Latest news with #ShokzOpenFit2+
Daily Record
2 days ago
- Daily Record
'I tried wireless open earbuds to mask noise and keep alert of my surroundings'
The new wireless OpenFit 2+ from Shokz keep me aware of my surroundings without disrupting my music Music has played a huge part in my life, and I always carry earphones with me, whether I'm exercising, travelling solo or working. For years, the Apple AirPods have been my ride or die because they are light and compatible with my iPhone, but I've been looking for something new as they get older. The new Shokz open earbuds caught my eye, completely different from traditional earphones. The Shokz OpenFit 2+ deliver music using air conduction with two individual speakers for sparkling highs and deep bass. They are available at £179 on Shokz online, Amazon, and other retailers. The open-ear design is similar to wearing earcuffs, but these offer more than just fashion accessories. They are surprisingly secure, even for a glasses-wearer like me. By not going inside the ear, there is no pressurised feeling and no dirt buildups around the seal, they feel more hygienic, and I could wear them for hours without any discomfort. Of course, there are other open earbuds on the market, just like Bose's Ultra Open Earbuds, and instead of hooking over the ear, they clip around the edge of the ears. Shoppers can get these for £299.95 at Bose. On Amazon, shoppers can consider Anker's Soundcore AeroFit 2, which is on 10% off and reduced to £90.27. The open earphones feature a bulkier double-curved design for an adjustable fit. The Shokz OpenFit 2+ weigh only 9.4g each, and are crafted with an inner layer of ultra-soft silicone, which I found them more comfortable than the hard plastics from my AirPods. In terms of sound quality, I know it's impossible to have noise cancellation but the flagship is enabled with Dolby Audio that it delivers better sound than my £159 gen2 AirPods. The basses and highs are distinctive, and the Dolby Audio tech wraps the sounds around me for a lifelike audio. They are not as premium as the overhead cans because they do not support spatial audio or head tracking. But with the Shokz app, I can customise the EQ using either four preset modes or two on its own. I had no issue listening to the music with noise and chatter around me, it gave me a sense of surrounding awareness, which was helpful when walking around central London on my own. I gave the earbuds to my friend, but found it hard to adapt to what she described as a "half in, half out" situation. "It's an odd feeling, like you're in an echo box or like I'm eavesdropping on other people's conversations, and I struggle to focus on either the music or the conversation," she told me. The Shokz OpenFit 2+ has one action button on each earbud, and I use them to adjust the volume, skip tracks, play/pause, and answer calls. Tech-savvy shoppers can also activate touch buttons for voice assistants like Siri or Bixby. Marathon runners might want to consider the Shokz pair as traditional headphones are not permitted in races like the Edinburgh Marathon Festival but they stated: "We allow bone-conducting headphones which do not plug the ears and therefore allow the participant to hear the environment are advised if the participant wishes to listen to music during the event." The earbuds support wireless charging and a quick 10-minute charge provides up to two hours of listening time. I have been using them for two months without having to charge, as they also have an incredible standby time of up to 270 days.
Tom's Guide
04-07-2025
- Tom's Guide
Shokz OpenDots One vs. Shokz OpenFit 2+: which open-ear buds are right for you?
Shokz's first attempt at clip-on earphones is impressive, offering a snug and secure fit that will suit most ears, along with support for Dolby Audio. Its wireless charging case is far more pocketable than the OpenFit 2+, however, it offers slightly less battery life and its sound quality isn't as good. Even though they're priced identically to the OpenDots One, the OpenFit 2+ are more advanced in a few key areas. They offer longer battery life, improved materials and slightly better water resistance, along with physical buttons. That said, they're quite small and won't suit all ears. Shokz, a Chinese company that's been a big player in open-ear headphones, is shaking things up with its two newest products, the OpenDots One and the OpenFit 2+ — each looking to deliver high-quality open-ear audio in their own unique way. The OpenDots One is arguably the most novel of the two, as it's the company's first attempt at a clip-on design, similar to the Bose Ultra Open. That means they wrap around the lower part of your ear with a flexible band, while the speaker itself sits in front of your ear canal. Meanwhile, the OpenFit 2+ follows on from the earhook design of the popular OpenFit, and offers a few quality of life upgrades over the standard OpenFit 2, making them a top candidate for the best running headphones of 2025. As a relative newbie to open-ear headphones, comparing the OpenDots One and OpenFit 2+ has given me some great insight into what Shokz's 'DirectPitch' tech can do across different earbud designs. Now I've tested both sets of open-ear headphones over the last two weeks, I know which design suits me more, even if the other option offers better sound quality overall. Read on to find out how each option fares in