The best open-ear headphones for 2025, tested and reviewed

Bluetooth: 5.4 | Ear detection: No | Spatial audio: No | Multipoint connectivity: Yes | Case charging: USB-C, wireless | Max battery life: 10 hours on a charge | Warranty: 18 months

A newcomer to the open-ear space, the Soundcore AeroFit 2 immediately edged out our previous winner, the Oladance OWS2, by offering better sound at a lower price. They're comfortable, uniquely adjustable and able to play all day on a charge.

This comes as little surprise; Soundcore (an Anker sub-brand) is responsible for other great audio gear as well, including the Soundcore Space A40 wireless earbuds and Soundcore Space One wireless headphones. Both are notable for delivering exceptional bang for the buck.

Same here: The AeroFit 2 has a list price of $100, but Soundcore often discounts its products, so if you wait for a sale, you'll likely get out the door for $80 — perhaps even less.

Styled like a number of competing ear-hook headphones, the AeroFits are available in four shiny, snazzy colors: black, white, green and blue.

The included quick-start guide shows you how to properly seat the earhooks for optimal listening, but here's the interesting part: the speaker end (which rests gently over the external canal) can pivot between four positions. In other words, it can adjust to different ear sizes in a way no other open-ear headphones can. (Note that you may need a mirror to help you with this fine-tuning; it's hard to determine based on feel alone.)

I found these to be some of the most comfortable headphones in the group, barely noticeable even after long stretches of wear. They've got well-designed touch controls, with audio feedback when a tap is registered so you can be sure you're hitting the right spot. Soundcore's app makes it simple to customize the controls to your liking.

Mostly, I'm enamored with the sound; Soundcore managed to deliver some real bass here — a struggle for most open-ear headphones — which helps create a fullness that was rarely matched. Indeed, when I compared the AeroFit 2 to the Oladance headphones, it was no contest: I liked the former a lot better. It raised my expectation for what open-ear headphones can achieve.

Meanwhile, Soundcore promises a solid 10 hours of play time on a charge. And its charging case supports wireless charging, one of the few in the roundup that does. Alas, it's big , especially compared to some of the clip-on cases (below) — but at least it's slim enough to slip into a pocket.

I think my only real complaint here is a missing feature: ear detection, which is now common in earbuds but still stubbornly hard to find in open-ear headphones.

Other than that, I consider the AeroFit 2 a home-run headphone, combining great sound with commendable comfort and an affordable price.

Bluetooth: 5.3 | Ear detection: No | Spatial audio: No | Multipoint connectivity: Yes | Case charging: USB-C, wireless | Max battery life: 11 hours on a charge | Warranty: 18 months

EarFun continues its streak of making solid audio products priced well below the competition's. The company's first open-ear headphone, the OpenJump, comes out swinging with impressive sound, strong battery life and a fully waterproof design. Price: $80, and often discounted to $60 or less.

The printed instruction guide makes a good first impression; it covers basic setup, touch controls and, thankfully, fit: I struggled to get the headphones seated properly on my ears, but the little illustration in the manual helped me get the knack of it. (Mostly; it's still unusually difficult.)

I like that the manual is also accessible within the EarFun app. And I especially like that the app doesn't force you to create an EarFun account and remember yet another password. You can do that, but it's not required.

The OpenJump charging case is on the large side, as is common for earhook-style headphones, but it's slim enough to slip into a pocket. It can recharge via USB-C or a Qi wireless charging pad, the latter a surprising and welcome option at this price point.

If you're an Android user and your phone supports LDAC (a high-resolution Bluetooth audio technology), you'll be glad to know that OpenJump supports it as well. There's a simple toggle in the app for switching it on or off. (I tested using an iPhone, so I wasn't able to try it myself.)

Even without LDAC, music sounded perfectly pleasant to my ears: bright and balanced, with ample bass when it's called for. It gets a little brash at higher volumes, but in the interests of hearing protection, I never listen above 50% anyway.

