Over the years, I've tested my fair share of "professional" Bluetooth headsets, but Shokz' new OpenMeet headset, introduced at CES 2025 and available now, is one of the more unusual looking models I've seen. Shokz says it's spent years developing it and is billing it as a groundbreaking product in the category. After using it for a few days ahead of its release, I tend to agree.
The OpenMeet comes in a standard version ($220) and a UC version ($250) that includes Shokz' Loop120 USB-A/USB-C wireless dongle for use with Windows and Mac PCs. Equipped with a TitaniumFlex frame and weighing a mere 83 grams, the first thing you notice is how light it is. Like other bone-conduction headphones, this headset sits on your cheek in front of your ears and doesn't cover them, leaving them open to hear what's going on around you.
Read more: Best headsets for working from home
The headset leaves your ears open.
The OpenMeet is designed with comfort in mind and has a five-point design that, according to Shokz, delivers "a pressure-free fit that accommodates all types of glasses and eliminates ear fatigue." The headset includes a few different sizes of temple pads that adhere to the headset with velcro. I was fine with the larger default pad, but every head is different, so you'll have to play around with the different pads to see which one works for you.
I was impressed with how comfortable the headset is, and while it fit my head securely and I was able to walk around with it in the streets of New York, it's really designed for more stationary use. (In other words, if you jostle your head too much, the headset will likely slip out of position or slip off your head.) Shokz's OpenComm 2 headset, which has a similar design to the company's sport-oriented neckband style headphones like the OpenRun 2 but incorporates a boom microphone, fits more securely but is not as comfortable.
The Shokz Open Meet UC headset fits securely in its case.
Like the OpenRun 2, this headset combines Shokz' bone-conduction technology with its air-conduction speaker technology (Shokz says it's a "Qualcomm-driven" 11mm x 18mm custom speaker), which is able to deliver more bass than bone-conduction technology and helps fill out the low end. The result is the headset sounds more like a traditional headphone, offering significantly fuller sound than the company's previous bone-conduction headphones. While there are plenty of $200 headphones and earbuds that sound even better than the OpenMeet, it does offer respectable sound quality.
The headset's voice-quality performance was quite good in the test calls I made. Equipped with a dual-microphone system "powered by Qualcomm's cVc noise reduction," Shokz says the OpenMeet reduces background noise by up to 98.6%. Callers said they heard my voice clearly with virtually no background noise.
The Open Meet's boom microphone has a dedicated mute button.
It's also worth noting the the boom microphone has a dedicated mute button and Shokz's LeakSlayer 3.0 technology keeps sound leakage to a minimum. If someone is standing right next to you, they may hear some faint sound, but there really isn't much sound leakage.
You'll find more full-size headsets and headphones that deliver better battery life, but the OpenMeet is rated for up to 15 hours of battery life at moderate volume levels (or 14 hours of talk time), which is good considering how lightweight it is. And while the OpenMeet certainly isn't cheap at more than $200, its price is in line with a lot of the premium headsets and headphones on our list of best headsets for working from home.
I'll have a full review once I spend more time with the OpenMeet, but as I said, I'm initially quite impressed with its design and performance. It will be interesting to see how it's received in the marketplace and whether it truly is a groundbreaking headset that Shokz hopes will be "a catalyst for a new standard in professional communication."
Shokz OpenMeet key specs
- Speaker Type: Bone conduction/air conduction
- Bluetooth: Bluetooth 5.4
- Wireless range: Up to 30m (98 ft)
- Talk time: Up to 14 hours
- Listen time: Up to 15 hours
- Charge time: 90 minutes
- Quick charge: 5-minute charge delivers 2 hours of talk time
- Weight: 78 grams
- Materials: Stainless steel, silicone, PC (Polycarbonate) and PA (Polyamide)
- Frequency Response: 20Hz-20KHz
- Speaker Sensitivity: Bone conduction -- 91dB±3dB/air conduction -- 96dB±3dB
- Microphone Sensitivity: -38 dB ±1dB
- Warranty: 2 years
- Price: $250 for the OpenMeet UC (includes Shokz Loop120 USB-A/USB-C wireless adapter) or $220 for the OpenMeet
For more CES coverage, take a look at the official 2025 Best of CES winners, selected by CNET.