Best bone conduction headphones in 2024: Philips, Shokz, & more
Are you looking for the best bone conduction headphones? Don’t fret. This list has some of the best bone conduction headphones and earphones you can find today.
You can always enjoy music, podcasts, or calls using wireless earbuds or headphones, regardless of how cheap or premium they are. However, environmental awareness is necessary if you’re outdoors for a walk, jog, or bike ride.
Cutting yourself off from your surroundings can cause security issues, especially if you’re in a slightly secluded area late in the day. This is where open-ear, or a bone conduction headphones come in handy. They let you enjoy your favorite content and make you more aware of your surroundings.
For those unaware, unlike regular earbuds or headphones that sit in your ear canal or on top of your ears, bone conduction technology follows a different principle. It converts sound into mechanical vibrations transmitted to the cochlea through the skin and temporal bone.
Since the sound bypasses traditional air conduction transmitters like the external auditory canal or eardrum, it produces crisp and clear sound, even in noisy environments.
The sound produced using this technique is considered natural and has minimal leakage. That said, because of their unique design, bone conduction headphones or earphones are preferred by people with active lifestyles and are priced at a premium compared to regular headphones.
So, if you’re in the market for a pair of Bone Conduction headphones, we’ve got a detailed list just for you. Make sure that you check out all the options before you hit the buy now button.
1. H2O Audio Tri Pro Multi-Sport
H2O Audio| Pros | Cons |
| Light weight | Stiff controls |
| IPX8 rated for water resistance | Average battery life |
| Internal storage and Bluetooth streaming | |
| Decent audio underwater |
Key specs
- Frequency: 20Hz～20kHz
- Weight: 33g
- Battery life: Up to 5 hours
- Connectivity: Bluetooth
- Features: IPX8 rated, Built-in MP3 player
One of the premium bone-conduction headphones on this list, the H2O Audio Tri Multi-Sport headphones offer a range of features, making them an ideal choice for users looking for rugged all-weather headphones.
The H2O Audio Tri Multi-Sport bone conduction headphones let you listen to music offline without a phone. It comes with 8GB of onboard storage and a built-in MP3 player.
Weighing just 33 grams, these headphones fit snugly over year ears, and the IPX8 rating means that you can wear these headphones while swimming without any worries.
2. Shokz OpenRun
Shokz| Pros | Cons |
| Comfortable and lightweight | Buttons crammed into a tight space |
| Multipoint connectivity | No companion mobile app |
| Decent sound | |
| Fast charge support |
Key specs
- Frequency: 20Hz～20kHz
- Weight: 26g
- Battery life: Up to 8 hours
- Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.1
- Features: IP67 rated, fast charging
The Shokz OpenRun is known for its rugged design and is equally lauded for its superior audio quality. The brand has been making bone-conduction headphones for quite some time, and the OpenRun is the flagship product, which sounds better than most similar headphones.
You get an IPX7 rating for dust and water resistance, a plastic build that helps keep the headphones light and flexible, and a massive battery that gives at least 8 hours of juice on a single charge.
The company has also introduced the Shokz OpenRun Pro headphones. However, considering the price and features, the OpenRun offers a better value for money and is easily one of the top bone conduction headphones on the market today.
3. Philips Go A7607
Philips| Pros | Cons |
| Bluetooth Multipoint | Average Battery life |
| LED indicator lights | Not the best sound quality |
| Feature-rich mobile app | |
| Comfortable fit |
Key specs
- Frequency: 130 – 16 000 Hz
- Weight: 21g
- Battery life: Up to 9 hours
- Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.2
- Features: IP66 rated, Bluetooth multi-point pairing
The Philips Go A7607 might have a challenging-to-remember name, but it is indeed one of the best bone conduction headphones. It is ideal for people with active lifestyles who engage in activities like hiking, running, or cycling and prefer taking their music with them.
It even comes with Bluetooth multi-point connectivity that allows you to pair the headphones with multiple devices like phones and laptops and seamlessly switch between them whenever required.
The Philips Go A7607 has an IP66 rating for dust and water resistance. This means you can use these headphones on a ride, hike, gym session, or even during a shower – if you wish to.
With these headphones, you get up to nine hours of battery life, and a quick 15-minute charge can give you an hour of charge.
4. Mojawa MOJO 2
Mojawa| Pros | Cons |
| Light weight | Battery life could’ve been better |
| Great sound quality | Proprietary charging cable |
| Easy touch controls | |
| Fast charging |
Key specs
- Frequency: 20Hz～20kHz
- Weight: 26g
- Battery life: Up to 8 hours
- Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.2
- Features: IP67 rated, fast charging
One of the cheapest bone-conduction headphones on this list, the Mojawa Mojo 2, offers excellent value for money to users. It is ideal for people looking for a pair of lightweight headphones that offers good sound quality.
The Mojo 2 has a rugged titanium alloy build that, along with soft silicone, offers comfort, a lightweight design, and maximum flexibility.
