I swapped my Airpods Pro 2 for the new Shokz OpenDots One — here’s my verdict

I’ll admit, the Shokz OpenDots One are my first foray into open earbuds. As a marathon runner, my only experience with Shokz has been its flagship bone-conducting headphones, which wrap around your head. The OpenDots One, however, sits on your ears like a pair of clip-on earrings you might have worn as a kid, letting you listen to music while still being aware of your surroundings.

These headphones aren’t designed specifically for running or the gym, but they can cope with a light amount of rain and sweat. Instead, Shokz says they’re best suited for daily wear, so I swapped out my beloved Apple Airpods Pro 2, and exclusively wore the little earbuds for a week — read my full Shokz OpenDots One review to find out more.

Shokz OpenDots One: Price and availability

The Shokz OpenDots One costs $199/£179 and comes in two different colors — black and grey. This is a lot cheaper than the likes of the Bose Ultra Open earbuds, which are $299/£279.

The Shokz OpenDots One are available worldwide as of August 21.

Shokz OpenDots One: Design and fit

The Shokz OpenDots One loop around the cartilage of your ear, rather than sitting in the ear like typical earbuds. Shokz says the best way to wear its earbuds is at a 0-30 degree angle, but it’s personal preference. There’s also no left or right bud; you just need to make sure the battery component is behind your ear.

I found the OpenDots One extremely comfortable to wear. Unlike in-ear buds, I didn’t have any issues with the buds slipping or falling out of my ear. As a glasses wearer, I didn’t find the buds interfering with the arms of my glasses, and I was able to wear earrings without the buds knocking against them.

The buds are made from a nickel-titanium plate, but have a soft silicone coating that is designed to be comfortable against the skin. I have a silicone allergy, but thankfully had no reaction to these buds.

Shokz calls the arm of the bud the ‘JointArc’ and says it’s been designed to maintain its elasticity over time, for a snug fit, even after years of use. That said, they warn against pulling the battery component and the speaker apart.

The buds themselves sit inside a charging case, which is around the same size as my AirPods Pro 2 case, but is noticeably lighter, at just 1.15 ounces, or 1.38 ounces with the buds inside. The case ups the battery life of the headphones considerably, but more on that below.

Unlike the Soundcore Aeroclip, there’s only one size of earbud available on the OpenDots One. I didn’t find it uncomfortable at all, but this is definitely a one-size-fits-all set of headphones, which can be a downside if you have particularly tiny or large ears.

Shokz has made it very clear these headphones are not designed for running, but ever the rulebreaker, I took them for a run. They stayed in place well, and I wouldn’t hesitate to wear them in the gym.

They have a water resistance rating of IP54, which basically means they can cope with rain and sweat, but don’t try and submerge them in water, or wear them in the shower. The charging case is not waterproof.

The Shokz OpenFit 2+ are designed for running, and you can read our Shokz OpenDots One vs. Shokz OpenFit 2+ face-off here.

Shokz OpenDots One: Controls

The OpenDots One has no physical buttons, which I didn’t love. Instead, you can turn the volume up and down, pause and play your music, or answer and hang up from calls by tapping on the JointArc or the battery compartment.

The controls are a mix of tapping with one finger or holding the battery component with two fingers. Shokz calls this "intuitive," but I personally found it a little fiddly, and I’d have appreciated physical buttons, especially when I was on the go.

It’s worth noting that you can customize these controls in the Shokz app — I found it tricky doing the double pinch, so I was able to switch to a single-finger double tap instead.

Shokz OpenDots One: Sound quality

The huge benefit of wearing open earbuds is that, like the best bone-conducting headphones, they allow you to hear what’s going on around you. It’s the main reason why, as a female running alone, I often opt to wear the Shokz OpenRun on my runs, especially if I’m running in low light.

I appreciated this on the OpenDots One, too. I was able to listen to my audiobook on a dog walk and still hear other walkers approaching from behind. I was skeptical about how well I’d be able to hear a podcast or music on a busy commute, but was pleasantly surprised.

I also found that the call sound quality was excellent, and my partner couldn’t hear what my friend was saying, despite sitting next to me.

Even when walking alongside the river on a really windy day, I was still able to hear my audiobook, although I did have to turn the volume up. I would say if I were heading on a long-haul flight, or working in an office on a day where my to-do list required minimal distractions, I’d probably reach for a set of headphones that had noise-cancelling options, but for safety, the OpenDots One tick all the right boxes.

When you connect the headphones to the Shokz app, you can cycle through four different pre-set audio modes — standard, vocal, bass, and private, as well as create your own personal profile.

Shokz OpenDots One: Battery life

The OpenDots One has 10 hours of listening from a single charge, but this is increased to 40 hours with the charging case, so you could easily head off for the weekend with these in your pocket.

A 10-minute quick charge gives you 2 hours of listening, and unlike other open earbuds on the market, you can charge the case wirelessly using a charging pad.

To see the battery life of your headphones, you’ll need to use the Shokz app. The app is easy to use, and it’s where you’ll be able to edit the settings and use the Find My Earbuds feature if your toddler has hidden your headphones (just me?)

Shokz OpenDots One: Should you buy?

The Shokz OpenDots One are a great pair of open-ear headphones. They’re affordable, comfortable to wear, and super lightweight. I was impressed with the sound quality, and I enjoyed wearing them both on the run, in the gym, and when sitting at my desk.

If you’re looking for a set of earbuds that will block out all the noise of your commute, these probably aren’t for you, and I’d point you in the direction of the Apple AirPods Pro 2, which are my go-to. If you are looking for a pair of Shokz that’ll go the distance and get you through your sweatiest gym session, I’d go for the Shokz OpenRun Pro 2, which has an impressive sound quality, long battery life, and a secure fit for sports.