These headphones from Shokz come with one superior technology, namely Bone Conduction or bone conduction. Among the four models announced, Shokz Openmove comes with the lowest selling price. Curious how it performs? Check out the following review.
Shokz Openmove Design
Although it carries wireless connectivity, Shokz Openmove is different from TWS or wireless earbuds. The left and right speaker modules are connected by an elastic band made of titanium.
Adopting open-ear design, no speaker module enters the ear. This makes it very comfortable to use for sports activities over a long period of time. Thanks to the titanium headband, the Shok Openmove won’t easily slip out of the ear. Even if you move a lot during sports activities.
Overall the design is very solid. Its weight which is only about 29 grams is also very light. You also don’t have to worry about taking him to exercise in uncertain weather conditions. The reason is, Shokz Openmove is water and sweat resistant with an IP55 rating.
For navigation, Shokz Openmove relies on physical buttons. There are three physical buttons that it carries. Two on the right and one on the left. The two buttons on the right consist of the volume (+) and (-) buttons. The volume button (+) also doubles as the power button. Access to both buttons is quite easy to reach. Right next to these two buttons is a USB-C port for recharging the battery.
Meanwhile, one button on the left is placed right on the speaker module. This button is multifunctional. Able to Play / Pause, select a track and select a language. Shokz Openmove supports four languages including English, Japanese, Chinese and Korean.
It’s a shame that Shokz Openmove doesn’t support navigation with a touch panel or tap function like the current TWS. However, with the physical buttons, there are indeed advantages and disadvantages that we found.
On the plus side, these physical buttons offer easier navigation. You also don’t have to worry about being accidentally touched. This is because the buttons will not work if they are not pressed. The downside for navigation is that you need to memorize all the physical key press combinations.
For example, pressing the two volume buttons on the right can be used to start pairing mode. When connected to the phone, press these two volume buttons to select the EQ mode. Then, the physical button on the left press once to pause/play and answer the phone call. Press twice to advance to the next song and press three times to go back to the previous song. Press and hold briefly the button on the left can be used to call the virtual assistant on the phone.
Features of Shokz Openmove
There are not many features to be found in Shokz Openmove. These headphones are equipped with two EQ modes, Standard and Human Voice. Human Voice mode prioritizes vocal sounds. Can be chosen for those of you who like to listen to podcasts or audiobooks. However, from our testing between Standard EQ mode and Human Voice, there is only a slight difference.
Shokz Openmove also supports multipairing. This means that these headphones can be connected to two devices at once. In addition, Shokz Openmove is also equipped with dual integrated microphones with noise canceling features. The sound quality of the microphone is also quite good. The other person can hear our voice quite clearly when making a phone call.
Both Shokz Openmove speaker modules are equipped with a magnetic system. When not in use, the two speaker modules can be attached for easy storage. It should be noted that in Shokz Openmove there is no automatic stop or play feature. So, to stop the music playing you have to press the power button again until it turns off.
Shokz Openmove sound quality
Adopting an open-ear and bone conduction design, the Shokz Openmove’s audio quality is quite dependent on its placement outside the ear canal. Keep in mind that headphones with bone conduction technology transmit sound by providing tiny vibrations that propagate through the wearer’s cheekbones from a transducer placed in front of the ear.
These vibrations directly connect the inner ear and pass through the eardrum. So, no speaker module goes into the ear like in-ear style headphones. That way, headphones with this technology will be safer because users are still possible to listen to sounds from the surrounding environment.
From our tests to get the most optimal audio quality, just make sure the speaker module hook is right on the earlobe. This position is best suited to enjoy all the potential of Shokz Openmove.
For the sound quality itself is quite satisfactory for a headphone with bone conduction technology. One drawback of headphones with bone conduction technology in general is that the sound is underpowered. However, Shokz Openmove is able to deliver sound quality that is quite powerful. The resulting sound is also clear with a thump of bass sound that is quite pronounced. For the bass sound this needs to be understood and should not be compared to headphones or TWS with in-ear style. The weakness of the open-ear design is that the sound of the bass beat will not be as loud as the design of in-ear or close ear headphones.
When used for outdoor sports you also need to pay attention to the volume of the sound. From our tests when using it cycling, the most ideal sound settings for outdoors are around 50% to 70%. In this volume range, it is most suitable for listening to music while still being able to hear the noise from the surrounding environment. The volume settings can be different and must be adjusted to the ability of each user’s sense of hearing.
Shokz Openmove Battery
Shokz Openmove is powered by a rechargeable battery. This battery can be used up to about 6 hours to listen to music. The battery life is relatively average when compared to other modern wireless TWS. The fast refill feature is also not supported. Charging the battery takes about 2 hours.
Shokz Openmove Conclusion
It is undeniable that sports will indeed be more fun if accompanied while listening to music. Well, with the design of the titanium elastic band, the Shokz Openmove is very comfortable to use and doesn’t come off easily when invited to exercise. Thanks to the open ear design, these headphones are also very safe to accompany you for outdoor sports. For a wireless headphone, the features it carries are quite minimal. But, at least the sound quality is okay. Above average headphones with bone conduction technology in general.
If interested, the price of Shokz Openmove is in the range of USD $80. These headphones can be chosen for those of you who want to taste headphones with bone conduction technology. Shokz Openmove can also be an alternative for those of you who like sports and are not used to using in-ear or TWS wireless headphones.
The advantages of Shokz Openmove
+ Good sound quality
+ Very light and comfortable to use
+ Safe to use outdoors
+ Waterproof design
+ Cheapest price among other Shokz headphones
Disadvantages of Shokz Openmove
– Minimal features – Does
not support fast recharge feature
– Average battery life
– EQ feature barely notices the difference
– No supporting applications – There
are quite a lot of physical button press combinations
Shokz Openmove is suitable for
Sports enthusiasts: With its open ear and wireless design the Shokz Openmove is perfect for outdoor sports enthusiasts such as runners or cyclists.
Users unfamiliar with in-ear or TWS headphones: Its ultra-lightweight and comfortable design makes it suitable for users unfamiliar with in-ear or TWS headphones.