If you like to tinker with levels, the EarFun app offers a couple of dozen equalizer presets (rock, country, bass boost, etc.) and a 10-band custom equalizer. You can also take a test that'll create a custom equalizer profile based on your actual hearing — pretty cool.

Also cool: You can customize OpenJump's touch controls in just about any way you like, with each earbud responding differently depending on whether you tap once, twice or thrice, or do a long-press. (You can also disable the single-tap entirely, which I find helpful in overcoming accidental brushes.) However, I sometimes struggled to find the "sweet spot" of where to tap; you really need to grasp the speaker part of the earbud with two fingers and tap with a third.

Interestingly, past EarFun earbuds I've tested exhibited some audio lag when watching videos, requiring the use of Game Mode to sync them up. Not so here; the OpenJumps do have that mode available, but I found it wasn't necessary for the likes of TikTok and Netflix.

Much as I wish the OpenJump offered ear detection, I can't hold that against it, not at this price. As budget open-ear headphones go, there's currently no better choice.

Bluetooth: 5.2 | Ear detection: No | Spatial audio: No | Multipoint connectivity: Yes | Case charging: USB-C | Max battery life: 7 hours on a charge | Warranty: 2 years

Shokz all but pioneered bone-conduction headphones, so I expected good things from the company's open-ear product, the OpenFit. And some things are indeed good — but a few aren't.

For starters, I appreciated the small but detailed setup guide that covers pairing, wearing and basic touch controls. There's no scannable QR code that takes you straight to the Shokz app, but that's a minor quibble; it's easy enough to find in your app store.

I especially liked the fit: The headphones have slimmer ear hooks than either the Baseus or Oladance, meaning they feel a little less "there" — especially for those of us who wear glasses. They're also a little slimmer at the earpiece, looking more streamlined overall than most of the others.

Available in black or beige, the OpenFits supports Bluetooth 5.2, a slightly older variation of the technology. All the other products in this roundup use Bluetooth 5.3 or 5.4. Although multipoint pairing is available (and easy to configure, thankfully), I did notice a slight audio lag when watching YouTube videos and similar content. 

The Shokz app is admirably easy to use; everything is clearly labeled and logically organized. With one tap, you can choose between four equalizer presets or customize one of your own. However, while you can also customize the earbuds' touch controls, there are only two options available: double-tap and press-and-hold. Why no single- and triple-tap settings?

How do the Shokz OpenFit sound? At the risk of getting overly technical: They're fine. When I listened closely and critically, music sounded a bit flat and muted, with little range or brightness. But when I stopped paying attention, listening to playlists and podcasts throughout the day, I never gave sound quality a second thought. For outdoor walks, exercise and the like, when audio fidelity isn't critical, they're perfectly acceptable.

And if you prize comfort above all else, you'll definitely like these headphones. They're among the few I can wear all day and barely notice they're there.

Note: Shokz recently released the OpenFit 2; we will be evaluating that product shortly and updating this review accordingly. Among other changes, it supports Bluetooth 5.4, which may help remedy the video-lag issue.

Bluetooth: 5.3 | Ear detection: No | Spatial audio: No | Multipoint connectivity: Yes | Case charging: USB-C | Max battery life: 19 hours on a charge | Water-resistance: IPX4

With impossibly good battery life, reasonable pricing, some lovely color options and serious sound quality, the Oladance OWS2 is one of my favorite open-ear headphones. In fact, until the Soundcore AeroFit 2 came along, it was my top pick. They're a little bulky, maybe even ostentatious, but don't let that stop you.

About that battery life: Oladance promises a whopping 19 hours on a charge, nearly triple what you get from most open-ear headphones. There's a weird catch, though: The charging case doesn't have a battery of its own, so it can't recharge the earbuds without a USB-C connection. The case is also unusually long, more closely resembling an eyeglass case, and therefore less pocket-friendly.

Oladance actually provides printed instructions, a refreshing and welcome addition, and save for one mystifying illustration, they're helpful for getting started, learning the touch controls and setting up multipoint pairing. The print is pretty tiny, though.

