport any more. The shape is tidy, the colours neutral and the detailing careful, so you can wear them to the office, in meetings or in any business setting without looking like you’ve come straight from training.
One thing I rate highly is that Shokz has stuck with raised, water-resistant physical buttons instead of going fully touch-sensitive. The buttons stand proud of the body, are easy to find and give a definite click. It sounds minor and it matters a lot in practice, especially with sweaty hands, out on the street or straight after a workout.
Touch surfaces are easy to trigger by accident. With physical buttons, changing volume, pausing music or answering a call is something you do with confidence. Shokz says these multi-function buttons are raised and water-resistant.
The charging case earns points too. Because the buds hook over the ear, the case was never going to be as small as one for conventional earbuds, but Shokz has trimmed it in enough places that it ends up fairly slim and easy to carry. In a trouser pocket or a small bag it doesn’t feel bulky. It charges over USB-C and supports Qi wireless charging, which makes daily use a lot easier.
Fit: the main reason to pick open-ear
If I had to name one reason I like Shokz’s open-ear models, it’s how they sit. The OpenFit Pro plays to that strength again.
The buds hook over the ear, with the driver housing sitting near the ear canal rather than pushed into it. Your ear stays open. Nothing seals it off, nothing presses inside, and there’s no stuffy feeling after a long stretch. If in-ears make your ears ache, or you can’t stand silicone tips sitting in the canal, the OpenFit Pro is a very different experience.
Shokz calls the hook material Ultra-Soft Silicone 2.0, meant to grip the ear while staying soft. In use the hook does flex easily, follows the shape of the ear and doesn’t dig in. I could wear them for hours, through work, music and online meetings and then lying down to rest, without the urge to take them off that I get with a lot of in-ears.
What’s interesting is that they look slightly loose but hold on well once you move. Walking fast, training lightly, turning my head repeatedly, and they stayed put. That matters for earbuds aimed at sport and daily use alike.
If you’re used to in-ears, though, you’ll need a few days to learn the placement. You don’t just take the OpenFit Pro out and push it in. It has to hook in the right spot on the ear so the driver points properly at the canal. For the first few days I kept adjusting to find the position that was comfortable and sounded best. Once that clicked, it became quick and automatic.
SHOKZ OpenFit Pro (Black) Open Ear Headphones – with Black Gym Bag for Sports, Workout & Travel: Check Availability on Amazon
SHOKZ OpenFit Pro (White) Open Ear Headphones – with Black Gym Bag for Sports, Workout & Travel: Check Availability on Amazon
Sound quality
Sound is the part that surprised me most. Let me be clear up front: this is still an open-ear, not an in-ear or a pair of over-ear headphones. Without a sealed space in the canal, the OpenFit Pro can’t give you the weight, the bass force or the layer separation of a good in-ear at the same price.
Judged within the open-ear world, though, it’s among the best-sounding I’ve tried.
Shokz pairs SuperBoost with Dolby Atmos here, which does set it apart from other open-ears on the market. The app adds EQ Modes, so you can adjust the sound to suit whatever you’re playing.
To get a better sense of it I listened to tracks like “Giữa đại lộ Đông Tây” and several songs by Hà Nhi. I chose that kind of music because I listen mainly for the vocal, so that’s where my attention goes. The OpenFit Pro renders a singer’s voice decently without being outstanding. For online classes, meetings, podcasts or video, they’re very easy to live with. The sound isn’t pressed up against your ear, so long sessions tire you less than many in-ears do.
Bass has enough force behind it. In a quiet room, a bedroom or an office, it comes through clearly rather than sounding thin or short of breath.
The standout here is that Shokz has put noise cancelling into an open-ear for the first time. Noise cancelling is hardly new, but bringing it to an open design is a worthwhile step. Anyone who exercises can get more of their music, with noticeably less background noise, while keeping the comfort and the awareness that open-ear is there for. It also widens the appeal of these earbuds, particularly for people who move around a lot.
So the OpenFit Pro sounds good, is easy to listen to and stands out in the open-ear category, but set your expectations correctly. If you want powerful, sealed sound with good isolation and maximum punch at this price, true wireless in-ears still make more sense. If you’d rather have an open feel, nothing blocking your ears, something you can wear for hours, with sound that’s good enough for most of what you do, the OpenFit Pro does the job well.
Call quality
For earbuds you might also wear to work, calls matter. The OpenFit Pro’s microphones hold up in most situations.
Three microphones with an AI algorithm pick the voice up clearly, with enough presence and without sounding distant. On calls from my office, or anywhere with moderate background noise, the person on the other end could hear me clearly. Shokz says the triple-mic AI system cuts up to 99.4% of background noise on a call, and that there’s wind noise control as well.
Somewhere genuinely loud, or in strong wind, the microphones run into their limits. For everyday calls, online meetings, classes or quick exchanges over a laptop or phone, though, this is one of the more dependable open-ear models for talking.
Battery life
Battery is another strength. Shokz quotes up to 12 hours of continuous listening with noise cancelling off, and 50 hours in total with the case. With it on, that drops to 6 hours from the buds and 24 with the case. Ten minutes of fast charging gives about four hours, which is useful in practice.
Day to day, battery isn’t something I think about. Listening to music, taking online meetings and watching videos in bursts through the day, then dropping the buds back in the case, I was never caught out. Wireless charging on the case makes it easier still: put the case on a pad when you get home or at your desk and the buds are ready for the next day.
Verdict
Taken as a whole, the Shokz OpenFit Pro is one of the most complete open-ear models around. The design is upmarket and the build is good. They sit comfortably and hold on well. The battery lasts, the case charges wirelessly, the controls are physical buttons, and there’s noise cancelling, which is still rare on an open design.
What I rate most isn’t only the sound, which stands out among open-ears, but the way Shokz has balanced several different uses. You can wear these to train, to work, in online meetings, to relax with music, or for hours at a stretch, without the stuffy, uncomfortable feeling some traditional in-ears give you.
The OpenFit Pro is only worth buying if you know what you want from it. If you dislike the sensation of something in your ear, if in-ears make your ears ache, if you want something open that still lets you hear what’s around you without giving up too much sound quality or too many features, this deserves a look.
If you’re fine with in-ears and you care most about powerful sound, good isolation or the most effective active noise cancelling at this price, a premium true wireless in-ear is still the better choice.
The Shokz OpenFit Pro wasn’t made to replace in-ears outright or to go head to head with traditional ANC models. It aims at a specific group: people who want the comfort and openness of an open-ear design but still need something premium in sound, features and finish. At that, it does very well.
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