The best bone conduction headphones of 2024: Expert tested and reviewed

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As you train for your half or full marathon this fall, I recommend using bone conduction headphones for all your music-playing needs. Bone conduction headphones are a runner's favorite for their comfortable design and ability to keep listeners aware of their surroundings. But bone conduction headphones aren't just useful for running -- they're great for intense workouts, outdoor walks, and even swimming.

Also: The best headphones for working out

Many outdoor runners attribute the open-ear design to increased environmental awareness and safety from cars. You'll still feel every beat and hear every detail of your music, podcast, or audiobook. If you're going all-in on your fitness goals this summer, training for that marathon, or want to listen to music as you swim laps in the pool or hike up a mountain, bone conduction headphones could be your rugged fitness companion.

Also: Running a race? These 5 tech must-haves got me across the finish line

What are the best bone conduction headphones right now?

ZDNET has done hands-on testing and research to round up the best bone conduction headphones on the market. Our tested pick for the best bone conduction headphones overall is the H2O Audio Tri 2 bone conduction headphones. These are the goldilocks of bone conduction headphones for their nine-hour battery life, bass-forward and loud sound (that's increasingly hard to find in a pair of these headphones), and a durable waterproof rating for a rugged feel.

If you want to go for a more popular bone conduction brand instead, the runner-up pick is the ever-popular Shokz OpenRun Pro 2, thanks to their lightweight fit and generous 12-hour battery life (the longest on this list) that will power you through your workouts. Read on to learn more about the best bone conduction headphones you can buy.

The best bone conduction headphones of 2024

H2O Audio Tri 2 bone conduction

Best bone conduction headphones overall

It can be hard to find a bone conduction headphone with bass-forward sound. Since bone conduction headphones prioritize environmental awareness over an immersive soundstage, most of these headphones, "by design -- sound tinny and lack any sort of bass," ZDNET's Jack Wallen writes.

The space is thankfully improving, and some bone conduction headphones, like H2O Tri 2 Audio are creating aware headsets that produce impressive sound. "Up until the H2O Tri 2, I just assumed bone-conducting headphones would never be able to deliver anything close to punchy bass. I'm not saying you're going to feel the kick drum in your chest, but you'll certainly hear it with more clarity than your other bone-conducting headphones," he writes.

While running with the H2O Tri 2, Wallen saw a train in his periphery. Normally when he runs, the train's rumbling path makes music listening -- no matter how loud -- difficult. "That was not the case with the H20 Tri 2; I heard everything loud and clear (while still being able to hear my surroundings)," he writes.

Also: One of the best bone conduction headphones I've tested is also waterproof

With a waterproof design of up to 12 feet, these headphones are fit for swimming laps in a pool, running in the pouring rain, or maintaining amazing sound during a sweaty weight-lifting session.

The Tri 2 also has a fun feature that's not only useful for swimming, but also helpful if you want a phone-free workout session. The feature in question is Memory mode, which loads music to Memory, so you don't have to rely on a phone connection while you're swimming.

"Not only do they allow you to enjoy your music without having to carry your phone with you (which could be disastrous in a pool), but they produce some of the best sound I've heard from bone-conducting headphones," Wallen writes.

H2O Audio Tri 2 bone conduction tech specs: Type: Open ear | Wired/wireless: Wireless | Waterproof rating: IPX8, waterproof up to 12 feet | Weight: .08 pounds | Battery life: 9 hours

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Shokz OpenRun Pro 2

Best bone conduction headphones for battery life

The Open Run Pro 2s offer reduced vibrations, longer battery life, and AI-powered noise-canceling and wind-resistance microphones compared to its earlier model. You're getting two more hours of battery life with this headset, alongside a comfortable build that could stay on your head for hours as you train.

The OpenRun Pro 2 nails comfort. As I write in my review of the headset, "They're light and flexible, with a tactile exterior that makes them stick to your head. Wearing them in the office is a breeze, and they don't hug my head or build up excessive pressure around my ears."

