These are the best open-ear earbuds for awareness in 2024 (2024)

We love the huge battery life on the Soundcore Aerofit Pro. If you’re after a pair of open earbuds that you’re going to wear all day long, this is the pair we’d pick. And, if 14 hours in one go isn’t enough for you, they do go up to 46 hours of life once you factor in the charge available in the case. It’s also possible to restore more than five hours of battery after a 10-minute quick charge.

How do they sound and fit? Well, we find these soft and comfortable to wear, including while wearing glasses. The sound quality is full-bodied and rich, with a lot of detail and a satisfying thump to the bass. They offer support for high-resolution audio codecs when used with Android devices, and the multipoint support makes them a great option for use while working, offering seamless switching between your phone and work computer ready for when a call comes through.

The design is waterproof and sweatproof, and the earbuds stay stable during activities like jogging and workouts. We also like that they come with an option to attach them to a neckband that’s included in the package – this adds to the versatility and makes them a top pick for runners.

You can change the sound signature in the app and there are clicky buttons on each bud, which we like even if they can be tricky to reach. Overall, if your focus is on battery life, the AeroFit Pro is at the top of our list.

Key specifications

A solid pick for most listeners, there’s a lot to like about the 1More Fit SE — starting with the price. As the open-ear earbuds market grows, we’re seeing more affordable options like this one launch. These do feel a little bit cheaper than the competition, with a harder plastic exterior and less sturdy charging case, but overall they work well and deliver on battery.

The fit is generally comfortable too, although the ear hooks pinch slightly more than others we’ve tried, especially with glasses on. The charging case is also on the larger side, but it’s still slim enough to fit in your pocket.

When it comes to sound quality, they’re capable and offer an equaliser within the 1More app to tweak the signature to your liking. For casual listening or wearing while you’re working out or on the go, they’re not going to disappoint.

If you care about the audio, we found the bass quite boomy, sometimes at the cost of detail, but they’re not bad for electronic or pop music. Overall, they’re reliable for both playing your music and keeping you aware of the outside world.

Key specifications

Shokz is a brand that’s well-known within the open-ear and bone conduction niche, making multiple pairs of reliable designs for enhanced awareness, including the OpenRun and OpenRun Pro. The OpenFit is a fully wire-free design without a headband, and it’s an ideal pick if comfort is at the top of your priority list. We love the soft and smooth silicone construction, and the slim portion of the ear hooks makes them easy to wear while we’ve got our glasses on.

These are good for overall awareness and all-day battery life. We find them secure to wear and we’re confident they’ll remain in place during vigorous activity like high-intensity workouts and running. They’re also a high-quality pick when you’re comparing what’s possible with open-ear sound, as they’re good at directing the audio towards your inner ear without it leaking out too much into the outside world.

We find them great for providing the soundtrack to our day, but we do find it harder to keep up with a podcast in a busy area, as it’s likely the noise of the environment will be louder than the voices you’re listening to.

The app is straightforward to use, and the charging case is compact enough to fit in our pockets. We aren’t the biggest fans of the touch controls on the buds as these aren’t always the easiest to use, but the main selling points here are both the well-rounded sound experience and the exceptional comfort that makes you feel like you’re not wearing any earwear at all.

Key specifications

There’s one clear top pick if the depth, detail and immersion of your playlists are your top priorities, and it’s the Cleer Arc II. These open buds are a brilliant option for listening to music all day long and staying aware of everything going on around you.

They may be a sports-focused design, but we find the Arc II to be an all-around performer that’s especially good for its battery life, powerful audio reproduction from its 16.2mm neodymium drivers, and comfortable fit.

They do initially appear to be a larger fit than some of the other earbuds on this list but we can confirm that they’re comfortable to wear even when we’ve got our glasses on, and the ear hook on these is soft enough for it to not feel awkward after several hours of use.

The speaker driver sits in an ideal position, just outside of the ear, and is part of what helps these offer such a well-rounded sound. We find that they get quite loud and can be great for some slight isolation from the outside world while still leaving you aware of what’s happening. They’re also good for being able to hear your podcast or spoken word content while also being aware of what’s happening on the road when you’re going across a pedestrian crossing.

