I have been waiting for a company to finally crack the code on open ear earbuds that do more than just whisper audio into your skull. Shokz, the brand a lot of folks still remember for bone conduction bands at the gym, is finally taking a real swing at that future with its new OpenFit Pro. These open ear buds sit right outside your ear instead of plugging the canal, which means you can hear music, podcasts, and phone calls, yet still stay aware of the world around you. As a dad and a Long Island suburban walker dodging cars drifting over the white line, I appreciate that.
Shokz is calling this the first open ear model to offer actual noise reduction. That is not the same thing as old school ANC that blocks everything out. Traditional ANC depends on shoving silicon deep into your ear. These sit just above your ear canal, so the challenge becomes how much outside sound can be softened without killing awareness. The company tries to meet this middle ground with a bunch of microphones, some clever algorithms, and a refined speaker setup that adjusts on the fly.
I have used Shokz products in the past and the first thing I always worry about is bass. If a driver is not sealed, the low end can disappear into the room. Shokz says it has addressed that problem with a larger dual diaphragm driver, a little acoustic trickery to push more sound toward the ear, and its own tuning modes. I have not heard these personally yet, but the idea of retaining spatial awareness while getting honest bass is intriguing. I listen to music when I mow the lawn in the summer and it would be nice to hear both the guitar and my kid yelling for juice.
The other headline feature is Dolby Atmos support with head tracking. That sounds fancy for earbuds that do not actually go inside your ear, but Shokz claims you can hear directional audio cues while still hearing your surroundings. If that works, it could make movies on a phone a lot more fun on a long flight. I do not travel as much as I used to, yet even sitting at my desk, movie trailers with spatial audio would be neat.
Shokz also promises a bunch of everyday niceties that help justify the price. Multipoint pairing is here, which means you can walk into your home office and your laptop will take over from your phone without tapping through the Bluetooth menu. There is also wireless charging, quick charge when you are in a hurry, and an IP55 rating that should survive sweaty workouts or a drizzle at the bus stop. The hooks are made from a lightweight nickel titanium alloy wrapped in silicone. That should prevent that sore ear feeling you get from sealed buds worn too long.
Battery life looks competitive. Shokz says twelve hours per charge if you are not running the noise reduction tricks, and six hours if you are. The case brings that into full day territory. I like that kind of simplicity because I do not enjoy thinking about charging headsets at night. My phone and my smartwatch already demand attention.
One thing I want to see is how well noise reduction works in places like a Starbucks or a noisy office. Shokz says the best experience will be in moderate noise. If that turns out to be true, I can imagine wearing these through most of my day. I write for NERDS.xyz, I do chores, I run errands, and I keep an ear open for family emergencies. Plugging my ears is not always an option. Open ear listening feels like the right compromise for modern life, even if everyone looks like they are wearing tiny horseshoes over their ears.
This kind of product also shows how audio trends are shifting. Earbuds are not one size fits all. Some want total silence, others want ambient passthrough, and some want everything open all the time. It is almost like a smartphone’s camera modes. Pick the moment, pick the tool. Shokz is clearly betting there are enough customers who want safety, comfort, and usable noise control to buy a pair of these instead of sealed buds that cut you off from the world.
Speaking of everyday life, I think the price matters most once you decide whether you like the concept. Shokz OpenFit Pro is available for pre-order from Best Buy here in black and white for $249.95.
Support independent tech journalism
NERDS.xyz is independently owned and operated. If you enjoy my coverage of Linux, AI, hardware, cybersecurity, and tech culture, consider supporting the site on Ko-fi.
Support NERDS.xyz