The AfterShokz Trekz Air is a slimmed down bone-conduction headphone that offers improved sound and is very comfortable to wear, leaving your ears open to hear the outside world. It works well as a headset for making cell-phone call and comes with a nice carrying pouch.

When you think of headphones for sports and exercise, maybe you think of a lightweight pair of headphones or some sport-focused earbuds with over-ear hooks such as Powerbeats Pro . But what about bone conduction headphones? The key design feature of the Trekz Air is, of course, that they're not earphones at all, but speakers. Shokz calls this 'OpenFit', and despite them allowing you to hear what's going on around you, one of those small bone conduction transducers comes with a further safety option; a mute button. On the left-hand side and easy to find, it's designed for the user to press when, say, crossing a busy road.

This means that if you get caught in the rain during the last mile of a run or drop them in the water while you’re kayaking, they’ll still be a-ok. While we wouldn’t recommend Aeropex for swimming(that’s where our Xtrainerz come in), they fit a wide variety of activities.

or having a phone conversation through the headphone. That openness allows runners and bikers to hear traffic, an important safety feature. Also, some race coordinators don't allow you to wear anything in your ears, which is where a headphone like theSo how do they sound? In a sentence; good enough for the gym or office, and much fuller than the Shokz Titanium, but not as good as a pair of regular headphones or earphones. If you don't strongly dislike conventional earbuds or headphones, it's hard to make a case for either the Air or the Titanium—they cost more, have less battery life, and don't offer a full musical range of audio reproduction. But they're outstanding for audio tasks centered on a relatively normal human speaking range, and their battery life is good enough for even heavy daily use. The new Air is everything you love about Titanium, but with advanced features and improvements. Not only is the new design 20% lighter, it contains a full titanium wraparound band for better durability, new antenna for stronger Bluetooth ® connectivity, enhanced dual noise-cancelling mics for crystal-clear calls, improved LeakSlayer ™ technology for a more private listening experience, and redesigned transducers that deliver high-quality PremiumPitch+ sound with more bass tones. AfterShokz lists "six hours of continuous music + calls on a single charge" for the Air and Titanium models alike. I easily exceeded that in my testing, with the charge level going down about 10 percent per hour while listening to podcast after podcast on long car trips. Fully charges in an hour and a half, but a 15-minute charge provides enough boost to "get you through a long workout or marathon call"

Redesigned Open-Fit - Although AfterShokz Air feature a lightweight wraparound titanium frame that weighs in at only 30g grams, Aeropex boasts our lightest design yet, totaling at just 26 grams. Aeropex headphones also feature a redesigned transducer for minimized vibrations and a more snug fit. The headphones are one of AfterShokz more affordable options, so the features are a little limited in comparison to some of their higher-end models. The headphones feature a Bluetooth 4.2 connection, which I would like to see be updated to Bluetooth 5.0 in a future revision of these headphones. The headphones also feature an IP55 dust and water resistance rating which makes them great for use during exercise. Ear plugs and a carrying case are also included. Of course, these will feel different to regular headphones when you first put them on, but their design characteristics make them fade away and prevent them from being distracting. As someone who has not used bone conduction headphones before, I was impressed with how pleasant these were to wear. Sound QualityThat's partly to do with the materials used and the weighting and positioning of the various components, but it's also got to do with where the speakers themselves sit on your head. At least on the face that we tested them on, the Trekz Air sat comfortably within a small dimple area at the top of the jawbone. It's a really subtle, careful, clever design. AfterShokz's bone-conduction design is also a significant functional improvement for people who need to keep paying attention to their surroundings. With unobstructed ears, it's much easier to converse with those around you, notice important traffic cues while jogging or riding a bicycle, and so forth. The OpenFit design of the headphones allows you to be fully aware of your surroundings as they do not obstruct or sit within your ears, making them great for use during outdoor sports or exercise, such as running or cycling, or if you need to be aware of your surroundings during work. Despite the open design of the headphones, sound leakage is minimal with only the high end of a song being audible from close-by. The headphones allow you to remain aware of your surroundings. Set-up was easy, with a female voice called Audrey confirming that the Bluetooth pairing process with a phone had worked. Thanks, Audrey. The Air and the Titanium are also helpful with home school craziness—my wife can listen for questions and/or shenanigans from kids while podcasting, audiobooking, or taking calls, and my daughter finds them significantly better for class interviews and required multimedia consumption than the traditional headsets all three kids already had. The Good