I have mixed feelings about the Oladance app, which is logical and straightforward in some areas (like basic earbud controls) and mystifying in others. None of the icons have text labels, and some of them are impossible to identify without tapping. For example, there's a hexagon with a dot in the center; it takes you to earbud settings, but why didn't Oladance use a standard "gear" icon instead — or at least label it "settings"? Similarly, there are four impossible-to-identify icons across the bottom; three of them don't do anything unless you create and sign into an Oladance account.

I did that; the second icon is for something called Ola Talkie, which isn't explained anywhere in the instructions or Oladance's support pages. Even a web search yielded no information about this feature. Equally confounding: In the settings menu there's something called Buddy a Bud, which combines "two stand-alone buds into one set of buds." Huh?

Fortunately, all this nonsense doesn't get in the way of using or tweaking the earbuds themselves. The app provides basic equalizer settings and lots of customization options for the touch controls — which, by the way, work extremely well. You tap one or more times for things like play/pause and skip-track, and you slide your finger along the touch area to raise or lower volume.

The app also offers a hearing-protection toggle designed to help you avoid listening for too long at volumes that are too high. For example, if you're walking on a noisy city street and you crank the volume to better hear your music, the app will "dynamically adjust the sound energy." Not sure what that means, but the option is there for those who want it.

On the whole, I think the OWS2's sound quality rivals that of the Bose Ultra (which costs twice as much), with superb balance and an impressively well-rounded soundstage. Bose wins the day only because of spatial audio, which isn't available here, but for straight-up stereo listening, they're very comparable. 

So if you want earbuds that don't have to recharge every 6 to 7 hours and deliver some of the best sound this side of over-the-ear headphones, check out the Oladance OWS2.

Bluetooth: 5.4 | Ear detection: Yes | Spatial audio: No | Multipoint connectivity: Yes | Case charging: USB-C, wireless | Max battery life: 10 hours on a charge | Warranty: 2 years

Shokz already crafted an ear-hook winner in its OpenFit headphones (see above); now the company is coming for clip-on champ Bose — and coming in hot. The Shokz OpenDots have a similar design and similarly great audio quality, with a price tag that's $100 lower.

A straightforward user guide walks you through each step of the setup process and illustrates how to wear the earbuds. After a few attempts, I found these very easy to clip on, and I like the fact that they're interchangeable between ears: If you're groping with them in the dark, it doesn't matter which one goes in which ear; they fit the same regardless. Even better, the Shokz app will detect the placement and adjust the audio channels accordingly.

Speaking of that app, it's one of the best I've used: simple layout, text labels on everything, text descriptions for most features. Every other headphone maker: Let this be your guide!

Touch controls are always tricky on small earbuds, but I'll give the OpenDots props for trying something different: There are two means of control instead of just one. You can tap the protruding circular band in either of two places or "pinch" the barrel that rests behind your earlobe.

However, I found Shokz' instructions for all this a bit confusing: They indicate using a "single-finger tap," which my brain interprets as "one tap" — but you actually have to double-tap. Similarly, you use a "two-finger pinch," which sometimes means pinch twice and sometimes means pinch-and-hold.

That's just the learning curve, not a huge deal, but my real complaint is that you can't customize any of these controls in any way (except toggling them on or off). Why no options for single or triple taps, as on most other earbuds?

The good news is that the OpenDots sound amazing, nearly on par with the Bose Ultra Open; I was impressed by the level of detail I could detect when listening to my playlists. And while you don't get Spatial Audio, you do get ear detection: The music pauses when you remove an earbud and resumes when you clip it on again. It's a small thing, but a feature I really value.

Alas, the OpenDots share one unfortunate flaw with the OpenFit: I noticed a trace of audio lag when watching videos (TikTok, Netflix, etc.). It's borderline — you might not even notice it — but I don't understand why it's happening (the OpenDots support Bluetooth 5.4, the latest version of the spec) or why the app doesn't have a video mode or some other way to compensate.

