Shokz OpenFit Pro

With a 90.9 fitness score and 12-hour bud battery, the OpenFit Pro is a top choice for staying aware through long workouts. Comfort and mic quality are stellar, but the 65.2 music score means you'll want to skip these if you crave rich, sealed-off sound. The 50-hour total battery and IP55 build make it a marathoner's dream, just keep your expectations for bass and ANC in check.

The Shokz OpenFit Pro lands at a 90.9 fitness score in our database, which puts it among the best earbuds we've tested for workouts and movement. With a 93rd-percentile comfort rating and 12 hours of playback per charge (plus 38 more in the case), this thing is built for marathon sessions, whether you're running or just getting through the workday. The open-ear design keeps you aware of your surroundings, and the IP55 rating means sweat and splashes won't ruin your workout. Social proof is through the roof, with a 4.7 average from over 1,700 reviews, making it one of the highest-rated earbuds we track.

But the trade-offs are real. Music performance sits at just 65.2, and sound quality overall hits the 77th percentile. The open-ear approach trades bass oomph and isolation for awareness, so if you're looking for immersive, sealed-off listening, these won't scratch that itch. Still, for calls and podcasts while you're moving, the four-mic setup and AI noise reduction deliver a 90th-percentile mic experience, which is impressive for something you barely feel in your ear.

That 16.7mm dynamic driver is the biggest we've seen in open-ear buds, and Shokz uses it to push more low end than you'd expect from something that doesn't seal your ear canal. Frequency response spans 50Hz to 40kHz, but the real magic is in how it handles spatial audio. Dolby Atmos with head tracking works well, giving workout playlists a sense of dimension that few fitness buds match. The open-ear noise reduction (Shokz calls it Open-Ear Noise Reduction) does a solid job at filtering wind and background hum without fully canceling your environment. Our ANC metric ranks it in the 80th percentile, which isn't going to battle with Bose or Sony, but the intent here is to reduce distractions without cutting you off from traffic or gym conversations.

Battery life is a standout. 12 hours from the buds alone puts it in the top 8% of all true wireless we've catalogued, and the case extends that to 50 hours total. Quick charging nets you four hours from just 10 minutes plugged in, and Qi wireless on the case is a nice touch. Multipoint Bluetooth 6.1 and rock-solid connectivity (89th percentile) mean switching between phone and laptop is seamless. At 12 grams per bud, with the ear hook design, comfort is top-tier, and you'll forget you're wearing them during long workouts.

The Shokz OpenFit Pro spans a wide range from $201 to $344 across vendors, so where you buy matters more than usual. At the low end around $200, you're getting top-notch fitness performance, best-in-class battery, and a comfort design that our data backs up, which is solid value for athletic earbuds. That Best Buy price guarantee helps, but if you see it climbing past $300, you're in territory where you could snag flagship sealed earbuds with far better sound and ANC. For the money, the OpenFit Pro earns its keep if your priority is staying aware while you move, not sinking into a private listening bubble.

Compared to sealed heavyweights like the Sony WF-1000XM5 and Bose QuietComfort Ultra, the Shokz takes a different path. Those buds deliver 90th-percentile-plus sound quality and ANC that tops our charts, but they can't match the OpenFit Pro's 50-hour total battery or its comfortable, open-ear stability for running. The Sennheiser MOMENTUM True Wireless 4 and Technics EAH-AZ100-K both also beat Shokz on music scores (well into the 80s and 90s), but their fitness and awareness features are nonexistent by comparison. The Samsung Galaxy Buds3 Pro sit in the middle, but their IPX7 rating aside, they still block your surroundings. If you need to hear cars, bike bells, or gym buddies while your tunes play, the OpenFit Pro is the only one here that does that without compromising microphone quality and battery endurance.

Skip the OpenFit Pro if music quality tops your list. That 65.2 score and 77th-percentile sound performance mean bass lovers and audiophiles will be disappointed. Also, if you want to block out the world with strong ANC, sealed buds like the Bose QuietComfort Ultra or Sony WF-1000XM5 in the same price range deliver a far more isolated experience. And anyone on a tight budget should note that the $344 high end makes this a tough sell unless you find it closer to $200.

If your earbuds are workout partners first and everything else second, the Shokz OpenFit Pro is an easy pick. That 90.9 fitness score plus the 93rd-percentile comfort and 92nd-percentile battery mean you won't be charging or adjusting them mid-run. The music performance is the obvious weak link, but for podcasts, calls, and workout playlists the open-ear design makes sense. Just know that if you want immersive sound and deep noise cancellation, you're looking at the wrong product.