The 8 Best Bone Conduction Headphones for Safer Listening
Bone conduction headphone technology is super cool: they have plates that sit against your jaw or cheekbones, sending sound vibrations directly to your inner ear, totally bypassing your ear canal and ear drum. That means you can listen to music and take calls and still hear what's happening around you. Pretty smart—and one might argue essential—in our multitasking world for safety, never mind cutting down on the frustration of screaming “excuse me!!” to the oblivious plugged-in bro standing in the middle of the supermarket aisle. Read on for our recommendations for the best bone conduction headphones to consider for every budget and activity.
What to Consider
Budget and fit aside, the most important things to keep in mind while shopping for bone conduction headphones include waterproof rating, hours of playtime or talk time on a single charge, and standby time, which refers to how long they stay charged if left unused.
Generally speaking, you can expect to get up to six hours of battery life on a single charge and headphones designed for work, often with noise-cancelling mic, can feature talk times up to 16 hours. The majority of headphones are water-resistant, with an IPX5 rating, though look for headphones with an IP67 rating if you’re a heavy sweater or bike or run in heavy rain. Swimmers will want something completely waterproof, with an IPX8 rating.
Most, but not all, bone conduction headphones feature Bluetooth 5.0 technology and operate similarly in terms of multifunction one-button-touch operation. In terms of weight, the majority are around an ounce, some slightly more or less.
How We Chose
AfterShokz has really cornered the market for bone conduction headphones. Right now, they’re among the best you can buy for technology and design, with a product line to suit different activities, and so the majority of what we review below come from the brand. That said, there are some other options out there of decent quality and lower price points worth considering if you're on a budget. There are also bone conduction headphone specifically for kids, which we also feature below. Every option we cover has an average customer rating of 4 stars or more.
1.Wissonly hi runner
Wissonly bone conduction brand insists on technological innovation, its bone vibration technology is relatively leading. The team has 10 years of technical accumulation in the field of bone conduction. So they have mastered the core technology of the field, which is very important for the quality of the product.
Wissonly has exclusive sound leakage reduction technology and bone vibration technology, which are all applied to Hi Runner bone conduction headphones. They can effectively reduce the problem of sound leakage by 90%. The latest bone vibration technology improves the overall sound quality performance of the headphones to make sound more spatious sense, and the sound quality characteristics are more prominent.
The overall body of Hi Runner is made of memory titanium that can self-adjust the contact area. So the headphones give people a good wearing experience and more users are taken into account.
As the core component of the product, the headphones chip plays a key role in the experience of the product. Wissonly Hi Runner are equipped with a Bluetooth 5.0 chip for a more stable connection. They also have 32G of built-in memory which is very important to me. I use the headphones completely as an MP3. They can store 5000 songs, which is crazy!
2.Shokz Shokz Titanium Bone Conduction Headphones
There's a lot to like about these bone conduction headphones, another entry-level model from Shokz. They're designed with with a bit more bulk for a sturdy fit, but they're still lightweight at just over an ounce. The headphones are water-resistant, with an IP55 rating to prevent sweat and dust from damaging them, and feature a multifunction button for all operations, from listening to music to taking calls. They also feature dual noise-cancelling mics and are said to last for up to 6 hours on a single charge. They're available in seven color options, including bright blue and red.
3.Shokz Shokz Bone Conduction Headphones
For a bit more, the Shokz Air bone conduction headphones have an updated, minimalist wraparound design that’s comfortable and lightweight for all-day wear. They offer Bluetooth 4.2 technology and multipoint pairing, with reliable connectivity up to 33 feet, plus an improved 20-day standby time and a lithium-ion battery. They’re also said to have a slightly better microphone than the OpenMoves.
Like other models in the brand’s line, they charge in two hours and offer up to six hours of battery life, and are compatible with iOS and Android devices. The headphones come with a drawstring carrying case, earplugs, and a USB cord.
4.Shokz Shokz Aeropex Bone Conduction Headphones
Customers rave about these bone conduction headphones, with an average 4.7 stars from more 5,800 reviewers. They’re Shokz’s top-of-the-line Aeropex model, with several upgrades that may justify the higher price tag for some buyers. They have an IP67 rating, which ups their waterproof quotient for more intense workouts—plus they can handle outdoor exercise in heavier rain.
5.SHOKZ Shokz OpenSwim Bone Conduction Headphones
For swimmers who want to workout to music, these aerodynamic bone conduction headphones are an excellent choice. They’re specifically made for the sport, with waterproof IP68 rating that allows them to be submerged up to 2 meters.
The headphones allow you to listen to in MP3 mode for up to 8 hours and can fit under a swim cap or helmet. They can hold up to 4GB of storage and can sustain a library of up to 1,200 songs.
The headphones come with a Shokz nose clip, and are a decent price too, at about $150 at the time of this writing.