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Over the past few years, I’ve spent a lot of time reviewing the latest True wireless noise canceling earbudswith distinct models such as Apple AirPods Pro 3 headphones and Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earphones (2nd Generation) Features stronger noise suppression along with great sound quality.
Here’s something I’ve noticed: Although noise-isolating earbuds with silicone eartips aren’t going away, more attention is now being paid to Open designs Which does not block your ear canal and allows you to hear the outside world for “situational awareness”.
Market research companies been reported The market for open-ear headphones and open-ear headphones using bone conduction technology is growing rapidly. And product advertisements from Consumer Electronics Show 2026 Reflects this trend. While there haven’t been a lot of new headphones or earbuds unveiled at Big Tech Expo in Las Vegasthe majority were open-style, including Sport Earhooks models from Shokz, Anker, and JBL, as well as some new clip-on designs. More open buds are on the way too (I’ve been shown a few that I can’t tell you yet).
Read more: Best open ear headphones 2026
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“According to our research, open-ear headphones have become the fastest-growing style of earphones, indicating a growing consumer desire for sound that suits individual lifestyles,” said Carsten Olsen, head of consumer audio at Harman, JBL’s parent company, which is owned by Samsung.
Baseus, which partnered with Bose late last year on its flagship phone Inspiration XC1 Fitted earbuds (and two more Model inspiration), no new models were announced at CES, but Jack Liu, head of international public relations at Baseus, teased what was to come in an email to me before the show.
“We believe the earbud industry will experience a new wave of growth as the trend will continue to move from the regular form factor to open earbuds,” he wrote. “It will evolve from a listening device to a companion device that will be with you all day long. Especially nowadays, connecting and interacting with an AI assistant has become as important as listening to music and podcasts.”
He went on to write that the Inspire XC1 solved a major problem with open-ear design: sound quality. “We’re about to solve another problem with this form factor: noise cancellation. In 2026, you’ll see more and more good-sounding open-ear headphones, with Baseus being one of the leading brands.”
Illustration from Shokz for OpenEar noise reduction.
Maybe so, but open-ear headphones are difficult to equip with active noise-cancelling features, as Shokz discovered with their new headphones. OpenFit Pro Buds ($250). Instead of promoting it as a true model of noise cancellation, Shocks ended up bending expectations and calling out the technology’s in-world presence. Ear hook shaped buds “Noise reduction in the open ear.”
This was the right move considering that in my tests, the OpenFit Pro didn’t reduce ambient sound nearly as much as Apple’s flagship open-ear headphones, AirPods 4 with active noise cancellationwhich is scheduled to be upgraded in September (whether that will actually happen is anyone’s guess).
Adding active noise cancellation to open ear headphones is the holy grail. You benefit from a more comfortable fit (many people find it annoying to have earbuds jammed in their ears), while having the option to keep your ears open to your surroundings or actually close them (to some extent, anyway).
While the noise cancellation on the AirPods 4 is not as strong as the noise cancellation on the AirPods 4 AirPods Pro 3You can really tell when the noise cancellation is turned on. The AirPods 5’s noise cancellation is supposed to be a little better.
Noise cancellation breakthrough?
With her Soundcore Aerofit 2 Pro ($180 list) Anker is trying to circumvent the noise-canceling challenge of open buds by creating a set of convertible semi-open earhook-style buds that allow you to change the angle of the buds so their tips are deeper in your ear canal for ANC mode, or further out for open listening.
These headphones don’t have the typical silicone ear pads that seal your ear canal, so I’m not sure how well the noise cancellation works. But I suspect it might be a little better than what you get with the Shokz OpenFit Pro because the bud sits at least partially inside your ear canal, as it does with the AirPods 4 (the OpenFit Pro sits above your ear, leaving more of a gap).
The Soundcore AeroFit Pro 2 headphones can be angled for a more open or closed fit.
I loved earlier Soundcore Aero Fit 2 ($100), which sound good for open ear headphones and fit my ears well. The AeroFit 2 Pro should sound a little better, at least in ANC mode with the speakers positioned deeper in your ear canal.
I should note that while the sound of open-ear headphones continues to improve to the point where they are now respectable, with better bass performance, clarity, and less distortion, a good set of noise-isolating earbuds with silicone eartips are still my favorites for critical listening. But people tend to buy open-ear headphones for their design, whether it’s because they find the silicone eartips uncomfortable or because they don’t have to worry about the clip-on or ear-hook-shaped buds falling out of their ears during sports activities like running and cycling, while allowing you to hear traffic or people around you for safety reasons.
It will be interesting to see what Bose comes up with as his cameo Ultra-open earbudswhich helped popularize synaptic buds in the United States. With her Audio from Boss It has spent the past year successfully licensing its technology and design segments to more value-driven companies like Baseus and Skullcandy. But in the meantime, Apple managed to cancel noise in open headphones before the noise-canceling pioneer did, so we’ll see how Bose responds.