I'm hopeful Shokz will address this with a firmware and/or software update. But even as they stand right now, the OpenDots are my favorite clip-on open-ear headphone, offering superb sound, a comfortable design and better-than-Bose pricing.

Bluetooth: 5.4 | Ear detection: Yes | Spatial audio: Yes | Multipoint connectivity: Yes | Case charging: USB-C | Max battery life: 9 hours on a charge | Warranty: 1 year

When is an open-ear headphone not an open-ear headphone? When it's Edifier's goofily named LolliClip, which resembles clip-ons like the Bose Ultra Open and Shokz OpenDots but actually has a bit more in common with Apple's AirPods 4. Whether or not it deserves a place in this roundup is open for debate.

That's because the business end — the speaker part — of this headphone is molded to fit in your ear canal and does slip into them ever so slightly, same as AirPods. That's how it's able to achieve a level of ANC (active noise-cancelling), something not offered by any other open-ear headphones. Of course, if we're being technical, this puts them in the "semi in-ear" category.

If you're cool with that, there's a lot to like here, including not only ANC but also ear detection and spatial audio (the latter matched only by the $299 Bose). Furthermore, the LolliClip can detect both heart rate and blood oxygen levels, and does a pretty good job at it: I compared its real-time readings to those of my Apple Watch Series 9, and both were very close.

The one thing absent is wireless case-charging, which I miss having but don't mind trading for those other perks. Indeed, these are the most feature-rich headphones in the group, despite having one of the more affordable price tags.

Edifier supplies a decent printed instruction guide, though it doesn't include any how-to-wear instructions or diagrams. Thankfully, the ConneX companion app does. On the subject of wearing, I'll note that I found these cuffs a little less comfortable than others, as the fit was a bit tight (and there was that canal intrusion). After about an hour, I was ready for a break.

ConneX is an admirably streamlined app that serves up a wealth of options, including touch-control settings, a tap-sensitivity slider for those controls (yay!), a drainage feature in case the earbuds get wet and a "find my product" tool that makes them beep loudly (the better to find one lost in, say, couch cushions).

There are only four "sound effects," however: classic, bass boost, vocal and treble boost. If you like to customize equalizer settings, that's one thing you can't do.

Unless you're a serious audiophile (in which case I doubt you'd choose the LolliClip anyway), that probably won't matter. Without touching any of the settings, I thought these headphones produced full-bodied, well-balanced sound — maybe not on par with the Bose or Shokz, but very pleasant overall.

However, ANC is the weak link in this chain: It's just not very strong. I parked myself beside a noisy fan and toggled it on; the reduction was fairly minimal. I then tried my Apple AirPods 4 with ANC; they blocked significantly more noise.

Spatial audio is a different story: Toggling it on leads to a reduction in overall sound quality, but the effect works quite well overall, particularly if you enable head-tracking (which keeps the audio "fixed" to your phone). Curiously, you have to repeat the quick calibration process every time you use head-tracking. Annoyingly, there's a several-second pause, followed by a verbal announcement, whenever you switch sound modes.

So back to the debate: Are these really open-ear headphones? Yes, after a fashion. But also no.

Bluetooth: 5.3 | Ear detection: No | Spatial audio: Yes | Multipoint connectivity: Yes | Case charging: USB-C | Max battery life: 7.5 hours on a charge | Warranty: 1 year

With a price tag that's double or even triple that of other open-ear headphones, you'd expect the Bose Ultra Open Earbuds to be at least two or three times as good. And it’s true that Bose’s sound quality is virtually unrivaled. But I'd expect a little more for my $299 — most notably ear detection, noise-canceling microphones and wireless case-charging.

I'm glad to report that multipoint connectivity, which allows for easy switching between multiple audio sources, was added via a software update, eliminating that complaint from the "con" column. 

Styled more like earrings than earbuds, the Ultras don't hook over the tops of your ears, but rather clip onto the sides. It's a unique design, one that doesn't interfere with hats, glasses or earrings and does look kind of cool. (I'd love to see these in colors other than black, though.)

