I run almost every day and listen to music or podcasts on most of those runs. When doing training runs I don’t mind carrying my phone with me, but come race day I prefer to be as light as possible so don’t take my phone.

Therefore a set of headphones that offers Bluetooth playback when you do have your phone with you, and then MP3 storage for when you don’t, are ideal, and that’s exactly what the new Shokz OpenSwim Pro offers.

The new buds are essentially a combination of the OpenSwim MP3 and OpenRun Bluetooth buds, and I rate both of those as among the best sports headphones. As with most of Shokz’s range, the OpenSwim Pro are bone conduction headphones, so they leave your ears clear to hear your surroundings.

This awareness is not only good for training runs in busy areas where you need to keep your wits about you, but it’s the reason why bone conduction headphones are the only ones allowed at certain races. The open design means you can still hear the instructions of race marshals and helps you avoid any dangers on the route.

I have used the original OpenSwim headphones for races, transferring a few podcasts and my running playlist to the headphones. However, for day-to-day use I find it easier to use Bluetooth, especially for podcasts that are updated weekly, because remembering to transfer across audio before each run is a hassle.

Shokz are not the first brand to offer headphones with a combination of Bluetooth and MP3 playback, with the Naenka Runner Pro buds being one option from another brand I’ve tested. However, I have tested bone conduction headphones from many brands now and still rate Shokz’s buds as the best in this area, so I’m hoping the OpenSwim Pro will stand out as the best running headphones with a combination of Bluetooth and MP3.

One area I hope Shokz can improve on other brands is battery life when using the MP3 mode, since I found Naenka’s buds offered a lot less playback when playing files stored on the buds compared with Bluetooth mode. Shokz says the OpenSwim Pro will last nine hours on a charge, but that number might come down with real-world use, especially if you have the volume up high.

Of course the music storage is great for swimmers too, since Bluetooth transmission doesn’t work underwater, and are a sure bet for inclusion in Coach’s list of the best swimming headphones. In general they look a top option for sports, with the versatility of storage being handy for those times you don’t want a phone with you.

The OpenSwim Pro have 32GB of storage and an IP68 waterproof rating, so can be submerged for long periods safely when swimming. The buds were launched at CES 2024 in Las Vegas, with the price and release date yet to be confirmed, but with the existing Shokz OpenSwim headphones costing $149.95/£169.95, I’d expect the price for the Pros to be higher than that.

Shokz is the biggest name in bone conduction headphones, and models like the Shokz OpenRun are firmly among the best workout headphones. The Shokz OpenFit are the brand’s first air conduction headphones and are an attempt to rival similar buds, such as the Cleer Arc II and Oladance Open Ear headphones.

For the most part, the Shokz OpenFit are a success. They sound better than bone conduction headphones while offering awareness of your surroundings. I found the fit excellent, though I know others have struggled with that. I consider them among the best running headphones but they are a niche product, since they still aren’t ideal for lifestyle use because the open design can be problematic, particularly when traveling. 

Shokz OpenFit Review: Price And Availability

The Shokz OpenFit launched in June 2023 and cost $179.95 in the US and £179 in the UK. That’s more expensive than any of Shokz’s bone conduction headphones, with the OpenRun Pro costing $159.95/£159.95.

Design And Fit

Unlike Shokz’s bone conduction headphones, which have a band design that hooks over your ears, the OpenFit buds are individual headphones, and each hooks over the top of your ear so that a speaker rests near the ear canal. This is how sound is delivered without blocking the ears, whereas with bone conduction it’s achieved through vibrating pads that rest on your cheekbones. This air-conduction approach isn’t new—others like Cleer and Bose have used it in recent years.

The silicone hook on the headphones is flexible and I found the fit superb. It was secure enough for a variety of workouts including running, while also being comfortable over long periods. The OpenFit are the most comfortable and unobtrusive open hook headphones I’ve tested. Others, like the Cleer Arc II, put pressure on the tops of my ears. However, other reviewers have found the OpenFit loose, and not ideal for sports use as a result.

