Best Bluetooth Bone Conduction Headphones for Running

If you’re a very keen runner, then you’ve probably seen bone-conduction headphones around as they’re increasingly popular. The bone-conduction headphones have an open-air design where the pad of these headphones sits on your cheekbone.

The bone conduction technology means that the music comes delivered by your bones to your brain rather than just sticking a headphone in your ear. This means your ears are clear and you could hear what’s going on around you.

Best Bluetooth Bone Conduction Headphones for Running

Why These Headphones are Necessary?

These kinds of headphones are not only important for running on busy roads, but also in races. However, lots of races won’t let you run with your headphones because you can’t hear marshals and you can’t hear people around you.

Best Bluetooth Bone Conduction Headphones for Running

IMAGE PRODUCT DETAILS Feature

AfterShokz Aeropex
  • Weight: 26 grams
  • Bluetooth Technology: Bluetooth 5.0
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Bonein BN-702
  • Weight: 45 Grams
  • Bluetooth Technology: Bluetooth 4.0
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AfterShokz Air
  • Weight: 36 Grams
  • Sensor: Bluetooth 4.1
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  • Weight: 40 Grams
  • Sensor: Bluetooth 5.0
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AfterShokz Titanium
  • Weight: 29.7 Grams
  • Sensor: Bluetooth 5.0
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Barcley A9
  • Weight: 37 Grams
  • Sensor: Bluetooth 5.1
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Tayogo S2
  • Weight: 37.7 Grams
  • Sensor: Bluetooth 5.0
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AfterShokz Xtrainerz
  • Weight: 41 Garams
  • Sensor: Bluetooth 5.1
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If you’re not in a closed road race, they all seem much more concerned about health and safety, so that’s the reason why they don’t allow using headphones during races. However, in some races, you can wear bone-conduction headphones as these headphones are getting more and more popular because of their situational awareness factor.

But there are certain advantages and disadvantages of bone-conduction headphones as well and if you’re a beginner, we suggest you should look at them before getting your hands dirty with bone-conduction headphones.

Bone Conduction Headphones Pros and Cons

Pros
  • These headphones bring a unique listening experience
  • Often bone-conduction headphones fit more comfortably than traditional headphones
  • Being open ear design headphones, users can stay aware of their surrounding while listening to their favorite music, audiobook, or podcast
Cons
  • As you increase the volume, you can increase the slight tingling on your temples because the vibration is getting intense with each increase in volume’s bar
  • As compared to the traditional headphones, these (bone-conduction) headphones lack in terms of the sound quality
  • Being a unique technology, these headphones are often expensive than traditional headphones

Today’s Agenda

We have gathered here today to compile down a list of the best bone-conduction headphones that runners can use while in a race because a great playlist can not only help the runners increasing their performance in a race, but it can also help people maximizing their efforts in the gym.

So, you can see how sound can affect a person’s performance.

But as bone-conduction headphones are becoming more and more popular nowadays, it is difficult for a naïve user to extract the best bone-conduction headphones for a specific purpose. That’s where our list will be very helpful.

We have picked some bone-conduction headphones specifically for runners today and we’ve ranked these products based on the performance they have given during our testing. So, let’s get to the list.

List for Best Bluetooth Bone Conduction Headphones for Running

If you pick wireless headphones for running, you will always have an upper hand over the person with wired headphones because you don’t have to face messy cords while running. So, wired bone conduction headphones are out of the picture for today’s list as this list is specifically consists of Bluetooth bone-conduction headphones. So, without any further delay, let’s get to the list.

1. AfterShokz Aeropex

KEY SPECS
Bluetooth Technology:Bluetooth 5.0
Behavior with Water:IP67 Sweat and Waterproof Rating
Battery Life:8 Hours of Continuous Playback
Weight:26 grams
Forte:Lightest AfterShokz Model Ever with Premium Features
AfterShokz Aeropex bone cunduction headphone

The Aeropex model from AfterShokz has the most advanced and latest functionalities and design among the bone-conduction headphones lineup.

No matter which bone-conduction headphones list you crawl, most of the time, you will find the AfterShokz Aeropex model on the first spot.

This list is no exception as these headphones have made the top spot on our list for the best Bluetooth bone conduction headphones for running and let’s see what are the capabilities that make these headphones capable of sitting on the top spot.

Insights of these headphones:

Starting with their weight, these headphones are one of the lightweight headphones from AfterShokz as they weigh only 26 grams. In terms of being the lightweight bone-conduction headphones, they are on the third spot.

