Shokz Open Run Pro 2 headphones review

At a recommended retail price of $319, the Shokz Open Run Pro 2 are pretty pricey for a set of sports-friendly earbuds. Even if you're paying less than you might for something like the Beats Fit Pro, you're paying more than even trendy tech brands like Nothing are asking for.

Still, you might be able to save some cash if you shop around. Check out the table below for a round-up of places you can buy the Shokz Open Run Pro 2 earbuds.

Chances are all will take to work out whether the Shokz Open Run Pro 2 are for you is a single glance.

Like the previous Open Run Pro, Shokz’ freshly-updated set of flagship headphones comes with ergonomic ear hooks and a titanium unibody frame that's a far cry from the likes of the Apple AirPods. The form-factor is sleek and thin, but only if you're comparing it to the alternatives that offer the same open-ear style.

There are two sizes to choose from, but regardless of which you settle on you should come away from comfortable than you would have with the previous model with a few tweaks to the fit reducing the overall clamping force by 16%.

As someone who never wore the first-generation model, I can't really speak to how significant that difference is. However, after a week or so of wearing them everywhere from the gym to the office, I can say that never felt like the Shokz Open Run Pro 2 rarely applied too much pressure to my head. 

To Shokz' credit, I never felt like they were going to fall off my head despite that even when I was running on a treadmill.Still, as someone who doesn't usually dabble in this style of headphones. There was definitely an adjustment period and even after that I never fully felt relaxed about the little gap between the back of the headband and my skull. All told, the design here is more refinement than revolution. The biggest selling point is the tech though.

The Shokz Open Run Pro 2 are both burdened and benefit from the promise that comes with crossing together two previous separate strains of open-ear headphones that helps offset the respective weaknesses of each approach. Rather than rely purely on bone conduction or directional speakers, you're getting both There’s also a new dual reed and coil system that cuts down vibration and a custom audio processing algorithm that helps the hardware deliver more dynamic and immersive soundscapes.

Despite the shift to incorporate more premium materials and tech, the Shokz Open Run Pro 2 weighs a single gram lighter than at 30g. Even so, the headphones also retain the same IP55 rating for water and dust resistance found in predecessors.

Last but not least, Shokz have also traded out the proprietary charging port for a USB-C one that supports faster charging speeds. If you’re in a pinch then you can get 2.5 hours of playback from just 5 minutes of charging.

As someone who doesn't wear this style of headphones very often, I can only really go so far as to say that while the Shokz Open Run Pro 2 did do a good job of convincing me that the experience of doing so could be better they also reminded why I usually stick more to traditional in-ear headphones. For the most part, I came away somewhat impressed with how they held up during more intense workouts. At the same time, it's safe to say that I'm not likely to retire my usual set of Sony earbuds anytime soon.

Shokz new headphones promise to bridge the gap between two worlds by incorporating both direct pitch and bone conduction audio tech. The core idea here is that the former focuses on delivering more precise mids and highs while the latter deals with the bass. That's a great pitch, unfortunately the reality isn't nearly as versatile or viable as I'd hoped it would be.

It's true that the combination of open-ear design and audio gear here does offer better situational awareness than a noise-cancelling enabled transparency mode might. However, sans noise cancelling, I really struggled to hear audio through these earbuds anywhere outside of a quiet setting. My podcasts were constantly competing with the sound of cars in the street and I could barely hear anything when I went to somewhere with its own discrete ambience like my local gym.

Put through our earbuds testing playlist, the Shokz Open Pro 2 were all over the map.

While the Shokz Open Pro 2 proved to be up to the task of navigating the acoustic chaos of "Swerve City" by Deftones and Opeth's "The Funeral Portrait", the open-ear headphones couldn't do justice to the bassy undernotes in song like Childish Gambino's "3005" and were a mixed bag for most of the other tracks I threw at it.

Writ large, music sounded okay in a quiet setting but noise from outside world often bled into the mix. If you were wearing these while out in the bush or taking them on a beachside run, I think you'd be able to get by. However, if you're imagining yourself using them in any sort of populated area the downsides to the open-ear fit here is hard to ignore let alone square with the premium price.

As for the microphone, it's more okay than exceptional. The performance isn't quite as poor as you'll get from a budget-grade set of earbuds, but it's far short of what more premium in-ear or over-ear alternatives might offer. To listen for yourself, check out the button below.

In terms of battery life, the Shokz Open Run Pro 2 offer 12 hours of playback off a single charge. This is a decent increase on the 10 hours offered by the previous model and not too shabby compared to other earbuds. Even if you are suffering the indignity of having to wear set of headphones with banded design, the benefits and peace of mind that comes with that much battery life is pretty nice to have.

The Shokz Open Run Pro 2 combine two schools of audio tech in novel and news ways but come saddled by all too familiar drawbacks. If you're a hater of open-ear earbuds, these aren't likely to be the set that wins you over. As compelling as the tech involved is, these are squarely aimed at the already-converted more than anyone else.

I could find something to appreciate in the way that the Shokz Open Run Pro 2 embrace being over-engineered but it certainly wasn't the way these fitness-friendly headphones sound.