I tested the new Shokz OpenDots 2 headphones for three weeks and they’re better value than the Bose Open Ultra Earbuds

The Shokz OpenDots One were the first clip-on buds from the brand, which has an extensive line-up of bone conduction and earhook headphones. Clearly, the OpenDots One were a success, because Shokz has followed them up with two new clip-on models.

Of these two, the Shokz OpenDots 2 are the premium pick and the direct successor to the OpenDots One, while the Shokz OpenDots Air are a more affordable option.

I’ve been testing both the OpenDots 2 and OpenDots Air for weeks ahead of their launch, wearing them during a variety of workouts as well as in the office and when traveling.

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Both are among the best workout headphones I’ve tried, and the OpenDots 2 are a step-up on the OpenDots Air for sound quality in particular, even rivaling the Bose Ultra Open Earbuds on this front.

However, the OpenDots Air are better value, as are other affordable clip-on buds like the Soundcore AeroClip.

Shokz OpenDots 2 review: price and availability

The Shokz OpenDots 2 launched on 4 June 2026 and cost $199 in the U.S. and £179 in the U.K., the same price as the OpenDots One.

They’re considerably cheaper than the best clip-on buds I’ve tested to date, the Bose Ultra Open earbuds, which are $299/£279, but there are excellent options available for less than the OpenDots 2.

One is the Shokz OpenDots Air, which launched on the same day and cost $129/£129, and there’s also the Soundcore AeroClip, which are $129/£129.

Shokz OpenDots 2 review: design and fit

The OpenDots 2 are lightweight clip-on headphones with a design that extends to sit comfortably on the side of your ear, with a speaker resting inside near the ear canal and a barrel on the outside of your ear.

Judging how tightly the headphone pinches the ear is the key to comfort and security — too tight, and you’ll feel unwelcome pressure on your ear over time, too loose, and the buds will shake loose, especially during workouts.

Shokz has nailed this balance with the OpenDots 2, in my opinion. You can barely feel the headphones in place, and they are comfortable to wear for hours on end, but I’ve also not had any problems with how securely they sit in place during runs or other workouts.

The buds are also interchangeable, so you can wear them on either ear, which makes them easier to put on.

As someone who wears glasses and a hat a lot of the time, especially when training, the clip-on design is more convenient than over-ear buds like the Shokz OpenFit Pro, which compete for space on the top of my ears.

The IP57 water resistance rating of the headphones means that although they’re not fully waterproof, they’ll handle rain and sweat easily enough — generally, I find IPX4 is enough for this with my workout buds.

This IP57 rating is a little higher than the IP55 rating on the OpenDots Air, and the OpenDots 2’s case is also IP55-rated, which is handy if you’re planning on taking it with you in a running belt or backpack, which can get sweaty.

Shokz OpenDots 2 review: controls

The OpenDots 2 use a combination of taps and squeezes for the controls, and although I’m usually a fan of physical buttons over touch panels and force sensors, I’ve found the controls on the buds have worked very well.

You can double-tap the stem that runs around the ear to play/pause, and then squeeze the top and bottom of the barrel behind the ear for other controls, including volume.

I found that the controls were easy to use, even during workouts, and you can customize the exact controls you want assigned to each tap or squeeze in the partner Shokz app.

Shokz OpenDots 2 review: sound quality and awareness

The main upgrade you get with the OpenDots 2 over the cheaper OpenDots Air is sound quality, with the pricier buds using the brand’s Bassphere 2.0 technology, which improves bass and also offers Dolby Audio.

While I didn’t find the difference in sound quality as big as the difference in price between the OpenDots 2 and Air, there is a noticeable upgrade in the bass and power of the sound on the OpenDots 2.

They have a fuller sound and are clearer at high volumes, and for open buds, I was impressed with the audio quality overall, both when working in quiet environments and when running outdoors listening to either music or podcasts.

The design doesn’t allow for quite as much awareness as the best bone conduction headphones, which leave the ears completely clear, but I could still clearly hear traffic when running by busy roads, and felt safe running on quiet country roads while using the buds, confident I’d hear any cars coming.

There is the usual downside to open headphones, which is that they were drowned out when I was traveling on noisy trains and planes, when I’d prefer to use in-ear buds with noise cancellation, and they don’t offer the level of bass you get from in-ear or over-ear designs.

For the most part, however, I found the sound on the OpenDots 2 great, and I like using them in the office more than in-ear buds, so I can still hear what’s going on around me.

You can also customize the EQ on the buds in the Shokz app, using presets that include a bass boost mode, or by using sliders to create your own custom EQ.

I mostly stuck to the standard mode for the most balanced sound profile, but occasionally found the bass boost worthwhile during runs in particular.

Shokz OpenDots 2 review: call quality

The OpenDots 2 have a dedicated bone-conduction microphone for calls, along with dual air-conduction microphones, and use AI to reduce noise to make your calls clearer.

I was told by those I called that my voice came through clearly, even if I was in a noisy environment myself, but they described my voice as tinny.

Given the extra bone-conduction mic on the OpenDots 2, which isn't on the OpenDots Air, I expected a jump in call quality, but both are similar on this front; fine, but not outstanding.

Shokz OpenDots 2 review: battery life

For small headphones, the OpenDots 2 offer impressive battery life, lasting up to 10 hours on a charge and 40 hours in total with the case, which is small and easy to pocket.

During my use, I found that the buds lived up to Shokz’s battery life estimates, even when mostly using the headphones at max volume while running outdoors.

You can also get two hours of playback from a five-minute charge, and the OpenDots 2 offer Qi-certified wireless charging, something that isn’t available on the cheaper OpenDots Air, which also only offers nine hours of battery life.

I did find the buds could sometimes not sit correctly in the case when I put them back after use quickly, so they'd stay connected to my phone and not charge. You have to be careful to seat them against the connectors correctly.

Should you buy the Shokz OpenDots 2?

I loved testing the Shokz OpenDots 2 and will continue to use them as my main running headphones in particular, and I’m happy to recommend them even ahead of the Bose Ultra Open Earbuds, which sound a little better but cost a lot more.

The trouble with the OpenDots 2 is that you get nearly the same level of performance from the Shokz OpenDots Air, which are a lot more affordable, as are the Soundcore AeroClip buds, which are highly rated by my colleague Ashley Thieme.

If you plan to use the buds for everything, they’re worth the upgrade for the better sound, design and slightly longer battery life, but if you also want to use a set of in-ear buds in certain situations like traveling, I think it makes more sense to get a cheaper set of open buds like the OpenDots Air.