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The Shokz OpenFit Pro are the best running headphones we’ve tested with an open design, offering better sound quality than their rivals, along with a great fit, impressive battery life and some limited noise cancellation. They’re expensive, however, and there are better value open options, including Shokz’ own OpenFit 2 and OpenFit 2+ buds.
Design & Key Stats
- Price: £219 / $249
- Water resistance: IP55
- ANC? Yes
- Transparency mode? Yes
- Battery life (buds): 12 hours
- Battery life (case): 50 hours
Shokz OpenFit Pro review
The Run Test: Likes
The flagship new feature on the Shokz OpenFit Pro is noise cancellation, something that is rarely found on open headphones. This noise cancellation doesn’t get close to the immersion you get from in-ear or over-ear buds, but it does reduce background noise, especially when running on a treadmill.
This noise cancellation doesn’t detract from the open design either, because you can still hear what’s going on around you, which is a key plus with open headphones for runners using them to stay aware of their environment during workouts.
More impressive is the sound quality of the OpenFit Pro buds, which have very clear and powerful sound and even offer substantial bass, which is not something you often find on open headphones. You can adjust the EQ in the partner app, and the OpenFit Pro buds were enjoyable to use during and outside of our running.
The design also feels sturdy and premium thanks to the metal elements, and the fit of the headphones is good too, with the earhook holding them in place reliably and comfortably during runs. We found we could wear the OpenFit Pro with glasses during runs too, without our ears feeling too cluttered.
If you have the noise cancellation turned off, the battery life is another strong feature on the headphones, which will last up to 12 hours on a charge, and up to 50 hours with the case.
Finally, we’re always fans of button controls on running headphones, and that’s what you get with the OpenFit Pro. The multifunction buttons on each headphone are small, but you can use them while wearing gloves or with sweaty fingers during runs easily enough.
The Run Test: Dislikes
The noise cancellation on the headphones is innovative, but it doesn’t do enough to drown out external noise in noisy environments, especially when travelling. This is a problem with open headphones in general, that they’re often not loud enough for general use, and it remains a problem with the OpenFit Pro.
If you use the noise cancellation it also cuts the battery life of the headphones in half, and six hours of juice on the buds is not particularly impressive for larger, earhook headphones like these.
Verdict And Alternatives
The Shokz OpenFit Pro headphones are an excellent option for runners thanks to their impressive sound and open design, but don’t come in expecting miracles from the noise cancellation.
If you travel a lot you might well need to buy another pair of buds to use in those situations, because the OpenFit Pro can be drowned out, and that makes their high price a bit of problem in our view.
A better value option might well be to pick up a cheaper pair of open buds for running, like the Shokz Openfit 2 or OpenFit 2+, which both also sound good, or the JLab Epic Open Sport, then also buy a good set of in-ear buds for situations when you want to block out the world.
That said, if you just want the best open headphones available then these would be our pick. the Bose Ultra Open Earbuds are another strong option on that front, since they also have great sound quality, but their fit is not quite as reliable for running as the earhook on the Shokz.