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

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.

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.

Shockz OpenDots Air earbuds are something unusual which literally made me question what was happening when I opened the box. Inside the standard wireless charging case you find an earbud attached to a small, curved, rubber band with a small rectangular device in a half circle shape. How do you put them in your ears? Once I had the app downloaded the earbuds connected to my bluetooth automatically then I had a walkthrough on how to wear and not wear these. They basically wrap around the ear just above your earlobe, sitting in the outer ear, which I immediately thought would be annoying to keep in place and not nearly loud enough to be practical in anything but a silent office or at home. While I don’t think these will hold onto your ear while you exercise or work in a warehouse, anything with up and down or vigorous motion, the sound wasn’t an issue. Inside the app for the OpenDots you can set the profile of the ear buds (loud, soft, vocal, etc.) and the volume of the sound which at its loudest setting was more than I needed. They’re actually comfortable once you get used to the idea of the ear squeeze (hug? Its noticeable but not painful or pinching) and the sound is really good which would typically be enough for a solid recommendation…but I can’t. I got these on a Thursday and tried them out for a short time that evening before plugging them into charge overnight and taking them to work the following day…they were not dropped or abused or pulled (the instructions are clear that you can’t pull them too wide to get onto your ear). However on my second use after a half hour I found a loud annoying and impossible crackle in the one earbud which made them unusable. I tried again at home and they work intermittently without the crackling distortion then it picks up for seconds to constant. From what I’ve experienced they have the potential to be amazing headphones because of their light weight, their advertised long battery (I can already see their better than my other earbuds, two hours of use on the old ones was just under half the battery where as the OpenDots Air used approximately 10% of their battery. Not sure if these have a manufacturing defect or if I damaged them while learning how to put them on (instructions say don’t pull them open but they don’t just slide onto your ear so they HAVE to be pulled open a little!) but it might be worth checking if there are many other reviews that mention crackling distortion before buying into a potentially new interesting style of earbuds.

The Shokz OpenDots Air open ear clip on true wireless earbuds are a fantastic pair of earbuds for active lifestyles. These earbuds work so well for my ear shape and the rigorous demands of my daily life. The sound quality is quite nice and always sounds clear. I enjoy running extensively and live an active lifestyle. I have been using this pair of earbuds with my 8 mile runs in the 90-degree heat and they fit on my ear so well and stay in place. I can put them onto my ear, and they are secure for my full workout. The earbuds don’t require any readjusting or moving around and can handle all the jostling my body experiences during a long run. The clip feature of this earbud is comfortable without pinching. There is a flexible nickel titanium plate that securely holds the shape of the arc to clip onto the back of the ear and into your ear. The material is a skin friendly silicone that feels comfortable and stable at the same time. I’ll wear this for long running sessions, indoor bike workouts, playing tennis, and playing basketball. The earbuds feel weightless at only 6.3grams per earbud. I love this headphone design as it keeps me alert and aware at all times of my surroundings on my outdoor runs in the city and wilderness. In this day and age, I want to hear all my nearby sounds for my own safety and wellness. I find the inner earbud design of many popular brands to be a poor fit for my ear shape. Those other earbuds fall out if I am chewing food, sneezing, or yawning, and just standing over a toilet. This Shokz OpenDots Air is always secure on my ear when I’m working in the office, working out aggressively, and commuting to work. The 11.8mm dual drivers offer a rich sound and the content plays clearly for music, movies, and streaming. I also enjoy the minimalistic feel and look of this earbud as I can wear it much of the day and few people will notice it. It’s a compact form factor that looks sleek. There are 4 preset EQ modes to choose from for easy listening, and there are 2 customizable EQ modes to dial in your preferences. These earbuds will last up to 36 hours on a full charge and a fully charged case. I have been able to get 9 hours of usage on a full earbud charge. Quick charging will give you 2 hours of listening time with a 10-minute charge. And these earbuds are easily swapped between either ear as there is versatility to use an earbud on either or left side, and then you can place them back into the case without a true left or right side. The touch controls and pinch controls on the earbuds is easy to learn and customizable to your preferences with the Shokz app. So far, all the phone calls I have taken with these OpenDots Air have been clear to hear and my caller can hear my speaking clearly. These earbuds use an AI power noise reduction with dual mics that keeps my voice clear even when I’m running and moving around. They’re IP55 water resistant, offer Bluetoogh 6.1 stability and multipoint pairing for switching between 2 simultaneous devices. As an avid fitness enthusiast, I find these Shokz OpenDots Air to be so convenient and user friendly. They have not let me down with their fit, comfort, and sound quality. I highly recommend this earbud over any traditional in ear earbud because I have never had any luck with traditional earbuds fitting the shape of my ear.

There’s a lot to like about these little earbuds. First and foremost - they have very good sound. I like the preset EQ options (in the Shokz app) and the ability to create your own personalized EQ setting. My preference is the Bass mode, but standard sounds good as well and the Vocal is great for phone calls or Podcasts as it loudens the voices and centers them in your head while listening. Cool feature of the way they sit in your ears and wrap around your mid ear cuff is there is no “left” or “right” ear bud. They are interchangeable and it automatically knows which one you are wearing in each ear so that the gestures for pause, volume, track change, call answer, etc. all still work correctly no matter which ear you put them in. They are comfortable to wear for long periods. They wrest nicely in your ear and don’t require you to push them into ear for better sound. I found that they stayed put and worked great for workouts, running, walking, yard work etc. or just sitting at your desk. They have multipoint pairing (only via the app, so be sure to load the app) to swap between tablet / phone, etc. without having to repair. The app has a nice quick walkthrough tutorial on how to use the gestures for each feature (volume, tracks, pause, calls, etc.) and they are intuitive to use gestures once you learn them. Battery life is excellent at 8-9 hours and up to 36 hours total by recharging in the case. Couple notes to be aware of: These are not noise cancelling, so I won’t be using these for flights or noisy environments. They have a “find my earbuds” feature in the app, but note that this only works if the ear buds are NOT in the case. If you put them in the case and then misplace the case, the app won’t find them. The other odd thing was when I needed to re-pair them it was difficult to figure out how to pair them with another device. They mentioned a function button on the case, but for the life of me I couldn’t find any buttons. After looking up the full user manual it shows the 3 lines that look like a vent in the middle of the case as a “Button”. But it’s the oddest button that doesn’t press I’ve seen. Just FYI if you’re looking for the “button” it’s “the vent” thing on front. 😊 Very happy with these overall.