The technology behind bone conduction headphones is fascinating. They sit right on your cheekbones and transfer the sounds through the bones right into your inner ear. These headphones are suitable for people who need the best audio quality with a minimalist design.
If you’re into running, cycling, or need lightweight headphones that we found easily concealable, you’ve come to the right place. We’ve reviewed some of the best bone conduction headphones to help you choose the most suitable ones. We’ll also list some of the features that you should consider before buying your next pair.
Reviews of the Best Bone Conduction Headphones
Bone conducting headphones are suitable for incidents where you need to enjoy impressive sound quality while still hearing the sounds in your surroundings. As the sound travels through the bones, there will be minimum distortion. Check out our top picks.
AfterShokz Air Open-Ear Wireless Bone Conduction Headphones
These headphones, specifically designed for outdoor use, come with reflective strips to give you more visibility when you’re cycling or running at night. Being visible from ~500 feet at night but blending in smoothly with the rest of your gear during the day. You can add the strips to your shoes or clothes for more safety.
Athletes love to wear these headphones because they’re exceptionally comfortable. They’re lightweight enough to be worn all day and can last for up to 6 hours of playtime on a single charge. Thanks to their sweat-proof construction, these headphones will always stay in great shape. The headphones are available in multiple colors, so you can easily pick your favorite one.
With their Bluetooth V4.2 connectivity and multipoint pairing, you can pair these headphones with PCs, laptops, smartphones, smartwatches, and tablets. They are compatible with Android and iOS operating systems and will pair fast with your device.
For better sound quality, these headphones feature dual mics with noise-cancelation. They provide a comprehensive audio range with exceptional bass and will reduce the audio leakage that you might experience with other bone conduction headphones.
The controls are intuitive and easy to manipulate. However, they might not work for you if your head is too small, as they can be too loose.
What We Like
- ✓ Lightweight headphones.
- ✓ Include reflective strips for more visibility and safety.
- ✓ Sweat-proof construction.
- ✓ Compatible with multiple devices.
- ✓ Dual mics with noise cancelation.
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- ✗ Can be too loose if you have a big head.
HPTCCC
Waterproof Bone Conduction Headphones for Swimming
For an affordable price, these bone conduction headphones will help you enjoy your favorite tracks while you’re jogging or cycling. They will leave your ears free so that you will be more aware of your surroundings for maximum safety.
These headphones have a waterproof rating of IPX8, so they’re suitable for swimming and jogging in rainy weather. They feature an exceptional MP3 memory of up to 8G so that you can save music tracks, meaning that you don’t have to carry your phone around if you’re practicing sports or spending time away from home.
The dynamic audio range will allow you to enjoy various music genres, and you can use the Bluetooth 5.0 feature to connect the headphones to your phone, smartwatch, laptop, or any other compatible device.
Whether you will use the headphones to listen to music or take calls, they will impress you with how crisp the audio details are. The rich bass is a great feature that you can’t find on other headphones.
Thanks to the intuitive controls, you will be able to adjust the volume while you’re on the go. They charge in about 1.5 hours and can last for up to 8 hours of playtime. They stay in the standby mode for 120 hours so that you can take them for a trip away from home.
However, increasing the volume can cause several vibrations that might annoy some users. Moreover, the buttons are difficult to differentiate by hand, so you might accidentally press the volume down button when you’re trying to push the up button.
What We Like
- ✓ Affordable headphones.
- ✓ Waterproof construction.
- ✓ Bluetooth connectivity and built-in memory for up to 8G.
- ✓ Fantastic deep bass and clear audio.
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- ✗ Increasing the volume can be a bit uncomfortable.
- ✗ The volume buttons are difficult to differentiate so that you might press the wrong one.
Aztine Bluetooth Bone Conduction Headphones
These headphones are quite impressive, given their budget-friendly price. They transmit audio signals to your inner ear directly, leaving your ears free. This design will help you stay alert to your surroundings, especially when you’re running or cycling.
With an IPX8 rating, these headphones are usable underwater for up to 3 meters. They’re the perfect choice for swimming and diving, so you can enjoy your favorite music tracks or even take calls while you’re chilling in the water. Even if you’re enjoying hot spring water, these headphones will work correctly, as long as the temperature doesn’t exceed 60 degrees Celsius.
The Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity allows for fast pairing with your phone or laptop within a range of 32 feet. However, this connection doesn’t work underwater.
Instead, you can store your favorite music tracks with a built-in memory of 16G. They support five types of media files so that you can enjoy your favorite music genre. The size of the headphones can be easily adjusted to fit every head size.
After being fully charged for 2 hours, the headphones will provide 8 hours of music playback and can take calls for up to 4 hours. They can stay in a standby mode for up to 10 days. People with larger ears and heads might not feel comfortable wearing these headphones because they feel too snug.
What We Like
- ✓ Waterproof headphones that you can use while swimming and diving.
- ✓ Bluetooth connectivity and built-in memory.
- ✓ Support different media formats.
- ✓ Adjustable size.
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- ✗ Not suitable for people with larger ears or heads.
AfterShokz Aeropex Open-Ear Wireless Bone Conduction Headphones
These headphones come in 2 elegant colors, and they’re made of lightweight material. They come with optional earplugs that you can wear if you want to enjoy an immersive audio experience. The headphones sit comfortably above your temples, and the back is snug without touching your head to deliver audio right into your ears.
