Shokz (previously Aftershokz) has become something of the poster brand for bone conduction headphones. Particularly if you want something to work out with but you also don't want to entirely block up your ears from what's going on around you - that's the beauty of bone conduction headphones after all.
The OpenRun Pro sits at the top of the Shokz range, offering two sound modes, long battery life and a design that promises to stay comfortable even on those longer workouts.
At £159.95/$179.95, these bone conduction headphones certainly don't come cheap and with many other bone conduction headphones offering similar features for less, is the OpenPro worth that extra spend? We've been putting them to the test to find out.
Shokz OpenRun Pro Headphones
The Shokz OpenRun Pro offers some of the best sound you'll get from bone conduction headphones right now, all while giving you a design that makes them ideal for runs, rides and whenever you need to be better aware of what’s going on around you.
- Balanced, clear sound quality
- Comfortable to wear for long periods
- Controls are easy to use
- New Bass mode doesn't hugely impress
- Arguably better value options in Shokz range
Design
- Available in four different colours
- Sweatproof design
- Comes in standard and mini designs
The OpenRun Pro see Shokz opt for a tried-and-tested neckband design, with the headphones sitting above the ears and around the head. At 29g, the titanium-built Pro certainly doesn't weigh heavy or jump around, making it ideal for wearing for long periods and during more intense workouts.
Shokz offers the Pro in standard (blue in the picture below) and mini (black) sizes - Shokz says if your head measures over 23.5cm ear to ear, the standard is the best option to go for, but to opt for mini if its smaller. Standard fits us just fine, but anyone with a slightly smaller head may want to check their measurements first.
If you like your headphones to be colourful, you have options here too. They come in black, blue, beige or pink shades, so whether you want to keep things low profile or you prefer headphones in a brighter hue, Shokz has got you covered.
All models carry an IP55-certified design, which means they're fit to handle some sweat and are protected against splashes of water. We've certainly had no issues using them for sweatier workouts, though won't want to take them for a dip - Bluetooth streaming and water don't mix.
There are three physical buttons in total, with two buttons underneath the right side of the headphones and a larger solitary one baked into the outer of one of the arms.
These buttons let you adjust volume, skip tracks, control calls and they're nicely positioned to use them on the move. Shokz also make room for a dual-noise cancelling microphone to let you take hands-free calls and speak to your phone's smart assistant.
When it comes to charging, Shokz uses its own proprietary charging cable, which magnetically plugs into the port, situated just above the main set of physical buttons. Proprietary cables are never the most convenient in case you misplace it or leave it behind, and it's not a super-secure charging setup either. It doesn't take much to knock it out of place, so do make sure you put it somewhere that won't be disturbed, or you could come back to find it hasn't been on charge at all.
Performance
Shokz adopts an open ear design approach with the OpenRun Pro, and delivers sound using bone conduction technology. This sees the headphones resting on the bone just outside of your ear, channelling audio to your ears via vibrations and keeping your ears free so you can still be aware of what's going on around you.
Shokz says it's using the 9th generation version of its bone conduction smarts it calls TurboPitch technology, to deliver clear and crisp sound. It also includes two units of its CoreCushion bass enhancers to promise something warmer and punchier than its previous headphones.
There are a couple of ways to judge bone conduction headphones. The first is the overall sound quality for music and making calls and the second being how well it can retain that sound quality when it merges with the sound around you. We'd say that on both fronts the OpenRun Pro does a very good job overall.
The headphones can be set to one of two sound modes. Those are Standard and Vocal Booster, with the latter designed to place a bigger emphasis on listening to voices and dialogue.
In the Standard EQ mode you get something that's aiming to deliver a more powerful and bassier sound profile, though we can't say it does that in a particularly impressive way. That attempt to bolster things in the bass department creates a more unbalanced sound and that push for a bigger sound comes at the expense of detail and clarity.
Switch to the Vocal mode from either the headphones or via the companion Shokz phone app and you'll arguably get the best, most rewarding performance from the Pro. We used it for listening to podcasts in this mode and it delivers voices with stronger clarity and much more finesse than in the Standard mode.
When you introduce more outside noise, like wind, traffic or sound systems from indoor environments, the Pro do a good job to keep themselves heard. However, we did find that handling calls with wind blustering or traffic nearby wasn't as clear as it was when conducting calls inside - much like you'd expect with standard earbuds.
Battery life
- 10 hours battery life
- 5-minute quick charge for 1.5 hours battery
- Up to 10 days standby time
Shokz aims to not short change on battery life, so you can expect up to 10 hours before you need to grab the charging cable. When things are running low, Shokz does include a quick charge mode that gives you 1.5 hours of listening time from a five-minute charge.
If you're using them regularly through a week, maybe an hour a day on average, that should in theory be enough to get you a week's use out of them with some change. If you're using them outside of workout time as well, then you'll likely have to make use of that quick charge feature, which does give you a nice quick top-up when you need it.
As mentioned, you're dealing with a proprietary charging cable here, but having that quick charge mode in play helps to make sure these are headphones that can power through a good week's use and take just an hour to get from 0-100%.
Verdict
The Shokz OpenRun Pro are really well designed bone conduction headphones that offer a light, secure and comfortable fit and a sound profile that arguably delivers better on the clarity front than it does on that promised bass and power. Battery life is roughly on par with other bone conduction headphones at this price, but should cover you for a week's worth of use on average.
The biggest problem here is that Shokz has another pair of headphones - the standard Shokz OpenRun - which offer a lot of the same features and performance for less, with just maybe a touch less battery life in between charges.
That being said, when it comes to comparing the best bone conduction headphones on the market, especially those designed for sport and exercise, the OpenRun Pro is a name that comes up time and time again. And ultimately, that's for very good reason indeed.