Shokz OpenRun Pro 2 review

The Shokz OpenRun Pro 2 are a significant improvement on the Shokz OpenRun Pro thanks to the upgraded sound quality, and are among the best running headphones available. They offer better bass than other bone conduction headphones in particular, and have a reliable fit for sports and long battery life.

I found them the best bone conduction headphones I’ve tested, but some familiar problems remain — the sound can be drowned out in loud areas because of the open design, and you still don’t get sound quality that matches the top in-ear headphones.

For running and other sports they are excellent, but there are alternatives that could offer better value. The Shokz OpenSwim Pro are the same price and have MP3 storage as well as Bluetooth playback, while the Shokz OpenRun are more affordable and while they don’t have as good sound quality as the OpenRun Pro 2 headphones, they are still a great option for sports.

In my Shokz OpenRun Pro 2 review I’ll look at why they might be worth the extra outlay, as well as comparing them in more detail to other bone conduction and open headphones.

Shokz OpenRun Pro 2 review: price and availability

The Shokz OpenRun Pro 2 launched on August 28, 2024 and cost $179.95 in the U.S. and £169 in the U.K., putting them in line with the Shokz OpenSwim Pro bone conduction headphones. The Shokz OpenRun offer a more affordable option in the Shokz range.

There are two colors in the range — black and orange — and two sizes, with the OpenRun Pro 2 mini offering the same battery life and other features in a slightly lighter design with a shorter headband that fits more closely to the back of your head.

Shokz OpenRun Pro 2 review: design and fit

The OpenRun Pro 2 have the same design as Shokz’s other bone conduction headphones, with over-ear hooks connected by a headband made from a nickel-titanium alloy which is flexible but strong.

I’ve run with the OpenRun Pro 2 headphones every day for the last two weeks, and also done indoor cycling, strength and yoga workouts with them. The headphones stay securely and comfortably in place, and I found that I could wear them with glasses and a hat without any problems.

Bone conduction pads on the ear hooks sit on your cheekbones to play audio through vibrations, while an air conduction speaker plays audio into your ear. This DualPitch design is the key upgrade with the OpenRun Pro 2, with the air conduction speaker used to deliver more powerful bass than on other Shokz headphones.

Another change from past models is that the OpenRun Pro 2 have a USB-C charging port, rather than using a proprietary cable, which is more convenient. They still have a high water resistance rating of IP55, but are not waterproof or suitable for swimming since they don’t have MP3 storage.

The Shokz OpenRun Pro 2 offer multipoint pairing for two devices and they switched seamlessly between my laptop and phone once I’d set this up in the partner app. There are dual mics on the headphones for calls and these are placed to avoid picking up too much wind if you’re on a call while running or cycling.

Shokz OpenRun Pro 2 review: controls

The Shokz OpenRun Pro 2 have a multifunction button on the left ear hook and two buttons on the right, which control the volume as well as turning the headphones on and off. You can use the multifunction button to control playback and skip tracks, as well as activating your phone’s voice assistant by holding it down.

I found that the buttons are well-placed and easy to use during workouts, and there is a sound when you press the multifunction button so you can tell how many times you’ve pressed it. There is also a chime when you hit the maximum volume to stop you fruitlessly trying to raise it further.

Shokz OpenRun Pro 2 review: sound quality

The main downside to bone conduction and other open headphones is that they don’t offer as good sound quality as in-ear buds because they don't sit in the ear canal. That remains the case with the Shokz OpenRun Pro 2, but the sound quality has been significantly improved thanks to the DualPitch design, with much more powerful bass in particular.

I enjoyed using the headphones during and outside of workouts, and they don’t leak too much sound when you use them indoors even at max volume. You can adjust the EQ in the Shokz app too, using presets like bass boost or setting up your own preferences.

Despite being louder than past OpenRun models, I found the OpenRun Pro 2 can still be hard to hear when traveling or running by busy roads, and when you’re nearing the end of a hard run and put on your most motivational music to power you home, the lower volume compared with in-ear buds does lessen the effect a little.

However, the big upside of the open design is the greater awareness of your surroundings, which makes it safer to run and cycle outside. I prefer to use open headphones for my workouts because of this, and the OpenRun Pro 2 offer better sound than their bone conduction rivals as well as that awareness, though there are open headphones that use air conduction like the Bose Ultra Open Earbuds that sound even better.

Shokz OpenRun Pro 2 review: battery life

The Shokz OpenRun Pro 2 are listed as lasting up to 12 hours on a charge, though in practice I found this number would come down if you have the volume at or near max most of the time. If you’re using the headphones for outdoor workouts you will need to have the volume raised high, and I got more like 10-11 hours of use out of them as a result.

That is still very good battery life for bone conduction headphones, and more than you get from the OpenRun or OpenSwim Pro. A quick charge feature also gets you 2.5 hours of playback from just five minutes of charging.

Should you buy the Shokz OpenRun Pro 2?

The Shokz OpenRun Pro are the top bone conduction headphones for workouts I’ve tested, unless you need a set for swimming, and the upgrade in sound quality makes them better for general use than past models as well.

They’re my preferred running headphones at the moment because of the excellent fit, open design and good sound. If you just want running headphones with an open design, it’s the OpenRun Pro 2. However, the high price means that other options from Shokz might offer better value.

The OpenSwim Pro offer a combination of Bluetooth and MP3 playback for the same price, and can be used for swimming as a result. The MP3 mode is also useful for workouts where you don’t want to carry your phone with you. But the OpenRun Pro 2 sound better and have longer battery life.

Another alternative is the Shokz OpenRun, which are $129.95 and offer the same great fit and open design. The sound on the OpenRun is still pretty good, as is the battery life, and for the most part they do just as good a job during workouts as the OpenRun Pro 2, though some will find the improved sound with the extra outlay.