Earlier this year I tried the Shokz’ OpenFit 2 open earbuds and enjoyed the ‘arround the ear’ approach that kept them in place where so many true wireless earbuds had failed me in the past. For the first time I could go for my walk or a cycle without the fear of losing one – or both – buds due to a bump in the road or simple turn of the head while I crossed the road. They were stable, comfortable and had reasonable sound quality. A bar had been set.
The OpenDots One (so we can expect more) manage a similar feat only with a lighter clip-on design that anchors under the ear and around the lobe. The fit is comfortable and snug thanks to the OpenDots’ flexible silicon-covered JointArc, made of nickel titanium. During work-outs they remained in place without any uncomfortable rubbing against the ear and were also good for extended wear when I switched from an active to a more sedentary mode. It’s worth noting the buds are interchangeable with no set ‘left’ or ‘right’.
If you’re worried about consistency or changing touch commands, you can assign functions through the Shokz app. As for the gesture controls themselves it’s a mix of one-finger single, double and triple tapping (the latter in beta at time of writing) on the anchor behind the ear and on the joint. You can also pinch the anchor with two fingers in short and long presses. The defaults set a single finger double-tap to play/pause music or to take and end a call – the same is offered of a double pinch. A long press will let you turn the volume up on the left bud, and down on the right. A long press on the left rejects a call. One feature that doesn’t come switched on by default is voice assistant activation. This can be set up in-app with a two-finger long press. I found it worked well with Google Assistant, activating quickly and giving accurate results despite some ambient noise.
This is a good time to move on to the sound quality. Out of the box the sound is warm and finely balanced. For additional control there are four EQ presets in the app. Shokz makes much of its partnership with Dolby Audio and the benefits are there. On top of the default settings are dedicated modes for increased bass, vocals and a private mode to make sure your taste in music or podcasts doesn’t become someone else’s business. Lastly on noise cancellation, that can be switched on in the app for phonecalls but nothing else.
Battery life is about as good as can be expected. The buds have 10 hours of battery life with an additional 30 in the case. For recharging you have options of USB-C or the Qi wireless charging (a first for Shokz) station of your choice. A full charge takes about two hours wired and four hours wirelessly.
So here’s the thing. I found the OpenDots One to be so comfortable, I was actually getting more out of them in my quiet office over a full working day than for an hour of exercise in a noisy environment. Some commenters have found them excellent for working in shared spaces and I definitely see the appeal. A noisy gym, funnily enough, isn’t where they shine but runners or cyclists will be impressed.
Finally we have the price tag of €199.99, which puts the OpenDots One beside the AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation and not so far off the Galaxy Buds3 Pro. Shokz isn’t looking to play in that space and might struggle on sound quality but if comfort and fit are your top priorities, the OpenDots One will deliver.
Niall Kitson
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