How We Research
We compare products from their published specs and features; the verdicts below are our independent editorial opinions.
If you want open-ear sports headphones for running, cycling and workouts on dry land, choose Shokz OpenRun Mini; if you need headphones you can actually wear in the pool, choose SAMVEK Swimming Headphones. That's the short version, and honestly the specs make it a clean split rather than a close call.
• Shokz OpenRun Mini — biggest strength: featherweight 26 g wraparound bone conduction frame with an IP67 sweatproof rating and an 8-hour battery that quick-charges in 10 minutes. It's built for runners who want their ears open to traffic.
• Shokz OpenRun Mini — biggest trade-off: it explicitly is not suitable for swimming. IP67 handles sweat, rain and splashes, not full immersion.
• SAMVEK Swimming Headphones — biggest strength: IP68 waterproofing rated for complete immersion (about 2 m deep) plus a built-in 32 GB MP3 player, so it works with no phone and no Bluetooth signal underwater.
• SAMVEK Swimming Headphones — biggest trade-off: underwater you must switch to MP3 mode, because Bluetooth doesn't travel through water. That means loading files by cable first, and it's a heavier 30 g build.
• Pick Shokz OpenRun Mini if your training is running, gym, cycling or commuting and you want the lighter, more polished everyday pair.
• Pick SAMVEK Swimming Headphones if you actually swim laps and want music in the water without carrying a phone to the poolside.
The OpenRun Mini is a bone conduction headphone through and through. Sound travels as vibrations through your cheekbone to your inner ear, which is why your ear canal stays completely open. In practice that means you hear your podcast and the car behind you at the same time — the single most useful thing about this design for anyone training near roads or in busy parks. The frame is a wraparound, earbud-free fit weighing just 26 g, and the "Mini" sizing plus the included Shokz headband suggests it's aimed at smaller heads or people who find standard sport headphones slide around.
I'd steer you here if you run, lift, cycle or take calls while moving and want one pair that disappears on your head. I'd skip it if your main sport happens in water — the spec is blunt about it, and no amount of careful drying fixes a rating that isn't meant for swimming.
SAMVEK Swimming Headphones: Who It's For
The SAMVEK X7 is a different animal, and the spec sheet tells you why in the first line: IP68, completely waterproof, sweatproof, rainproof and dustproof, with the description noting it withstands full immersion to roughly 2 meters. That's the rating you need for laps, snorkeling, fishing or boating — a category the Shokz pair simply doesn't enter.
The clever part is the built-in 32 GB of storage. Because Bluetooth signals don't carry through water, the SAMVEK switches to MP3 mode for swimming, and you double-click the power button to move between that and Bluetooth. You load the audio by connecting the magnetic charging cable to a computer, where the headphones show up as a drive, then drag and drop files across. It supports MP3, WMA, WAV, APE and FLAC, and the sheet quotes capacity for thousands of songs — plenty for even a long training block. Away from the pool it behaves like a normal wireless headphone: Bluetooth 5.4 with a stated 33-foot (10 m) range, iOS and Android compatibility, and a multifunction button for play, pause, track skipping and answering calls.
Battery is a 200 mAh cell giving up to 8 hours of playback or talk time after a 2-hour charge. It weighs 30 g — noticeably more than the Shokz, though still light for an open-ear design, and the sheet notes it can be worn with a swim cap, goggles and earplugs. The housing is ABS plastic, the style is listed as over-ear, and it's a single-unit pack.
Buy this if you swim and want music without leaving a phone on the pool deck. Skip it if you mostly run or commute and want the most refined, lowest-weight fit — the extra weight and the mode-switching workflow are the price of being genuinely submersible.
• Best for swimming → SAMVEK Swimming Headphones. IP68 with full immersion, versus an IP67 rating that explicitly excludes swimming.
• Best for running and cycling → Shokz OpenRun Mini. 26 g versus 30 g, a wraparound sport frame and a 10-minute quick charge for short-notice sessions.
• Best for battery life → effectively a tie. Both are quoted at 8 hours; the Shokz charges in 1.5 hours, the SAMVEK in 2.
• Best for phone-free listening → SAMVEK Swimming Headphones. 32 GB of onboard storage means no device needed at all.
• Best for calls and everyday streaming → Shokz OpenRun Mini. Bluetooth 5.0 with a built-in mic and media controls, designed around workouts and calls.
• Best for the newest wireless spec → SAMVEK Swimming Headphones. Bluetooth 5.4 with a 10 m range versus Bluetooth 5.0.
• Best for build and finish → Shokz OpenRun Mini. Titanium, silicone and plastic construction from an established bone conduction brand, plus a headband, bag and warranty card in the box.
• Best for file flexibility → SAMVEK Swimming Headphones. Five supported audio formats for drag-and-drop loading.
In my opinion, the right buy depends entirely on whether water is involved — and that's a feature question, not a preference one. If you swim laps, I'd take the SAMVEK Swimming Headphones: the IP68 rating and 32 GB MP3 player are the whole reason to own them, and Bluetooth headphones without those two things can't follow you into the pool. If you run, ride or train on land, I'd take the Shokz OpenRun Mini — lighter at 26 g, quicker to charge, and built by a brand whose entire identity is bone conduction. My honest pick for most people reading this is the Shokz, because most people don't swim with headphones. But if you do, the SAMVEK is the one that survives the water. Check the current price on Amazon for whichever fits your sport before you commit.
No. It carries an IP67 rating, which the spec describes as sweat and waterproof for workouts, fitness and running, and it's explicitly noted as not suitable for swimming. It handles rain and heavy sweat, but not being submerged.
Not underwater. Bluetooth doesn't transmit through water, so you must switch to MP3 mode while submerged. Above the surface — on the deck, walking, cycling or at home — it works as a normal Bluetooth headset for music and calls.
Both use bone conduction, so neither seals your ear canal and both trade some bass depth for situational awareness. The Shokz spec quotes an 8th-generation bone conduction driver with a 20 Hz–20,000 Hz range; the SAMVEK emphasises clarity and MP3 playback flexibility. In my opinion they're different tools rather than a like-for-like audio shootout.
For swimming, no — that's the advantage of the 32 GB of built-in storage. You load tracks from a computer over the magnetic cable, then leave the phone behind. For Bluetooth listening and calls, yes, you'll pair it like any other wireless headphone.
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