The buds have an IP54 water-resistance rating, which is not as high as the ratings on the OpenRun and OpenRun Pro headphones, but is still good enough to ensure they will withstand sweat and rain.

There are touchpads on the outside of the headphones that control playback, with taps and holds. You can customize the controls on the headphones with the Shokz app, but you’re limited to two controls per earbud—one for a double tap and one for a hold. These controls can include volume, as well as play/pause and skip, and you can activate your phone’s voice assistant using them.

Sound Quality

The OpenFit introduce Shokz’s DirectPitch technology for audio and have a fuller, more powerful sound profile than the brand’s bone conduction buds, which made it enjoyable to listen to a wide variety of music. You can customize the EQ of the headphones in the app, and that includes a bass boost option that delivers booming bass—or as booming as it gets in open headphones.

They are also loud enough to use when running by or cycling on busy roads, which is not the case with bone conduction headphones in my experience. The trade-off is that you’re less aware of your surroundings than when using bone conduction headphones—the OpenFit sit between in-ear and bone conduction buds in this aspect.

When traveling on trains, however, music and podcasts fade into the background because of the open design. I missed having in-ear buds for these situations. 

Otherwise, I was happy to use the OpenFit as my main headphones all the time because of the upgrade in sound quality they offer—and they don’t leak sound to annoy those around you. More committed audiophiles will miss the extra power and clarity of the best in-ear headphones.

Battery Life

The OpenFit headphones have a carry case that is also a charger and, Shokz says, 28 hours of battery life. The buds hold seven, with a further 21 hours from the case, and a five-minute charge is meant to yield one hour of playback. I found that the actual battery life depends on what you’re listening to, and the EQ you use. When I stuck with the standard EQ and mostly listened to podcasts I’d get the numbers listed by Shokz, but when I turned on the bass boost, increased the volume to the max and listened to music, the battery life fell. 

With a mix of sports and lifestyle use the OpenFit still lasted me a couple of weeks, and the battery life boost you get from having a case-charger means they are more convenient than Shokz’s bone conduction bands—which last longer on charge than the OpenFit headphones, but have to be plugged in directly more frequently than the OpenFit case.

Shokz OpenFit vs Shokz OpenRun Pro and OpenRun

I’ve been using the Shokz OpenRun Mini (which are the same as the OpenRun but with a shorter band, so they stick out less) as my main running headphones this year, and the OpenFit are an upgrade in sound quality. The convenience of having a case-charger is also useful.

When doing hard runs I often go to a flat area that has sections by a busy road where I can’t hear audio on the OpenRun and OpenRun Pro, but this was not a problem with the OpenFit. In fact, I have to turn the music down on the OpenFit when running on a road because I’m less aware of what’s around me than when using the OpenRun buds.

The OpenRun headphones are comfortable and secure and I don’t really notice them when wearing them, but that’s also true of the OpenFit buds for me—even if I know others have found them looser than the OpenRun band design.

Cost is a major factor when comparing the two, since the OpenRun Pro and OpenRun headphones are cheaper than the OpenFit. The OpenRun headphones are $50/£50 less than the OpenFit, and I consider them a better-value pick.

Although the OpenFit are better for lifestyle use, they still fall short on this front in certain situations such as traveling. You may find that  choosing the OpenRun over the OpenFit for situations when you need more awareness and then putting the money you save towards some in-ear buds for situations when those are preferable is a more satisfying all-round solution.

Are The Shokz OpenFit Worth It?

If the fit works for you as well as it has for me, the Shokz OpenFit headphones are excellent for sports and have benefits for general use as well, even though there were times when I craved the better sound and noise cancellation of in-ear buds.

They offer a nice balance of sound quality and awareness that tilts more towards the former than bone conduction headphones, and are the best all-round open headphones I’ve tried. The Cleer Arc II headphones offer marginally better sound, but the fit was uncomfortable for me. That said, if you find the OpenFit loose, the stronger ear clip design of the Cleer Arc II may be better.