One of the key improvements of the OpenRun Pro 2 headphones Shokz highlighted ahead of the launch was how the second generation has significantly reduced vibrations compared to the first. As I ran, I felt no such vibrations near or around the jaw area. The best headphones deliver sound without sacrificing comfort, and these did exactly that.

Review: Shokz OpenRun Pro 2

The sound isn't as loud as I'd like, and I found myself regularly turning my music up while running on busy roads, only to find that the low-to-me volume was the highest the headphones could reach. So I wouldn't recommend these for exercising in intensely loud places, like a busy gym with clanging machinery, but I would recommend these to those who exercise in the outdoors with their music at lower volumes for full environmental awareness.

These were also, unexpectedly, great for wearing in the office. Normally I wear noise-canceling eabuds that take me out of my environment while working in the office, but while I was testing the OpenRun Pro 2s, I found that I didn't have to pause and play my music as much while conversing with coworkers near me.

Shokz OpenRun Pro 2 tech specs: Type: Open ear | Wired/wireless: Wireless | Waterproof rating: IP55 | Weight: .07 pounds | Battery life: 12 hours

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Philips Go A7607

Best budget bone conduction headphones

Bring these bone conduction headphones to the office for your conference calls and then take them right to the gym for a weight-lifting session or on an outdoor run afterward—they're that versatile. They have an IP66 rating, making them water-resistant and sweatproof, and their open-ear form factor makes them a great choice for someone who wants to be as aware of their surroundings as they are immersed in the content they're streaming.

ZDNET editor Jada Jones switched from AirPods to the Phillips Go A7607 while going on outdoor walks. She reports that they not only give her more peace of mind as a young woman walking alone but also deliver groove-able audio that gets "plenty loud." Amazon reviewers also complimented the headphones' waterproof rating and long battery life.

Review: Philips Go A7607

These headphones are made for athletes and fitness junkies, with a few subtle features that make them a match for any outdoor exercise obsessive. The neckband integrates a bright red LED light that helps you stay visible to cars and people if you prefer to exercise at night.

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Shokz OpenSwim Pro

Best bone conduction headphones for swimming

Avid swimmers will get a lot out of the new Shokz OpenSwim Pro if you're looking to shake up the monotony of endless laps in the pool. The OpenSwim Pro has a comfortable fit that stays on your head, a long battery, and amazing sound. "As long as you have access to your own saved music files, this headset is a solid option for waterproof beats," Matt Miller writes in his review.

If you're new to bone conduction headphones for swimming, know these aren't like your average Bluetooth headphones. You can't connect to your phone with them and play Spotify or Apple Music in the water. Instead, the headphones operate in MP3 mode. You will load your audio files onto the OpenSwim Pro by connecting it to your computer and transferring the files over. This also means you'll need some songs in MP3 mode to get the most out of these in the water.

Miller suggests installing the Shokz app to support standard and swimming modes. The app also works for EQ settings, multipoint pairing, physical button customization, and battery status.

Review: Shokz OpenSwim Pro

Because of the design of these headphones, you can't wear them and also cover your ears with a swim cap, which is something to keep in mind if you are trying to avoid water getting into your ears as you swim. But besides that, these are highly recommendable waterproof headphones that will please any swimmer.

Shokz OpenSwim Pro tech specs: Type: Open ear | Wired/wireless: Wireless | Waterproof rating: IP68 | Weight: .06 pounds | Battery life: 9 hours

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Mojawa Run Plus bone conduction headphones

Best rugged bone conduction headphones

ZDNET contributor Jack Wallen replaced his $180 pair of Shokz OpenRun Pros with these $160 bone conduction headphones, and he says he's pretty pleased with them. They offer a great user experience and similar sound quality to the Shokz OpenRun Pro bone conduction headphones. Plus, they can withstand sweaty workouts, which Wallen found difficult for other bone conduction headphones to achieve. You can run with these, but you can also swim with them, given their IP68 waterproof rating.

