I do wish these headphones were a little cheaper. That thought has been looping through my head lately as I test the new Shokz OpenRun Air 2, a recently released pair of open-ear headphones that promise many of the same safety-conscious benefits as more expensive models but at a more approachable price. Open earbuds have become my go-to companion for outdoor exercise, and I’m always on the lookout for a budget-friendly option that doesn’t force me to compromise too much on comfort, battery life, or sound. The Shokz OpenRun Air 2 feels like a step in that direction, but it still sits at a price that makes me wince a little. As I spend weeks with them, I find myself caught between admiration for what they do well and a quiet hope that the price will drop or that a future version will make this category more accessible. In the meantime, I’ve also been thinking about the broader landscape of open earbuds: the ones that almost made the cut, the ones that missed the mark, and the ones that are worth considering if you’re willing to shop around. There’s something genuinely freeing about wearing headphones that don’t seal off your ears from the world. You get your music or podcast, but you also get the rustle of leaves, the approach of a cyclist, the distant sound of a car engine. That awareness is not just a nice extra; it’s often the difference between a safe run and a risky one, especially in crowded city streets or on narrow trails. So even though I wish the Shokz OpenRun Air 2 were cheaper, I understand why so many people are willing to pay for this particular design. The question is whether there are alternatives that deliver the same peace of mind without emptying your wallet.
At a glance, open earbuds look a lot like regular wireless earbuds. The big difference is that instead of plugging into your ear canal, they rest somewhere on the outside of your ear, leaving your ear open so you can easily hear what’s happening around you. This is a deliberate design choice, and it changes the audio experience in some fundamental ways. Because the sound is coming from outside your ear rather than from right inside the canal, it doesn’t feel as intimate, detailed, or bass-heavy as what you’d get from traditional in-ear headphones. There’s a sense of space and airiness, but also a slight distance, as if the music is playing from a nearby speaker rather than inside your head. That’s fine for casual listening, podcasts, and ambient music, but it’s not ideal if you’re looking for deep, thumping lows or a completely immersive soundstage. They also typically lack the noise-canceling features that have become standard on so many conventional earbuds, which means they’re not a great choice for the office, a loud commute, or a long flight. You’ll hear the hum of the airplane, the chatter of coworkers, and the rumble of the subway all around you. That’s not a flaw exactly; it’s the tradeoff you accept when you prioritize situational awareness over sonic isolation. Open earbuds are not trying to be the best-sounding headphones you’ve ever owned. They’re trying to be the safest and most convenient headphones for certain moments in your life, and they do that by keeping you connected to your environment. Once you understand that tradeoff, it’s easier to know whether they’re right for you. If you’re someone who loves to lose yourself in music and block out the world, these are probably not your first choice. But if you’re a runner, a cyclist, or someone who just wants to stay aware while moving through the world, they can be a revelation.
Open earbuds are perfect for outdoor activities, or for any time you want to keep talking to other people without having to take off your headphones. I use them almost every time I go for a run or a bike ride, because I need to hear other runners, bikers, and cars to stay safe. There’s a special kind of confidence that comes from knowing you’ll hear a car coming up behind you or a fellow jogger calling out a warning. I also like wearing them around the house when I’m cooking or doing laundry. They let me listen to an audiobook while still being available to my family, and they don’t get in the way when I’m moving around. If someone asks me a question, I can just pause and answer without pulling an earbud out of my ear and struggling with the seal. That’s a small thing, but it makes a big difference in daily life. Semi-open earbuds, like Apple’s AirPods, are a related but slightly different category. They sit inside the ear but don’t have the squishy silicone tips that create a tight seal in your ear canal. They can offer better audio quality than fully open earbuds because the speakers and microphones are closer to your ear and mouth, which improves clarity on calls and makes the music feel a bit more present. However, they’re usually pretty loose and can fall out easily, especially during exercise. I’ve lost count of the times I’ve seen someone’s AirPod slip out of their ear while they were jogging. So while semi-open models are comfortable and user-friendly for everyday listening, they’re not always the most dependable choice for fitness activities. For that reason, I tend to reach for fully open earbuds when I’m exercising, and I keep the semi-open ones for casual walks or around the house where the risk of losing one is lower.