The price is high, however, and there is a case for getting the cheaper Shokz OpenRun if you need open headphones. You can also get in-ear buds with great sound and transparency modes like the Jabra Elite 4 Active for less than the OpenFit, though the truly open design of the OpenFit is better for awareness than these transparency modes.

Bone-conduction headphones are undoubtedly very useful in certain circumstances. When exercising on or by busy roads it helps to have awareness of your surroundings, and they are also the only headphones allowed at some running events. These points alone mean you’ll always find a pair on our list of the best running headphones. 

However, they have always struggled with sound quality, offering less on this front than much cheaper in-ear options. As the leading name in bone-conduction buds, Shokz is trying to set new standards for sound with the OpenRun Pro headphones, with enhanced bass in particular. 

Unfortunately, the Pro headphones didn’t significantly outperform the sound of Shokz’s other bone-conduction headphones, and I’d recommend sticking with cheaper options.

Shokz OpenRun Pro: Price And Availability

The OpenRun Pro went on sale in the UK on 28th February and cost £159.95, which is £30 more than the standard OpenRun headphones. Shokz also has the entry-level OpenMove headphones in its range for £79.95.

Design

The OpenRun Pro headphones look the same as the OpenRun, though they weigh slightly more at 29g vs 26g. The headphones are lightweight and sit securely in place so it’s easy to forget you’re wearing them, especially when you’re also sporting a hat and running sunglasses – they fit perfectly fine with all this extra headwear.

You hook the headphones over your ears so the pads sit on your cheeks to deliver audio via your bones, leaving your ears clear to hear the world around you. It’s a design that’s become familiar to runners and cyclists, allowing greater awareness than in-ear buds, even those that have a dedicated awareness mode to filter in external sound. 

On the right-hand pad you have two buttons to turn the volume up and down, as well as turning the headphones on and off, and changing audio modes – press both buttons at once to switch between standard and vocal boost. On the left side there is a multifunction button you can use to control music playback and start up your voice assistant.

To improve the sound quality there are two added bass enhancers on the OpenRun Pro. By the nature of their design, bone-conduction headphones struggle to match the power of in-ear buds to generate bass frequencies and that is still the case with the OpenRun Pro, although they are a little bassier than rival bone-conduction buds.

The OpenRun Pro headphones have a water resistance rating of IP55, which is more than enough to withstand sweat and rain, but is lower than the waterproof IP67 rating on the standard OpenRun. This drop in rating is due to the change in design around the cheek pads, with a mesh section on the Pro.

Sound Quality

The OpenRun Pro headphones do offer a little more bass than other bone-conduction headphones, but they aren’t a major improvement in sound quality. For one, when running outside or in other loud environments I couldn’t discern any difference between them and the standard OpenRun headphones. When listening to music at home the sound actually seemed slightly less clear than on the OpenRun, perhaps as a result of the punchier bass.

It is also still hard to hear music and podcasts when running by or cycling on busy roads, a common problem with bone-conduction headphones that hasn’t been solved by the Pro. You still get a cheek tickle when listening to bassy tracks at high volumes too, though I for one quite like that.

As with other Shokz headphones, there’s a vocal booster mode, which should make podcasts and audiobooks a little clearer. I didn’t really notice a huge difference between this and the standard mode when listening to podcasts while running.

All that said, the OpenRun Pro headphones don’t sound bad, and if you’re not hugely concerned with audio quality they will more than get the job done during exercise. However, outside of exercise they leak a bit too much sound and are too quiet to use on public transport as everyday headphones.

And there’s no getting away from the fact that you get much better sound from in-ear buds that cost less than £100, so I’d suggest that the best option is to get the cheapest bone-conduction headphones you can and use them occasionally when the need arises, and then buy in-ear headphones to use most of the time.