Despite being this lightweight, these headphones provide great sound quality with deep bass. Unlike other bone-conduction headphones, you can’t feel the intense vibrations on your temples even if you are listening to the music at full volume. Moreover, the small design of these headphones gives a more stable workout experience.

The sound quality is matching toe-to-toe with the sound quality of traditional headphones which means considering these are bone-conduction headphones, their audio will have an advantage over all other bone-conduction headphones and that’s one of the reasons for putting these headphones on the first spot.

The IP67 rating of these headphones makes them sweatproof and waterproof, which means even if you are running in the rain or have an intense running session, the raindrops and sweat won’t bother these headphones. However, you can’t use these headphones for swimming.

As we are discussing the headphones for running here, so, comfortability is one of our priorities and unlike traditional headphones, the AfterShokz Aeropex model will sit nicely on the heads of almost every user and you can listen to what is happening around you because these headphones aren’t covering your ears.

AfterShokz has used Bluetooth 5.0 module in these headphones, which means these headphones will wirelessly connect to your device and the 5.0 module ensures that you’ll experience a long and stable connection.

Last but not the least, you can also make calls as these headphones features dual noise-canceling built-in microphones, which means you can answer the calls even in a noisy environment. Moreover, the long 8 hours of battery life of these headphones won’t interrupt your long meeting and running sessions.

Pros
  • Best bone-conduction headphones ever
  • Impressive battery life
  • Vibrations at higher-volume are less as compared to other bone-conduction headphones
  • Lightweight and a perfect fit for running
Cons
  • All these benefits come at a substantial cost
  • Sometimes the bass isn’t very clear

2. Phaiser BHS-530

KEY SPECS
Bluetooth Technology:Bluetooth 4.1
Behavior with Water:Lifetime Sweatproof Rating
Battery Life:11 Hours (2 Lithium-ion Batteries)
Weight:21 grams
Wireless Transmission Range:30-40 Meters
Forte:Best Bluetooth Headphones for Running
Phaiser BHS-530 bone conduction headphones

If you previously used earbuds for running, then you would that earbuds can often be annoying during running sessions, especially while hitting the pavements because they can easily fall out and get lost.

However, you won’t have to face such types of issues anymore because enter Phaiser BHS-530.

Phaiser BHS-530 is the second pick for our today’s list, as this could also be the first pick, but we’ve put AfterShokz Aeropex on the first spot because it fulfills multiple purposes of a user.

Let’s see the insights of these headphones in detail to check whether these headphones are worth putting here in the list of the best Bluetooth bone conduction headphones for running or not.

Insights of these headphones:

Starting with the sound quality, Sound engineers have designed these headphones to provide the best sound quality among all bone-conduction headphones and this model doesn’t disappoint as you can enjoy your favorite music, audiobook, podcast while hitting the gym, running, or doing any other activity.

These headphones are equally good for both music and calls, as you can switch between calls and music by just pushing one button. Thus, it saves the users from the complex procedure of integrating calls with the headphones while listening to the music as these headphones switch to the calling mode without interrupting the user’s routine.

One of the reasons to choose this model for your intense training and running sessions is its sweatproof water rating. No matter how intense your workout session is and how sweaty you are from your running or workout session, these headphones won’t fall off because the sweat won’t bother these headphones.

Another reason to choose this model for your long-running and gym sessions is its exceptional battery life as compared to every other model on our list. The powerful Lithium-ion Polymer 110 mAh battery of these headphones will give you a complete battery timing of 11 hours and it will only take 1-2 hours to fully charge its battery.

The headphones also provide great connectivity support with the help of the Bluetooth 4.1 module and we have faced no connectivity issues in our testing. We’ve observed a wireless transmission range of 30-40 feet, but the range can increase or decrease depending upon your surroundings.

All these features are packed with Comply T-400 memory foam ear tips that will provide great comfort and even if a user has worn these headphones for 10-11 hours, he won’t feel any fatigue.

Pros
  • Best battery life among all the headphones on our list
  • Easy switching between audio playing and handsfree calling
  • Comfy
  • Lightweight and a perfect fit for running
Cons
  • For some user, the headband can create some issues
  • The microphone looks good on paper but in reality, it doesn’t provide audio clarity

3. Pyle PSWBT550

KEY SPECS
Bluetooth Technology:Bluetooth 4.1
Behavior with Water:IPX6 Waterproof Rating
Battery Life:240 Hours of Standby time with 4 Hours of Charge
Weight:40 grams
Forte:Dedicated for Sports and Exercising Activities
Pyle PSWBT550 bone conduction headphone

If you want the best value and performance for your running and other sports activities, then you can consider the PSWBT550 model of Pyle bone-conduction headphones.