this Shokz OpenDots One vs. Shokz OpenFit 2+ comparison. Despite their differences in size and design, the Shokz OpenDots One and Shokz OpenFit 2+ are priced identically in the US and Australia, though the former has yet to be confirmed for release in the UK. The Shokz OpenDots One is priced at $199.95 / AU$339 and was released on April 29 in the US and June 3 in Australia. Meanwhile, the Shokz OpenFit 2+ is priced at $199.95 / £179 / $339 and was released in the UK and Europe on June 5, and in Australia on July 3. A US release date for the Shokz OpenFit 2+ has not yet been confirmed. Both the Shokz OpenDots One and the OpenFit 2+ come are offered in grey and black color options. Shokz OpenDots One Shokz OpenFit 2+ Price $199.95 / AU$339 $199.95 / £179 / $339 Colors Black, grey Black, grey Weight 6.5g (per bud); 39g (charging case) 9.4g (per bud); 56g (charging case) Water Resistance IP54 IP55 Battery life 10 hours (buds), 40 hours (case) 11 hours (buds), 48 hours (case) Connectivity Bluetooth 5.4 Bluetooth 5.4 Dolby Audio Yes Yes Wireless charging Yes Yes Going into this Shokz OpenDots One and OpenFit 2+ comparison, I had limited experience with open-ear headphones. Now that I've spent some time testing these devices, I believe I have a good idea of what this technology is capable of in terms of sound quality. Both the OpenDots One and OpenFit 2+ use Shokz's patented DirectPitch technology, which essentially beams sound right into your ear canal from just outside it using smartly positioned vents. Additionally, phase cancellation is used to help keep your tunes private. The OpenFit 2+ offers the same dual driver configuration as the standard OpenFit 2, with one driver dedicated to bass, and the other handling mids and highs. Where the OpenFit 2+ differs, however, is in the inclusion of Dolby Audio support, resulting in more impactful and perceptibly deeper sound. In saying that, I personally couldn't achieve a satisfying listening experience with the OpenFit 2+ when worn as intended. The earhooks proved too small for my (apparently large) ears, preventing them from properly reaching the opening of my ear canals. This resulted in them sounding quiet, tinny and distant. However, when held up against my ears in approximately the correct area, there was a dramatic improvement in sound quality — the OpenFit 2+ gained a significant boost in bass and brightness, along with an expanded soundstage. On the flip side, the OpenDots One clipped onto my ears perfectly, with their speakers pointed directly into my ear canal for the optimal listening experience. Despite their small size, the OpenDots One are able to pack two circular drivers into a single spherical module in order to enhance bass response. The result is clean, punchy audio that performs well in low frequencies. That said, I found the OpenFit 2+ to offer louder, more impactful audio overall. Another key difference between the two headphones is that the OpenDots One use touch controls, which I found a little difficult to get used to, while the OpenFit 2+ now offers physical buttons — a welcome upgrade over the standard OpenFit 2. Both the OpenFit 2+ and OpenDots One offer a range of EQ modes accessible in the Shokz app, starting with the 'Standard' listening experience and then providing options for 'Vocal' and 'Bass' boosting modes. There's also a 'Private' listening mode, which optimizes frequencies to reduce sound leakage. Even so, it was still pretty hard to avoid at high volumes, as my co-workers will attest. For open-ear buds, the OpenOne Dots and OpenFit 2+ deliver surprisingly punchy audio, which is largely due to their Dolby Audio support. Of course, it's important to keep your expectations in check. When it comes to sound quality, in-ear headphones will always come out on top compared to open-ear buds. That's because in-ear headphones seal off your ear canal, which blocks out outside noise — especially if the buds offer active noise cancellation. Open-ear buds, on the other hand, are designed to let you hear what's going on around you, which means your listening experience will ultimately be affected. It should come as no surprise that the OpenFit 2+, with their larger size and case, offer a longer battery life compared to the OpenDots One, though both provide impressive battery longevity given their compact designs. The OpenDots One offers 10 hours of battery life on the buds, while the charging case extends that to around 40 hours in total. Meanwhile, the OpenFit 2+ buds will last around 11 hours, with their case bringing their total listening time to roughly 48 hours. If, however, you've forgotten to fully charge your buds, a ten minute charge of either the OpenDots One or OpenFit 2+ will get you around 2 hours of listening time in a pinch. Both charging cases can be charged via USB-C cable or by wireless charging. When it comes to pure sound, the OpenFit 2+ definitely blasts out louder audio and has a wider soundstage, which makes the OpenDots One feel slightly less impressive. However, the OpenFit 2+ just didn't sit right in my ears, and that really messed with my listening experience. The OpenDots One, on the other hand, fit me well and sounded great, even if they aren't quite as bombastic on the audio front. Personally, I would opt for the OpenDots One, however, I predict the OpenFit 2+ will be the better option for most people — especially if they lead an active lifestyle.
