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Oct 15, 2024

Best True Wireless Sports Earbuds With Ear Hooks for 2024 - CNET

Article updated on October 1, 2024 at 6:00 AM PDT Wireless earbuds with ear hooks offer a more secure fit to ensure they don't fall out while you're running or working out. Check out our top picks,

Article updated on October 1, 2024 at 6:00 AM PDT

Wireless earbuds with ear hooks offer a more secure fit to ensure they don't fall out while you're running or working out. Check out our top picks, tested by our experts.

CNET’s expert staff reviews and rates dozens of new products and services each month, building on more than a quarter century of expertise.

What to consider

Budget

Know how much you want to spend before you start researching, because the high end is frequently above $150.

Noise-isolating or open design

Knowing your earbuds aren't going to fly away when you're working out is important, but you also need to choose if you want to hear the world around you or not.

Comfort

Even if you're only wearing these headphones while working out, the right fit makes all the difference.

Durability

Normal headphones aren't made for all the sweat and movement work out headphones endure, so it's important to make sure you have something you know will last.

Return policy

Be careful where you buy from, so if you aren't happy with your purchase you can try something else.

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CNET’s expert staff reviews and rates dozens of new products and services each month, building on more than a quarter century of expertise.

What to consider

Budget

Know how much you want to spend before you start researching, because the high end is frequently above $150.

Noise-isolating or open design

Knowing your earbuds aren't going to fly away when you're working out is important, but you also need to choose if you want to hear the world around you or not.

Comfort

Even if you're only wearing these headphones while working out, the right fit makes all the difference.

Durability

Normal headphones aren't made for all the sweat and movement work out headphones endure, so it's important to make sure you have something you know will last.

Return policy

Be careful where you buy from, so if you aren't happy with your purchase you can try something else.

Earbuds are often more convenient than even the best over-the-ear headphones, especially when you're running or working out. It's much easier to run, swim or cycle with earbuds in instead of over your head, as long are you choose earbuds that fit securely in your ears. In general, earbuds are lighter and easier to carry around.

However, many people worry about earbuds falling out while exercising, leading to lost pairs. Fortunately, earbuds with ear hooks provide a solution by offering extra support for a secure fit, ensuring they stay in place during quick or intense movements, making your workout worry-free.

Given the wide variety of models available, it's hard to name one as the best overall, but a few stand out from the pack. The Bose Ultra Open Earbuds -- which hook onto your ears, not over them -- and the Shokz OpenFit are my top picks for their sound, design and fit. I also like the new Soundcore by Anker X20 and 1More Fit SE S30 as excellent value picks.

I've spent years testing dozens, if not hundreds, of sports headphones and earbuds while running. When picking the best, it's key they are designed to stay in your ears or on your head, even when you're moving at a fast pace. A snug fit is essential for comfort and performance, but safety is just as important. That’s why we prioritize headphones and earbuds that allow you to stay aware of your surroundings and hear outside sounds, such as traffic, while you exercise.

Check out all of our top selections for the best earbuds with ear hooks, all of which we've tested. Most of them are affordable, with prices generally under $100. We'll update this list as new sports earbuds hit the market.

Read more: Best workout headphones

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The Bose Ultra Open Earbuds have one of the most unusual designs of any earbuds I've tested over the last several years. They literally clip onto the side of your ears, kind of like earrings, and their open design has micro speakers that fire sound into your ears while still being able to hear what's happening around you. At $299, they're somewhat overpriced, but otherwise, there's a lot to like about them, including a surprisingly comfortable, secure fit and very good sound quality for open buds.

The Soundcore Sport X20 has some nice upgrades over Anker's original Soundcore X10 earbuds. They include an improved design, adaptive noise canceling, superior battery life, slightly better sound and multipoint Bluetooth pairing. Like the previous model, these have an interesting design with rotating swiveling ear hooks. They don't swivel as much as the X10's ear hooks, which is a good thing (they stayed on my ears very securely). I also liked that the charging case has a smaller footprint than a lot of buds with ear hooks.

Fully waterproof and dust-proof with an IP68 rating, the X20 has slightly larger drivers than the X10 (11mm instead of 10mm). As long as you get a tight seal from the included ear tips (you get 5 sizes), they're able to deliver good sound with punchy bass and good detail. They lack a bit of clarity, particularly at higher volumes (there was a touch of distortion), and the noise canceling isn't as good as Sony or Bose's noise canceling. But the buds are affordable and a good value overall.

