Shokz - OpenDots Air Open-Ear Clip-On True Wireless Bluetooth Earbuds - Daybreak Purple

Very comfortable to wear, you can wear both on the same ear when its time to switch them out, there is no left or right side. Connect very easily via Bluetooth and can make adjustments using the app. These are my first pair and I'm impressed with these earbuds.

If you're one of those people who really don't like how earbuds feel when they're pressed into your ear, these might be a great "fit" for you (pun intended). Setup is as simple as any bluetooth headphones. Opening the case starts a pairing mode so you can connect to your phone and then you're all done. I feel like I should include putting these "on" in the setup process, though. It's a weird process of moving them around until they "feel" right and then trying to repeat that position every time you put them back on. It takes some getting used to but it's not too difficult. These don't have the greatest sound in the world but I wouldn't expect them to. They don't really get inserted into your ear so you're relying on them just "throwing" the audio into your ears. For that, they actually sound a LOT better than I was expecting. The biggest gripe would probably just be that they're a little quieter than other earbuds that actually seal into your ear. The tone might also be a little washed out or muddled. I was surprised about the amount of bass I was hearing. Another surprise was how little I could hear these when my wife was wearing them. When I cranked up the volume, I could hear them a little bit but with the volume anywhere normal, you really can't hear them from outside. Comfort is great. Once you lock down where the back piece should sit, it's pretty easy to get them back to the same spot. It takes longer than standard earbuds to put them on but it's not that bad. Once they're in place, they stay put and you really don't feel them all that much. I didn't feel any discomfort in my earlobe after prolonged use. Gesture controls are weird on this. There are two modes (according to the instructions) for activating gestures. You should be able to touch the middle stalk that connects both sides. Or you can squeeze the top and bottom of the part that goes behind your ear. I couldn't for the life of be get the tap gesture to do anything. The squeeze seemed to work ok though. I'm pretty bad at gestures with earbuds, though, so gesture controls aren't really a big deal to me. But they might be for you! Overall, these are pretty decent headphones. I wouldn't even mind listening to some music with these. Audiobooks and podcasts are probably the best spot for these. If you're looking for something different and don't enjoy earbuds being inserted into your ear, these might be a good alternative instead of resorting to over-ear headphones.

With summer coming into full swing, I’ve been spending more time outdoors on walks or in the yard enjoying the warm weather. I usually have a pair of earbuds in listening to music or on a call, which can be an issue when I need to hear what’s going on around me. I’ve been using my current Shokz open earbuds but wanted to try another pair that was a bit smaller in size, so I can easily fit them into my pocket. That’s when I saw Shokz was releasing the OpenDots Air, which were much smaller and designed to Clip-On to the outside of the ear. I decided to pickup a pair to give them a try. Pros: - Open Ear design for full awareness of your surroundings. - Lightweight for all day comfort. - Clear and full sound. - Compact earbuds and case. Cons: - Getting the fit right can take a few tries. - Sound can be drowned out from background nose, normal downside to open ear headphones. Setup: In the box, Shokz keeps it simple by just including the OpenDots Air and charging case. There’s no USB-C cable included, as it is assumed you already have one along with a charger. Setup was just as easy and straight forward, just download the Shokz app and follow the guided setup to add the OpenDots Air to your device. Learning to clip the earbuds to your ears correctly does take a little practice, Shokz includes a picture on the wrap for the case as an example. I had to stand in front of the mirror for the first few times I clipped the OpenDots Air onto my ears. After that, I was able to put them on easily without looking. Software: I’ll have to say it again about the Shokz app, I like how simple and easy it is to use. Less is always more. The Shokz app mainly is for pairing the earbuds. It also provides a tutorial on how to use the gestures, which is helpful as the OpenDots Air use a “Pinch” gesture on the battery part of the earbud in addition to a tap on the band for controls. Otherwise, the app allows you to select the EQ Mode, enable Multipoint Pairing, and finding your earbuds. Within the settings, the only additional feature that isn’t on by default is Microphone Noise Cancellation During Calls which helps with call quality. Fit & Feel: Included with the headset is a guide on how to best attach and wear the OpenDots Air. As mentioned, I needed to stand in front of a mirror for the first few times to get the fit down. But after I got the feel for the right positioning, I was able to clip them on to my ears anywhere. The fit is very comfortable, as they Clip-On to the side of the ear and are very lightweight, which makes them feel like nothing at all. Even while moving around or shaking your head, I found that the OpenDots Air didn’t dislodge. I was only able to shake one off after a very aggressive shaking of my head, a motion that I would never normally make. Even after an all-day out and about trip, I didn’t feel any discomfort or fatigue from wearing the OpenDots Air. These were by far the most comfortable earbuds I’ve worn in a while. One of the most important parts was the size of the earbuds and case, which easily fit in the palm of your hand or pocket. The case size is about 2.5in by 1.85in by 1.1in, with the earbuds being a little wider than an inch from the speaker side to battery, otherwise it is under a 0.8in. Much smaller in size than my prior pair. Sounds: The sound quality is very impressive for being an open ear earbud, I would have been more shocked if not for having tried another version of the Shokz earbuds. The quality and depth of sound is very good, considering there is a large gab between the speaker and earhole. Though like my prior assessment on open ear earbuds still applies, in excessively loud or echoey spaces, it can be hard to hear the audio even at maximum volume due to the background noise. Though, I was expecting this based on prior experience. One thing I did like better about the OpenDots Air was the fullness of the audio, as my older Shokz had to have Dolby Audio enabled to get the same richness of sound that the OpenDots Air provided by default. Call Quality: My biggest complaint with the OpenDots Air comes with the microphone quality. The main feedback I received from callers and was able to confirm with another phone, was that the microphone sounded like the speaker was in a can or tunnel. The audio was very tinny and echoey when there was any kind of background noise or in closed spaces. The audio drastically improved while outside in a quiet area, but that was rarer in an urban setting. The audio was still clear enough to understand the speaker, just distorted and unnatural. I assume this was mainly due to the placement of the earbuds, further away from the mouth and not in direct contact with any conductive bones that could improve transmission of the voice to the microphone. Battery Life: I was very impressed with the battery life, the OpenDots Air were able to last a full day of use on a single charge. I was able to wear them for a straight 8 hours while out, taking calls and listening to audio without needing a charge. Even if I did need to charge, the case had 36 hours of charging, which can also provide a fast charge of 10mins to provide 2 hours of usage. Conclusion: If you want an open earbud that is comfortable and lightweight, while lasting all day, the Shokz OpenDots Air are solid new consideration to have. Shokz has been a go to name for OpenEar earbuds, but the recent addition really steps up sound quality and comfort, while providing a longer lasting battery in the earbud and paired case. I’ll be clipping these on for a while enjoying the summer weather.