Battery Life

One definitive advantage the OpenRun Pro headphones have over the OpenRun is two extra hours of battery life. The Pro headphones last 10 hours on a charge compared with eight on the OpenRun, and a five-minute charge nets you 90 minutes of playback. When you turn the headphones on you get a one-word rating of the remaining battery – high, medium or low – and when you near zero the voice will cut into your audio to plead “charge me”. 

Are The Shokz OpenRun Pro Worth It?

The bass and battery boost will be enough to tempt some people to upgrade, but I would stick with the standard OpenRun headphones. The sound quality is comparable and they still lasted me a week of training. 

As mentioned above, I’d also consider going for the cheapest Shokz model – the OpenMove – and using the money you save to get some in-ear buds for better sound quality when required. 

Another bone-conduction option is the Naenka Runner Pro headphones, which have both Bluetooth and MP3 playback. The latter is very handy for swimming and also running races when you don’t want to carry your phone with you. The Naenka headphones cost £110.35, and are reduced to £88.28 at the time of writing. 

Shokz also has a set of MP3 headphones in its line-up, the OpenSwim (formerly known as the Xtrainez – Shokz loves changing names). These don’t also offer Bluetooth playback but offer six to eight hours of battery, while the Naenka buds drop to around two to four hours in MP3 mode.

The OpenRun headphones are the first launched since the company changed its name to Shokz from AfterShokz. The addition of a quick charge feature offers a modest improvement on the previously top-of-the-range Aeropex.

Other than that, the OpenRun impress with a lightweight design and solid sound quality. They're certainly among the best running headphones out there, and the audio is as good as any I’ve come across on bone-conduction headphones, if still short of what you get from in-ear buds, the style of choice for most of the best workout headphones.

Shokz OpenRun: Price And Availability

The OpenRun headphones are available to buy now from the Shokz website and cost £129.95,  which is £30 less than the OpenRun Pro, £50 more than the entry-level OpenMove, and £10 less than the OpenSwim, which are MP3 headphones that can store music, but don’t offer Bluetooth connectivity.

The OpenRun are available in the UK from Shokz and Amazon UK. Other Shokz retailers like Wiggle don’t appear to have the OpenRun immediately after launch in January 2022.

Design

The OpenRun weigh just 26g and the slim, flexible frame sits comfortably over the ears even when wearing glasses and a hat. The open design allows for greater awareness when exercising, which is why  bone-conduction headphones are the only type allowed for runners at many races. They also help cyclists and runners stay alert to traffic in busy areas.

With an IP67 rating, the OpenRun headphones are waterproof to depths of one metre for up to 30 minutes, so they easily shrug off the rain and sweat from your exercise. However, without any MP3 storage, they aren’t suitable for swimming because Bluetooth won’t work when underwater – if you’re looking for swimming headphones from Shokz, the OpenSwim offer music storage.

The headphones have volume controls on one side, with the volume up button doubling as the power and pairing button. On the other side there is a multi-function button you can use to play/pause and skip music, and activate your phone’s voice assistant. The controls are pretty easy to operate while moving, though sometimes I found it a bit tricky to double-tap the multi-function button to skip a track while running or cycling.

There are four colours available – black, blue, grey and red – and the headphones have a proprietary open charging port which enables that IP67 waterproof rating without needing to be covered with a silicone tab.

Battery Life

The OpenRun headphones last eight hours on a single charge and can be charged from empty to 100% in 90 minutes. The quick charge feature nets you 90 minutes of playback from 10 minutes of charging and is a welcome upgrade on the Aeropex for all of us who regularly forget to keep our headphones topped up.

When you turn the OpenRun headphones on you are given a simple battery rating of high, medium or low so you know if you need to give them a quick charge before your workout. I found that they lasted me a week of training easily enough, even with the volume at the max level for all my outdoor runs.

Sound Quality

It’s important to temper expectations when it comes to the sound quality of bone-induction headphones, since the open design cannot hope to match in-ear buds. However, the OpenRun impress on their own terms; along with the Aeropex headphones they offer the best sound quality I’ve come across from bone-conduction buds.

