Shokz - OpenDots ONE

I got the Shokz OpenDots a few weeks ago and like them a lot.

Very comfortable, especially compared to AirPods. In-ear ear buds make my ear canal very itchy and irritated, even when I'm not using them. Since switching over to these, that's all gone away. I use them for 1 to 2 hours a day and charge the case a couple times a week, so I haven't pushed the batteries too far.

I also used it and I just paid for express shipping and omg these are so comfortable and the sound is quality and the touch control tbh best thing unlike the Bose open ones I couldn’t hear much of anyone

I just bought a pair of Shokz OpenDots and love them.

I tried both the bose open ultra and shokz opendots one, kept the latter. The curve just fits my ears better and the silicone's so soft. Feels like I'm not wearing anything.

I've been testing out a few different clip-style open buds this week, and my favorites have been the Soundcore Aeroclip. I just received the Shokz Opendots One, so I'm doing some A/B comparisons with the Aeroclip. For me, the Opendots One are probably a little more comfortable. They both grip confidently, but the Aeroclip are slightly tighter feeling whereas the Opendots One feel a little more gentle. In terms of sound, for my ears, I honestly prefer the Aeroclip. The Opendots One are a bit louder, but music sounds a little more boxed-in and less dynamic to me. I tried with and without Dolby mode on, with a similar "V-shaped" custom EQ on both. Dolby mode makes things sound more expansive, but I feel like I'm losing a bit of highs & lows with it on. Maybe better for movies than music. Perhaps it's just that with the shape of my ears, the drivers are more accurately directed with the Aeroclip.

Ok I’ve been using both of these buds for 2 months now because I couldn’t decide without a real world case study so I bought pairs of each on eBay for around $150 each. For the record I am NOT an affiliate marketer or anything like that. This is not a paid review or anything. I just had a hard time deciding so I figured I would try them both out. SPOILER: It has been REALLY TOUGH to decide which pair I want to keep because they are so similar and both have good and bad things about them. Background on me and my usage. I am very particular about audio and comfort. Was looking for a lightweight pair of bud style headphones for me to use while working outside, around the house, quick errands, or in the office but wanted to make sure they had good to great audio quality. I listen to a ton of audiobooks as well. Here is what I did: I rated several items on a 0-5 scale based on direct comparison of these 2 models. 0 just means it doesn’t have that feature or requires an additional purchase (wireless charging case for Bose for example). 1 means it is a yes/no answer or something that performed poorly. 5 means it is damn near perfect. Bose Battery - 3 Phone Calls - 3 Multi-Point Pairing - 1 (yes) Audio Quality (Music) - 5 Audio Quality (Podcasts/Books) - 3 Wireless Charging - 0 Smart Wear (Buds automatically detect which ear) - 0 Comfort - 3 Transparency - 3 Volume - 4 Physical Buttons - 1 (yes…I prefer physical buttons) Total Score 26 Shokz Battery - 5 Phone Calls - 2 Multi-Point Pairing - 1 Audio Quality (Music) - 3 Audio Quality (Podcasts/Books) - 4 Wireless Charging - 1 (Yes) Smart Wear (Buds automatically detect which ear) - 1 (Yes and this is a very cool feature that is pretty nice) Comfort - 4 Transparency - 3 Volume - 3 Physical Buttons - 0 Total Score 27 As you can tell, they are VERY VERY CLOSE. I’ve even pulled both pairs out while writing this post to listen to the same song and a passage from a book I am listening to in order to make sure I still feel the ratings are accurate 😂. The battery life is a massive difference. I worked outside and around the house for 10 hours Friday and the Shokz didn’t need to charge. I worked outside yesterday wearing the Bose for 5 hours and at about the 4 hour mark the left bud died and the right one followed suit about 20 minutes later. Both options had the Dolby/Immersive Audio turned on which does create a difference in the battery life but it cuts the Bose battery life in half and didn’t noticeably affect the Shokz’ battery life. I hadn’t noticed a big difference in the comfort of the 2 until yesterday as well. I never needed to mess with the Shokz but had to adjust the Bose a couple times where my ears got a little uncomfortable where they were sitting. The audio of the Bose for Music is noticeably better than the Shokz but the opposite is true on Podcasts and Audiobooks. It’s on par with their other buds and headphones. This is the only part of the headphones’ comparison where the Bose stood out and made me hesitate on selling the pair I’ve been using. Bose requires a wireless charging case that costs $50-$100 if that feature is important to you (it isn’t for me but is nice to slap it on my charging pad on my desk when I’m not using them). Be warned neither are very good for phone calls. Both had people on the other end of my calls telling me they had a hard time hearing me whenever there was any significant background noise. Maybe this will be addressed with a firmware update going forward but both of these are lagging the other headphones made by both of these companies in this regard. I think I’m going to keep the Shokz and sell the Bose because of the comfort and battery factors.

