The Shokz OpenFit Air are the second set of open headphones that Shokz has released, following the launch of the Shokz OpenFit last year.
They offer better value than the OpenFit and are among the best headphones for running thanks to their open design that allows for extra awareness without compromising sound quality like with bone conduction headphones.
Shokz OpenFit Air: Price and Availability
The Shokz OpenFit Air launches in June 2024 and costs $119 / £119, significantly cheaper than the Shokz OpenFit which are $179 / £179. The OpenFit Air are also more affordable than other top open earbuds like the Bose Ultra Open Earbuds and the Cleer Arc II.
Shokz OpenFit Air review: design and comfort
The Shokz OpenFit Air are independent earhook headphones that have a speaker that sits close to the ear canal without blocking it. This means you’re still aware of your surroundings while listening to audio, and the fit is very comfortable with no pressure points.
Compared to the OpenFit, the OpenFit Air are slightly larger and have a different ear hook that has a cavity in it to reduce pressure on the back of the ear. The earphones have a silicone coating and the ear hook is flexible with a 0.75mm flexible nickel-titanium alloy wire running through it.
Weighing just 0.3 ounces, it’s easy to forget you’re wearing the headphones at times. I’ve done a variety of workouts using the Shokz OpenFit Air, including lots of running plus cycling, yoga and strength sessions, and they stay in place reliably the whole time.
The fit is also comfortable when using the headphones for hours at a time, more so than some ear hook headphones like the Cleer Arc II, which compress the ear more tightly. The headphones are IP54 rated, which means they are sweat and water resistant and suitable for workouts, but not completely waterproof.
They connect easily to my phone and laptop using Bluetooth 5.4 and offer multi-point pairing for two devices. There are three colors available at launch – white, black and pink, all of which feature metallic silver accents.
The headphones charge in their case, which itself charges through a USB-C port, so you can use other cables to charge with it.
Shokz OpenFit Air Review: Controls
Each of the OpenFit Air headphones has a touch-sensitive panel on the outside that you can use to control playback with two gestures — double-tap and press-and-hold.
You can customize the controls to include options like calling your phone’s voice assistant and volume up/down, as well as play/pause and skip. I didn’t find the controls particularly reliable for me, especially during workouts when it was difficult to get my touches to register.
I could always eventually get the controls to work, but especially when running I often found that my first few attempts were ignored by the buds. The touchpad didn’t seem as responsive as the Shokz OpenFit’s to me, and I would have preferred to have physical buttons on the headphones for more reliable controls during workouts.
Shokz OpenFit Air review: sound quality
Compared to the bone conduction headphones that Shokz are best known for, the OpenFit Air are an improvement in audio quality, offering a fuller, more powerful sound and a much more immersive experience.
The open design means they don’t offer any passive noise cancellation, and the sound is still thinner than what you get from in-ear and on-ear headphones, but I enjoyed listening to music during and outside of workouts with the OpenFit Air, even if the sound can be muted if you use then when you travel.
When I listened to pop music like Dua Lipa’s “Illusion” and Billie Eilish’s “CHIHIRO,” the full range of instruments and vocals came through clearly, and when I turned on my running playlist to fuel me through difficult songs like Grimes’ “Kill v.
You can also choose from four EQ presets in the companion app — standard, vocal, bass boost, and treble boost. I prefer to use in-ear headphones when sound quality is my primary concern, and the lack of active or passive noise cancellation means the OpenFit Air are less suitable for noisy environments.
But for the most part, they impressed with the sound and matched what I experienced with the more expensive Shokz OpenFit. The only open earbuds I’ve tested that sound significantly better are the Bose Ultra Open Earbuds, which are much more expensive.
Shokz OpenFit Air review: battery life
The Shokz OpenFit Air headphones are listed as lasting six hours on a charge, with another 22 hours of battery in the box. The quick charge feature gives you two hours of playback from 10 minutes of charging the headphones in the box. That’s the same 28-hour total battery life as the OpenFit, but the more expensive earbuds last seven hours on a charge.
During my testing, when I was mostly listening to podcasts, the OpenFit Air would reach the battery life numbers suggested by Shokz, but if I listened to music at high volumes using EQ to boost the bass, the battery drained at a rate that would suggest five hours of playback rather than six.
The case isn’t particularly small, but you can fit it in a running belt or backpack, or in the pocket of a cycling shirt if you’re heading out for very long activities and want to be able to charge the headphones along the way.
Should you buy the Shokz OpenFit Air?
The Shokz OpenFit Air are excellent open headphones and offer better value than most alternatives in their category, including the Shokz OpenFit, which I wouldn’t say is a worthwhile upgrade over the OpenFit given how similar the two sets of headphones are.
One possible upgrade worth making is to the Bose Ultra Open Earbuds, which offer better sound quality and an impressively comfortable design, but the Bose buds are much more expensive.
Those looking for an even better value may find it with the 1MORE Fit SE S30 open headphones, which are only $70 and have a comfortable and secure fit for sports, though I preferred the fit and sound quality of the OpenFit Air in my testing.