The OpenRun headphones have Shokz’s PremiumPitch 2.0 tech, which is designed to add more power and bass and reduce sound leakage. They still tickle the cheeks when a particularly bassy track comes on, though I’ve never minded a little cheek tingle.

While I prefer in-ear headphones for better audio quality when not exercising, the OpenRun sound good enough that it's not unpleasant to use them all day long.

When using the headphones in particularly noisy environments they do lack a little volume, and when running by very busy roads I found I’d have to switch from podcasts to music as the former were often inaudible. I’m talking about especially loud roads like London’s North Circular though, rather than general traffic, when you can hear music and podcasts well enough.

You can change the EQ on the headphones from standard (best used for music) to vocal boost (for podcasts) by holding both volume buttons simultaneously. I didn’t find this change made much of a difference though.

Are The Shokz OpenRun Worth It?

For a short period the OpenRun were the top option in Shokz’s range and were the clear best-in-class pick. The introduction of the OpenRun Pro muddies the water, but of the two I’d still recommend the OpenRun, since the upgrades you get on the Pro are small and cost an extra £30.

There are also cheaper options than the OpenRun available, including Shokz’s own OpenMove headphones at £79.95. There are also the Naenka Runner Pro headphones, which offer both Bluetooth and MP3 playback, and are generally reduced from their RRP of £111.02 to under £100 (they’re £88.82 at the time of writing).

The OpenRun headphones sound better and offer more battery life than these alternatives, but the cheaper headphones do deliver on the promise of bone-conduction headphones – providing more awareness of your surroundings while playing audio.

Finally, it is worth considering the OpenSwim headphones at £139.95 if you do want MP3 playback. They don’t offer Bluetooth as well, as the Naenka headphones do, but the OpenSwim sound better and last six to eight hours on a charge, whereas the Naenka battery drops to around two to four hours in MP3 mode.

While bone conduction headphones remain a fairly niche product for the population at large, most keen runners and cyclists are probably aware of them by now, and they certainly feature among our pick of the best running headphones. Bone conduction headphones leave your ears clear while playing audio via vibrations in your cheekbones, so you can still hear the world around you while exercising.

It’s this that makes the style popular for people running and cycling on busy streets, and the only legal option in many races where roads aren’t closed. Shokz – formerly AfterShokz – is the brand that has become synonymous with the technology, not least because the company is the official headphones partner of England Athletics.

As such, a new entry in the Shokz range is sure to catch the eye of many runners and riders. At £79.95, the OpenMove headphones are positioned as the entry-level option. They're a little more expensive than the budget (and now quite old) Trekz Titanium (£69.95), cheaper than the Trekz Air (£99.95), and much cheaper than the Aeropex (£129.95). You've now also got the Shokz OpenSwim (£139.95), the excellent Shokz OpenRun (£129.95) and the top-of-the-range Shokz OpenRun Pro (£159.95).

Rather than an upgrade on the Titanium, I see the OpenMove as an improvement on the Air headphones. They’re a cheaper option that are also lighter, have more modern Bluetooth tech, and match the Air for sound quality and battery life at six hours of playback.

I already rated the Air as the best-value option in Shokz’s range just because of the huge jump in price to the Aeropex, so an upgrade, however slight, that’s also cheaper is very welcome.

The pros and cons of the OpenMove headphones fall into line with the experience I’ve had with most Shokz products. The bone conduction technology works – you can be aware of what’s going on around you while still listening to music or podcasts, but the battery life and sound quality don’t compare to what you get from similarly priced normal wireless options, such as our top picks of the best workout headphones and the best running headphones.

The audio sounds pretty weak, even at the highest volumes, and there’s really not much bass to speak of. If you are listening to a podcast while cycling in traffic you will probably miss bits when buses and trucks roar past; when you put on your power track to push you along the home straight in a running event you won’t get the full-fat blast of sound you want (and do get from standard in-ear buds).