As for battery life, it's rated at up to 12 hours with noise canceling off and 7 hours with it on. Voice-calling performance is also decent, athough not exceptionally good.

Shokz, the company formerly known as AfterShokz, has long been the leader in bone-conduction headphones. Models like the OpenRun Pro, which deliver sound to your ear through your cheekbones, are popular with runners and bikers who like to leave their ears open for safety reasons. However, Shokz's new OpenFit model, the company's first true wireless earbuds, doesn't use bone-conduction technology. They have an open design that fires sound into your ears using custom speaker drivers, which Shokz dubs "air conduction" technology.

I was impressed by how lightweight (8.3 grams) and comfortable they are. They have one of the best ear-hook designs I've tried (Shokz calls it a Dolphin Arc ear hook). It's soft and offers just the right amount of flexibility to conform to the shape of your ear, with "dual-layered liquid silicone that provides a pliable fit," according to Shokz. The earbuds also sound quite good for open earbuds, although not quite as good as Cleer's Arc 2 Open Ear Sport earbuds which also have an ear-hook design.

1More makes a couple of open sports earbuds with ear hooks. The Fit S50 buds are the flagship ($120) and feature a little better sound than the Fit SE S30, have a more premium design and are fully waterproof (IPX7 rating). I like the fit a little better on the step-down S30, which is IPX5 splash-proof (can sustain a spray of water) and costs half the price, making it a better value.

The case is bulky and feels a little cheap (the lid is flimsy) but the buds themselves seem sturdily built and the ear hooks are nice and flexible. They have 14.2mm drivers that output decent but not great sound (there's a bit of distortion at higher volumes), which is par for the course for these types of open buds that sit on top of your ears and fire sound into them. They're also good but not great for voice calling. A companion app for iOS and Android allows you to tweak the sound with an equalizer and you can update the buds' firmware. The buds are available in black or white and offer up to 10 hours of battery life at moderate volume levels.

The Soundcore by Anker AeroFit Pro are among the best open-ear "air conduction" earbuds, with a premium look and feel, and are comfortable to wear. (I had no problem keeping them on my ears while running or working out.) On the downside, they're expensive, but they do feature strong audio quality for these types of earbuds, with ample bass and volume, plus decent clarity. They're good for making calls (they do a pretty good job reducing background noise reduction) and also offer strong battery life, up to 14 hours at moderate volume levels.

While they don't have ear-detection sensors, I liked that they have physical buttons to control playback and also come with a cord, should you want to turn them into neckband-style wireless headphones. It's also worth noting that they have a spatial audio feature and offer the LDAC audio codec for devices like Android smartphones that support Bluetooth streaming.

Anker's standard AeroFit fit model ($100) has smaller drivers (14mm versus 16.2mm for the Pro), so it doesn't sound quite as good and also has a battery life rating of 11 hours. However, those buds are fully waterproof with an IPX7 rating, while these are splash-proof with an IPX5 rating.

JBL has upgraded its ear-hook style sport earbuds for 2023. Available in black or white, the Endurance Peak 3 buds offer better battery life (up to 10 hours with four extra charges in their case) improved voice-calling performance and an IP68 rating that makes them fully water- and dust-proof. They also have an Ambient Aware transparency mode and Talk Thru mode that can automatically lower your music's volume level and open up the buds to the outside world. That means you can have a conversation with someone without removing the buds from your ears.

They stayed on my ears very securely during runs and I thought they sounded quite good, though they do have a bit of bass push (i.e. they have powerful bass). Just be aware that if you don't get a tight seal, sound quality will be significantly worse. Also, like other earbuds with ear-hook designs, the case is on the beefy side. That said, the buds do seem durable and if you get a good fit, they're an excellent and less pricey alternative to the Beats Powerbeats Pro. I also thought the touch controls worked well; I was easily able to toggle through the sound modes.

Cleer's original Arc earbuds were solid sport earbuds that featured decent sound for open-style buds that sit on top of your ears and fire sound into them. This new-for-2023 model steps up the sound quality and offers additional refinements and feature upgrades, including a new "enhanced" charging case with UV sterilization and multipoint Bluetooth connectivity (Bluetooth 5.3), all of which make for a significantly improved product.

Cleer says the Arc 2 Sport buds feature "greater flexibility for improved comfort," and I did find them more comfortable to wear than the original Arcs. That said, not everyone loves this style of open earbuds, which lets sound in so you can hear ambient sound around you for safety purposes.