We’ve placed these headphones in third place on our list for the best Bluetooth bone conduction headphones for running and let’s see why these headphones are worth putting here.

Insights of these headphones:

With a strong and durable plastic build, these headphones feature a glossy design and for long-running sessions, these headphones will be comfortable for most users because of their rubber coating.

So, you can easily use these headphones for intense training and running sessions and they won’t fall out.

The IPX6 rating makes these headphones resistant to water and you can easily use these headphones for most outdoor activities without being worried about water drops bothering these headphones.

The Pyle PSWBT550 features a 3.7V Li-ion rechargeable battery of 200mAh and 4 hours of charge give you a standby time of 240 hours, which is approximately 10 days. So, you can easily take these headphones to your vacation and even if you haven’t used these headphones throughout the vacation, they won’t lose the power.

The headphones will connect to your iOS, Android smartphone, or laptop via Bluetooth 4.1 module and even with this old Bluetooth module we’ve hardly faced any connectivity issues for a range of 35 feet.

Moreover, the availability of a voice microphone allows the users to attend and reject calls through these headphones when connected to a smartphone.

Speaking of controls, you will find all the controls on the side panel of these headphones. One of the new things we’ve found in these headphones is the availability of skipping tracks without the need for changing them from the connected device.

Last but not the least, to show the current power situation of headphones, there’s a built-in LED indicator.

Pros
  • A superb choice for any sports and exercising activity
  • IPX6 rating makes these headphones waterproof
  • Comfortable and firm fit
Cons
  • Quality is not as good as AfterShokz bone-conduction headphones
  • The strap is adjustable to fit a small or large head size, but we have faced an issue during adjusting these headphones

4. Mpow Cheetah

KEY SPECS
Bluetooth Technology:Bluetooth 4.1
Behavior with Water:IPX5 Splash-proof Rating
Battery Life:8 Hours of Playback Time with 180 Days of Standby Time
Weight:20 grams
Forte:The Most Lightweight Pick on our List
Mpow Cheetah bone conduction headphone

Runners and athletes often want uncompromised sound quality in their headphones but speaking of bone-conduction headphones and how they fall behind the sound quality of premium traditional headphones.

They can compromise a little bit if they want to use bone-conduction headphones instead of traditional headphones.

Still, this model Mpow Cheetah tries to provide pure wireless sound quality to its users, so the users will get what they are paying for.

We have put these headphones on the fourth spot of our list for the best Bluetooth bone conduction headphones for running and let’s see what these headphones entail.

Insights of these headphones:

Whether you are hitting the pavement or training in your gym, you will enjoy the rich listening experience and sound quality of Mpow Cheetah. These headphones will provide Hi-Fi audio to their users and users can also answer calls via a built-in microphone.

One of the great things about these headphones is, for attending the calls, users won’t have to pause the running music.

These headphones will fit perfectly with the heads of most users and whether you are jogging or biking, these headphones will not fall off from your head. Moreover, the fit of these headphones is comfortable enough, so users can wear them for long hours.

Speaking of long hours, these headphones provide an exceptional battery timing of 8 hours and you won’t experience any lag in the music and calls from these headphones because the Bluetooth 4.1 module of these headphones is universally compatible.

Last but not the least, these headphones have an IPX5 splash-proof rating, so even accidental rain during running, biking, or jogging won’t cause any problems for these headphones.

Pros
  • Secure and comfy fit
  • Excellent battery life of 8 hours
  • Exceptional sound quality
Cons
  • Battery life can deteriorate overtime
  • Long charging time

5. Vidonn F1 Titanium

KEY SPECS
Bluetooth Technology:Bluetooth 5.0
Behavior with Water:IP55 Dustproof, Sweatproof and Water-Resistant Rating
Battery Life:6 Hours
Weight:36 grams
Forte:Affordable and Inexpensive Pick
Vidonn F1 Titanium bone conduction headphone

At number five of our list for the best Bluetooth bone conduction headphones for running, we have another dedicated bone-conduction headphone for running and other exercising activities and its name is Vidonn F1 Titanium.

Just like most AfterShokz models, you will also find these headphones in most bone-conduction headphones list as they are another multipurpose headphone but on a smaller scale.

So being on a smaller scale, Vidonn can’t match the level of AfterShokz bone conduction headphones and let’s see why.

Insights of these headphones:

The Vidonn F1 Titanium is a budget-entry from Vidonn bone conduction headphones and whether you want to use these headphones for biking, running, hiking, or jogging, these headphones won’t disappoint you because they can fit the head and ears of most users.

