Over the past few years, we’ve seen an increase in open-ear wireless earbuds on the market. In 2021, we saw the release of the Purpods from Mpow and more recently the release of the Ultra Open Earbuds from Bose. Some other notable releases include:
- Soundgear Sense from JBL in 2023
- Open Sport from JLab in 2022
- Open EarBuds S50 from 1More in 2023
- OpenFit from Shokz in 2023
- Breeze from Avantree in 2022
Most earbuds on the market are currently designed with silicone tips that are placed into your ear canal, this seal provides noise isolation and a secure fit. We often see this on ANC earbuds especially, as they’re designed to block out as much environmental noise as possible. Open-ear buds however work by directing audio into the ear without needing to be placed into the canal. As a result, they do let in a lot of ambient noise, although, this can be very beneficial to runners or cyclists who need to be constantly aware of their surroundings. They also benefit those who don’t like the feel or fit of traditional earbuds as they allow for a more comfortable fit. One major downside of directional audio is the lack of bass, which can affect the sound quality greatly, which may be a drawback for some people.
Design aside, the specifications are still impressive, lets take the new Ultra Open Earbuds by Bose for example. They feature spatial audio, IPX4 water resistance, and AAC codec for Apple users. They have a battery life of 7.5 hours and an extra 19.5 hours using the charging case. Overall, they’re very similar to most wireless earbuds, with the obvious exception of noise cancellation.
