How We Research
We compare products from their published specs and features; the verdicts below are our independent editorial opinions.
If you want a sports-first bone conduction headphone with app-based tuning and a watch-integrated workout experience, choose SUUNTO Sonic Open-Ear; if you need an all-day work headset built around clear calls and long talk time, choose ShenzhenShokzCo.Ltd OpenComm2.
• SUUNTO Sonic Open-Ear — biggest strength: a sport-tuned bone conduction design with aptX-Adaptive audio, Bluetooth 5.2 multipoint, 10 hours of playtime and a 5-minute quick charge that buys 90 minutes of use.
• SUUNTO Sonic Open-Ear — biggest trade-off: it is clearly built for movement and training first, so if your main job is long conference calls, its 10-hour battery and app-centric controls may feel less purpose-built than a dedicated work headset.
• ShenzhenShokzCo.Ltd OpenComm2 — biggest strength: a work-and-meeting tool with an onboard mute button, DSP noise-canceling mic and up to 16 hours of talk time.
• ShenzhenShokzCo.Ltd OpenComm2 — biggest trade-off: its listening time per charge is 8 hours, and it leans on physical buttons rather than the kind of app-driven sound modes the SUUNTO offers.
• Pick the SUUNTO Sonic Open-Ear if you run, ride or train and want your headphones to double as a training companion.
• Pick the OpenComm2 if you live on calls, meetings and remote work and want a headset that stays on your head all day.
The SUUNTO Sonic Open-Ear is a true bone conduction headphone, which means audio vibrations travel along your cheekbones to your inner ear while your ear canals stay completely open. That's the whole point of the category, and SUUNTO leans hard into it: awareness of traffic, teammates and surroundings without pulling anything out of your ears. The shell mixes silicone and titanium alloy, and the whole thing weighs 30.6 g, with a weight distribution meant to keep it from digging in during long sessions.
On the inside, the story is sports-focused. There's a QCC3044 chip running Bluetooth 5.2 with multipoint, so you can pair a phone and a laptop at once and switch between them. aptX-Adaptive support targets low latency — the sheet lists 85 ms — which matters if you're watching pace data or listening to cues mid-run. The frequency range is listed as 20 Hz to 10,000 Hz, and SUUNTO describes an optimized curve for stronger lows and smoother highs. You get a 140 mAh battery rated at 10 hours, plus a fast charge that gives 90 minutes of use from 5 minutes on the cable. IP55 covers sweat and light rain, though the sheet explicitly warns against rinsing it under a faucet.
The app is where this thing separates itself for athletes. You can check battery, flip between normal and outdoor sound modes, and manage dual-device pairing. Pair it with a recent SUUNTO watch and you get spoken feedback like lap times and average speed during a workout. That's a genuinely different use case from a plain headset. Who should buy it: runners, cyclists, gym-goers and anyone who wants headphones that feel like part of their training kit. Who should skip it: if your day is back-to-back video calls and you want a dedicated mute button and maximum talk time, this isn't the tool aimed at you.
The OpenComm2 is the opposite personality in the same category. It's an open-ear bone conduction headset built around work — office, online meetings, PC and Mac compatibility. It uses Shokz's 7th-generation bone conduction technology paired with PremiumPitch 2.0 audio and a noise-canceling microphone with DSP, and the spec sheet shows a wide 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz frequency range. The frame is flexible, the finish is IP55 water-resistant soft silicone, and it weighs 35 g, so it's designed to sit on your head through a full workday without complaint.
The headline number here is talk time: up to 16 hours of calls and 8 hours of listening per charge, with a 5-minute quick charge adding 2 hours of talk time. If you're the person who's on meetings from morning standup to late-afternoon wrap, that's the spec that matters most, and it's a big part of why this device exists. Charging is USB-C, which means one cable for your laptop and your headset.
Controls are physical and deliberate. There's a mute button for calls, plus buttons for volume, play/pause and track skipping — no app required to do the basics. The Shokz App handles multipoint pairing, letting you connect two devices and toggle between them. Bluetooth is listed as 5.1 with a 98-foot range, and the sheet notes active noise cancellation in the noise-control field. Who should buy it: remote workers, call-center types, salespeople, and anyone who takes meetings on a laptop all day and wants their ears open to the room. Who should skip it: if you want the longest possible music playback per charge or app-based sound modes tied to a sports watch, the SUUNTO's feature set fits that better.
Side-by-Side: Which Should You Choose?
• Best for running, cycling and training → SUUNTO Sonic Open-Ear. The 85 ms latency figure, outdoor sound mode and SUUNTO watch voice feedback are built for movement.
• Best for longer music listening per charge → SUUNTO Sonic Open-Ear. 10 hours of playback versus 8 hours of listening time on the OpenComm2.
• Best for extended talk time per charge → ShenzhenShokzCo.Ltd OpenComm2. 16 hours of talk time versus the SUUNTO's 10-hour overall rating.
• Best for quick top-ups → a tie, with a twist. The SUUNTO gives 90 minutes of use from 5 minutes of charging; the OpenComm2 gives 2 hours of talk time from 5 minutes. Both fully charge in about 1 hour.
• Best for app-based customization → SUUNTO Sonic Open-Ear. Sound modes, battery monitoring and dual-device management all live in the SUUNTO app.
• Best for button-first control → ShenzhenShokzCo.Ltd OpenComm2. Mute, volume and playback are on physical buttons you can find without looking.
• Best for lighter weight → SUUNTO Sonic Open-Ear. 30.6 g versus 35 g.
• Best for longer Bluetooth reach → ShenzhenShokzCo.Ltd OpenComm2. A listed 98-foot range versus 10 meters (about 33 feet) on the SUUNTO.
In my opinion, the OpenComm2 is the safer buy for most people, because "open-ear headset" usually means "I need to hear my calls and my surroundings at the same time," and that's precisely what Shokz engineered here: 16 hours of talk time, a mute button where your fingers expect it, USB-C, and a mic tuned for voices. I'd pick the SUUNTO Sonic Open-Ear instead if my headphones live in my running shoes more than my desk chair — the sports-watch voice feedback and the outdoor sound mode are features no work headset bothers with. Both are IP55, both weigh in the low 30s of grams, and both charge in about an hour, so the real dividing line is calls versus workouts. Decide which one you do more of.
how to bone conduction headphones work
A bone conduction driver sits against your cheekbone and sends vibrations through the bone directly to your inner ear, bypassing the eardrum. That's why your ear canal stays open — you hear the audio and your surroundings at the same time. Both the SUUNTO Sonic Open-Ear and the OpenComm2 use this type of driver.
how to wear bone conduction headphones
The headband rests behind your head or over the top, with the transducers sitting against your cheekbones just in front of your ears — not inside them, and not over them. The SUUNTO's 30.6 g frame and the OpenComm2's 35 g flexible frame are both shaped to hold that position. If the transducers drift off the bone, bass and volume drop noticeably.
how to use bone conduction headphones
Charge over USB-C or the included cable, pair over Bluetooth, and use the onboard controls or companion app for the rest. The SUUNTO pairs through the SUUNTO app for sound modes and dual-device switching; the OpenComm2 uses physical buttons for volume, playback and muting, with the Shokz App handling multipoint. Neither has a headphone jack.
They're designed to do the opposite of noise isolation — your ears stay open, so you keep awareness of traffic and conversation. SUUNTO specifically describes a shell structure aimed at reducing sound leakage, while the OpenComm2's sheet lists active noise cancellation in its noise-control field, mainly relevant to call audio rather than blocking the world out. If you want total silence, neither is the right pick.
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