The OpenFit Pro buds somehow manage a degree of noise cancellation, despite their open-ear design.
I’m a recent convert to the open-ear form factor championed by Shokz. I find open buds far more comfortable, battery life can be better thanks to the larger size, and, for the most part, I prefer hear the world around me, especially while at home.
But these benefits come at a price. Possibly the biggest weakness of the open-ear buds category is audio washout. The audio can be completely overridden by other noise, like passing traffic, background susurration in a cafe, or simply turning your kitchen tap on full.
Shokz attempted to address this with the OpenFit Pro by adding some semblance of active noise cancellation (ANC). It’s nowhere near what you’d get from premium wireless in-ear buds like the AirPods Pro 3 or Pixel Buds Pro 2 because those can create an air-tight seal, but for some people, the Pro’s subtler offering might be enough to justify paying $60 extra than for something like the otherwise-very-similar OpenFit 2 Plus or even the OpenDots One.
The ANC cuts down on fan noise and background murmurs (like cafe ambience), and can even slightly reduce traffic and some construction noise – all without removing your ability to hold a conversation or catch that suspicious noise right before your kids went silent. It’s remarkably refreshing. But the ANC is still helpless in the face of… most sounds, to be honest.
Now, I’m one of those people who is sensitive to the eardrum pressure from traditional ANC, which I’d hoped open-ear ANC would solve. But my ears still ache after only a short while with the OpenFit Pro.
While it’s not a problem when listening to audio, leaving ANC active while playback paused is a no-go, which means I can’t solely pop them on to take the edge off background noise. But as we’ve discussed, I’m a big softy, and those with sterner eardrums might get along just fine.
Unfortunately, what the OpenFit Pro might gain from ANC is outweighed by their muddy and volatile audio. Even after adjusting the sound profile, they’re too bassy… without offering pleasing bass.
There’s also an odd audio issue that pops up from time to time. Very occasionally, simple dialogue from the likes of YouTube or a podcast sounds like it was recorded in a tin can. But it isn’t even consistent across devices. For example, it popped up here and there for YouTube videos on a Google Pixel 9, but the same videos were fine on a different device I’m reviewing.
The OpenFit Pro do have great battery life (50 hours including the case) and a level of comfort in-ear buds can never aspire. But the same is true for the OpenFit 2 Plus, which will cost you $60 less and the audio of which doesn’t ever feel like you’re trapped down a well.
Ultimately, it comes down to whether you’re happy to pay $60 extra for that limited ANC and to roll the dice on whether you’ll encounter those rare audio issues.
For my money, the cheaper OpenFit 2 Plus are still the best-in-class when it comes to open-ear buds, despite their lack of ANC, largely because they’re more comfortable and the audio tuning is superior. Alternatively, the identically-cheaper OpenDots One might better suit your fashion tastes, also with preferable audio.
But for open-ear shoppers who really want to shave the edge off background noise, the OpenFit Pro are worth considering – as long as you don’t have problems with ANC discomfort, prefer your audio bassy, and the potential for those rare sound problems isn’t a concern.