It is IPX7-rated for water and dust resistance. The 350 mAh batter on the Mojo 2 lasts up to six hours. You can top it up with up to 80 minutes of juice with a quick five-minute charge.
5. YouthWhisper SuperQ3
YouthWhisper| Pros | Cons |
| Durable built quality | Short battery life |
| Universal charging | Average sound quality |
| Bluetooth streaming | |
| Affordable |
Key specs
- Frequency: 20Hz～20kHz
- Weight: 30G
- Battery life: Up to 10 hours (additional 20 hours using power bank dock)
- Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.0
- Features: IP67 rated for dust and water resistance
The YouthWhisper SuperQ3 is an impressive and affordable bone-conduction headphone. It has many modern features like USB Type-C charging, Bluetooth 5.2 with multi-point connectivity, and an IP67 rating for waterproof and dust resistance.
It comes with dual noise canceling tech that offers crystal-clear calls even in noisy environments. It reduces background noise, ensuring your voice is heard loud and clear during phone calls.
Unlike many other bone-conduction headphones that come with a proprietary charging dock, the YouthWhisper SuperQ3 has a Type-C charging port that lets you charge the headphones with your phone’s charger. You get up to 8 hours of battery backup on a single charge.
6. Suunto Wing
Suunt| Pros | Cons |
| Extremely long battery life | Pricey |
| Portable charging dock | Some features need app installation |
| Premium build quality | |
| LED lights for visibility |
Key specs
- Frequency: 20Hz～20kHz
- Weight: 33G
- Battery life: Up to 10 hours (additional 20 hours via power bank dock)
- Connectivity: Bluetooth
- Features: IP67 rated, Charging dock with additional battery, fast charging
The Suunto Wing is a premium bone-conduction headphone that sounds great and is designed to keep you aware of your surroundings when you venture outside.
Thanks to its power bank dock, it offers a great battery life. These headphones come with an IP67 rating for dust and water resistance, making it ideal for worry-free usage.
The Suunto Wing also has LED lights that can come in handy if you want to attract someone’s attention during an emergency. These LED lights have three modes: constant, flashing, and SOS, which can be set using the bundled app.
These headphones also have head movement controls that let you control the headphones with your head gestures. You’ll need to pair your smartphone using a Suunto app to use these gestures.
Using these gestures could cost you extra battery, but responding to calls, changing tracks, and more by nodding is highly convenient when trekking or riding a bike.
Even though Suunto Wing is designed for outdoor usage, its impressive sound output means it can double up as a regular wireless headphone.
7. Creative Outlier Free Pro
Creative| Pros | Cons |
| Built-in storage | Audio quality could have been better |
| IPX8 water resistance | |
| Long battery life | |
| Fast charging |
Key specs
- Frequency: 20Hz～20kHz
- Weight: 31.5G
- Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.3
- Battery life: 10 hours
- Features: IPX8 rating, 8GB in-built storage
The Creative Outlier Free Pro is one of the best waterproof bone-conduction headphones. It is IPX8 certified to offer dust and water resistance, meaning you can wear it while swimming without any worry.
The Outlier Free Pro has built-in storage that lets you load your favorite songs and podcasts. This allows you to leave your phone at home when you step out for a hike or a session at the pool.
Like most bone-conduction headphones, the Creative Outlier Free Pro is highly comfortable to wear and keeps you in tune with the world around you. It has three physical buttons to skip, play the tracks, or respond to calls.
The Outlier Free Pro has a long battery life and offers fast charging support. These versatile open ear earbuds are ideal for people looking for a device that can be used while swimming or for streaming music on the go.
Honorable mentions
How to choose bone conduction headphones
Bone conduction headphones offer a compelling alternative to traditional options with their unique open-ear design. But with various models boasting different features, selecting the perfect pair can feel overwhelming.
Choosing the right bone conduction headphones boils down to understanding your needs and priorities. If swimming is your jam, ensure the headphones are waterproof.
Go for a lightweight, secure fit, and wraparound designs that offer better stability. Also, runners needing long hours should prioritize longer battery life over lighter weight. Depending on your needs, water resistance, microphone quality, and multipoint connectivity (pairing to two devices) can be valuable features.
How do bone conduction headphones work?
Bone conduction headphones are open-ear headphones that do not cover your ears. Instead of directing sound waves through the ear canal, bone conduction headphones use a transducer to convert audio signals into vibrations.
These vibrations travel through the bones of the skull to the cochlea in the inner ear, where they are perceived as sound.
Are there health benefits to using bone conduction headphones?
Bone conduction headphones offer quite a few health benefits compared to regular ones. These headphones improve hearing awareness for your safety.
Bone Conduction headphones also reduce ear fatigue and discomfort which is coming with in-ear earbuds or headphones.
People with ear infections, or obstructed ear canals may find bone conduction headphones more comfortable compared to regular earbuds or headphones.
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