Shokz OpenComm: Is it worth the price?
I seldom do product reviews but I feel compelled to do one as I recently learned that a friend is suffering from an ear infection from his prolonged use of earphones.
Since the pandemic, virtual calls have become the norm and it is not uncommon for executives to be on virtual calls for up to eight hours a day. Couple this with working from home in humid Singapore, moisture gets trapped in our ear canals, creating a warm and moist environment that is ideal for the growth of bacteria and fungi.
At the start of the pandemic, I struggled to find earphones or a headset that worked best for me. I liked the wired earphones for the lack of battery anxiety, but I liked the freedom the wireless earphones afforded me to step away from my desk. I also liked boom mics as they allowed me to speak more naturally, but I disliked the large over-the-ear headsets that came with it as it was hot.
This was when I chanced upon the Shokz OpenComm bone conduction stereo Bluetooth headset. I bought a pair and I have been using one for the past six months. In my opinion, it is the perfect headset.
- Long battery life. The OpenComm has 16 hours of talk time making it ideal for those marathon meetings. 16 hours is more than enough even for the busiest of executives. Standby time is also rated at 14 days.
- Short charging time. The OpenComm has an amazing rapid charge. A 15-minute charge gives you two hours of talk time. So, on the off-chance, that your meeting runs longer than 16 hours, asking for a short break will allow you to add another two hours.
- Comfortable. The headset is extremely lightweight at just 33g. Unlike traditional headsets that cover my ears, the open-ear design has nothing in or covering my ears making it extremely comfortable. In fact, on many occasions, I have forgotten that I am wearing my OpenComm.
- Boom mic. The boom mic rotates and is sensitive. Being able to “keep” the mic when not in use is useful when moving around between calls, and its sensitivity allows me to speak “normally” without raising my voice.
- Noise-Canceling. Featuring DSP — digital signal processing — the OpenComm effectively cuts out background…