While we wait for that – and the arrival of a host of other open-ear headphones later this year – here’s a look at the latest models to be officially announced. I will update the list when I receive news of new noteworthy open ear buds.
The Shokz OpenFit Pro comes in white or black for $250.
Like I said before, the OpenFit Pro doesn’t reduce ambient sound nearly as much as the AirPods 4 with ANC, but it sounds impressive for open-ear headphones. They’re also comfortable to wear and have the premium build quality you’d expect from a $250 set of earbuds. The OpenFit Pro comes in two color options (white or black) and is available for pre-order at Shakz and Best buy. They ship on January 21st.
Splash- and dust-resistant with an IP55 rating, the OpenFit Pro is equipped with Bluetooth 6.1 and also has spatial audio, supporting Dolby Audio with Dolby Head Tracking (Shokz says they’re optimized for Dolby Atmos). You can turn head tracking on or off in the companion Shokz app for iOS and Android, and adjust the EQ settings as well.
Additionally, the headphones have physical buttons to control playback (which I love) and ear detection sensors that pause the music when you remove the headphones and resume playback when you turn them back on. Battery life is rated at up to 12 hours with the noise reduction feature turned off and 6 hours with it on, which is a pretty significant reduction. Read my first post in full.
Anker’s marketing campaign for Aero Fit 2 Pro It promotes its transformative nature with the slogan “One Key, Two Worlds.” It’s a very smart design, though I wouldn’t expect noise-canceling performance to be nearly as good as what you get with the best ANC headphones like the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (Gen 2) and AirPods Pro 2.
Like the Shokz, it is splash and dust resistant with an IP55 rating. The AeroFit Pro 2 is also equipped with Bluetooth 6.1 and has physical buttons to control playback. Battery life is rated at up to 7 hours with noise cancellation off and 5 hours with it on, which is good but not great. The charging case provides four additional charges and supports wireless charging. They come in three color options (white, black or purple) and are available for Pre-order now for $150 With a $30 early bird discount. I’m looking forward to testing these devices closer to their shipping date in early May.
The JBL Sense Pro ships in March for $200.
the Sense Pro are JBL’s new flagship open-ear headphones, featuring a more premium design, audio performance and improved voice calls, according to JBL. “Since launching our first open audio model in 2023, JBL Soundgear Sense, we’ve improved our JBL OpenSound Air Delivery technology, advanced wearing styles for both everyday listening and fitness and integrated algorithms for clearer calls and bass improvements,” said Harman’s Olesen.
Available in March in black or grey $200the Sense Pro has 16.2mm drivers, four microphones (two in each earbud) and JBL’s audio pickup sensor technology. It’s equipped with Bluetooth 6.0, is splash and dust resistant with an IP54 rating and can get up to 8 hours of playback on a single charge with an additional 30 hours in the case, which supports wireless charging. The headphones have touch controls that can be customized in the JBL Headphones app for iOS and Android.
JBL Sense Lite comes in three color options.
JBL didn’t have much to say about it Sense Light Aside from the fact that it’s supposed to be light and comfortable (“designed for all-day wear”), with a design “reinforced with a soft silicone finish.” They also have dual-beam microphones and JBL’s adaptive bass boost algorithm, which delivers “smooth, friction-free sound with minimal dropout, ensuring clarity and privacy.” Equipped with Bluetooth 5.4, the Sense Lite is splash and dust resistant with an IP54 rating and can get up to 8 hours of playback on a single charge with an additional 24 hours in the box, which no Support wireless charging. Available for $150 in March, color options include black, white and purple.
The JBL Soundgear clips will be available in four color options in March.
the Audio clips They are the new JBL Buds, which feature an eye-catching transparent design and metallic color (they come in four color options, including white, blue, brown or purple). JBL says it features an adaptive bass boost algorithm for enhanced sound and has four microphones (two on each earbud) for “clear calls, allowing the headphones to clearly recognize the user’s voice, regardless of background noise.”
The Bluetooth 5.4-equipped Soundgear Clips are splash and dust resistant with an IP54 rating and can get up to 8 hours of playback on a single charge, with an additional 24 hours in the case. The case no Support wireless charging. They have touch controls you can customize in the JBL Headphones app and are available for $150 in March.
The JBL Endurance is completely waterproof and comes in black or white.
JBL’s sports-oriented Endurance line features some new models for 2026, including Peak endurance 4which contains silicone ear pads, and this new open-ear model, Endurance zone. In terms of specifications, it looks similar to the Sense Lite, but is more durable with a fully water and dust-resistant design (IP68). Like the Sense Lite, JBL says it features an adaptive bass boost algorithm for enhanced sound and has dual-beam microphones (two in each earbud). They can get up to 8 hours of playback on a single charge with an additional 24 hours in the case no Support wireless charging. They have touch controls you can customize in the JBL Headphones app and are shipping now $180.