Review: Mojawa Run Plus

The touch controls are intuitive (and far larger than the buttons on the Shokz headphones), and the sound is great. "If you regularly exercise and produce considerable sweat (and aren't concerned about the best sound possible), these are for you. Also, if you find the Shokz OpenRun Pro headphones challenging to control, the Mojawa gear will make you very happy," Wallen writes in his review.

A few Amazon buyers also compared the Run Plus to the OpenRun Pro and concluded that the Run Plus is a winner in most categories, like comfort, battery, and sound quality. Plus, these will suit swimmers and outdoor runners with a more robust waterproof rating than the OpenRun Pro.

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Bose Ultra Open Earbuds

Best luxury bone conduction headphones

At $300, these Bose Ultra Open earbuds won't work for everybody. But if you're a runner who prioritizes awareness and fantastic sound, these earbuds are about to become your favorite running accessory. The Ultra Open utilizes bone and air conduction to deliver music that doesn't take you out of your environment while offering fantastic sound. The design is unique, too: the earbuds cuff to your ear like a clip-on earring, and through this design, they stay put. You can move and shake your head all you want -- they won't budge.

Review: Bose Ultra Open

They're the first earbuds I could wear everywhere, whether playing music or off. The design and sound make it so easy to manage environmental awareness that I kept them in while grocery shopping in a busy Trader Joe's, on the subway, and while walking home. Usually, if a pair of earbuds isn't playing, I'll remove them from my ears because they take me out of my environment. These don't. They're also pleasant to wear on long runs and can handle dust and water.

However, one downside to these earbuds is how the connection tends to go in and out on certain occasions. People on Reddit agree and have complained about the earbuds' tendency to disconnect randomly.

If you're interested in aware sound, want an alternative to bone conduction headphones, and are willing to pay a premium price, these are certainly worth it.

Bose Ultra Open earbuds specs: Type: Open ear/ear cuff | Wired/wireless: Wireless | Waterproof rating: IPX4 | Weight: .01 pounds | Battery life: 7.5 hours

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Shokz OpenFit Air

Best bone conduction alternative

ZDNET's Matt Miller ran, cycled, indoor rowed, and commuted with the Shokz OpenFit Air headphones, and he says they're a great option for people who want to ditch bone conduction headphones but still maintain awareness. The OpenFit Air improves on comfort and price from the previous model (these are somehow cheaper than the OpenFit), but what you gain in comfort and price you lose in battery life.

Review: Shokz OpenFit Air

Open-ear headphones are a little different from bone conduction headphone in that they hang on your ear instead of wrapping around your head. Miller complimented the stylish touch that you get with the upgrade, and says they're a thoughtfully designed yet affordable option.

"If you're interested in keeping your ears open while working out and don't like bone-conduction headsets, I highly recommend the OpenFit Air, even over the OpenFit model with the $60 savings and very limited compromises made to achieve that lower price," Miller writes in his review of the product.

Shokz OpenFit Air tech specs: Type: Open ear | Wired/wireless: Wireless | Waterproof rating: IP54 | Weight: .16 pounds | Battery life: 6 hours

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The best bone-conduction headphones are the H2O Audio Tri 2 headphones. They have an IPX8 dust and waterproof rating that makes them ideal for swimming, a sweaty exercise session, or wearing just about anywhere. They have the second best battery life on this list and rich bass that stands out.

To see how they stack up, here is an overview of the other top picks on this list.

Best bone conduction headphones	Cost	Battery life	Waterproofing	Weight
H2O Audio Tri 2	$180	9 hours	IPX8	.08 pounds
Shokz OpenRun Pro 2	$180	12 hours	IP55	.07 pounds
Philips Go A760	$140	9 hours	IP66	.49 pounds
Shokz OpenSwim Pro	$180	9 hours	IP68	.06 pounds
Mojawa Run Plus	$160	8 hours	IP68	.07 pounds
Bose Ultra Open	$300	7.5 hours	IPX4	.01 pouns
Shokz OpenFit Air	$120	6 hours	IP54	.16 pounds

A rating that includes IPX refers to both dust and water resistance, while a rating that has IP and two numbers next to it refers to waterproof resistance only. IPX8 and IP68 are the strongest water and dust proofing/resistance ratings you can have on a product. The ratings go from IPX1 through IPX8. The IP ratings are a little different. The first number next to IP goes from 0 to 6, and the second number goes from 0 to 9. So most durable and waterproof devices have a rating of IP68.