While they’re not without minor downsides – they’re pricey, the touch controls aren’t our favourite compared to buttons, and the charging case is so enormous that we can only recommend it for your bag and not for pockets – these do have a great companion app for tweaking your equaliser and controls, as well as doing firmware updates. Overall, a brilliant all-rounder for music lovers.

Key specifications

These Bose buds are the only option on our list with an innovative “ear clip” style. But they’re also, by some stretch, the most expensive wireless open-ear headphones we’ve tried, at a whopping £300. If you’re looking for a premium pair though, we think it’s worth the splurge.

To fit them, you extend the flexible clip and put the cylindrical end behind the ear. You can then tinker with the fit and put them in the most comfortable position for you. And they are remarkably comfortable — we barely felt them — and because there’s no over-ear hook they’re also the best to wear with glasses.

What about the sound quality? It’s fantastic and rich, offering loads of detail, precision and a satisfying boomy bass to go with the crisp highs. We listen to our music on these for hours on end while working from home, and they’re also a reliable option for calls, as long as you’re not taking them in a loud environment, where the microphones don’t perform quite as well.

We like how easy these are to control both through the comprehensive Bose app and via the simple buttons on each bud. This button does end up behind your ear, which isn’t always intuitive, but we think you’ll get the hang of it.

The case is also small and easy to store, while they offer a lot of battery life and an impressive standby time when not in use too. We like how you can turn on an encompassing “Immersion” mode that makes it feel like the sound is surrounding you, and the buds do a terrific job of putting you in a 3D audio environment. While they’re pricey, they do look and feel unique while offering some special features you’re not going to find with most rivals.

Key specifications

What are the advantages and disadvantages of open-ear earbuds?

Open earbuds are a distinct style when compared to typical sealed earbuds, and it’s worth knowing about some of the major differences you can expect to experience, especially as they’re not cheap.

For obvious reasons, they’re not going to provide noise-cancelling and they won’t sound the same as you might expect from earphones and headphones, even budget pairs. Here are some of the major advantages and disadvantages to note:

Pros of open-ear earbuds

Comfort: We think this is one of the most important advantages. If you find silicone or foam tips that seal off your ear canal uncomfortable, the open style will feel much more breathable and less intrusive. We find we can often wear these for longer, and that the ear hooks or clips that keep them in place help with stability.

Awareness: It’s a big benefit that you’re able to stay aware of your surroundings while wearing open buds, and this is something you’ll miss with a lot of sealed designs, where you might need to remember to turn on a “transparency” or “ambient” mode. The open form factor is ideal for situational awareness; a major plus if you’re walking or running and need to be aware of traffic or other hazards.

Long battery life: Open-ear earbuds tend to offer longer battery life compared to active noise-cancelling counterparts. This is because they don’t need to power smart noise-cancelling circuitry or complex extra features. This means that you should be able to wear these all day long while at work or running errands.

Cons of open-ear earbuds

Sound quality: One of the most significant drawbacks to open-ear earbuds is the sound quality, which tends to be unable to match in-ear designs due to the lack of a seal provided by the ear tips. Without the seal, these buds can sometimes struggle to reproduce deep bass frequencies (“bone conduction” particularly struggles with this, due to its reliance on vibration) and will almost inevitably “leak” sound at higher volumes, which could disturb those around you.

Lack of noise cancellation: Because these buds aren’t creating a seal in your ear, they also can’t cancel out background noises and distractions. This makes them less versatile when compared to some of the best true wireless earbuds or over-ear headphones that you might use on the plane, during your commute or when blocking out noises at the office.

Larger charging cases: Overall, we’ve noticed that most open earbuds on the market, especially those with the ear hook style, fit into larger and less pocketable charging cases for refuelling and storage. This isn’t always the case and certain designs – like the ones from Shokz and Bose – are starting to get smaller, but it’s worth noting if you don’t have much pocket space when you’re going out for a run.

Are open earbuds better for your ears?

