Shokz (formerly AfterShokz) OpenRun Review – Best Bone Conduction Headphones for Running and Cycling

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In December, AfterShokz announced a rebrand to Shokz, at the same time they announced their new OpenRun Bond Conductive Headphones.

Shokz OpenRun vs Aeropex

The new Shokz OpenRun headset is the same as the previous flagship Aeropex. However, they have now been upgraded with a new fast charging solution.

Notably, in the US, they also launched OpenRun Pro. While the OpenRun does have this new fast charging feature, if you want to fully charge it, you can save 30 minutes with just 90 minutes and 120 minutes. A 10-minute quick charge will give you 1.5 hours of use.

The new OpenRun comes out at about the same price as Aeropex. RRP is technically lower, but Aeropex is currently priced at £120-£150 so there is no reason to choose Aeropex over OpenRun

Shokz OpenRun Pro and OpenRun

As for OpenRun Pro, they launched in the US for $179.95, which seems to be a par for USD/GBP. If these launch in the UK, I’d expect them to cost £179.95.

OpenRun Pro is more different. They use 9th generation non-conductive technology, which I think provides excellent sound quality.

They weigh 2 grams, but provide 10 hours of battery life on a 1-hour charge and 8 hours on a 1.5-hour charge.

Strangely, the Shokz OpenRun Pro is only IP55 waterproof, not IP67 of the regular OpenRun. This appears to be a result of the mesh design of each bone conduction driver.

All figured out, I’ve been using Shokz OpenRun for the past few weeks. I haven’t used Aeropex, but I did review Openmove about a year ago.

• PremiumPitch 2.0+ Stereo for powerful bass and higher volume
• Bluetooth 5.1 with SBC
• IP67 waterproof
• Titanium structure weighs 26 grams
• Fast charging: 1.5 hours of use in 10 minutes of charging
• 8 hours battery, 1.5 hours full charge by magnetic induction

These are very comfortable for me and require no adjustment. They just sit comfortably on my head, and the speaker part is naturally where it should be. They are super light, so overall comfort is excellent. I know a lot of people don’t like the feel of in-ear headphones, so these would provide a great option.

I don’t wear glasses, but when I looked at the Mu6 Ring it was nearly impossible to use them with a cycling helmet and glasses. There’s nothing wrong with these, the hoop over your ear is so thin that I can fit a pair of glasses comfortably. There isn’t much need for sunglasses at the moment, so I haven’t tested this extensively, but I think these should be fine for people who wear glasses.

Disappointingly, they use a proprietary charging cable instead of the USB-C used on OpenMove. I think it helps with the IP rating, but it’s inevitably another cable that I’ll misplace.

Compared to Openmove or any other cheap bone conduction headphones, the overall sound quality of these headphones and the feel you get from bone conduction is significantly improved.

At medium to high volume, the vibration on the side of my head was minimal, and I found the Openmove’s vibration to be a little disorienting at high volume.

The bass has also been improved, not only reaching depth, but the overall quality of the bass has also been improved, with a more natural bass. They still can’t beat in-ears, but they’ll outperform alternative technologies like air conduction or audio frames.

I haven’t taken these out on a bike yet, the weather has been severe and my road bike is not suitable for the road. However, I’ve done several outdoor runs, many of which have been windy and unpleasant. These are easily heard in ambient noise and wind noise. In contrast, Soundcore Frames are easily overwhelmed by car noise or wind noise.

As always, with headphones like this, there’s some sound leakage, but it’s negligible for outdoor use. Importantly, I found that I could achieve a good volume level where I could hear music through ambient noise, while keeping the sound leakage below what any passersby could hear.

I’d even go so far as to say that the overall sound quality and sound leakage make these suitable for uses other than outdoor fitness. I’ve used them a few times in my home gym and I can happily use them in a regular gym.

Shokz also includes some ear tips that can improve the overall quality of the sound and reduce ambient noise. Sounds appealing, but it destroys the point of buying these products in the first place.

Price and Alternatives

The Shokz OpenRun is priced at £129.95, roughly the same price as the old Aeropex.

Shokz OpenMove is much cheaper at just £80. As good as they are, OpenRun’s overall audio quality and comfort vary significantly.

You can also buy some older models like the AfterShokz Trekz and Cosmic.

For competing options, I found the Mu6 Ring to be fine. These are “air conduction” sports headphones, which I think are technically just normal speakers on the side of your head. The sound quality is great, especially for a price of just £60. However, they suffer from all the problems of non-bone conduction open-back headphones, where low volume is easily drowned out.

For casual wear, both Bose and Anker Soundcore have audio glasses. Both are excellent and more attractive to wear while walking. They have good sound quality but have all the problems associated with non-bone conduction headphones.

There are a lot of different brands selling bone conduction headphones on Amazon. I’ve tried a few, and they offer acceptable levels of performance if you can afford them, but they don’t come close to any Shokz headphones.

The Shokz OpenRun is easily the best bone conduction headset I’ve ever used, and better than any other competing technology.

I’ve personally not been a fan of bone conduction headphones in the past unless absolutely necessary (on the bike). I’d happily sacrifice environmental awareness for sound quality. With these, however, they offer a level of performance that I can happily ditch my in-ear earbuds for for outdoor runs.

They’re obviously not cheap, and they’re pretty niche compared to your in-ear alternatives. But if you’re an avid runner or biker, and if you want to retain some environmental awareness, these are the best options I’ve used.

Last updated on January 9, 2022 / Affiliate Links / Image from Amazon Product Advertising API