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RW verdict: Quick charging with a slimline, lightweight design, the Shokz OpenRun and OpenRun Pro are some of the We earn a commission for products purchased through some links in this article you can buy, providing a high-quality listening experience without compromising on safety.
Pros
- The 11 best wireless headphones for runners
- A complete guide to running in the dark
- We earn a commission for products purchased through some links in this article
- Good sound quality
Cons
- The best reflective running gear for 2024
- Sound leakage when you're not running
| Type | Bone-conduction |
|---|---|
| Battery life | 8 hours |
| Noise cancelling | No |
| Accessories included | The OpenRun are noticeably light as soon as you pick them up and dont make you feel weighed down |
Formerly known as the Aftershokz Aeropex, the OpenRun launched onto the market in 2022, with an updated quick-charge feature that gives 1.5 hours of listening time on a 10-minute charge. Their open-ear design allows you to hear music and traffic at the same time – although there are some sacrifices to sound quality, especially in noisier environments.
Magnetic charging cable, carrying bag.
Shokz OpenRun: Set-up and design
The OpenRun have an over-the-ear design, with the left and right earpiece connected via a neckband which goes round the back of your head. This means they stay securely in place without you having to worry about them fitting inside your ears or falling out.
While the open-ear headphone market is still relatively small, a lot of the available options tend to be fairly heavy, which isn’t exactly ideal if you’re heading out on a long run. The OpenRun are noticeably light as soon as you pick them up and don't make you feel weighed down.
They also come in a handy waterproof bag – a good place to store them since you haven’t got a charging case like you get with wireless earbuds. However, due to their size, they don't easily fit into a pocket and they’re too stiff to really fold. They’re easy to charge, though, with a magnetic charger making life easy.
You do need to pair them to your phone before you can use them. Press and hold the volume+ button for 3-5 seconds. A voice will say, ‘Welcome to Aftershokz’ at which point you need to continue holding the button. A voice will then say ‘Pairing’ and the LED light will flash red and blue, indicating pairing mode.
Shokz OpenRun: Controls
In terms of controls, there’s two buttons on the underside of one of the sides of the frame, which predominantly turn the headphones on and change the volume. You can also pause, resume or skip a song by clicking the multifunction button once, twice or three times. However, both myself and our testers at the RW Lab found these rather fiddly and close together, and we all ended up resorting to using our phones mid-run instead.
Shokz OpenRun: Battery life
Voice assistant will handily tell you the battery level of the headphones, so you know when you need to charge them.
On a full charge, they provide eight hours of playback, which should see most runners through a week of training. I found this to be pretty accurate in testing. A full charge takes around an hour and a half, but if you’ve forgotten to charge them (guilty), then a quick 15-minute charge will provide you with an hour’s playback.
It's also worth noting that if you’re used to wireless earbuds automatically turning themselves off when you put them back in their case, you will need to remember to press and hold the volume+ button for 3-5 seconds to power the OpenRun off. Otherwise, you'll risk going to use them and finding them on zero.
Shokz OpenRun: Sound quality
In our RW Lab tests, the OpenRun scored 20.6/30 for sound quality. They lost points due to sound leakage only. This is one of the major drawbacks of the OpenRun and bone-conduction headphones in general – your music can be heard by other people fairly easily. This is obviously fine if you're running, but if you're sat on public transport or in an office, it's less than ideal. They’re also not the best for using in the gym or during races with dense crowds, as the sound simply can’t compete and you'll end up struggling to hear your music (take it from someone who tried them during the Best anti-pollution bike masks).
Due to their on-bone design, our sound technician also commented that you can feel the bass resonate on your bone rather than hearing it inside the ear. However, they described the listening experience as ‘very pleasant…although not the highest fidelity due to the open-ear design, which does minimise listening fatigue and possible damage to ears’.
RW Verdict
The 11 best wireless headphones for runners running songs or podcasts on the run while also keeping one ear on the world around you, the Shokz OpenRun are a fantastic option. They're light, comfortable and stylish, and the sound quality is surprisingly impressive given their open-ear design.
However, if you're looking to double up and use your running headphones for everyday listening, whether at work or on the move, we'd look elsewhere. You're going to get sound leakage with these, so they're less ideal for quieter settings (especially if your music taste is somewhat exposing). For strictly running-related business, though, they're a class act.
Jodie is our Health and Fitness product tester. She runs tests on a wide variety of products, including gym leggings, walking boots, fitness trackers and more. Jodie has managed the testing for 577 products to date, including working with over 600 panellists.