With a new six-axis motion sensor, you can actually control the buds with head gestures -- you answer calls by nodding and skip tracks forward by turning your head to the right and skip a trackback by turning your head left. Thankfully, those motion controls can be turned off if you don't want to use them.

These are among the first buds to support Qualcomm's aptX Lossless format if you're one of the few to have an Android device that supports that audio codec (plenty of Android phones support aptX Adaptive). Since these aren't high-end noise-isolating earbuds, you probably won't be able to tell the difference in sound quality -- I couldn't -- but all that aside, these do sound very good for open-style earbuds. They lack a bit of oomph to their bass but they're punchy enough, offer good clarity and don't distort at higher volumes. They also played sufficiently loud.

They have an IPX5 water- and sweat-resistance rating, which means they can withstand a sustained spray of water and battery life is very good at up to eight hours on a single charge. In addition, there are a little more than three additional charges in the slim but still somewhat bulky charging case. It's big compared to an AirPods charging case, but svelte compared to other cases that house this style of earbuds.

These offer respectable performance for voice calls, but callers did say they heard a certain amount of white noise when I spoke to them from the noisy streets of New York -- that whooshing sound is the by-product of the earbuds' noise-reduction efforts.

With so many new wireless earbuds and headphones being released on what seems likely a weekly basis, it's not easy for companies to differentiate their products in the marketplace. Skullcandy hopes its new voice-driven platform, Skull-iQ Smart Feature Technology, will do just that. Similar to the Apple AirPods' "Hey Siri" feature, Skullcandy's version allows you to say "Hey, Skullcandy" to issue hands-free voice commands without touching a button. Skull-iQ debuts on the sports-oriented Push Active, and the $100 Grind Fuel, which will be firmware updatable via the Skullcandy App.

With their ear-hook design, they're essentially a more affordable version of the Beats Powerbeats Pro and they fit my ears slightly better than the Powerbeats Pro. I'm not usually a fan of ear-hook style buds, but this is one of the better ones.

The Push Active True earbuds are equipped with Bluetooth 5.2, are IP55 splashproof, have built-in Tile Finding Technology and are rated for up to 10 hours of battery life on a single charge at moderate volume levels.

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The Beats Powerbeats Pro earbuds have been on the market for several years but remain popular and are now available in several color options. Their jumbo charging case is a notable drawback, but they offer many of the same features as Apple's original AirPods Pro (they're equipped with Apple's H1 chip) but have better sound so long as you get a tight seal (they should fit most -- but not all -- ears well). There's no active noise canceling but battery life is strong at up to 9 hours and they're IPX4 splash-proof.

Note that the Powerbeats Pro are frequently on sale, so you should only buy them if they're substantially discounted.

The OpenRock Pro buds aren't so different from a lot of open sports earbuds with ear hooks that cost a little more than $100, but their charging case is different. Most of these types of buds lie flat in their charging case. These slide vertically into their charging compartments and the case closes from the top -- a little like a Zippo lighter.

They're sturdily built, comfortable to wear and feature good sound for open ear buds with ample bass thanks to 16.2mm drivers. Voice-calling performance is also decent -- they have four microphones. Available in black or silver, they're IPX5 water-resistant (they can withstand a sustained spray of water) and have excellent battery life -- up to 19 hours at moderate volume levels.

There are several open earbuds on Amazon with an ear hook design that's similar to that of the Oladance OWS2 buds. But these buds look and feel a little more premium than many of those. This second-gen model includes some upgrades, including Bluetooth 5.3, multipoint Bluetooth pairing capabilities and increased battery life (up to 19 hours on a single charge at 50% volume).

I found them comfortable to wear and they have a little bit bigger sound than some of these open sport buds (they have 16.5 mm drivers), though they do distort a tad at higher volumes. I also liked their glossy finish in the orange color I tried. The case is slim but a bit long, and the buds are a little pricey at $150, but overall they performed well and seem durable. They're IPX4 splashproof. These are also often on sale, so keep an eye out.

Oladance also makes the newer OWS Pro, which have a lighter design and a smaller charging case, but those buds cost $230.

Before anything else, you'll want to figure out how much you're willing to spend on new wireless sports buds with ear hooks. The quality of value-priced earbuds and headpones continues to improve, so you can find good affordable sports buds for less than $75. The premium models, which offer better build quality and performance, tend to cost more than $100 and sometimes more than $150.

