‘ZDNet Recommends’: What exactly does that mean?

ZDNet’s recommendations are based on many hours of testing, research, and comparison shopping. We gather data from the best available sources, including vendor and retailer listings as well as other relevant and independent reviews sites. And we pore over customer reviews to find out what matters to real people who already own and use the products and services we’re assessing.

When you click through from our site to a retailer and buy a product or service, we may earn affiliate commissions. This helps support our work, but does not affect what we cover or how, and it does not affect the price you pay. Neither ZDNet nor the author are compensated for these independent reviews. Indeed, we follow strict guidelines that ensure our editorial content is never influenced by advertisers.

ZDNet's editorial team writes on behalf of you, our reader. Our goal is to deliver the most accurate information and the most knowledgeable advice possible in order to help you make smarter buying decisions on tech gear and a wide array of products and services. Our editors thoroughly review and fact-check every article to ensure that our content meets the highest standards. If we have made an error or published misleading information, we will correct or clarify the article. If you see inaccuracies in our content, please report the mistake via this form.

If the idea of having earphone buds stuck into your ear canals doesn't sit well with you, these open-ear bone conduction headphones might be what you have been waiting for.

Adrian Kingsley-Hughes is an internationally published technology author who has devoted over two decades to helping users get the most from technology -- whether that be by learning to program, building a PC from a pile of parts, or helping them get the most from their new MP3 player or digital camera. Adrian has authored/co-authored technical books on a variety of topics, ranging from programming to building and maintaining PCs.

Think of headphones, and the image that's conjured up is big, huge things that fit over your head, Doctor Who "Cyberman" style. Think of earphones, and you'll probably think of tiny buds that you twist deep into your ear canal.

But there's a headphone technology that you might not have heard of that allows you to keep your ear canals totally free to listen to the normal sounds around you, yet still, allow you to listen to music and audio on the go.

That technology is called bone conduction. And one of the top companies manufacturing bone conduction headphones is Shokz (previously called Aftershokz).

I'm a big fan of Shokz bone conduction headphones, having owned several different models, so I was excited to try out the new OpenRun Pro.

In many ways, the OpenRun Pro is much like any other set of Bluetooth headphones. You pair them (there's an app available for customizations and firmware updates), pop the ear clips over your ears and away you go.

Popping them on and taking them off is easy since there's nothing to cram into your ears and the OpenRun Pro has a reasonable size to it. Initially, you might need to take a few seconds, but I can now pop them on and take them off single-handed in seconds.

Bone conduction can initially feel a bit weird. Your ears are open and can take in ambient sounds, but you're also getting the sound from the headphones via your skull. At first, I found this a little disconcerting (and you might feel a slight buzz if the headphones aren't properly fitted), but I quickly got used to them.

Also: The best headphones: Workout and running

If you're in a noisy environment, then Shokz has supplied earplugs to allow you to blot out the world and immerse yourself in the audio coming in through your skull.

Size-wise, I have quite a big head, and they fit me fine (although they feel just a little smaller than previous models), but if you have a particularly big or small head then fitment could be an issue (if you buy from Shokz, you get 45 days of "stress-free" returns). Also, as with anything else you put around your head, comfort is something to consider.

For me and my head/ears, I can wear the OpenRun Pro for many, many hours. They are far more comfortable than my AirPods Pro, and I don't feel like my ear holes are getting sweaty.

The audio is also acceptable. I'm no audio engineer, so I can't give you anything specific here, but having used them to listen to music, audiobooks and to make and receive calls, I've had no problems with them. The volume is adequate, the range excellent, and the volume and play/pause controls are easy to find and use.

And talking about making and receiving calls, the OpenRun Pro's microphones do an amazing job of noise-cancelling the environment and picking up the voice out of the hustle and bustle of the world.

Battery life comes in at the rated 10-hours, a full charge takes about an hour, and a 5-minute charge will give you 90 minutes of playback time. Charging is via a bespoke cable with a USB-A connector at one end and a magnetic connector on the other. This is the same as supplied with other Shokz/Aftershokz headsets.

I've also extensively tested the water- and sweat resistance and the OpenRun Pro seem totally immune to moisture.

The bottom line is they're great, and I highly recommend them!

Xiaomi Buds 3T Pro, hands on: Capable wireless earbuds, especially if you use a recent Xiaomi phone

Supply chain woes? Say hi to the world's smartest forklift

Best desktop deals available right now: March 2022

Best place to sell or trade in a phone: Turn old tech into cash

Can digital dollars be as anonymous as cash? It's time to find out, say lawmakers

Telegram abides to rules and averts ban in Brazil

How Google plans to use its latest AI model to help people in crisis

Remote working: Don't want to sit in an office? You should get a job in tech

How to talk about tech: Five ways to get people interested in your new project

Please review our terms of service to complete your newsletter subscription.

You agree to receive updates, promotions, and alerts from ZDNet.com. You may unsubscribe at any time. By joining ZDNet, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

You agree to receive updates, promotions, and alerts from ZDNet.com. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to receive the selected newsletter(s) which you may unsubscribe from at any time. You also agree to the Terms of Use and acknowledge the data collection and usage practices outlined in our Privacy Policy.

© 2022 ZDNET, A RED VENTURES COMPANY. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Privacy Policy | Cookie Settings | Advertise | Terms of Use