After charging your headphones, you can expect them to work for up to 8 hours. You can enjoy clear audios with the PremiumPitch 2.0 that reduces sound leakage by 50%. The magnetic cables will charge the headphones in 2 hours, and you can keep them in a standby mode for up to 10 days.
Using the multi-function button, you will be able to play, pause, control the volume, activate voice assistant, and answer calls. The headphones come with a silicone pouch for convenient storage.
With an IP67 rating, these headphones will be sweat-proof and water-resistant. They can be used during intense workouts and extreme weather conditions. There’s a moisture detection alert that detects any moisture in the headphones for safe charging.
The Bluetooth connectivity feature has a range of 10 meters. You can pair these headphones with a smartphone, PC, or a laptop, but there’s no multipoint pairing, meaning that you have to disconnect one device to connect the other. The control buttons can be a little difficult to manipulate when you try to turn off the headphones or need to take a phone call.
What We Like
- ✓ Lightweight headphones with exceptional audio quality.
- ✓ Can last for up to 8 hours.
- ✓ They are designed to reduce sound leakage.
- ✓ Multi-function button to control audio.
- ✓ Moisture-detection alert for safe charging.
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- ✗ Lack of multipoint pairing.
- ✗ The controls are challenging to operate when you’re taking calls.
Tayogo Bone Conduction Headphones
If you’re on a tight budget, you should check out these headphones. They’re available in 2 different colors and can connect to various devices thanks to the Bluetooth 5.0 feature. These headphones will hug your head from the back without putting too much pressure on your ears because they’re lightweight and comfortable.
They’re designed to offer deep bass and exceptional audio quality, so you will enjoy your favorite music while you’re working out or running. Moreover, the built-in mic will allow you to make hands-free phone calls without missing any details.
The generated sound is quite exceptional, given the price of the headphones. At the same time, they will allow you to listen to your surroundings for maximum safety when you’re running or cycling.
Once you have recharged the battery, the headphones will work for up to 6 hours. They can stay in a standby mode for up to 7 days. The headphones are compatible with Android and iOS operating systems, so they’re quite versatile. They’re sweat-proof, so you can safely wear them while working out or running.
However, compared to other models, the volume isn’t that high. Moreover, they’re a bit flimsy compared to other more expensive models.
What We Like
- ✓ Affordable headphones.
- ✓ Excellent audio with deep bass.
- ✓ Sweat-proof design.
- ✓ Can pair up with Android and iOS devices.
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- ✗ Less durable than other models.
- ✗ Volume isn’t as high as other headphones.
How to Choose the Best Bone Conduction Headphones
Bone conduction technology is used by medical experts to help those with hearing problems listen to sounds. Bone conduction headphones offer a unique audio experience in a minimalist design. Here are some reasons why you should invest in these headphones.
- They’re lightweight.
- They increase your awareness of the surrounding environment.
- These headphones are comfortable to wear.
- They’re suitable for working out and exercising.
However, you need to make sure that you’re buying high-quality headphones. Here are some features for you to consider:
Size and Shape
Bone conduction headphones are lightweight. However, you need to make sure that you’ve picked comfortable headphones that won’t press on your ears or the sides of your head.
Headphones are usually made of flexible materials and can be worn for long hours. Adjustable headphones will be more comfortable to wear because you can get the perfect fit.
Water Resistance
These headphones are usually made for athletes, so they’re sweat-proof. Wearing your headphones while running or working out at the gym will help you enjoy your time to the maximum. Moreover, water-resistant models can be used under the rain without malfunctioning.
Some models are designed to be used underwater, so you need to pay attention to the IPX rating. Waterproof headphones can be used when you’re swimming, diving, or while taking a shower. These will allow you to listen to music or even take calls when you’re enjoying your time in the water.
Battery Life
Bone conduction headphones should be charged for a few hours before being used. Picking headphones with a long playback time means that you won’t have to recharge your headphones more often.
Bluetooth Connectivity
These headphones can connect to multiple devices using the Bluetooth connectivity feature. You can pair your headphones with your smartphone, PC, laptop, or smartwatch to enjoy various music tracks while you’re working out.
However, it would be best if you still were within a specific range for the Bluetooth connectivity to work. Moreover, for waterproof headphones, the Bluetooth connection doesn’t work underwater.
Having built-in memory is another feature that might come in handy if you don’t want to keep your device with you. Some headphones have an internal memory to store your favorite songs, so you can enjoy them whenever you want without having to connect your headphones to any device.
Wrap Up
Several brands offer good bone conduction headphones that you can use while you’re running, cycling, or working out at the gym. These headphones will deliver the audio signals through the bones in your face right into your ears while still keeping you aware of your surroundings.
We chose the AfterShokz Air Open-Ear Wireless Bone Conduction Headphones as our top choice because they’re lightweight and well-made. These headphones are designed to deliver exceptional quality and will pair with several devices so that you can enjoy your favorite music tracks.
If you’re looking for an affordable option, you should check out the HPTCCC Waterproof Bone Conduction Headphones for Swimming. They’re waterproof and can be used while you’re swimming. Moreover, they have a built-in memory of 8G to save your favorite music tracks.