In my experience, it took a little practice to get them properly seated and some additional fiddling to get an optimal fit. That's no big deal, but this is: Around 30 minutes into an outdoor walk, the Ultras started to feel uncomfortable — a little too much pressure on the ears' lower concha — and then actually hurt a bit. The next day, I wore them for over an hour (while sitting at my desk) and experienced no discomfort at all.

Then I went for a run and noticed that with every footfall, I could definitely feel the Ultras pulling on my ears. Verdict: These aren't ideal for activities that involve impact: walking, running, etc.

Now, your mileage may vary depending on the size and shape of your ears. I'd recommend borrowing a pair if possible to see if you find them comfortable for extended wear; otherwise, make sure the store you buy them from has a generous return policy.

This is definitely disappointing, because in most other respects I really like these earbuds. For starters, they sound extremely good, even borderline amazing when you turn on spatial audio (which Bose dubs Immersive Audio). The effect is dazzling — you get a real sense of "presence" when listening to music or watching movies. I'm amazed Bose managed to pull off this magic trick in headphones that barely venture inside your ears. (Take note, though, that enabling Immersive Audio will take a toll on battery life; you're more likely to get about 4.5 hours on a charge instead of 7.5.)

I also like the mechanical button that's embedded into each earbud. While it can be a little difficult to locate by feel, it's much more precise than typical touch controls. One click to play/pause, double-click and hold to raise or lower volume, etc. You can even program one of them to switch between previously paired devices, a workaround for the lack of true multipoint support.

Bose backs the Ultras with a two-year warranty, double the industry standard. But I'm still struggling with the price tag, especially considering the aforementioned missing features. These open-ear headphones sound better than any others here, but there are some definite compromises that go with them.

Bluetooth: 5.4 | Ear detection: No | Spatial audio: No | Multipoint connectivity: Yes | Case charging: USB-C | Max battery life: 12 hours on a charge | Warranty: Unclear

I like Baseus earbuds, I really do, but I need to raise a couple red flags. First up: price. In March, the Bowie MF1 debuted at $70. At this writing, it's selling for $48. The original price is good; the second, amazing. But which is the "real" one? In two months the headphones have spent roughly the same amount of time selling at those two different prices.

This kind of fluctuation is extremely common; you'll see it with most of the other products in this roundup. But my overall impression of the MF1 is different at $48 than it is at $70. The former makes it a budget champ; the latter, a close EarFun competitor.

But here's why I gave EarFun the nod: consistency. See, a previous Baseus product, the Eli Sport 1, was our original top budget pick for 2024 — until it was discontinued (or, at least, pulled from Amazon, for reasons unknown). Elsewhere, the Baseus Bowie MA10 was our top budget pick for wireless earbuds — until it, too, was discontinued. Both products seemed to vanish after a year or two, respectively.

That brings us to my next concern: warranty. The MF1 product page doesn't specify the warranty period, instead referring you to a general warranty-information page that indicates coverage of either 18 or 24 months. Those are both decent numbers, but I couldn't find the exact information anywhere: not on the box, not in the instruction manual. Customers shouldn't have to guess at a product's warranty.

And what happens if the Bowie MF1 gets discontinued and you need a replacement under that warranty?

Maybe all these flags are more yellow than red, but they're enough to keep this product off our best list. Which is a shame, because the MF1 headphones sound really good and have amazing battery life. They're a little bulky around the ear, though, which I found challenging as an eyeglasses-wearer, and the touch controls require a bit more tap pressure than I'd prefer.

Still, if you can score them for $48, you might be willing to overlook these issues. I'd be on the fence myself.

Bluetooth: 5.3 | Ear detection: No | Spatial audio: No | Multipoint connectivity: Yes | Case charging: USB-C | Max battery life: 9 hours on a charge | Warranty: 1 year

On paper, the Soundpeats GoFree2 headphones seem like an outright winner, offering some best-in-class amenities for a price that's surprisingly low.

