Shokz has always made open earbuds, specifically ones that use bone conduction technology (like their excellent waterproof swimming headphones). As good as the tech has gotten, though, it still doesn’t sound anywhere as good as more traditional earbud designs. We’re guessing that’s why the outfit has added air conduction earbuds to their lineup, as the sound quality stands up better to other open earbuds like the Bose Ultra Open and the Sony Linkbuds Open. The Shokz OpenDots One is the outfit’s newest open earbuds and it takes on the increasingly popular clip-on form factor.
That’s right, Shokz’s newest open earbuds have ditched the ear hooks, instead taking on a clip-on design similar to the Bose Ultra Open and the Soundcore C401. Is clip-on much better ear hooks? Well, it depends on your preferences, but we do find the design much more low-profile compared to other open earbud form factors, almost looking like a simple oversized earring.
The Shokz OpenDots One uses a flexible nickel titanium plate with a grippy silicone shell to clip securely onto the side of your ears. It weighs just 0.23 oz. each, so the earbuds should wear comfortably on the ears, so much so that the outfit claims it’s virtually unnoticeable through daily wear. Instead of the outfit’s usual bone conduction design, the ear buds use air conduction, which, basically, means it’s just a speaker that directs the sound output straight towards your ear canal, similar to other popular open earbud designs. According to Shokz, it uses the outfit’s DirectPitch technology that minimizes sound leakage as the sound travels from the speaker to your ears.
It uses two circular drivers in each earpiece, which, the outfit claims, work in unison to ensure it delivers equally powerful bass and crystal-clear height. The earbuds use Dolby Audio to enhance the overall sound, all while offering four preset EQ modes and two custom profiles via the companion app to tweak the sound to your liking.
The Shokz OpenDots One comes with built-in sensors that determine which ear you’re putting each earbud on, with the device automatically adjusting the output to ensure proper stereo separation. That means, you can put each earbud in either ear, with no designated left and right earpieces. There are no physical buttons, instead coming with touch control, allowing you to simply tap or pinch on various parts of the earbuds to manage voice calls and playback. And yes, it has onboard mics, although there are no details on that.
The built-in battery is rated for 10 hours of continuous playback, with the charging case housing another 30 hours for 40 hours of total runtime on the go. It offers a 10-minute quick charge that gives the earbuds enough juice for two hours of additional playback, which should come very handy if you run out of power in the middle of a playlist or a podcast. Other features include multipoint Bluetooth, IP54 water resistance, a wireless charging case, and the ability to customize the touch controls via the companion app.
Want a pair? The Shokz OpenDots One is available now.