Among the models I’ve tested, a few stand out as honorable mentions. The Nothing Ear (Open) earbuds, which cost around $99, are one of my favorite budget-friendly options. A former colleague of mine, Adrienne So, loves these earbuds and uses them for almost all her outdoor activities. They are remarkably slim and lightweight, with a width of just 19 millimeters, so they disappear into your ear over time. They fit slightly inside your ear rather than resting entirely on the outside, and they have the distinct transparent design that Nothing has become known for. There’s a playful, tech-forward look to them, and the earbuds feel like a little piece of modern industrial design. My main complaint is that the charging case doesn’t clamp shut very firmly, so you have to be careful about how you carry it. If it pops open in your bag, you might lose an earbud without realizing it. But at this price, that’s a forgivable annoyance, especially given how well they work and how comfortable they are. The JLab Epic Open Sport, also around $100, deserves a mention for its excellent controls. The JLab emblem on each earbud is a touch sensor, and there are also physical buttons on the top, so you have multiple ways to pause, skip, or adjust the volume without fumbling around. It’s a wonderfully thoughtful control scheme, and it makes using them in the middle of a workout feel effortless. What holds the Epic Open Sport back is the audio quality. The sound is not very detailed, and the overall tunings can best be described as boring. There’s no sparkle, no warmth, no real sense of life to the music. If you’re primarily someone who listens to podcasts or isn’t picky about sound, they might be fine, but for music lovers, the experience feels flat and uninspiring.
There are also a few other open earbuds I’ve tested that are worth mentioning, mostly as cautionary tales or smart alternatives depending on your priorities. The EarFun Clip, for around $70, is a solid pick for anyone on a tight budget. A reviewer I trust found that the overall package punches well above its price point, with a snappy, compact charging case, a comfortable fit, easy push-button controls, and reliable Bluetooth connections across multiple devices. The main problem is that our current budget pick, the Soundpeats PearlClip Pro, is often on sale for less money and offers a very similar overall experience. That doesn’t mean you should dismiss the EarFun Clip; if you find them heavily discounted, they’re absolutely worth grabbing. They’re a reminder that you don’t always have to spend a lot to get a decent pair of open earbuds. On the other end of the spectrum, the Shokz OpenFit Pro costs around $250 and tries to do something ambitious: open earbuds with noise canceling. The idea is that you can hear the world around you when you want to, and then flip on noise cancellation when you don’t, just like you would with regular earbuds. It’s a great premise, but the execution is lacking. The noise-canceling effect is real but minimal, not enough to make a meaningful difference in a noisy environment. The bigger issue is the price. For $250, you could buy a pair of good open earbuds and a separate pair of great noise-canceling earbuds, and each would do its job better than the OpenFit Pro does either one. There’s something to be said for trying to combine two different use cases into one product, but here the compromise isn’t worth it. Similarly, the Suunto Wing 2, which retails for $179, is aimed at endurance athletes. It has a long 12-hour battery life and comes with a wireless power bank you can take on the go, giving you up to 36 hours of total listening time if you dock the headphones in the power bank between sessions. There’s nothing truly wrong with these headphones, but they’re outclassed by the Shokz Openrun Pro 2, which costs about the same and offers better comfort, a sleeker design, better sound, and a more polished app. The Suunto Spark, also $179, has a similar story. It’s designed with athletes in mind and includes features that sync with Suunto fitness watches, but it falls short in the areas that matter most: comfort, sound quality, and battery life. The Shokz Openfit 2, at a similar price, simply does a better job across the board.
When I test open earbuds, I do it the same way I test any headphones: in the real world, in my daily life, not in a sterile lab. I wear each pair for at least a few weeks to get a true sense of comfort, battery life, ease of use, and how the controls work. I listen to podcasts, watch TV shows, jam out to my favorite playlists, and call friends to test microphone quality. With open earbuds in particular, I also make a point of wearing them on jogs, bike rides, and errand runs to see how stable they are on my ears and how they hold up to sweat and movement. I don’t expect them to cancel any noise, so I don’t bother testing them on airplanes or loud commutes; that’s not what they’re made for, and judging them on that would be unfair. My main audio source is Spotify Lossless, but whenever possible I test other formats and codecs as well to get a fuller picture. This kind of testing takes time and patience, but it’s the only way to truly understand what a product is like to live with. A pair of earbuds might look great on paper, but if they hurt your ears after 30 minutes, or if the touch controls keep skipping songs accidentally, none of the specs matter. That’s why I’m so grateful for the affordable options that have started to appear in this category. The Shokz OpenRun Air 2 may still be a little more expensive than I’d like, but it’s part of a larger trend toward making open earbuds more accessible. If you’re willing to spend a little time researching and comparing, there’s likely a pair out there that fits both your ears and your wallet. My hope is that the prices continue to drop, because the peace of mind that comes from staying aware of your surroundings while enjoying your favorite sounds is something everyone deserves to experience.