However, it doesn't matter that they can last longer on a charge (about 9 hours) than most other open-ear headphones or survive a blast of water (like from a hose) rather than just a few splashes — not if they don't sound good. Unfortunately, these headphones just don't.

Despite supporting high-resolution audio (courtesy of Sony's LDAC technology), the GoFree2 produced music that sounded harsh and tinny, not much better than AM radio. In test after test, I found myself eager to take them off — not because they were uncomfortable (they actually came close to rivaling the Shokz OpenFit in terms of comfort) but because the sound was grating to my ears.

I've tested other budget Soundpeats earbuds that sounded much better; the GoFree2 is just a misfire, making the headphones hard to recommend.  

Bluetooth: 5.3 | Ear detection: No | Spatial audio: No | Multipoint connectivity: Yes | Case charging: USB-C | Max battery life: 12 hours on a charge | Warranty: 1 year

1More's new entry into the open-ear arena rivals the Shokz OpenFit in terms of comfort (the design is nearly identical) and exceeds it in battery life (up to 12 hours) and Bluetooth (5.3 instead of 5.2). It's also priced about $50 lower. So why doesn't it earn a spot on the "best" roster?

Usability. For starters, 1More's instruction guide has print so tiny it should be illegal, and what little is there offers scant setup or operation help to novice users. An included card provided a QR to scan for technical support, but it led to a "not found" web page.

Meanwhile, I wasn't sure which 1More app to install on my phone (or even if there was one to install); it's not mentioned in the instructions, and a search of Apple's App Store revealed three: 1More, 1More Assistant and 1More Music. These being earbuds, I chose Music — but it couldn't detect the S70s. Turns out the first app was the right one — but then a firmware update failed and I couldn't read the error message because other text was overlaid on top of it.

All this amounts to a pretty poor customer experience, which for me tarnishes the earbuds' appeal. If you're willing to overlook all that, the 1More S70 performs well in the areas of comfort, sound quality and battery life.

Bluetooth: 5.3 | Ear detection: Yes | Spatial audio: Yes (but only with select apps) | Multipoint connectivity: Yes | Case charging: USB-C | Max battery life: 8 hours on a charge | Warranty: 1 year

Playing fast and loose with the definition of "open-ear headphones," the Sony LinkBuds Open nestle inside your ears — not unlike AirPods. In fact, they're even a little more intrusive than that, as you have to wrangle them in to get a silicone fin properly seated. The "open" part refers to the hole in the center, which does indeed allow ambient sound to pass through.

The trouble here is making this a one-size-fits-all solution; if your ears are a bit larger or smaller than average, the earbuds might not stay put or might cause some discomfort. (I found myself in the latter camp.) I also found it difficult to know if the earbuds were oriented properly; there's definitely some rotational "play" once they're in.

My toughest challenge, especially in light of the LinkBuds' high price, is that they just don't sound great. Music seemed tinny and, ironically, somewhat hollow, with little bass to speak of. No amount of fiddling with the fit yielded any improvement. Sony makes some top-tier earbuds; these aren't among them. 

Bluetooth: 5.4 | Ear detection: No | Spatial audio: No | Multipoint connectivity: Yes | Case charging: USB-C | Max battery life: 7 hours on a charge | Warranty: 2 years

At first blush, the JLab Flex looks like an affordable alternative to the Bose Ultra Open: The earbuds similarly clip over your earlobes, but cost just $50. Unfortunately, they don't work nearly as well, in part because it's difficult to get a comfortable, accurate fit. 

Indeed, even after lots of practice and experimentation, I struggled to position the earbuds in a way that didn't cause mild discomfort; they're simply too tight, with no silicone coating to ease the pressure of the hard plastic. And if you rotate an earbud up or down ever so slightly, it totally changes the audio dynamic.

Thus, I was rarely able to "level" the two earbuds; it was often akin to having AM radio in one ear and FM in the other. And sometimes it would be slightly louder on one side. Meanwhile, the earbuds stick out like awkwardly oversize earrings, especially problematic if you wear something like a knit cap.

The Flex may have solid specs, but ultimately I can't recommend it.