These New Chinese Earbuds Are Winning Over Audiophiles Around The Globe

When you think of wireless earbuds, you probably think of most of the major audio brands first, like Sennheiser, Sony, or even Samsung. More recently, another audio company, known as Shokz, has been making waves on the market. Over the years, the company has been behind a range of sound and audio products, including waterproof MP3 players and bone conduction headphones. However, it was one product from 2025 that really caught the eyes or ears of avid audiophiles around the world, courtesy of its novel design, sound quality, and comfortable fit. 

Unlike many of the manufacturer's other offerings, Shokz's OpenDots One wireless earbuds don't work through bone conduction. Instead, they're open-ear headphones, designed to cast sound through the air without blocking your ear canal. The OpenDots One clips onto the outside of your ears, without the need for ear tips or domes to help hold them in place. Instead, the ends of the earbuds themselves are made out of a contoured silicone to help comfortably create friction that can hold the earbuds in place during use. Another aspect of the OpenDots' design that helps to keep the earbuds in place is the flexible JointArc arm, which uses a titanium alloy material to join the built-in battery and speaker together stably during use.

Generally speaking, these earbuds have quickly gained praise from both consumers and professional reviews alike, with most reviews rating them as 4 out of 5 stars or above. At the time of writing, the score given for the OpenDots One by users on the Shokz website comes in at an average of 4.8 out of 5 based on around 200 reviews. That means that around 95% of those reviews rate the product as four stars or higher.

Attaining a high level of audio quality through air conduction is a challenge, but the OpenDots still manage to win over a lot of hearts in that department. TrustedReviews, CNET, TechRadar, and DigitalTrends all noted that they were among the best open-ear earbuds tested in that regard, praising their versatility, balance, and bass clarity. Plus, OpenDots offers Dolby Audio integration, which is often a hit among audiophiles.

Not every review was a win, though. What Hi-Fi? noted that the earbuds failed to stand out against some of its competitors due to a somewhat lackluster sound quality overall. Specifically, call audio was singled out as lacking clarity and definition, making it harder to hear what the person on the other end of the line is saying. This lack of clarity also impacts audio quality when it comes to music, according to the review. Where the built-in OpenBass 2.0 algorithm and dual driver audio system try to provide a boost to lower frequencies, it seems that other frequencies can get a little lost in the mud. That, combined with a lack of sound isolation or noise cancellation, could compromise sound quality.

All isn't lost, though. The Shokz app lets you customize the sound profile of your earbuds. You can boost certain frequencies that might lack power, or place limitations on any frequency bands that might create extra muddiness, using the custom equalization feature. It also comes with a handful of presets for you to choose from. Of course, clever equalization can only go so far — software can only work with whatever the hardware is capable of, after all, but it might help push the audio quality to where it needs to be.

Something else that earns the OpenDots a high level of praise is their design. Design might not be one of the first things that come to mind when you're shopping for earbuds or headphones, but it can be a surprisingly important factor — and it isn't a purely aesthetic issue, either. An earbud's design can dictate how comfortable they are, which can have a significant impact on how long you wear them or how pleasant your experience of using them is.

In the case of the OpenDots, the earbuds loop around the outside of your ear cartilage in a way that allows you to adjust them to find a fit that's comfortable for you by tilting them at different angles, or by flexing the JointArc arm. They're specifically designed to be used with glasses, and their adjustability means they could be comfortable to use in tandem with earrings, masks, or hats. Some customer reviews shared on the Shokz website back that up, with users commenting on how comfortable the earbuds are in a variety of settings.

Reviews from HeadphoneCheck, Tom's Guide, and TechRadar all highlight just how comfortable Shokz's OpenDots were during testing. That's no huge surprise — as well as being designed for comfort and flexibility, they're also really rather small. Collectively, the two earbuds weigh around 13 grams — or about a tablespoon of sugar. They're not quite as little and light as some competitors, like the Honor Earbuds that roll in at around 7.5 grams, but they do still manage to feel light and comfortable while packing a punch from their total of four 11.8mm transducers, per ExpertReviews.