Tom's Guide
05-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Tom's Guide
Shokz OpenFit 2 vs. Shokz OpenFit 2+ — which open headphones should you get?
The Shokz OpenFit 2 are terrific open headphones that offer a secure and comfortable fit, good sound quality and longer battery life. They are also a little cheaper than the OpenFit 2+, which offer upgrades in sound quality and charging. For $20 more than the Shokz OpenFit 2, the OpenFit 2+ headphones offer Dolby Audio to significantly upgrade the sound quality, plus wireless charging. Otherwise they're the same as the OpenFit 2 and offer the same great fit and battery life. I was impressed by the Shokz OpenFit 2 when I reviewed them earlier this year, with their sound quality, controls, battery life and fit all being improvements on the original Shokz OpenFit. They are among the best running headphones I've tried, but still left room for improvement on sound quality. That space has been filled by the Shokz OpenFit 2+, which cost $20 more and offer Dolby Audio for better sound quality. The other key upgrade you get on the Shokz OpenFit 2+ is wireless charging, with the headphones otherwise offering the same features as the OpenFit 2. I'm going to focus on the differences between the buds in this article, but I cover their shared features in more detail in my Shokz OpenFit 2 review. Having tested both sets of headphones and I'd say the OpenFit 2+ are worth the upgrade for the improved sound alone, but the OpenFit 2 still do sound good and are better value. The Shokz OpenFit 2 launched in January 2025 in the U.S. and June 2025 in Europe. They cost $179.95 / £169, $10 cheaper than the Shokz OpenFit 2+, which launched globally in June 2025 and cost $199.95 / £179. There are two colors available for each set of headphones. The OpenFit 2 headphones are available in beige and black, while the OpenFit 2+ are available in grey and black. Shokz OpenFit 2 Shokz OpenFit 2+ Price $179.95 / £169 $199.95 / £179 Colors Black, beige Black, grey Weight 0.33 ounce (per bud); 1.8 ounces (charging case) 0.33 ounce (per bud); 1.8 ounces (charging case) Water Resistance IP55 IP55 Battery life 11 hours (buds), 48 hours (case) 11 hours (buds), 48 hours (case) Connectivity Bluetooth 5.4 Bluetooth 5.4 Dolby Audio No Yes Wireless charging No Yes The standard OpenFit 2 are among the best sounding open headphones I've tried, with the Bose Ultra Open Earbuds being the gold standard on this front in my experience. They use two speakers on each headphone, with one focused on bass and the other on mids and highs, creating clear sound with a fuller profile than you get on most open headphones. I wasn't sure how much of an upgrade the OpenFit 2+ would offer, but when I enabled Dolby Audio in the partner app it created a surprisingly noticeable difference. The sound is more powerful and well rounded, with deeper bass and crisper vocals, and I also found that the OpenFit 2+ were a little louder, which is important when using the buds for outdoor workouts where the OpenFit 2 can be drowned out by the noise of traffic. When using the headphones at my desk or in other quiet environments you can hear and enjoy the bigger soundstage of the OpenFit 2+. You can also adjust the EQ of both sets of headphones in the Shokz partner app. Though they still can't match the sound quality of the best in-ear headphones, which benefit from passive and active noise cancellation, the OpenFit 2 and OpenFit 2+ are better than most open buds, and the Dolby Audio on the OpenFit 2+ does make a clear difference. Both sets of headphones offer the same impressive battery life of 11 hours on the buds, which rises to 48 hours in total with the charging case. It takes 100 minutes of charging to completely refill the battery in the case from empty, and a quickcharge feature nets you two hours of playback on the headphones from 10 minutes in the case. The only difference between the headphones with regards to battery life is that the Shokz OpenFit 2+ offer wireless charging, which worked perfectly well in my testing. Both sets of headphones can be charged by USB-C cable. To me wireless charging should be available on the OpenFit 2 as well, given that they cost $179, but it's good that it's available on the OpenFit 2+ at least. I wasn't expecting the difference in sound quality to be as big as it is with the Dolby Audio on the Shokz OpenFit 2+, and I think it's worth paying the extra $20 to upgrade to them from the OpenFit 2. It's a shame Shokz didn't launch both products at the same time in the U.S., so consumers got a choice between them rather than now potentially regretting buying the OpenFit 2. However, the OpenFit 2 are still excellent open headphones for workouts and general use, and a saving is a saving, so if you're not too worried about wireless charging or Dolby Audio you'll be getting a great set of buds for less.
