KZ SHOKZ OpenFit Air True Wireless Open-Ear Review

The SHOKZ OpenFit Air nails the open-ear brief with 87th percentile sound and a best-in-class 93rd percentile microphone. Just don't expect it to block any noise—its ANC ranks in the bottom 36%. At $120, it's a premium pick for runners, office workers, and anyone who needs to stay aware of their surroundings.

The SHOKZ OpenFit Air is an open-ear headphone that scores a 64.9 in our database. That's a solid score, but it's a bit of a specialist. It ranks in the 87th percentile for sound quality and the 86th for comfort, which is excellent for this style. The trade-off is that it's built for situational awareness, not isolation, so its 'commute' score is a low 48.1. Think of it as a high-quality speaker for your ears, not a noise-canceling fortress.

At $120, it's priced competitively against other open-ear options. With 6 hours of battery per bud and a case that adds 22 more, it lands in the 82nd percentile for battery life. The real standout specs are its 93rd percentile microphone and 92nd percentile connectivity, thanks to Bluetooth 5.2 and multipoint pairing. This isn't a jack-of-all-trades; it's a master of staying connected and comfortable while you're moving.

Performance here is all about context. For an open-ear design, the sound is genuinely impressive, sitting in the 87th percentile. The custom 18mm drivers and OpenBass Air tech do a good job pushing bass you can feel without sealing your ear canal. The frequency range is 50Hz to 16kHz, which is standard for this price point. But you have to remember the benchmark: this is against all headphones. Compared to a sealed in-ear model at the same price, the bass impact and detail will naturally be less. The mic performance, however, is a knockout at the 93rd percentile. Those four beamforming mics make this one of the best options for clear calls on the move.

At $120, the OpenFit Air offers good value if you specifically want the open-ear experience. You're paying for top-tier call quality and connectivity in a comfortable package. Compared to traditional earbuds, you might miss features like strong ANC, but you're getting what you pay for: a well-executed version of a niche product. It's cheaper than many flagship noise-canceling buds from Sony or Bose, but it's solving a completely different problem.

Stacked up against the competition, the OpenFit Air carves its own path. The Sony WF-1000XM5 ($300) and Bose QuietComfort Ultra ($300) are in another league for noise cancellation and immersive sound, but they seal you off. The OpenFit Air is for when you need to hear your surroundings. Compared to other open-ear options, its sound and mic quality are superior. The Apple AirPods Pro 3 ($250) offer a transparency mode that's brilliant, but they're still in-ear buds. If you hate the feeling of anything in your ear canal, the SHOKZ is your only real high-quality choice. Just know you're trading isolation for awareness.

Skip the OpenFit Air if you need serious noise isolation. Its abysmal 36th percentile ANC score and low 48.1 commute rating mean it's terrible for planes, trains, or noisy offices. If you want immersive, booming bass or top-tier build quality (32nd percentile), look at sealed in-ear options like the Sony WF-1000XM5 instead. This is not your all-purpose daily driver.

We recommend the SHOKZ OpenFit Air if you absolutely cannot stand in-ear headphones but still want good sound and fantastic call quality. The data is clear: it excels at being comfortable and keeping you connected to both your audio and your environment. However, if you take noisy trains or planes, or you prioritize deep, thumping bass and total silence, its low 48.1 commute score and 36th percentile ANC are deal-breakers. This is a tool for a specific job, and it does that job very well.