Sports buds with ear hooks are available in a couple of styles. Some come with silicone tips that are designed to create a tight seal in your ear and keep sound out (they have a noise-isolating design). Others have an open design with the buds resting on top of your ears, firing sound into them. The noise-isolating style typically gives you better sound with stronger bass while the open design has the advantage of allowing sound in for safety reasons.

It's key that sports earbuds fit your ears not only comfortably but securely. They should offer a comfortable fit that allows you to wear the earbuds for long periods without any irritation. Since all the buds on this list have ear hooks, they should stay on your ears well. Some will fit your ears more comfortably than others.

You want sports buds that hold up well over time, so look for models that we note have sturdy build quality and a good water-resistance rating.

It's critical to buy your sports at a retailer that has a good return policy, in case you have buyer's remorse. Some people who are having trouble deciding between two models sometimes buy both, try them out for a few days and then return one.

We test true-wireless earbuds based on five key criteria, comparing similarly styled and priced models. These criteria are design, sound quality, features, voice-calling performance and value.

Baseus Eli Sport 1: The Eli Sport 1 can be had for around $70. While they may not sound quite as good as some of the premium open earbuds out there -- there can be a touch of distortion at higher volumes with bass-heavy tracks -- they sound quite decent for their modest price and I found them comfortable to wear. They look more premium than their price would indicate. They have 16.2mm drivers, are IPX4 splash-proof and are rated for up to 7.5 hours of battery life at moderate volume levels.

Samsung Galaxy Buds FE: Carrying a list price of around $80, Samsung's 2023 Galaxy Buds FE feature a single driver (Samsung isn't saying what size it is), three mics on each earbud and active noise canceling. They charge in a case that's the same size and shape as what you currently get with all of Samsung's latest Galaxy Buds, including the Galaxy Buds 2 and Galaxy Buds 2 Pro. And they look a lot like an updated version of Samsung's discontinued Galaxy Buds Plus earbuds, which also came with a set of swappable fins that helped create a secure, comfortable fit. Like those buds, the Galaxy Buds FE are sweat-resistant with an IPX2 water-resistance rating that protects against splashes.

Bose Frames (Tempo): The Bose Frames are one of those products you have to try to fully appreciate -- or dismiss. The concept is that you're getting a decent pair of sunglasses with a pair of headphones that don't actually go in your ears. Rather, integrated micro speakers in each arm direct a beam of sound to your ears. That design could be appealing to people who don't like having headphones in or on their ears and also offers a degree of safety for runners and bikers who want their ears open to the world.

Jabra Elite 8 Active: Equipped with six microphones instead of four, slightly improved adaptive noise canceling and wind-reduction technology along with a higher durability rating, the Elite 8 Active looks, feels and performs like a modestly upgraded version of the Elite 7 Pro and Elite 7 Active. Jabra is billing them as the "world's toughest earbuds," and based on our tests (they survived several drops without a scratch), that may very well be true.

Soundpeats Air3 Deluxe HS: What makes these Soundpeats Air3 Deluxe HS buds special is that they sound surprisingly good for open earbuds -- they're pretty close to what you get from Apple's AirPods 3 for sound. On top of that, they support Sony's LDAC audio codec for devices that offer it. Not too many cheap open earbuds have good sound, but these Soundpeats have good bass response and clarity. They're also good for making calls and have a low-latency gaming mode. Battery life is rated at 5 hours at moderate volume levels, and these are IPX4 splash-proof.

Not necessarily. Buds with integrated ear hooks or wingtips (or sports fins) are designed to help keep your earbuds in your ears. It's really a design preference. Some people like the look and feel of earbuds with ear hooks while others prefer earbuds with sports fins. If you're looking for an open buds design, you're more likely to find open earbuds with ear hooks than sport fins.

Because they're bigger than your typical earbuds, earbuds with ear hooks usually come with a fairly large charging case that may not fit so well in a pants pocket (especially tight jeans). We're seeing better designs for not only the buds themselves (and the ear hooks) but the cases are getting more compact.

Generally, excellent and usually significantly better than what you get with standard earbuds. That's because earbuds with ear hooks are large and can house bigger batteries. Typical battery life ratings for buds with ear hooks are in the 10-15 hour range while traditional true-wireless earbuds are usually rated for anywhere from 5-8 hours of playback time at moderate volume levels.