There are some benefits if you’re looking for buds that are better for your ears. Open designs won’t trap moisture, heat or bacteria as much when you’re working out and moving around. And if you don’t clean your traditional earbuds, those do put you at a slightly increased risk of ear infection. The open design is also more breathable and doesn’t touch your inner ears, so should be more hygienic.

It’s also worth thinking about the risk of noise-induced hearing damage. The open design may make you want to increase the volume, but you should still be aware of safe limits. Deafblind UK recommends you keep your sound levels between 60 and 85 decibels, which is why we also only recommend headphones for kids with an 85-decibel limit.

The same logic applies to adults, and as open earbuds are still speakers just outside your ears, you need to be careful not to blast them on full volume.

What is the difference between open-ear and bone-conduction headphones?

While open-ear earbuds have experienced a surge in popularity over the last year or so, bone-conduction headphones have also been around on the market, particularly appealing to runners and those exercising outdoors where spatial awareness is essential.

Bone-conduction headphones: You’ll notice that Shokz makes many of the most well-known bone-conduction headphones, but you can also pick up rivals from Suunto, H2O Audio, and Philips. These work via vibrations that they send into the listener’s cheekbones, leaving the outer ear completely exposed and delivering sound directly to the inner ear. It’s an excellent approach for awareness but has some downsides when it comes to sound quality.

Open-ear headphones: Alternatively, these designs do sit near the outer ear but are careful not to obscure it. Rather than sitting on the cheekbones, these will use hooks or clips to keep them in place near your ears. We find that the sound is more natural compared to a bone-conduction approach, as these are essentially tiny speaker drivers outside your ears, so music playback naturally mixes with exterior sounds.

What to consider when buying open-ear earbuds

When shopping around for the best open-ear earbuds, there are several key specifications to consider. These are the crucial ones that we keep in mind, though:

Battery life

Many of these earbuds are designed for all-day wear, so you’ll want to make sure that they have a battery life that works for that amount of time. Whether these are providing the soundtrack to your day out or allowing you to listen to audiobooks while waiting for the doorbell to ring, you’ll want to make sure they can stay powered on and play for several hours at a time. Most options in this category should deliver at least seven hours of uninterrupted playback, but some can manage double that.

Like other true wireless earphones, they’ll also top themselves back up with juice when you return them to their convenient charging cases. These may offer you two or three additional charges, so you shouldn’t have to worry about recharging them at the mains plug too often. When you do, it’s worth looking out for models that have a “quick charge” as this will tend to mean that they can restore several hours of playback from about ten minutes of being plugged in – ideal if you’ve run out of battery ahead of a long journey.

Water and dust resistance

This is important when looking for gadgets that you’ll use outside, whether you’re buying a portable speaker, a smartwatch or a phone.

Look for the “ingress protection” or “IP” rating. This will always feature “IP” followed by two numbers, such as “IP54”, and the first number (ranging from 0 to 6) indicates the level of protection against solids like dust while the second number (ranging from 0 to 9) tells you how sealed the device is from liquids like water. If you see a rating like IPX5, the “X” means that it hasn’t specifically been tested for dust protection while the “5” tells us that the gadget can deal with water splashes and some jets, so it will be reliable for use in light rain.

Shokz does make a waterproof bone-conduction pair with a super-protective IP68 rating, but it is rare to find such a rating on open-ear designs at the moment.

Controls and ease of use

You’ll find controls on the earbuds themselves, and you can use these to take charge of the playback and access the features of the earbuds. These tend to be either touch controls or physical buttons, and while we tend to prefer the clicky responsiveness of buttons, it’s going to be a personal preference and a quick tap to change the song might be more convenient for runners.

Through these controls, you won’t only be able to skip ahead in your playlists, you may also be able to put the volume up or down, call on your smartphone’s voice assistant, or enter a more immersive mode with dynamic head tracking.

Companion apps

Like a lot of Bluetooth products nowadays, you’ll be able to link most open-ear earbuds to a companion app that you download on your phone. With this, you should be able to tweak controls, customise the sound signature and update the firmware on the buds to deal with any potential bugs or issues that the manufacturer notices.

While it’s possible to use the earbuds without the app at all, we’d always recommend having the app to troubleshoot any issues that you have and to get your earwear working exactly the way you’d like it to.