My favorite (flawed) workout earbuds got a much-needed upgrade at CES 2025 – Android Central
I blinked and missed the Shokz OpenFit 2 announcement at CES. They take the open-ear design I love and fix some first-gen issues.
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Shokz announced the successor to my favorite wireless earbuds at CES 2025 on Tuesday, but it took me three days to see the news. Even though I’m out of the loop, I decided to cover the announcement late. I’m just that excited about it.Ever since I reviewed the Shokz OpenFit wireless earbuds in late 2023, I’ve abandoned my old earbuds and worn them almost exclusively. Over a year of wearing them for training runs, hikes, and races, I’ve grown dependent upon their open-ear fit for keeping my situational awareness and letting my eardrums relax, while acknowledging some annoying flaws with them over time.Now it looks like the Shokz OpenFit 2 will fix most (if not all) of my complaints with the first-gen earbuds.Like the original OpenFit and the cheaper OpenFit Air, the OpenFit 2 has a silicone earhook that lets the speaker sit directly over your ear, directing sound inside while leaving it open to hear your surroundings. It’s a nice alternative to bone conduction headphones (like the Shokz OpenRun Pro 2) if you’re not a fan of them.Unfortunately, the Shokz OpenFit have a relatively average battery life, finicky touch controls that frequently lead to dropped phone calls, and softer sound compared to in-ear earbuds. They also sometimes refuse to charge and stay connected to your phone while in the charging case, or die if they sit too long without the case being charged.I’m waiting to hear back from a Shokz rep if that notorious charging connector issue has been fixed, as the OpenFit 2 charging case has the same look and 48-hour capacity as the first generation. But on every other front, the OpenFit 2 should be a major improvement.It jumps from 7 to 11 hours of streaming per charge, with a 270-day standby time in-case instead of 10 days. They’ve added a physical button with single-, double-, and triple-click shortcuts like pausing music or answering phone calls; now the touchpad only controls volume and your voice assistant, which is a relief.Get the latest news from Android Central, your trusted companion in the world of AndroidMost importantly for audiophiles, it adds two drivers instead of one, targeting lows and highs, with a larger bass driver than before and “OpenBass 2.0” tech to “enhance dynamic low-frequency vibrations directly into your ear.”I personally felt the OpenFit had good-enough audio quality with the bass boost EQ setting, and cared more about the eardrum comfort and unimpeded awareness than perfect surround sound. The OpenFit 2 will provide a lovely little boost for first-gen fans, but probably won’t satisfy those who prefer workout earbuds with a proper seal and artificial transparency modes for richer sound, like the Jabra Elite 8 Active Gen 2.Other new upgrades include a redesigned flexible earhook that’s supposed to “ensure a secure fit” with new, softer silicone than before, along with a jump from IP54 to IP55 water resistance (handling water jets instead of splashes) and new Bluetooth 5.4 support for triple the range away from your phone.I intend to review the Shokz OpenFit 2 soon and see if they deliver on the company’s promised improvements. But consider me quite optimistic, simply because the upgrades seem to directly address many first-gen users’ complaints, including mine.Stay aware and in the zoneThe new version of my favorite wireless workout earbuds keep the same DirectPitch audio design that blasts the sound into your ears while keeping them unimpeded, similar to bone conduction earbuds but with more traditional speaker audio. This version costs the same but lasts longer, hits a louder and deeper sound, and can withstand more water and sweat.Michael is Android Central’s resident expert on wearables and fitness. Before joining Android Central, he freelanced for years at Techradar, Wareable, Windows Central, and Digital Trends. Channeling his love of running, he established himself as an expert on fitness watches, testing and reviewing models from Garmin, Fitbit, Samsung, Apple, COROS, Polar, Amazfit, Suunto, and more.Now I’m listening! Days before Christmas, these awesome Beats headphones are HALF OFFThe ONLY workout earbuds I’ll ever wear are 31% off for Cyber Monday (for now!)T-Mobile, Starlink enable satellite texting early for people impacted by Los Angeles firesAndroid Central is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.©
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