A pair of earphones that doesn’t go inside your ear. The Shokz OpenRun Pro 2 is a pair of open-ear headphones largely aimed at runners and athletes. This is a pair of earphones that uses bone conduction to enhance audio, doesn’t fit in your ears but sits comfortably on them, and it has a build and design that feels flexible and flimsy but can survive even cars running over it.
Priced at around ₹15,000 in India, the OpenRun Pro 2 from Shokz uses both bone conduction and air conduction for audio, which basically means that it uses two separate kinds of drivers to offer a rich, well-balanced audio experience.
Now, I have been using the OpenRun Pro 2 for the last couple of weeks as my primary set of headphones – not only listening to music, but also consuming content, taking calls, and even using these during workouts (if and when that happens). In this review, I will tell you what I liked about the Shokz OpenRun Pro 2, what I don’t like about them, and finally, if you should spend somewhere around ₹15,000 on something like this. Let’s begin.
Shokz OpenRun Pro 2 Review – Design and Ergonomics
Now these are open-ear headphones, so the way the OpenRun Pro 2 looks is pretty standard. We are getting a flexible band with the squared earbuds that also have a magnet which holds the buds in place in case you’re not wearing them. We got the regular size for review which also stuck out from the head a little bit, but that gap is supposed to be there in order to give you room to move your head while wearing them.
The best part about the design is the way you wear the Shokz OpenRun Pro 2. These earphones sit on top of your ears, with the rear band getting support from your neck. There is no strain to the ear or the neck, it almost feels weightless. When it comes to fit and security for sports, I’m actually convinced there’s nothing more secure than this style of over-the-ear wraparound headphone. You’d pretty much have to be going upside down and kind of tumbling down the hill for these to actually come off.
In fact, this fit also works pretty well even with sunglasses. I used the Shokz OpenRun Pro 2 with sunglasses and it was pretty okay in that department as well. We also get IP55 water resistance, which means these are good for most workouts and sports, but you can’t use them for too long in the rain.
Another thing I like about the design is the fact that there are physical buttons and no touch-sensitive controls for anything. I also like how neatly the brand has tucked the type-C charging port inside the rather tiny space. Good thoughtful design. The only disadvantage with this design is that the speakers are front-firing so there is quite a bit of audio leak. This means using them in public transport or near people might lead to others listening in to your music or calls.
One of the major points of having these open-ear headphones is the comfort, fit, and flexibility they offer while running or cycling or using them during workouts. However, the biggest drawback here is the fact that this design also means a lot of audio leak. This design also means no kind of noise cancellation, but we will come to that later.
Shokz OpenRun Pro 2 Review – Audio and Performance
Now, coming to the kind of tech that is on offer with the Shokz OpenRun Pro 2. So basically there are two options when it comes to open-ear headphones: bone conduction and air conduction. Bone conduction uses vibrations against your cheekbone that your brain then interprets as sound. Then there are air conduction headphones, which can deliver much more on the low end, but those don’t handle wind noise quite as well since they are using traditional speakers that transmit sound through the air. Shokz decided to blend those two technologies together in an effort to get better low end and overall a more rich sound quality without much compromise.
Now let’s get into sound quality, which is what you probably really want to know about, and that really is the big upgrade here. They’re now using an enhanced combination of bone conduction as well as air conduction, and quite frankly, the result’s pretty impressive. They’re basically using the bone conduction side of things to handle the mids. In the highs, the traditional drivers are used for the base and the low end. The originals are definitely very good for bone conduction headphones, but the difference was immediately noticeable when I switched to the twos. They’re just much fuller and provide a much richer sound profile, where I’d say that these are actually on par with their open-fit air conduction headphones.
