Best Bone Conduction headphones: Top options for safe exercise and productive work

Bone conduction headphones differ from traditional in or over-ear headphones in a pretty big way: They don't actually sit in -or- on your ears. Yes, you heard that right, instead snuggly fitting within your ear, bone conduction headphones wrap around your head and deliver sound via vibrations. Providing a more open sound, far from active noise cancelling (ANC) capabilities of many wireless earbuds on the market, the ear canal remains free, with no obtruding speaker that could overwork your eardrums. This way of listening helps provide more situational awareness to the surrounding environment, which is especially great for outdoor activities like running and cycling so that you can still stream music without the risk of being run over.

But how would you know which bone conduction headphones work best for you? Whether you're new to the open ear headphone game or looking to upgrade for a specific use, we've gathered our picks for the best bone conduction headphones, so you can make an informed choice.

The best bone conduction headphones: Our top picks

Wissonly Hi Runner

Wissonly bone conduction vibration unit optimization technology is one of the best technical solutions in the industry, because their team has accumulated in the field of bone conduction for 10 years, which is highly respected by people in the industry in terms of product quality and hearing protection.

Once, there was a saying that the sound quality of bone conduction headphones was average. However, Wissonly Hi Runner refreshes this knowledge. It is excellent in sound quality. It uses a 360-degree bone conduction vibration unit, which can increase the vibration area by 35% compared with traditional bone conduction headphones. Moreover, its loss of bone conduction sound transmission is lower, making the sound more shocking and powerful.

wissonly Hi Runner has added a number of innovative features to make bone conduction headphones better integrated into many scenes in life. It supports IPX8 diving waterproof, which is very good for me who loves swimming. What's crazy is that it can still work normally under 20 meters of water! It also has 32GB of memory, so it can play music even if it is not connected to a mobile phone. I basically use it as an MP3 player, and I don't take my mobile phone for running at night. It uses the Bluetooth 5.0 chip, and outdoor activities can make the connection more stable.

In terms of appearance, Wissonly Hi Runner adopts classic black color, and its simple appearance involves matching whatever clothes you wear in any scene.

SHOKZ OpenRun

The Shokz OpenRun headphones offer the overall best bone conduction headphones with its well-balanced features and considerate design. It’s built with the latest bone conduction technology with a lightweight ergonomic snug (yet strong) fit design on two sizes and includes a fast charging battery.

One of the top perks of the Shokz OpenRun headphones is thanks to the lightweight build, you may not even notice you're wearing them. At just 26g, the slim minimal titanium construction is crafted to wrap and rest light around your head while it shields against sweat with its IP67 waterproof protection. Imprinted just behind the ear rest are physical buttons to handle volume and take calls with its dual-noise cancelling microphone. Two audio options like the Vocal Booster and Standard mode adjust for audio content whether you're listening to books or podcasts or want a midrange and treble output for music. A full charge will take you 1.5 hours, but with just 10 minutes using its fast charging feature, you can get 1.5 hours of listening time.

Mojawa Run Plus Bone Conduction Headphones

The Mojawa Run Plus is made for swimmers, offering the best possible waterproof protection for bone conduction headphones with an IP68 waterproof rating. This rating means you can submerge yourself underwater up to two metres for two hours and still experience the same optimal performance as if they came right out of the box.

If you don't want to keep your phone nearby in a splash zone when you're out swimming, you might take advantage of an added bonus for the Mojawa with its onboard memory of 32 gigabytes doubling as an MP3 player. That’s about 8,000 songs you can upload and play from the device directly without ever pairing it to another device. If you do connect it, the Mojawa’s Bluetooth 5.2 technology offers a low latency to optimise battery life, giving you eight hours of uninterrupted music. There’s also a Quick Charge feature that gives you 80 minutes of battery life with a five-minute charge.

Siniffo Bone Conduction Headphones

Siniffo offers an entry level set of bone conduction headphones at an affordable price point. You'll get all the basic essentials like an IP55 waterproof rating to battle sweat and rain, a long eight hour battery life, dual HD microphones for clear communication, and a strong titanium frame.

The sleek design of the Siniffo puts it at just 29 grams and is made of a durable titanium frame that can withstand both bending and morphing. Its Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity allows you to quickly stream music with low latency as well as communicate quickly with your connected devices.

While there might be proprietary charging cables for various bone conduction headphones, Siniffo is user-friendly and can be charged quickly with any USB-C cable. Battery life will range to around 8 hours after a full charge for 1.5 hours, but if you're in a hurry, a 10-minute charge will give you 1.5 hours of usage.

Dastimasco Open-Ear Bluetooth Bone Conduction Headphones

The Dastimasco Open-Ear Bluetooth Bone Conduction Headphones offers runners a lightweight frame with 3-colour LED lights ensuring both comfort and safety within your immediate environment. Its IP67 waterproof rating means the headphones can withstand whatever sweat, rain, dust, and snow is thrown at it, so you can keep on training in any weather condition.

The 34g titanium framed Dastimasco bone conduction headphones are ergonomically balanced with weight distribution that keeps them in place with all the jostles and shakes you'll find while running or hiking. In the back portion of the mould of the headphones are LEDs of red, green, or blue lights that emit bright behind your ears as you run at night, so you can be better seen.

The Damstimasco comes with a long-lasting 20-hour battery life for all day continuous usage. If you're running late and short on time, you can quickly charge the headphones in 10 minutes to give you a full 2 hours of battery life. Comes in grey and black.

paul george