Shokz OpenFit Pro review

The Shokz OpenFit Pro are the new flagship open headphones in Shokz’s range, sitting above the OpenFit 2 and OpenFit 2+. The most eye-catching new feature on the buds is noise reduction, but they also offer sound quality and battery improvements on the OpenFit+.

These aren’t the first open headphones to offer some kind of noise reduction, and as with other buds to offer this feature, like the Honor Open Earbuds, it’s a little underwhelming. However, the sound and fit on the OpenFit Pro are excellent, and they are among the best workout headphones I’ve tried, as well as being good for lifestyle use.

The price is very high, though, and with great open options like the JLab Epic Open Sport and Shokz OpenFit 2+ available for a lot less, I’m not sure I’d spend the extra on the OpenFit Pro.

Shokz OpenFit Pro review: price and availability

The Shokz OpenFit Pro launched on 6 January at CES 2026 and are available to buy in two colors: black and white. The headphones cost $249 / £219, making them the most expensive Shokz open headphones yet.

Cheaper open options in the brand’s line-up, including the Shokz OpenFit 2 and Shokz OpenFit 2+, which are $179.95 / £169 and $199.95 / £179 respectively, and also regularly feature in sales.

Shokz OpenFit Pro review: design and fit

• Comfortable, secure fit
• IP55 waterproof rating
• Flexible earhook

The Shokz OpenFit Pro have a premium look and feel to them, with metal sections alongside the soft silicone used where they come into contact with the ear.

They are independent earhooks that position a speaker near your ear canal without blocking it, so you remain aware of your surroundings.

I found the fit from the flexible earhooks very comfortable when wearing the headphones for hours at a time, and the buds stayed securely in place during a variety of workouts, including hard runs and HIIT sessions.

The earhook narrows to be quite thin as it passes over the top of your ear, which means I could wear the headphones with glasses comfortably.

With a water resistance rating of IP55, the OpenFit Pro will withstand sweat and rain easily enough, but aren’t fully waterproof.

Shokz OpenFit Pro review: controls

• Customizable physical button
• Easy to use during workouts

I much prefer physical button controls on headphones to touch panels, so I was pleased to see that Shokz opted to put a multifunction button on each of the OpenFit Pro headphones.

These buttons can be customized in the partner app if you want to change the default controls, which cover playback, switching between normal and noise reduction modes, and volume controls.

Although the buttons are quite small, the controls are easy to use even during workouts with sweaty fingers or when wearing gloves.

Shokz OpenFit Pro review: connectivity

• Bluetooth 6.1
• Multipoint pairing

The Shokz OpenFit Pro offer Bluetooth 6.1 connectivity, and you can enable multipoint pairing in the partner app. I was able to connect them to my phone and laptop easily and switch between the two.

I also paired the buds to my Garmin watch to test out the connection on runs. Whether paired to the watch or my phone during workouts, I didn’t experience any dropouts, and the range is big enough that you don’t need your phone on you at all times to maintain the connection.

Shokz OpenFit Pro review: sound quality & noise reduction

• Great sound for open headphones
• Dolby Atmos with head tracking
• Custom EQ in app
• Noise reduction is limited

The OpenFit Pro sounds better than any open headphones I’ve tested in the past, powered by a dual-diaphragm driver design which Shokz calls SuperBoost.

You can turn on Dolby Atmos and head tracking in the partner app, where you can also fine-tune the EQ to ramp up the bass or fully customize the sound to your preferences.

I found the headphones were at their best on atmospheric tracks like Radiohead’s Reckoner and One Of The Greats by Florence + the Machine, when the clear sound and powerful bass came across well. The soaring vocals and violins at the start of ROSALÍA’s Berghain also sounded fantastic on the headphones.

When listening in quiet environments, sometimes busier tracks like Your Idol from the KPop Demonhunters soundtrack sounded a little mushed together in the upper ranges, even if there wasn’t any significant distortion.

The headphones are loud and clear enough to enjoy when exercising outdoors in loud environments too, which I don’t find is always the case with open buds.

My running playlist is eclectic, but David Guetta’s Titanium and Rick Springfield’s Jessie’s Girl both came across loud and clear when I needed some motivation while running by a busy road.

The noise reduction feature is, however, a little disappointing. Even when set to the max level in the partner app, it only makes a noticeable difference in certain environments, and even then, you’ll still hear external sounds clearly.

It certainly doesn’t do much to take the edge off the sound of trains when travelling, as the best ANC does. This remains a problem for open headphones in general, that your audio is drowned out in very loud environments, while in-ear buds with ANC cancel that external noise out.

I noticed it reduced the sound of a treadmill or exercise bike quite well when exercising in a gym, and when in the office or a cafe, it dims voices a little, but I wouldn’t expect too much from this feature.

On the other side of this is the excellent awareness you get from using open buds, and the OpenFit Pro allows you to hear what’s going on around you when exercising outdoors in particular.

Shokz OpenFit Pro review: battery life

• 12 hours on buds
• Halved if using noise reduction
• Up to 50 hours with case

Battery life is another reason why the noise reduction feature on the OpenFit Pro buds disappoints, because it halves the amount of time you get from the headphones.

You get six hours of playback using noise reduction and 24 hours including the case, compared to 12 hours of playback and 50 hours with the case, with the feature turned off.

It’s the difference between OK and great battery life, and given that the nose reduction isn’t all that effective, I’d opt for the battery life myself.

The OpenFit Pro also has a very good quick charge feature that nets you four hours of playback from just 10 minutes of charging.

Should you buy the Shokz OpenFit Pro?

If you’re set on open headphones and want the best sound you can get from that style of buds, then the Shokz OpenFit Pro is a good option. They do sound great, and their fit and battery life are also excellent.

However, they still have the same problems other open headphones have, in being drowned out in loud environments, and the new noise reduction feature doesn’t make much of a difference to this.

The price is also high, and there are open headphones that still sound good, like the JLab Epic Open Sport, Shokz OpenFit 2/2+, and Honor Earbuds Open that cost a lot less.

Another good option to consider for great sound in an open design is the Bose Ultra Open Earbuds. They are clip-on buds, rather than using an earhook, so aren’t quite so secure for workouts, but do offer excellent sound quality along with awareness.

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