Headphones and earbuds are great, but they have one big problem… they cover or plug up your ears, making it hard or impossible to hear what’s going on around you, which in some environments can even be dangerous. Clip-on earbuds are a way to solve this issue, as they literally clip on your earlobes instead of covering or going inside your ear canals. Shokz is known for having bone-conducting headsets that send sound through your head which are handy, but now they have OpenDots, open-ear clip-on earbuds to offer you an alternative. The OpenDots are kind of a U-shape, and flexible. The center joint portion wraps around your earlobes, and then on one side you have the speaker and mic area, and on the other portion are your controls and buttons to control phone calls, listening to music, or adjusting volume. By tapping the center joint portion, you can specifically play and pause music and answer and end calls, while the buttons let you skip tracks or reject a call. Dual microphones and AI powered noise reduction help to keep the calls clear. IP55 water resistance is good enough for sweat and everyday splashes, but I wouldn’t suggest letting them fall directly into water. The OpenDots fit neatly into their charging case which is charged by a USB-C cable (the case does not offer wireless charging – only via the USB cable). When fully topped off, depending on volume and call use, the Dots can operate up to 9 hours, but with the case topped off as well, you can get up to 36 hours before needing to charge everything again. This is under optimal use conditions, so if you make or take a lot of calls and use higher volumes, those times won’t be quite as long, but so far I’ve found them to hold their power a respectable amount of time. If you need to top things off, 10 minutes in the case will get you around 2 hours of listening time, too. Flipping the case open gets you in pairing mode, and I tried this on an iPhone and Android with no issues connecting them. So far, I haven’t lost connection on either device using them. The Shokz App gives you a bit more control over sound variations like a regular everyday mode, a vocal mode so you can hear voices more clearly, boosted bass mode, and a privacy mode for when you’re in more quiet areas. Everyone’s ears are differently shaped, so you need to try these in terms of whether or not they will be very secure and not slip around on your ears. My ears are slightly different in shape. On my right ear, the OpenDots stays securely in place, while on the left ear, it does at times move slightly around, but, so far they haven’t fallen off, even when moving my head back and forth a bit. I’m not a jogger, nor do I jump on trampolines, so this can vary per person. Overall though, I’m satisfied with their ability to stay on my ears. Sound quality is good. Everything sounds clear, even phone calls. Those I’m talking to can tell I’m using ear buds of some type and like most, I have to talk slightly louder to make it sound like a normal call, but nothing obnoxious. There are no noise cancellation features per se, because for that you really need over the ear headphones or earbuds that plug directly into your ear; regardless, the sound is strong. I haven’t had any sound interference so far. The silicone build is comfortable enough and much more than traditional in-ear buds, allowing my ears to breath and be cooler as well. The “Daybreak Purple” color is a light purple color and kind of neat, too. I have no real complaints at all about the OpenDots. So far, so good. The price is reasonable for what you get, and they perform well for this type of device. I would recommend these.

I was intrigued by the Shokz OpenDots Air wireless earbuds. I've been using them for about a week and a half now and overall I really like them. My over the ear Shokz are probably my number 1 favorite to use but they become uncomfortable to wear with my glasses and the body of the earbud over the top of my ear. The OpenDots Air "clip" over the bottom of the inside of your ear, so there is no pressure where your glasses are. They are lightweight at 0.011 lbs so I don't really notice them on my ears. They are not noise canceling but they fit more fully into my ear than the over the ear model so they blocked out more outside noise while still allowing you to hear the world around you. The 2 earbuds are interchangeable, there is no left or right. The functions are controlled by a pinch to the band between the two sections of either earbud. The sound quality was good. I could not get them connected to the app. There were a lot of choices that were similar to these earbuds but these particular ones were not listed. I don't know if that was because I was an early user of them. I'll have to check again later. They are water resistant and bluetooth with a range up to 33 feet. Each earbud has a microphone. There is a maximum talk time of 25 hours. The battery life is 9 hours with 36 hours of recharge time from the case. I had 2 issues. The first was that there is no wireless charging. This surprised me because my other Shokz products are all wireless charging. Second is that I was listening to a book and when the battery on one of the buds got low, it gave me a warning beep. Unfortunately, the beep was so uncomfortable loud that I cringed from the shock of it. I hadn't ever heard a warning tone like that. Overall, I like these earbuds and I have been wearing them throughout mynday to day activities.