So, no matter how fast you’re running, these headphones won’t fall out.

Speaking of running, these headphones have an IP55 rating which makes these headphones resistant to water, dust and sweatproof, so you can use these headphones for intense running, biking and gym sessions as well.

If you want more bone-conduction headphones that you can use while biking, then you can check the best bone conduction headphones for biking.

Considering its price tag, these headphones offer exceptional and probably the best sound quality in this range. Moreover, being bone-conduction headphones, these will let you enjoy the music while staying aware of your surrounding and you don’t need to worry about damaging your hearing.

One of the great things about these headphones is the comfortability level these headphones are offering to sportspersons. Due to its comfort of use, sportspersons can wear these headphones for long hours as they won’t cause any discomfort. Speaking of hours, these headphones can last for 6 hours with a complete charge of 2 hours.

Vidonn has used titanium alloy for creating the backbone of these headphones, but still, Vidonn hasn’t compromised on the comfortability of F1 titanium. Moreover, the build is flexible enough, so even hard twists won’t break these headphones.

Last but not the least, to provide faster connectivity, Vidonn has used a Bluetooth 5.0 module which provides a range of 33 feet and we have faced no connectivity issues with these bone-conduction headphones. So, users can enjoy uninterrupted music streaming.

Pros
  • Comfortable to wear
  • Reasonable battery life of 6 hours
  • Noise-canceling
  • Safe to wear for sportspersons because of its open ear design
  • Affordable choice
Cons
  • Sound quality is not as good as premium options on our list
  • Below par microphone quality

6. Tayogo S2

KEY SPECS
Bluetooth Technology:Bluetooth 5.0 Connectivity
Behavior with Water:IP55 Water-Resistant Rating
Battery Life:Up to 6 Hours of Playback Time
Weight:195 grams
Forte:Flexible Design and Compatible with iOS and Android
Tayogo S2 bone conduction headphone

Tayogo is a Chinese brand and famous for making bone-conduction headphones that not only work on the land but also work in the water.

Specifically talking about the S2 model, these bone-conduction headphones are made for only land usage and have made the sixth spot on our list for the best Bluetooth bone conduction headphones for running.

Insights of these headphones:

The Tayogo S2 is another budget entry to our list, but these headphones feature a sturdier build than most headphones we’ve discussed so far in our today’s list. That’s why, if you wear these headphones during an intense gym session, they can move about.

However, for running sessions, these headphones will remain fit in the position.

To change the volume, you will find a set of physical buttons and if you want to skip the tracks, then you can use the other large button situated on the end of one of the arms of these headphones. Moreover, you can also use these controls to accept and answer calls as these headphones have a built-in microphone as well.

The Tayogo S2 features a powerful sound and just like other bone-conduction headphones, listening to music at full volume will result in a noticeable tickling sensation on each temple. However, these headphones provide a deep bass along with premium quality sound, which will be a plus point for bass lovers.

The headphones also feature 6 hours of battery life, which is considering its price range is more than enough as it is only 2 hours shy of the top pick on today’s list.

Just like Vidonn, Tayogo has also handled the connectivity issues by embedding the Bluetooth 5.0 module in these headphones, which guarantees reliable pairing with iOS, Android smartphones, or laptops.

Moreover, the IP55 rating makes these headphones sweatproof and resistant to water, so you can easily use these headphones for running, biking, jogging and cycling as dust and sweat won’t bother these headphones.

Pros
  • Budget-friendly pick
  • Reasonable battery life (considering its price range)
Cons
  • Some people may find these headphones bulkier

7. Aiko Model C

KEY SPECS
Bluetooth Technology:Bluetooth 4.2
Behavior with Water:Water Resistance
Battery Life:10 Days of Standby Time
Weight:368 grams
Forte:Minimalistic Design
Aiko Model C bone conduction headphone

At number seven, we have Aiko Model C, which will probably be unknown to most readers as these headphones are from an unknown brand named Aiko Technologies.

But we have put these headphones on the list of the best Bluetooth bone conduction headphones for running, so let’s prove that these headphones are worth putting here.

Insights of these headphones:

If anyone wants user-friendly and simple bone-conduction headphones, then this model should be your choice.

The Aiko Model C is one of the budget bone-conduction entries on our today’s list and being budget-range headphones, Aiko Technologies has to make a few compromises.

Starting with the build quality, which is not as good as other options on our list, but these headphones won’t create any issue while playing music. Moreover, the battery life is not as impressive as other models but with a complete charge, they can give a 10-days standby time.

