Shokz OpenDots 2 Review: A Clip Worth Considering

Clips are all the rage these days in wireless earbuds. Sony’s got a clip, Bose has a clip, JBL has clips, and now Shokz is back with the OpenDots 2, marking its second-gen clip-style wireless earbuds.

Shokz is bringing some upgrades to the $199 OpenDots appeal, including improved bass, upgraded Dolby audio, and better call quality, which are perks over earlier generations of Shokz earbuds. The question isn’t necessarily if the OpenDots 2 are better than their predecessor, though; it’s whether they stand out in a field of clip-style open earbuds that feels wider than ever.

A proper sequel

Like other open wireless earbuds from Shokz, including the OpenFit Pro (which I really like), the OpenDots 2 aren’t lacking in the audio quality department. With the perks I mentioned earlier, the OpenDots 2 sound pretty great. The bass is genuinely solid thanks to Bassphere 2.0, which is Shokz’ spherical acoustic system powered by two 11.8mm drivers that are meant to sound like a larger 16mm driver.

I could get into nerdy specifics about how Bassphere 2.0 works, but what you really need to know is that it translates to good low end, especially for a pair of open wireless earbuds, a category that’s not necessarily known for its performance in that arena. Listening to “Da Funk” by Daft Punk, I got good performance across the frequency range. Driving bass was well represented but not obnoxious; synths in the upper and mid frequencies were sitting above the mix; pops of sampled tracks were still audible in the middle of everything.

In the rock genre, this full range was also performant. Steely Dan’s “Any Major Dude” sounded clear and immersive, and I was able to pick out keys, rhythm, and lead guitar. Again, bass was surprisingly present but not overpowering or too artificially boosted.

One thing that I recommend doing if you do pull the trigger on these clip-style wireless earbuds is going straight to the Shokz app and trying out the Dolby Audio toggle. Dolby Audio is one of the upgrades in this generation, and I see why Shokz put that upgrade in its marketing. By toggling that feature on, the soundstage widens quite a bit, and the whole audio experience feels just a little bit more immersive—a little bit bigger. Shokz says the feature brings “clear vocals, richer details, and better bass,” and based on my listening, that synopsis is accurate. The Dolby Audio experience won’t be for everyone since it does drastically change the tuning, but I personally like the bigger sound for most tracks.

If you want subtler tuning tweaks, the Shokz app has presets to amplify bass or vocals for more private listening with less noise bleed, but I would recommend trying out Smart EQ. This mode will walk you through two sound profile options for six different frequency ranges, and then you’ll select which of the two profiles in the range sounds better to you. It’s an interesting way of doing personalized EQ, and it feels less involved than others I’ve used and still yields good results. The Smart EQ tuning definitely sounded a little clearer to me, but not quite as explosive as the Dolby Audio toggle. You cannot use Dolby Audio and Smart EQ at the same time, so you’ll need to decide which is better for you.

The OpenDots 2 get decently loud, too, and while they’re not ideal to wear on the loud-as-hell New York City subway (no open wireless earbud is, to be honest), they held their own. I still think Bose’s Ultra Open Earbuds are easier to hear in loud situations, but the OpenDots 2 are no slouch.

Ultimately, the OpenDots 2 sound better than cheap (but still strong) competition like the Soundpeats Clip1 ($70) and rival Bose’s only clip-style option, the Bose Ultra Open Earbuds ($299), which makes sense given a price that slots between those two pairs.

A comfortable clip, but maybe not the king

One of the major benefits to clip-style wireless earbuds—or any open wireless earbud, for that matter—is comfort. Instead of plugging your ears up with a silicone tip like most wireless earbuds with active noise cancellation (ANC), clip-on and wraparound open earbuds let your ears breathe. This makes them a lot more comfortable in longer durations of use, and the OpenDots 2 are no different.

I wore the OpenDots 2 for the majority of a workday, and at times I almost forgot that I had them on. Like other clip-style open wireless earbuds, you can hear your surroundings well when music isn’t playing, though still not as well as if you weren’t wearing headphones at all. If I had one complaint about the OpenDots 2 comfort-wise, it’s that the fit wasn’t quite right for me. They’re a bit on the smaller side, and sometimes I felt like the driver didn’t quite fit in the ideal spot next to my ear canal, making them sound a little bit quieter than they ought to. They also feel a tad bit tighter on my ears compared to the Soundpeats’ Clip1 or Bose’s Ultra Open Earbuds.

The less-than-ideal fit isn’t enough for me to deduct points, necessarily, but I couldn’t help but feel that the other two aforementioned pairs just felt more natural on my ears. That being said, everyone’s ears are different, so your mileage may vary.

Like other open wireless earbuds, the OpenDots 2 are also great for calls. I wore the OpenDots 2 for a half-hour-long conversation, and I was able to hear both my surroundings and the person I was calling well—they also reported that my voice was coming in loud and clear. I also conducted a test with some simulated subway noise, and the person I called said they couldn’t hear it at all thanks to environmental noise cancellation on the OpenDots 2. Overall, they rated the call quality a 7/10, since the fidelity wasn’t spectacular on their end, even if it was quiet, but I still wouldn’t hesitate to use these in a louder environment for calling, since I was still audible.

The touch controls are a bit odd on the OpenDots 2, but they’re fine. Instead of tap and swipe controls, there are sensors on the top and bottom of the earbud base that you need to pinch, which are meant to avoid accidental triggers. In that respect, they mostly worked—I rarely touched them by accident—but I still prefer physical buttons. As is the case with pretty much every pair of modern wireless earbuds, pinch inputs can control track skipping, play/pause, and volume, which is a pinch-and-hold. You can also set your preferred gestures in the Shokz app for the left and right earbuds, as well as the pinch sensitivity, which is a nice touch.

These aren’t the most feature-rich wireless earbuds, but they have most of the features you’d want, like a find my earbuds feature that lets you ping lost buds if they’re paired with your device, personalized EQ, multi-device pairing, and, as I mentioned, Dolby Audio. Unlike the OpenFit Pro, there is no noise reduction feature, but that’s to be expected—Shokz is pretty much the only company offering noise reduction in an open wireless earbud, and they’re reserving that feature for premium models. I also don’t know that noise reduction can be achieved in a clip-style form factor.

Battery life is pretty solid thanks to the lack of ANC. Shokz rates the OpenDots 2 for 10 hours of battery, and based on my testing, that’s perfectly accurate. I started a test at 100% battery and played music for an hour at 65% volume, and the earbuds dropped to 90% on the dot. The charging case, which charges wirelessly, by the way, holds an additional 30 hours of battery.

Should you pick this clip over others?

There are lots of clips to choose from nowadays, which raises the bar for the OpenDots 2. Even with elevated standards, though, the OpenDots 2 are worth considering. I like the sound quality more than cheaper clip earbuds like the Soundpeats Clip1, and I like that they’re cheaper than the Bose Ultra Open Earbuds with comparable sound quality.

The fit isn’t amazing on me, but that’s a pretty subjective thing—they might fit your ears perfectly. I do wish they were slightly cheaper since they’re good but not mind-blowing. But $199 isn’t egregious by any means.

With enough volume, features, and improvements over the last generation, the OpenDots 2 are a solid value and take their place firmly in the mix among clip-style competitors.