There’s also the slight cheek tickle you get from the bone conduction tech, which I don’t mind at all but does annoy some users. I found this slightly less noticeable on the OpenMove than the Aeropex though.

The design is more comfortable on the OpenMove than on the cheaper Titanium headphones, which are really pretty bulky and don’t work well with hats or sunglasses in my experience. The OpenMove fall well short of the Aeropex headphones, however. The Aeropex are lightweight to the point where you don’t notice them once you start running, and they sound a lot better too – though still not as good as £150 normal buds.

I had no problems with the fit of the OpenMove on runs and cycles, with the over-ear design keeping them firmly in place, but the band sticks out a little from the back of my head which meant it got pushed around when I did exercises which involve lying on the floor, like the glute bridge.

From my use, the six-hour battery life listed was accurate. Although that’s enough to get you through most individual runs and cycles, it’s not great when even some tiny truly wireless buds are clocking up seven hours of battery on one charge. The Jaybird Tarah Pro and Beats Powerbeats 4, which have a wire connecting the buds, last 14 and 15 hours respectively. I’d guess this shortfall has something to do with the vibrations bone conduction tech has to produce, since it is a common problem across the Shokz range.

However, if you’re sold on the idea of bone conduction buds, you’re sold, and though there are other options from brands like Vidonn and Tayogo, Shokz is the dominant player. Within its range, I do think the OpenMove headphones are the best all-round option, but if you have the money the Aeropex do sound and fit better – and they last eight hours on a charge too.

AfterShokz OpenMove Wireless Sport Headphones, Bone Conduction Bluetooth Earphones with Mic, IP55 Sweat Resistant for Running, Yoga (Alpine White)

Buy now

Buy from AfterShokz | £79.95

The Shokz OpenSwim MP3 headphones (previously called AfterShokz Xtrainerz) are designed for a niche within a niche. Not only are they bone-conduction headphones, which offer more awareness of surroundings but weaker sound than most of the best workout headphones and best running headphones on the market, but they also don’t connect to your phone or other devices. Everything you want to listen to on the OpenSwim has to be loaded on to them from your computer via the charging case.

Once your desired audio is loaded, however, the OpenSwim become a truly unique accessory. Runners who enter a lot of races and regular swimmers may well find that there are no other headphones that meet their needs so perfectly.

For runners who race, not having to carry a phone to listen to music lightens the load in your running belt. More importantly, the OpenSwim will also be allowed in many more races than standard headphones owing to the open-ear design, which allows you to hear instructions from race marshals and listen out for traffic when you’re not on a closed-road course. In fact, Shokz has a partnership with UK Athletics that means its earphones are the only ones approved for use in all road races under the UK Athletics Rules of Competition.

For swimmers (and watersports enthusiasts), the benefits are even more obvious, because you can’t (or at least are strongly advised not to) take your phone into the water. The Xtrainerz are IP68-rated, so they can withstand submersion in up to two metres of water (including salt water) for up to two hours.

They also sound impressive in the water, as long as you use the dedicated EQ setting, which takes the bass down several notches – sound travels well underwater so you don’t need much bass for it to boom. You may find that you’re slightly unimpressed by the sound before you actually stick your head under the surface but when you do, it comes to life. The difference is a little like being outside a club and then stepping inside. Or, if you’re a fan of Harry Potter, remember that bit in Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire when Harry listened to the big golden egg underwater and the merpeople’s song became crystal clear? Like that.

This does of course mean breaststroke gets a bit annoying with the bass cutting in and out as your head bobs in out of the water. When swimming backstroke and freestyle, however, the sound was continuously fine; even when you’re turning your head to breathe, it seems you only need one pad in the water for the effect to work.

It takes a little bit of arranging to get the OpenSwim to sit comfortably with a swimming cap and goggles on, but once you’ve sorted it they don’t move during the swim. If you’re going for an especially leisurely swim you won’t need to pin them down, but anything close to an aggressive push-off will dislodge them.

