Shokz, the granddaddy of consumer bone-conduction headphones, has expanded its open-ear audio lineup with two new models for people who enjoy music but would also prefer to hear the bicycle, car, or overly enthusiastic runner approaching from behind—all without adding unnecessary weight to their ears.
The Shokz OpenRun Air 2 and OpenFit Air 2 both leave your ear canals unobstructed, but go about it differently. The OpenRun Air 2 is a neckband-style bone-conduction headphone aimed at running, cycling, and outdoor training. It is over 9% smaller than the OpenRun and weighs 26.4 g, with redesigned ear hooks and a forward-shifted center of gravity intended to reduce bouncing.
PremiumPitch 3.0 promises richer bass and clearer vocals, while IP67 protection means sweat and rain should pose little concern. Battery life reaches 10 hours, and a five-minute charge provides another two hours—useful when your headphones are as unprepared for the morning run as you are.
The OpenFit Air 2, meanwhile, consists of separate open-ear earbuds weighing 7.2 g each. A dual-driver Bassphere system and OpenBass 2.0 handle the audio, while angled speakers direct sound toward your ears and DirectPitch technology attempts to keep your playlist from becoming public property.
The earbuds provide eight hours of listening, or 36 hours with their smaller charging case. They also feature IP55 protection, Bluetooth 6.1, multipoint pairing, and pressure-sensitive controls designed to ignore sweat, water, and stray hair.
If anyone’s interested, both OpenRun Air 2 and OpenFit Air 2 are available now for US$129.95 each.
Images: Shokz.