By: Tarin O'Donnell

Shokz has paved the way for open-ear technology in the audio world. This year, they launched a brand new product, OpenFit, which is their first design closest to a true earphone. 

If you aren't familiar with Shokz, here is a quick rundown. Their flagship designs have been wireless headsets that use bone conduction and open ear technology. This means they sit outside your ears, not in them, allowing the user to hear what is going on around them. Making them great options for activities in cities and on the trails. 

There are many benefits to open ear technology. One of the major things is safety. Being able to hear your surroundings keeps you aware of any hazards that may come up behind or beside you. Whether you are commuting via foot, bike, in a busy area, or out solo in the woods, having the ability to hear what is happening around you can help prevent big or small accidents.

First Ear Account

I will personally tell you, I am obsessed with these! I have been using them almost daily for the past two months. I work from home, however, I live in a tiny space and don't live alone, so, usually I'm reaching for my OpenFit's before my coffee. Whether I'm heading out for a walk, an XC ski, doing yoga in my "living room", or just sitting straight down to work, I pop them in my ears and get my day going. Let's get into my list of pros and cons. 

The Likes 

Fit

I don't prefer something in my ears constantly nor do I prefer earbuds when talking on the phone or taking zoom meetings (unless I'm actually in a place I need to cancel out noise). The OpenFit has what they call a "dolphin arc ear hook" design. They hook around your ear and sit outside of your ear canal.

OpenFit's are comfortably under my headband!

Battery Life

The OpenFit last up to 7 hours on a single charge and with their charging case, you can get up to 28 hours! They also are equipped with a quick charge, meaning 5 minutes on the charger can give your 1 hour of play time. This is perfect for those times you forget to put them in their case or if you are in a hurry and they are running low. 

MultiPoint Pairing

Another favorite feature of mine! This may not mean much to everyone, but if you #wfh (work from home 😉) this feature is incredibly handy. The OpenFit's seamlessly connect from two different devices, meaning you don't have to disconnect from one and reconnect to another. I can be listening to music or a podcast on my phone, then hop on a zoom call from my computer without having to press a single button. You do have to use the app to do this, but you'll want the app anyway for other personalizations like sound and control preferences (more on that next). 

Sound

I have no complaints here nor anything super technical to say. As I mentioned, with the app you can customize EQ modes, which is great for those who have certain preferences or like to switch modes depending on what they are using their headphones for. If I really wanted to blast my eardrums and rock out, these wouldn't do it, but that's not what they are intended for anyway. So, if you are trying to go ham on a work out and need to shut out the world and possibly go deaf, you may consider a different pair for that mission. Otherwise, music, podcasts, and calls come through great! I've also had no complaints from those on the other side of my calls about the microphone. 

The Dislikes

The Controls

There are no buttons on these which seems cool at first, however, the touch pads on these are not super use friendly in my opinion. You have two options, a double tap and a tap and hold. Through the app you can decide what these two options control, like volume, previous/next, voice assistant, and play/pause. That's great and all, but the problem is no matter what you set the control for, it's hard to find the "sweet spot" on where to tap. Also, I have yet to be successful in doing this with gloves on. I find myself having to default to just digging my phone out for whatever control I'm looking for. Which I definitely don't love. 

This is the first iteration of the OpenFit so I believe this will be an easy fix if it is a larger issue than my own opinion. I definitely wouldn't let this be the make or break but we all have our quirks and must haves! 

Author: Tarin O'Donnell

Tarin considers herself a Jane of all trades, dabbling in a little bit of everything. You can find her outside mountain biking, paddleboarding, snowboarding/splitboarding, snowmobiling, and on her bc nordic skis with her dogs.