The Surprising Wireless Earbud Trend Taking Over Fitness

Apple, by far the biggest name in wireless earbuds (its AirPods business alone generates billions in revenue each year), is finally jumping on this popular trend — or at least openly embracing it.

When the company revealed its AirPods 4 last month, it was the first time Apple advertised its wireless earbuds as having an “open-ear” design. The 2019-released entry-level AirPods and 2021-released AirPods — both now discontinued — fit similarly but were not advertised as such. (You can check their respective press releases, here and here.)

When Apple refers to an “open-ear design,” it simply means that its wireless earbuds don’t rest deep in your ear canals or have silicone tips (like its AirPods Pro). This allows the earbuds to let ambient sounds seep in so, theoretically, you can better hear the outside world while listening to music.

Of course, anybody who has worn non-Pro AirPods in recent years likely hasn’t thought of them as “open-ear” wireless earbuds. They were just wireless earbuds. But “open-ear” has become a buzzword in the wireless earbud space. And most manufacturers seem to be jumping in on the action.

Photo by Tucker Bowe for Gear Patrol

The Open-Ear Movement

Wireless earbuds with open-ear designs aren’t exactly new, but they’re definitely becoming more mainstream. In the last two or so years, some of the biggest names in headphones (and audio in general) have jumped in on the action. This includes the likes of Sony, Bose, Beyerdynamic, Soundcore (Anker) and Nothing.

The rise of open-ear wireless earbuds has predictably coincided with the boom in cycling and running. The open-ear design allows you to better hear traffic and other distractions — and thus exercise more safely.

Photo by Tucker Bowe for Gear Patrol

Still, open-ear wireless earbuds feel pretty niche and not for everybody. Their open design leaks sound, so people around you can hear what you’re listening to — especially with the volume up.

And most open-ear wireless earbuds don’t sound as great (especially in the bass department) or get as loud as traditional earbuds because the drivers aren’t directly in your ears.

Photo by Tucker Bowe for Gear Patrol

Different shapes, styles and fits

The cool thing about the rise of open-ear wireless earbuds is that there are more options out there — and they all look, fit and sound quite different.

For example, the Sony’s 2024-released LinkBuds Open — an evolution of the first-gen LinkBuds — fit inside your ears just like traditional wireless earbuds, but a small ring hole in the center of each earbud allows ambient sounds in.

Bose took a completely different approach. Its Ultra Open Earbuds have a flexible, soft silicone shape that allows them to clip to your ears like earrings. They utilize proprietary tech (Bose’s OpenAudio technology) to direct sound into your ears from a distance.

Photo by Tucker Bowe for Gear Patrol

Nothing’s Ear Open actually have a quite similar design to Bose’s now-discontinued Sport Open Earbuds. Each earbud features a large ear hook that grips the outside of your ear and places the audio driver right over — not in — your ear. (Shokz OpenFit Air are open-ear wireless earbuds with a similar style.)

Then there are Apple’s AirPods 4, which, admittedly, don’t fit the mold of traditional open-ear wireless earbuds. They’re not really designed for workouts (even if they are IP54-rated), and they don’t do quite as good of a job of letting ambient sounds in while music is playing.

If you want to use the AirPods 4 as traditional open-ear wireless earbuds, I’d suggest getting the ANC versions — which cost $179 — and turning on transparency mode.

The Open-Ear Wireless Earbuds

Shokz

Shokz OpenFit Air

Released in the summer of 2024, the Shokz OpenFit Air is one of our favorite affordable open-ear wireless earbuds. Each earbud has a large earhook that grips your ear, similar to Beat’s Powerbeats Pro, so it stays firmly in place during your workout.

• $119.95 at Amazon

Apple

Apple AirPods 4

This is the lowest price we’ve seen Apple’s new entry-level wireless earbuds hit. They have the same open-air design (no silicone ear tips) and sound exactly like the AirPods 4 with active noise-cancellation — both have the same H2 chip and internal acoustic architecture. These baseline models lack active noise cancellation or transparency modes.

• $89 at Amazon
  $129 (31% off)
• $129 at Apple

Nothing

Nothing Ear Open

Instead of the stem-bud design of its Ear and Ear (a), Nothing’s latest wireless earbuds, the Ear Open, have a new open-ear design with ear hooks. This allows you to better hear the world around you while working out or commuting. The earbuds have directional speakers that promise minimal sound leakage (a common problem with open earbuds). And their charging case has a neat transparent lid.

• $99 at Nothing
  $149 (34% off)

Sony

Sony LinkBuds Open

Sony’s 2022-released LinkBuds were unique among wireless earbuds thanks to their ring-hole open-ear design — and these LinkBuds Open are essentially the second-gen versions of those. They promise improved audio and a longer-lasting battery. Plus, they have an updated silicone earwing which should help them fit even more securely. At $199, they are roughly $20 more expensive.

• $199.99 at Amazon

Bose

Bose Ultra Open Earbuds

As their name gives away, the Bose Ultra Open Earbuds are open-ear wireless earbuds, meant to allow you to listen to music while also hearing the world around you. Their standout feature is a unique approach to fit: Rather than going in your ears, they clip to the outside of them, sort of like earrings.

• $299 at Bose

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