*MSRP at the time of writing. Please note that actual prices may vary depending on available sales, deals, discounts, and coupons.

Want to make sure you choose the pair of bone conduction headphones that best suit your needs and ears? This chart further breaks down our favorite features.

Choose these bone conduction headphones...	If you want...
H2O Audio Tri 2 bone conduction	The best bone conduction headphones with the second highest battery life on this list, bass and sound you can feel, and a remarkably high waterproof rating that withstands swimming or sweaty workouts.
Shokz OpenRun Pro 2	Bone conduction headphones with Bluetooth 5.3 and a 12-hour battery life. These bone conduction headphones have the longest battery life on this list.
Philips Go A7607	A versatile pair of bone conduction headphones with more water resistance than the Shokz OpenRun Pro 2. They're the heaviest option on this list, however.
Shokz OpenSwim Pro	A pair of bone conduction headphones for swimming with one of the highest waterproof ratings on this list from one of the most notable bone conduction brands.
Mojawa Run Plus	An OpenRun Pro dupe with an IP68 rating for those high intensity, sweaty workouts or swimming sessions. Many reviews say that these work even better than the OpenRun Pro, for $20 less.
Bose Ultra Open	The most expensive bone conduction headphones on this list. The Bose Ultra Open earbuds offer up a unique design that stays fit in your ear and delivers amazing sound while keeping you aware of your environment. The earbuds offer all-day comfort and a form factor that makes it easy to clip in your ears, even when music is turned off.
Shokz OpenFit Air	A pair of open-ear headphones that offer amazing sound, a decent battery life, and a price point that's $60 cheaper than its older model.

There are a few essential factors to keep in mind as you shop around for a pair of bone conduction headphones. Here are the most important ones to consider.

Type: There are many different types of bone conduction headphones, such as over-the-ear or in-ear bone conduction headphones. Do you want these headphones for swimming underwater, running outdoors in rain, or doing a little bit of both, plus some conference calls and casual listening? Everyone has a preference, and some bone conduction headphones will work wonderfully for swimming but fail at casual outdoor listening. Knowing your intended use is the first and most critical factor to consider.
Sound quality: This comes as no surprise, but if you are spending $100 to $200 on a pair of headphones, they should have decent sound that isn't tinny, warbled, or muffled. Bone conduction headphones and great sound quality don't always go together, but we have tested and selected headphones that do indeed offer amazing sound quality while keeping you aware of your surroundings.
Battery life: The bone conduction headphones on this list have average battery lives of 8.5 hours. If you are going to spend more than $100 on a pair of headphones, its battery life should last you more than two or three exercise sessions.
Sweat and waterproof rating: If you are a swimmer, consider a waterproof rating of IP68. If you are an outdoors runner who exercises in inclement weather (or just sweats a lot) look for a waterproof rating of at least IP55.
Cost: From $140 to $200, the bone conduction headphones on this list range in price. But you are getting what you pay for. As mentioned in the listicles above, a cheaper pair of headphones will have shorter battery life and longevity, while a more expensive pair will last you longer and be more durable.

ZDNET went hands-on with most of the picks on this list, and we are constantly testing the newest and hottest tech to update these recommendations accordingly. When we test a product, we typically spend a few weeks if not longer trying it out in multiple environments before writing up a review and adding it to this list. When we don't like a product, we won't include it on this list (because who wants to read a review of a faulty headphone?). For these headphones, our contributors have gone on runs and swam in them, putting them to the test in varying conditions to see just how well they can perform.

