Shokz OpenFit Pro review: The open-ear earbud that's cracked noise isolation

It’s been just under two years since I reviewed the original Shokz OpenFit open-ear true wireless headphones. To review the new Shokz OpenFit Pro, I went back to those original earbuds to get a better idea of how far things have come in those two years.

And let me tell you, the difference is incredible. While the OpenFit 2+ were a clear step up over the original, and the OpenFit Air were a slight step back, the OpenFit Pro is another level entirely.

The big selling point here is the inclusion of noise isolation with the open-ear design. But having spent a couple of months testing these out, that feature is just the icing on the cake.

Better audio quality, improved bass levels, fantastic battery life and a more comfortable design – not to mention less audio leakage – make the OpenFit Pro a legitimate competitor to convenient earbuds like the AirPods 4 with ANC.

What makes the Shokz OpenFit Pro stand out?

When Apple launched the AirPods 4 with ANC, I was blown away by the fact the company had managed to create a pair of earbuds with Active Noise Cancellation that worked, despite the open ear design.

Typically, ANC performance is improved with passive elements like closed backs and snug, secure fits. Apple found a way to overcome those gaps that typically lay outside audio in.

For the Shokz OpenFit Pro, the inclusion of noise isolation is a different mandate. People who buy open-ear headphones like these don’t want to block out external sounds – part of the reason they buy them is so they can still be aware of their surroundings.

But sometimes, those surroundings are overwhelming. One of the issues I had with the OpenFit 2+ was that I really struggled to hear music, even at full volume, when walking along a main road during peak hour.

The noise isolation of the OpenFit Pro addresses this. It doesn’t block external sounds completely, but it does filter some of that noise out. With the noise isolation on, I could walk down the main road and still hear my music playing clearly, without having to crank the volume to maximum.

Shokz OpenFit Pro wireless earbuds specs

Design and build quality

The fundamental design of the OpenFit Pro hasn’t changed, but Shokz engineers have applied a subtle touch to these.

They still wrap around your ears, with the main earpiece sitting over your ear hole. The arms are a bit more malleable than the OpenFit 2+, so you can have a comfortable fit regardless of your ear shape.

That said, it’s a really secure fit. These don’t feel like they are going to go flying from your ears when you break into a run, and they don’t move about while you’re being active either.

Each earbud is IP55 rated for water and dust resistance, which is good enough for a light run in the rain.

Where Shokz has done most of its work on the design of the OpenFit Pros is internal. The Pros no longer use bone conduction technology to deliver sound, instead relying on the “air conduction” technology introduced in the first generation.

Audio is powered by 11 × 20 mm ultra-large dual-diaphragm drivers in each earphone. There are also new microphones added in to deliver the noise isolation features.

This means that the Pros are a little bit heavier than previous generations, but it’s not an uncomfortable weight. For all intents and purposes, you don’t notice wearing these headphones for an extended period of time.

Audio performance

The new drivers deliver really great sound quality. In a quiet environment, you can hear a lot of detail in your music.

More impressive is the improved bass levels, which give depth to audio tracks. I listened to Mumford & Son’s Prizefighter album a lot during this review period, and there’s far more depth and range to songs like the opening track Here and the Gigi Perez collaboration Icarus.

There’s also a massive improvement to the Dolby Atmos implementation. With the OpenFit 2+, I found listening to Atmos underwhelming, particularly when compared to the head tracking performance of something like the AirPods Pro 3.

But the OpenFit Pro’s head tracking and Atmos mode is impressive. You need to set it up in the Shokz app, which is easy to connect and control. You get five preset EQ settings, which are less about music styles and more about listening situations, like Vocal and Private modes, plus a bass boost and a treble boost. You can create your own presets as well, giving you lots of control over your listening levels.

You can also use the app to adjust the intensity of the noise isolation. That gives you a good amount of granular control, though I found that with the isolation set to maximum levels, there was a sense of pressure in my ears that wasn’t exactly uncomfortable, but also wasn’t overly comfortable. At just over halfway, it was fine, though.

Battery life and connectivity

One of the big advantages of the OpenFit Pro’s design is that it allows Shokz to add a decent sized battery in each earbud. That pushes the battery life to 12 hours, with another 38 hours of charge in the case.

That gives you 50 hours of listening time with noise isolation off before you need to reach for the charger. If the earbuds are dead, and you’re desperate, then 10 minutes in the case will give you about four hours of playback.

The catch is that using the noise isolation drops that battery life figure by half. You can expect six hours of playback, and 24 hours in the case. That’s a significant drop, but it’s still good enough that it's worth using the noise isolation feature.

While I’m thinking of the case, it’s worth mentioning that while it’s a little on the large size, it does also support wireless charging.

From a connectivity standpoint, you get easy multipoint pairing to two devices at once, with seamless switching. Wireless connection is handled by Bluetooth 6.1, which offers a really stable connection for distances up to 10 metres.

Sensors also pause your music when you remove the earbuds, and connect when you put them over your ears.

Verdict

Shokz has had a solid run of products with its OpenFit lineup, with the possible exception of the OpenFit Air.

The OpenFit Pro is the flagship all the previous products have been building towards. It offers the best audio quality, the best battery life, and the unique noise isolation feature.

At $399 RRP, it’s also competitively priced. If anything, it puts a bit too much pressure on the OpenFit 2+, which at $339 RRP doesn’t offer enough to warrant that price tag compared to the Pro.

The OpenFit Pro are still best suited for active people who need to hear their surroundings while they walk, run or cycle so they don’t get hit by a car. But the audio quality and comfort mean they’re also a good option for office environments.

While I think I still prefer the OpenDots One as a form factor, the OpenFit Pro are comfortably the best pair of Shokz earbuds I’ve tested. If you’re after the open style, you won’t be disappointed.

Buy the Shokz OpenFit Pro if:

• You love open-ear headphones but have struggled to hear music clearly in noisy environments — the noise isolation solves this
• You exercise outdoors and want to stay aware of your surroundings without sacrificing audio quality
• You want the longest battery life possible from a pair of wireless earbuds

Skip the Shokz OpenFit Pro if:

• You need full Active Noise Cancellation for commuting, open offices, or flights. These filter ambient noise, but don't block it out
• You already own the OpenFit 2+ and were hoping for a straight upgrade — the gap is meaningful, but may not justify the price difference for existing owners
• You prefer feather-light earbuds — the added hardware does add noticeable weight compared to previous OpenFit models

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Nick Broughall

Nick Broughall is an award-winning technology journalist with 20+ years experience, previously Editor at Finder, Gizmodo and TechRadar. He founded BTTR Reviews and regularly contributes to News.com.au's Checkout section.