Music is definitely one thing where all music sounds better, whether that’s hip hop, rock, or acoustic. It’s just all better. Another place that I really noticed the difference was with podcasts, where you know that deeper podcast-style sound that you hear because of those powerful mics, the Shokz OpenRun Pro 2’s audio gives every little detail in podcasts. Brilliant experience. The reason the audio is so rich and clear is because the Shokz OpenRun Pro 2 come with two separate drivers – one for the air conduction, and one for the bone conduction. Combined, these two pick up audio that potentially sounds better than AirPods Pro. Yes, I said it. It is a more rich sound signature as compared to the AirPods Pro from Apple.
However, there are issues. The first and foremost is the audio leak. Given the open-ear design, listening to music or taking calls on higher volumes definitely leads to audio leak. If you’re blasting music on high volume, people around you will easily be able to listen to the music along with you. The leak, however, is most prominent in volumes above 75 or 80% which is not a deal breaker since most people use their earphones at a lesser volume level.
Furthermore, this design also means that there is no noise cancellation. Yes, the other very significant design disadvantage is the fact that there is no noise cancellation, thanks to this design. This is not at all something that one would need in a product like this, but definitely helps with calling.
Shokz OpenRun Pro 2 Review – Mic Performance Makes It Great For Calls!
Calling brings me to the microphone performance. The Shokz OpenRun Pro 2 uses 2 microphones and also comes with some sort of AI enhancement that the brand claims reduces more than 96% of unnecessary noise. We have no way of testing that 96% noise reduction claim, but the mic performance is pretty good. I used this for almost all my calls for about a week – from normal calls on the phone, to WhatsApp calls, to even Google Meet calls with potential clients and partners. Throughout, the audio never gave me any issues, even in rather noisy environments like malls, corridors, stadiums, or sitting in a three-wheeler auto in traffic.
In my opinion, the mic performance is as good as you’d get in any premium pair of earphones. It is definitely even better than some like the latest Samsung Galaxy Buds or OnePlus Buds and the likes. The mic performance on the Shokz OpenRun Pro 2 is so good that I would make taking calls as the second or third-most important use-case after sports and running. Really good.
Shokz OpenRun Pro 2 Review – Battery and Charging
When it comes to battery life, these do have a bump in battery life from the previous version of the Shokz OpenRun Pro. The company claims up to 12 hours of listening time on a single charge. During my time, it did give as much battery. I didn’t get a chance to properly calculate the time, because during my one week or so with the OpenRun Pro 2, I have had to charge them only twice so it is safe to say that the battery life is not a problem at all and is pretty close to the brand’s claimed numbers.
The OpenRun Pro 2 also comes with quick charge, which the company claims gives you 2.5 hours of listening time with just 5 minutes of charging. It also has a USB type-C port tucked neatly near the right earbud, and it has a rubber seal cover to keep the port safe from water or dust. The type-C port is important here because the last generation of these earphones came with Shokz’s proprietary charging cable.
Shokz OpenRun Pro 2 Review – Verdict
Overall, the Shokz OpenRun Pro 2 is a very good product for people like runners, marathoners, athletes, or people who spend a lot of time in the gym. For me, this also turned out to be great for taking calls, so I would add that as one of the primary use cases.
Apart from that, the audio was surprisingly rich. The mids are absolutely fantastic and you hear more details than many other premium sets of earbuds. I found these better than my AirPods Pro, which are one of the most popular sets of earbuds in the market. These sound much better, of course, without noise cancellation, so that is one limitation.
The design is a bit tricky to get used to, since the open-ear setup is not something that everybody would be instantly comfortable with or know how to wear. Also that there is audio leak and there is no noise cancellation. But once you’re used to it, this is such a comfortable build and design. Using this for hours doesn’t lead to any sort of pain or fatigue in your ears. Not just using the earphones, but running with them, working out with them, and even wearing them with sunglasses or caps was a very comfortable experience.
In my opinion, I feel this is a very good product, very well worth your ₹15,000, if you run a lot, you spend a lot of time in the gym, or if you take a lot of calls. The Shokz OpenRun Pro 2 is available to purchase at a price of ₹14,300 on Amazon at the time of writing this review. What do you guys think? Let us know in the comments.
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