We know that investing in technology can be expensive, so we keep in mind price, performance, user experience, customer reviews, longevity, and battery life, and only recommend products we would actually use ourselves.

For more on our testing process, check out our extensive headphone testing methodology page.

Bone conduction headphones use vibrations to transmit sound waves directly to the inner ear, bypassing the eardrum. Unlike in-ear buds or over-ear headphones, which seal in sounds and transmit noise that vibrates from the eardrum and to the cochlea (the part of your ear that responds to noise), bone conduction headphones work by emitting vibrations that avoid the eardrum and go straight to the cochlea, SoundGuys writer Lily Katz explained in a recent article.

It was Beethoven himself who pioneered this music-listening method. When his hearing was deteriorating, Beethoven would put the end of a stick on his piano and bite the other side of it to feel the music come through his jaw, and hear without his ears, according to ZME Science.

These headphones typically sit on the cheekbones and use a small transducer to send vibrations through the bones of the face to the inner ear. This allows users to hear the audio clearly, while still being able to hear their surroundings. This can be useful for people who work in noisy environments or for those who are hard of hearing. They also can be used for people who are unable to wear traditional headphones due to physical conditions.

This unique engineering of bone conduction headphones might reduce the inner-ear trauma of jamming out with earbuds.

I see marathoners and cyclists being the primary audience for bone conduction headphones. If you walk around a New York City park, you'll see marathon trainers and bikers wearing bone conduction headphones around their heads. That's because the devices prioritize substantially loud sound and an aware listening experience that's helpful for people while they're exercising.

Bone conduction headphones don't just serve athletes, though. Maybe you are sensitive to earbuds in your ears or don't like headphones isolating you from external sounds and covering up your entire ear. These earbuds are the antithesis of noise-canceling headphones, because they prioritize an unsealed fit and balance outside sounds with the music inside your headphones.

If you are someone who likes your music loud, I'd stray from bone conduction headphones. I ran outdoors with my music playing through the Shokz Open Run Pro 2 and found myself dissatisfied with the volume level -- it was far too quiet for my liking, especially on a busy Brooklyn street.

If you still want a pair of headphones that prioritizes aware listening, I'd opt for open earbuds instead. Open earbuds are like bone conduction's sibling. They don't fully cover your ear, and they deliver an aware soundstage, but they get much louder.

Not all bone conduction headphones are waterproof, so it is important to check the waterproof or water-resistant rating on a set before making a purchase. If you want a pair of waterproof bone conduction headphones that you can swim in, look for a rating of IP68.

Bone conduction headphones can vary significantly in price, depending on the manufacturer and model that you choose. Our picks for the best bone conduction headphones range in cost from $30 to $200 each.

Due to their design, they aren't the premium headphone option for audio quality. But chances are you aren't seeking them out for audio quality purposes. Bone conduction headphones, thanks to an open design, can help overall hearing health and increase environmental awareness.

For example, Dr. Kelvin Fernandez, a physician and healthcare educator at Ace Med Boards, calls them a real game-changer in the medical realm and cites a time they helped his patient, an up-and-coming musician suffering from hearing loss. "They let him keep doing what he loved. It was a real emotional win and a perfect example of how tech can make life better," Fernandez said.

Aftershokz products are still around and thriving, but today, they are known as Shokz after a December 2021 rebranding. One of Aftershokz's top products and our best bone conduction headphones for beginners, the Aftershokz Aeropex, is now known as the Shokz OpenRun.

We love the H2O Audio Tri 2 bone conduction headphones and think they're even better than Shokz's OpenRun Pro 2 headphones as far as sound and durability goes. You won't be getting as long a battery life with the Tri 2, but what you lose in battery life you make up for in bass-forward, rich sound.

Outside of these six bone conduction headphones, there are also a handful of others that caught our attention. Brands like AfterShokz and Pyle Bone make great alternative choices. We've gone hands on with these bone conduction headphones as well if the ones above don't suit your fancy.