Other waterproof headphones/MP3 players that actually sit in the ear are less impressive on this front. Once the water has got into your ear it’s generally hard to get the buds to stay in place, so the relative security of the OpenSwim is a real plus.

The controls on the headphones are a little fiddly at first, and it’s definitely worth having the instruction manual to hand when you’re first using them. There are four buttons – a mode button that can change the headphones to swimming mode or set your music to shuffle or repeat – plus the usual volume up/down and multifunction button.

The OpenSwim have 4GB of space and you can add your audio to the headphones in folders to switch between collections when exercising. I set up one folder as my running playlist, another contained a series of a podcast, and so on. One downside is that you can’t switch from a podcast to music in another folder, then return to the podcast and pick up where you left off. It starts the folder from the beginning and while there’s a button combination to skip to the next track there’s no option to fast-forward. I’ll accept it’s a fairly petty complaint, but it speaks to the fact that for everyday use the OpenSwim are naturally more fiddly than headphones that link to your phone – and that’s before you take into account dragging and dropping audio files into folders. However, in certain situations the OpenSwim absolutely come into their own: if you’re a runner who doesn’t enjoy carrying your phone with you or a swimmer bored with endless entertainment-free lengths, they’re a novel and effective solution.

The price of £139.95 might be a sticking point, however. You can get a top-notch set of Bluetooth wireless headphones for that, like the Jaybird Tarah Pro, or a Bluetooth set of Shokz bone-conducting headphones like the Air. Whether they’re worth your money depends on how squarely you fit into the OpenSwim’s niche.

Buy on Amazon 

Innovation is a wonderful thing, and when Shokz (or Aftershokz as they were called then) first launched its bone-conducting headphones we were as amazed as anyone that we could listen to music by placing the buds on our cheekbones, rather than putting them in our ears. It’s a huge advantage for runners and cyclists – in the city especially – where it pays to keep your ears open to help track the movement of traffic.

Once you’ve made that big leap, however, there’s a lot to be said for simply refining what you already have rather than seeking another huge advance. That’s what Shokz has done with its headphones, making small improvements with each new generation so that the latest – the Aeropex – are a little better in every way than their predecessors, the Shokz Trekz Air.

The Aeropex headphones are smaller and lighter than the Air, and have an IP67 waterproof rating compared with the IP55 rating of the Air, so you can be sure they’ll withstand your sweatiest workouts and runs in the rain. The new headphones also have better battery life – eight hours rather than the Air’s six – and improved sound quality with less leakage.

That’s a considerable raft of improvements, and just as well because the Aeropex do need to be considerably better than the Air headphones given that they cost more at £129.95.

Having worn the Air headphones regularly for the past year or so I was intrigued to see if the upgrades in the Aeropex would be immediately apparent. To be brutally honest they weren’t, but over time they did start to shine through. While extra battery life and waterproofing are both useful, it’s that size difference and the upgrade in sound quality that really make the Aeropex.

The Aeropex headphones are 13% lighter, but more noticable is the 30% smaller size which make them more comfortable and easier to wear with glasses and/or a hat while running.

Bone-conducting headphones are never going to be the choice of true audiophiles, but this upgrade should make the open-ear design more palatable to most people. Shokz says it has reduced sound leakage by 50% on the Aeropex compared with the Air, and the PremiumPitch 2+ sound is also designed to bump up the bass, which has been notoriously weak on bone-conducting buds.

Listening to the Air and the Aeropex side by side, I definitely noticed an improvement in the clarity of the sound, especially at high volumes. The amount of cheek buzz has been reduced with the Aeropex, which presumably helps the quality, even if I miss the tickle of the buzz a little bit. However, I didn’t hear any increase in the bass. When listening to particularly bassy tracks the Trekz Air still seemed to pack more of a punch on that front, even if the song as a whole sounded much clearer through the Aeropex.