The Bluetooth 4.2 module makes it easier to connect these headphones to your iOS, Android, or laptop devices and if you’ve previously faced any issue regarding headphones connectivity, then we assure you that these headphones won’t create such an issue as we’ve done proper connectivity testing on these headphones.

The sound quality of these bone-conduction headphones won’t be as great as other bone-conduction headphones because we have experienced weak sound quality even at mid-volume. However, the bass of these headphones is pretty heavy and at first, we were surprised by the bass of these headphones.

Overall, these aren’t one of the great bone-conduction headphones, but for an affordable price, these bone-conduction headphones are worth buying.

Pros
  • Minimalistic look
  • Cost-friendly pick
Cons
  • Battery life is not as good as other models
  • Lack of sound quality
  • The bulkiest pick on our today’s list

8. Genso

KEY SPECS
Bluetooth Technology:Bluetooth 5.0
Battery Life:200mAh Lithium Batteries with 4-5 Hours of Playback time
Weight:34 grams
Wireless Range:33 feet of Transmission
Forte:Affordable
Genso bone conduction headphone

As bone-conduction headphones protect the users’ eardrums from damage and provide situational awareness, so some bone-conduction headphones provide greater situational awareness and eardrums protection than other models.

One of those bone-conduction headphones is Genso bone-conduction headphones.

These headphones have made the last spot on our list for the best Bluetooth bone conduction headphones for running and there are several reasons for putting these headphones at this spot.

So, let’s see the features of this model and you will automatically understand why we have put these headphones on this spot.

Insights of these headphones:

Starting with worth mentioning capabilities, one of the good things that Genso did with these bone-conduction headphones is the installation of dual batteries on each side. This will extend the music playback time of these headphones.

However, as compared to the other headphones on our list, the battery life is pretty low as the two batteries can give a maximum battery life of (only) 4-5 hours (as combined). That’s one of the reasons for putting these headphones on this spot.

The Genso bone-conduction headphones are pocket-friendly headphones and Genso has specifically designed these headphones for outdoor activities because they can withstand light rainfall.

So, you can enjoy your running and cycling sessions with these headphones. If you want more bone-conduction headphones that you can use while cycling, then you can check the best bone conduction headphones for cycling.

The headphones feature an ergonomic and comfortable build along with a secure grip, which fits these headphones to the heads of most people perfectly.

We haven’t faced any fitting issues with these headphones, but some users have reported that the fitting of these headphones isn’t comfortable enough according to their head size. So, if you are thinking of buying these headphones, then fingers crossed.

Just like the latest bone-conduction headphones, these headphones also feature a Bluetooth 5.0 module to avoid any connection failure issue. Moreover, we haven’t faced any connectivity issue within a range of more than 33 feet.

The sound quality of these headphones isn’t great, but compared to the headphones in this price range, it’s reasonable. During our testing, most of the time these headphones have given an enjoyable and clear sound quality.

There’s also a built-in microphone that you can use to answer calls, but the quality of the microphone is below par.

Pros
  • Water-resistant and sweatproof which makes them perfect for running
  • Lightweight and cost-friendly pick
  • Reasonable sound quality
Cons
  • Even with 2 batteries, the battery life is not good enough
  • Some users have complained about the fitting of these headphones
  • Low volume
  • Below-par microphone quality

Conclusion

To conclude our today’s discussion, we’ve picked Phaiser BHS-530 as a clear winner amongst all other entries (even AfterShokz Aeropex model) because the list is specifically designed for runners and after looking at the on-paper specs and the given performance, there’s none better than Phaiser BHS-530 for running.

Are Bone-Conduction Headphones Good for Running?

Yes! Compared to traditional headphones, bone-conduction headphones can benefit a person more because users are not only aware of their surroundings, but they are also enjoying the music, audiobooks, podcasts, or calls with high-quality sound. The high-quality music will increase the performance of a person in the gym, running, or any other sports activity.

Which is the Best AfterShokz Model?

Whether you are searching for the best bone conduction headphones 2021 or you are searching for the best among the AfterShokz category, you will always find one AfterShokz model leading that specific category and its name is AfterShokz Aeropex.

Can Bone-Conduction Headphones Cause Hearing Loss?

Bone-conduction headphones are designed for people suffering from hearing loss or ear wax. So, they won’t cause hearing loss to an already affected person (from hearing loss), instead, these headphones will help that person for listening to music and other things.
However, listening to full volume with any headphones can damage your hearing. So, never ignore the message on your devices that says, “LISTENING TO FULL VOLUME CAN BE HARMFUL TO YOUR HEARING”.

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