The Shokz OpenRun are essentially the middle child of the Shokz headphone family, offering traits from the more expensive OpenRun Pro with more impressive sound than the cheaper OpenMove.

The natural successor to the Aeropex, it’s offering improvements mainly in the battery department mainly along with new size options all while offering similarly great bone conduction sound and long battery life.

Priced at $129.95/£129.95, the OpenRun are cheaper than the Pro ($179.95/£159.95) and offer many of the same features for less. So are the OpenRun the bone conduction headphones to go running with or should you stay well clear? Here’s how they held up in testing.

Design

• Available in standard and mini sizes
• Weigh 26g
• Available in four colours

The OpenRun offer pretty much what you’d hope to see in a set of headphones that are primarily designed for getting sweaty with. They’re extremely slender and light at 26g and the full titanium-built frame on the neckband-style design sits comfortably and securely as well.

While I tested the standard version here, Shokz does offer them in a mini size too, which basically gets you something that sits a little closer and more snug to the head. Shokz recommends measuring from behind your left ear to behind your right, and if that measurement is under 23.5cm, or 9.25in, then the mini size would be better for you. If you hit that measurement or go above, then opt for standard.

They carry an IP67 sweat and water resistant design, which is actually stronger than the one used on the OpenRun Pro, but like the Pro they’re not designed for swimming – not that using Bluetooth streaming in the water would be much use anyway. We’ve used them on rainier runs and sweaty indoor workouts, though, and they’ve handled them without issue.

On that neckband frame you get physical buttons to control volume and handle taking calls, with a dual noise-cancelling microphone on board to let you make those hands-free chats. Crucially, the controls are easy to access on the move and nicely spaced out to make sure you don’t press the wrong button when you’re using them for faster workouts.

When it comes to charging, Shokz uses a magnetic induction setup, which involves using a proprietary charging cable when you need to power them up. Proprietary cables are a bit of a pain, but it’s not unusual to see in this sector of the market – just remember to take it with you if you’re going to need them on trips away.

For those that like to have colour options, there are four options to pick from with black, blue, grey and red shades available, giving you a choice of classic or bolder looks.

Performance

The OpenRun uses Shokz’ 8th generation bone conduction technology, so not the 9th generation tech used on the more expensive OpenRun Pro. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean an inferior performance and I’d say the OpenRun offers a nicer, more balanced sounding pair of bone conduction headphones.

Like a lot of bone conduction headphones, you shouldn’t expect much in the bass and power department but what you get instead is something that prioritises that clarity and detail instead. As a result, they make for a very enjoyable headphones to use across a range of music, listening to podcasts and audiobooks and taking calls.

gLike the Pro, it offers a Vocal Booster and Standard mode, with the former designed for podcasts and audiobooks. There’s definitely more of a focus on honing in on voices in this mode, and I’d recommend selecting it when listening to this kind of content.

In that standard mode, you’ll still get something that performs in those midrange and treble departments, but with a touch of warmth in the low end to give it a nicely rounded sound – even for more bass-heavy audio, where you’re might be looking for a little more oomph.

There’s no unsettling increase in vibrations when you up the volume, and they don’t get drowned out in busier environments. They will leak sound like most open-ear headphones will, but they’re certainly not the worst offender.

The call quality isn’t anything to write home about, though. It works better indoors than outdoors, but as soon as you introduce a little more exterior sound, the clarity is noticeably affected – they’re fine for quick calls, but save anything longer for when you’re home.

Battery life

• 8 hour battery life
• 1.5 hours charging time
• Up to 10 days standby time

The OpenRun offer good battery on the whole, giving you up to eight hours off a single charge, a 1.5-hour charging time when it hits empty. There is a fast charge feature to get you 1.5 hours of listening time from just ten minutes plugged in with its proprietary charging cable.

That’s a few hours short of the battery promised on the OpenRun Pro and slightly slower fast-charge support too. Getting that eight hours also really depends on listening volume because at louder ones, the battery dent is noticeably greater and can drop to closer to four hours.

Thankfully, you do have that fast charging mode to keep things topped up, though do be aware the proprietary cable isn’t the most secure – so make sure it’s properly connected before you leave it charging.

Verdict

The Shokz OpenRun are arguably Shokz’ best all-round bone conduction headphones and some of the best bone conduction headphones you can buy.

They deliver good sound, a secure fit and offer decent enough battery life, with fast-charging skills helping to boost things a little on the stamina front.

The OpenRun Pro may sitting at the top of its range, but the extras you get there don’t really feel like huge upgrades on what’s so great here, and considering the price difference, most people will be best served here.

If you’re looking for good sounding open-ear headphones, that are a good match for exercise, not to mention anywhere you need to keep your ears on your environment, the OpenRun are a standout pair.