See related 

• The Best Running Headphones
• The Best Gym Headphones

That said, if you are all about bass or sound quality in general, you’ll find bone-conducting headphones disappointing and probably wouldn’t go for them in the first place. The key advantage of them is to keep your ears open, so the minor improvements in sound quality Shokz has made with each new generation of its headphones are important, but not the key selling point they might be for standard in-ear buds.

If you’re a regular runner or cyclist the extra awareness you have of your surroundings when using Shokz headphones is considerable, and the brand also has a partnership with England Athletics that means they are the only type of headphones allowed in some UK Athletics races – though in our experience many runners do flout this rule without repercussions.

The Aeropex are undoubtedly the best headphones Shokz has made at the time of release, but with the also-excellent Air now available for £50 less, I’m unsure if they’re worth the extra money. The key feature is the same on both – clear ears – and while the Aeropex are better when it comes to battery life, size and fit, and sound quality, you will probably get by very happily with the Air headphones if you’re just looking for a set of bone-conducting buds.

Buy on Amazon | £129.95

When everyone else zigged, Aftershokz zagged. Instead of working out better ways to block out extraneous noise to let you focus on your music – and isolate you from the outside world – Aftershokz left the entire ear open, using bone conduction to transmit music tunes to your noggin.

The Trekz Air are Aftershokz’s new top-of-the-line bone conduction headphones, supplanting the Trekz Titanium as its premium offering (although you can still get the Titanium headphones, for £50 less than the Air). As the name suggests, they are lighter – 30g compared to 36g for the Titanium – as well as being more flexible, making for a more comfortable fit.

Having used the Trekz Titanium for many runs and cycles, I was surprised by how much these seemingly small changes actually affected the fit of the Air. The new headphones get knocked around less by helmet straps or the tops of shirt collars than the Titanium, because the lighter wraparound strap doesn’t droop so much.

Other than that, the experience is much the same. The sound quality is impressive and the headphones are loud enough to let you hear your music or – crucially for me, at least – your podcasts and audiobooks when running around busy city streets, while retaining the extra aural awareness of what’s going on around you. I didn’t notice any difference in sound quality compared with the Titanium but bone conduction relies on a good fit, so the fact that the Trekz Air stay firmly in place is useful in that regard.

Competitive runners should also note that Aftershokz has a partnership with England Athletics and its headphones are the only ones allowed in all UK Athletics races. Although many runners simply flout this rule and wear whatever headphones they like, if you want to stick to the rulebook and avoid any risk of being disqualified, then bone conduction headphones are the way to go.

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Naturally you can’t expect the sound quality to match that of in-ear buds or over-ear headphones – there is a trade-off you have to accept if you want the greater awareness afforded by bone conduction headphones – but the Trekz Air still sound good enough that the drop in audio standards doesn’t annoy. Even if it does, put on a bassy track, ramp the volume up to the max and enjoy the fizzy vibrations against on your cheekbones – you don’t get that with in-ear buds.

Take the Trekz Air on public transport and you might struggle to catch every word of a podcast, especially on a noisy underground train, but that’s not really where they’re meant to be used. They’re designed for outdoor exercise and that’s where they excel, with a water-resistant body and a fit that doesn’t budge even during faster runs.

The connection between phone and headphones was always perfect, and I found the Trekz Air to be impressively fast at linking up with my phone when I turned them on. I’d like it if they gave an indication of remaining battery life whenever you turned them, which is something that all Bluetooth headphones manufacturers should be forced to do by law in my opinion, but it’s easy enough to see the remaining juice on your smartphone.

Battery life is six hours, and it takes two to charge them from empty – a tad slow considering many Bluetooth headphones have a rapid charge function nowadays.

The Trekz Air remain a niche item – if you’re not a runner or a cyclist then there’s no real need to compromise on sound quality for greater ambient awareness – but they are the kings in that niche. If you already have the Trekz Titanium there’s no urgent need to upgrade to the Air, but they are an improvement in terms of their lightweight frame and secure fit. Whether that’s worth an extra £50 is a question for your wallet.

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