Why your next wireless earbuds shouldn't have noise cancellation

True wireless earbud manufacturers have spent the last decade trying to perfect noise cancellation, the technology that combines with a tight in-ear seal to block out all external sound. This lets you only hear whatever you're listening to, be it music, podcast, audiobook or phone call, and lets little to no ambient sound in.

I've tested many of the best noise cancelling earbuds, and I don't think they can get much better than the superlative Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds or Apple AirPods Pro 2. Perhaps that's why there is a new trend for a completely different kind of earbud that is designed to do the opposite of noise cancellation and actually let sound in.

Open earbuds do exactly what the name suggests and leave your ear canal open and not blocked by the plastic or silicone tip of an earbud. This way, sound can get into your ear both from the earbud but also the outside world, leaving you aware of your surroundings, to an extent, when you're listening to audio.

If you hate the feeling of having your ears sealed with the popular eartip design, open earbuds are for you.

It means you can pause the audio and leave the buds on but still be able to hear. Aside from the social faux pas of chatting to someone while wearing earbuds, this can be handy if you want to sit, say, in the office to take calls and tune into your laptop's audio without taking headphones in or out. It's the 2025 equivalent of the Bluetooth headset that adorned the ear of businesspeople and taxi drivers 20 years ago.

I've been testing the latest open earbuds from Shokz, the brand famous for popularising bone conduction headphones that clamp to the sides of your head to deliver audio, and leave your ears open.

The firm's new OpenFit 2+ ditch the bone conduction and headband design, opting for two separate buds with flexible silicone hooks and audio ends that sit over your ear opening.

It's a very different feeling than having rubber tips jammed down your lugholes to help drown out any possible noise, and it's one I've found is much more comfortable. So many noise cancelling headphones and earbuds are marketed at (and presumably made by) people who live in loud cities who commute and travel frequently by air.

But if you live in the countryside or do much of your headphone listening in your home, noise cancellation is an unnecessary feature and expense, fixing a problem you might not need to solve.

Shokz seems to understand this with its bone conduction line aimed at athletes, so the firm markets the OpenFit 2+ to general users rather than fitness fans, though the sweatproof buds are suitable for exercise. I found them comfortable to run in, though they are less so when I am wearing my glasses as the two sets of arms jostle for a secure fit.

The gold standard in sound quality for open earbuds I've tested is the Bose Ultra Open Earbuds, which hook onto the outside of each ear with a clever rolling design. The £299 price tag thankfully does deliver excellent bass and tone, but this is very expensive for most people, and there are several other compromises.

The Shokz OpenFit 2+ come in at £179, but this is still quite a lot compared to the excellent OpenFit Air that I ran a half marathon in last year and now cost £94.

I think it's hard to justify the extra spend. The OpenFit 2+ has beefier sound that's clearer, and the addition of Dolby Atmos helps if you have a compatible phone. But I only noticed a difference when listening in a quiet room. When out and about or on a run, both sets stayed secure and audio was loud enough to be heard, but I didn't think the newer pair sounded head and shoulders better.

The newer pair also have longer battery life with 11 hours compared to seven, and up to 48 hours with a fully charged case compared to 28. The 2+'s case also has wireless charging.

Sound quality is much less important with open earbuds because sound is usually coming in from all around you, muffling. I've appreciated fit and comfort more than audio chops with these kinds of buds, so I don't think you need to spend a lot if you want some.

The £99 Nothing Ear Open is another good choice next to the cheaper Shokz. The hook design is good, they sound great, and the case is long and flat - easier to slip into a pocket than the bulbous Shokz cases.

The Huawei FreeArc are also great and very similar to the OpenFit Air, although it's worth noting call quality on them is quite bad.

Even Apple's non-Pro £179 AirPods 4 are technically open earbuds despite the classic bud stem and no earhook. I use them frequently and find them much more comfortable than the AirPods Pro 2. They even have noise cancellation, but it's nowhere near as good as on the Pro 2. Sound quality is also better than the Shokz efforts simply because the buds go further into your ear.

If you hate having earbuds rammed into your ears or simply want a pair to wear around all day at home, out and about or in the office, open earbuds are a great choice. You can spend less than £100 and get a very solid pair.