The open dots shokz are earbud style but still open. I have a pair! They sound awesome. They don’t block ANY outside noise so I found them challenging to use while biking because the wind was so loud o couldn’t hear my podcasts or music. They’re great for running especially in a more quiet neighborhood or wooded area where you really do want to hear everything to be safe. Battery life is good. They connect easily, they feel like nothing on your ears.

I have both the Opendots and Openfit (1 not 2), and I like the sound signature of the Opendots a little better, although I think Openfit is a slight bit more full. Since I don’t have the Openfit2, I can’t say for sure, but I would guess it sounds pretty darn close to the Opendots. In my opinion, the choice between those two doesn’t come down to sound quality (they’re both great), but rather fit and style. Opendots don’t interfere with my glasses at all, so that gives them an edge. I’ve found the Opendots easier to wear for longer periods of time. Either way, you win!

The touch controls on the Opendots One are not that impressive. All you can do is play/pause and change volume. I don’t use the touch controls, but prefer to “pinch” the battery compartment behind the ear. It’s more reliable. Hoping they’ll allow more customization in a future update. Update: see below--this has already been updated!

The only functions supported right now are play/pause, and raising/lowering the volume. It's not currently possible to skip to the previous/next track. Pinching the battery compartment with two fingers is the same as touching the clip with one finger. Two pinches or taps plays/pauses. A long touch or pinch raises or lowers the volume. The app indicates that you can customize the controls, but it currently only supports turning touch on or off. I'm hoping they'll add more options later--I can't see why they couldn't do that.

I just re-checked the app, and there's not much flexibility. Double-tap or double-pinch is only for play/pause, while long pressing can be used to change volume, use the voice assistant, or choose previous or next track. I wish Shokz would open this up more to allow us to determine what the gestures can do. I prefer to pinch or press the battery compartment rather than the band, especially while running. I'm never sure where to press on the band, so it's tough to get it to work. Pinching or pressing the battery is much better, although still not 100%.

Sorry but I just have to say, just cause something is loud and makes other noises hard to hear does not remotely make it ANC. ANC is a technology, not a phenomenon that happens. I have to agree though, while the Dots sound amazing they also hurt my ears after a few hours. Currently deciding b/w this and OpenFit 2. Did you end up keeping yours?

I have finally settled on the Shokz open dots ONE open earbuds. I have literally spent my whole life searching for these bad boys. Open buds so they don't cut me off from my surroundings. Still have great sound quality. Great mic for phone calls. Battery that lasts all day. I am seriously in love with these little powerhouses! I keep putting my Bose aside for these guys!

I have the Shokz open dots one and they are great for calls! They are open earbuds so you can still hear your surroundings, but I just took a call when I was out and about yesterday for the first time and they worked great! I've made several calls at home and they are stellar! My favorite buds I've ever had. I originally got a pair of Bose that sound great but have terrible call quality and battery life so those ones only get used at home now.