Shokz OpenRun Mini Wireless Bluetooth Headphones (Black)

I am overall satisfied as I can listen to music on the background, especially while cycling, without compromising my safety. Not to mention, in many countries it is actually illegal to have headphones covering your ears while cycling. In indoor scenarios, I can have them on and playing at moderate volumes, while carrying out conversations normally. Since I got them, many of my friends were curious about them so I let them try them out. Here's the collective feedback: - Fit isn't even close to snug. Even the mini version that I have hangs about an inch away from the back of my head, with the only contact points right around my ears. - Sound quality is poorer in comparison to similarly priced conventional headphones - The microphone works great indoors, but quite bad ... MoreI am overall satisfied as I can listen to music on the background, especially while cycling, without compromising my safety. Not to mention, in many countries it is actually illegal to have headphones covering your ears while cycling. In indoor scenarios, I can have them on and playing at moderate volumes, while carrying out conversations normally. Since I got them, many of my friends were curious about them so I let them try them out. Here's the collective feedback: - Fit isn't even close to snug. Even the mini version that I have hangs about an inch away from the back of my head, with the only contact points right around my ears. - Sound quality is poorer in comparison to similarly priced conventional headphones - The microphone works great indoors, but quite bad outdoors on the move. There are strong wind noises reported from the other end of the call. - The control button doesn't have a great feeling or feedback. It's low profile and has very little range of the click, oftentimes leaving me with a click and a miss instead of a double click, or even with a long click. It's worse when moving around, which is the main use case for these headphones. Also, when this happens when trying to double click in succession to skip a few songs, you may end up pausing the music with a click+miss and then redialling the last number with a double click. - Great battery life! Feels even longer than advertised. - Excellent range So overall, I'd give them a 4/5 because of the innovative underlying idea. Once these type of headphones become more established on the market, these would be a solid 3/5.

The sound quality isn't going to be on par with your BOSE noise cancelling headphones, but it isn't designed to be. These are designed to still give you ample awareness of your surroundings, whilst also providing a decent quality sound. As someone who goes running in the evening along winding hilly roads, these have been a game-changer, making me feel much more confident of my surroundings and allows me to push further and faster, without slowing down to double and triple check road crossings like I used to with my old surround ear headphones. You won't get heavy BASS with these, as given they work via conduction of your ear canal, putting the volume up to max on a heavy bass soundtrack, simply gives a tingling feeling on your ear, which is not pleasant. However I ... MoreThe sound quality isn't going to be on par with your BOSE noise cancelling headphones, but it isn't designed to be. These are designed to still give you ample awareness of your surroundings, whilst also providing a decent quality sound. As someone who goes running in the evening along winding hilly roads, these have been a game-changer, making me feel much more confident of my surroundings and allows me to push further and faster, without slowing down to double and triple check road crossings like I used to with my old surround ear headphones. You won't get heavy BASS with these, as given they work via conduction of your ear canal, putting the volume up to max on a heavy bass soundtrack, simply gives a tingling feeling on your ear, which is not pleasant. However I have found myself using these over my noise cancelling headphones for other tasks as well. When I want to listen to the radio early in the morning, I'll have these on, not disturbing anyone else whilst also being able to keep an ear out for my children waking up. I often even after I pause my media to have a more lengthy conversation, then forget they are on my head, as they are actually quite comfortable for longer uses. I also have enjoyed being able to listen to music, tv news etc whilst soothing my child to sleep. Because of the conduction sound transfer, at medium levels of volume they make no external noise that might otherwise disturb my child, whilst also allowing me to communicate to her. Overall I think apart from times where I really want to be an audiophile, these have become my go to headphones. I'm probably going to be a heavy user, however even if the battery only lasts a couple of years (given it's non-replacable), i'd have no hesitation buying another one when the time comes. Maybe the only downside is it is a proprietary magnetic charging cord, so you don't want to lose that - may be inconvienient when travelling.

PROS: —They’re extremely light and comfortable. They don’t squeeze your head like normal headphones, and they don’t hurt or fall out like ear buds; I can wear them all day with no discomfort. —The sound quality is good, including on phone calls; I’ve never had anyone complain that they couldn’t hear me. They’re supposed to be better for audiobooks and podcasts than for music, but if you’re not an audiophile, you may not notice a difference. (I don’t.) —They resist sweat and water and wipe clean easily. And there’s no mesh speaker to get torn or clogged with earwax. CONS: —They don’t shut off automatically when unused for X minutes; this makes it easy to run the battery down because you paused your audio and then forgot you were wearing your headphones because ... MorePROS: —They’re extremely light and comfortable. They don’t squeeze your head like normal headphones, and they don’t hurt or fall out like ear buds; I can wear them all day with no discomfort. —The sound quality is good, including on phone calls; I’ve never had anyone complain that they couldn’t hear me. They’re supposed to be better for audiobooks and podcasts than for music, but if you’re not an audiophile, you may not notice a difference. (I don’t.) —They resist sweat and water and wipe clean easily. And there’s no mesh speaker to get torn or clogged with earwax. CONS: —They don’t shut off automatically when unused for X minutes; this makes it easy to run the battery down because you paused your audio and then forgot you were wearing your headphones because they’re so light. —They only come with a simple drawstring bag for storage. For the price, I’d expect something better. If you want to upgrade, Amazon sells zippered hard shell cases for them. —The charging cable is proprietary and pretty short (about 24 inches). You can order extras on the official Shokz website or get third-party versions on Amazon. WHY I LOVE THEM: My job involves a ton of driving and is boring as hell, so I listen to audiobooks, podcasts, and music to stay sane. I visit about 20 stops per day and have to get in and out of my car constantly, taking my phone with me to use my work apps. With my old on-ear wireless headphones, they either kept me from hearing what people said, or hung around my neck getting sweaty, or got left in the car where they would disconnect and have to be reconnected (20 times a day!). With these Shokz headphones, they’re so comfortable I forget I’m wearing them (and then waste the battery, oops), they never get disconnected (because I don’t have to leave them in the car), and I can still hear what people say to me. 10/10 would buy them again.