Pros & Cons
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- Good sound
- Clear microphone
- Lightweight and comfortable
- Solid battery life
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- Pricey
- Lackluster bass response
- Not ideal for music
Shokz Openmeet UC Specs
| Battery Life | 15 hours |
| Bluetooth | |
| Frequency Range | 20Hz to 20kHz |
The $249.95 Shokz OpenMeet UC Bluetooth headset is for office workers who want or need to hear their surroundings while on calls. It puts the company's hybrid bone conduction and speaker technology, previously reserved for fitness headphones like the $179.95 OpenRun Pro 2, to work. The result is a comfortable headset with impressive audio and an excellent microphone. The OpenMeet UC is a good choice for people who require the ability to remain aware of their surroundings while on calls at work. Ultimately, however, most people will be better served by the more traditional Jabra Evolve2 75 ($403, but often available for less than $250), which includes noise cancellation and a retractable boom mic and remains our Editors' Choice for Bluetooth headsets.
Design: Dressed to Impress
While Shokz may be better known for its flashy exercise headphones, the OpenMeet aligns much more closely with devices designed for business professionals. The headset has a thin headband that stretches over the top of your head and connects the two small modules that rest outside your ears. A boom microphone folds up when not in use.
The headset is lightweight, and I found it comfortable to wear for hours. The bone conduction pods sit right outside your ears, while two ear cushions partway up the band stabilize it against your head. The headset comes with three sets of different-sized cushions, and you can swap them out to get a fit that works for you.
(Credit: Christian de Looper)The headset relies on Shokz's DualPitch Technology, which makes use of bone conduction drivers and what Shokz calls "air conduction" drivers. Air conduction is marketing speak for “speakers.” The speakers play traditional audio directly into your ears, where it is combined with the bone conduction audio. The idea is that the headphones can offer deeper and richer audio that’s still relatively private while also allowing for an open-ear experience. The DualPitch technology is the key differentiator between this headset and the Shokz OpenComm2, which relies solely on bone conduction drivers for audio.
According to Shokz, the combined bone conduction drivers and 0.43-by-0.7-inch speakers can deliver a frequency response between 20Hz and 20kHz.
The headset is available in two variants: OpenMeet and OpenMeet UC (reviewed here). The only difference is that the UC model comes with a 2.4GHz USB dongle (available in USB-A or USB-C), though you can still connect directly to your source device via its Bluetooth radio. In testing, I found the dongle connection more stable and reliable, especially if multiple Bluetooth devices were already connected to my computer.
(Credit: Christian de Looper)There are a few buttons on the headset's right side, starting with a multi-function joystick that controls nearly everything. Holding the joystick down for a few seconds powers the headset on or off while continuing to hold it when powering on initiates Bluetooth pairing mode. A single click plays or pauses audio, while a double click skips to the next track, and a triple click goes to the previous track. Pushing the joystick up or down adjusts the volume when audio is playing; otherwise, it reports the battery level. A button at the end of the boom microphone mutes or unmutes with a click, while a button at its base answers or ends a call with a single click or rejects it with a double click. None of the controls can be customized.
The headset supports Bluetooth 5.4, the SBC codec only, and Bluetooth multipoint for up to two connections. Google Fast Pair is not on board. An LED on the right earpiece lets others know when you're on a call. The headset does not have an IP rating and is not protected from dust or water.
Shokz says the OpenMeet UC has a battery life of up to 15 hours of listening time or 14 hours of talk time. The headset charges via USB-C cable. Shokz says plugging in for five minutes will give you two hours of talk time, and 1.5 hours will fully charge the headset.
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(Credit: Christian de Looper)In addition to the headset itself, the box includes a USB-C charging cable, a USB dongle, two extra pairs of ear cushions, and an attractive hard carry case. The case has a pleasing touch and has a dedicated spot to store the USB dongle.
App: Mostly Business
The Shokz OpenMeet UC Headset is compatible with two different pieces of software: the Shokz mobile app (available for Android and iOS) and the Shokz Connect app (available for macOS and Windows). The latter only supports the OpenMeet UC model.
(Credit: Shokz/PCMag)The Shokz mobile app is designed well and offers access to some helpful features, but it’s also clear that the headset is designed for office and business audio purposes rather than music. There are only two EQ options, Standard and Vocal, and there’s no way to create a custom EQ.
Functions include the ability to manage multipoint pairing, call settings, and perform firmware updates. If you were hoping to use the headset to listen to music at your desk, the lack of a music-focused EQ option is a bummer.
Sound: Good for Bone Conduction
The OpenMeet's primary purpose is to help people hear their work calls. To that end, the headset perfectly highlights voices on standard phone and video calls. I was able to hear people on calls plainly and directly, with little distortion or interference. The semi-open design permits plenty of sound from the surrounding environment to leak through, meaning you can maintain awareness while still following the discussion.
Shokz clearly paid extra attention to the flip-down boom microphone, which does a great job of reproducing my voice. It’s not as good as a standalone microphone that you'd use for podcasting, but it definitely works well for professional calls. There's no question that it outperforms traditional headphones on that front.
Although the OpenMeet may not be built for music, listening to music can still give you an idea of its performance. Despite Shokz's DualPitch hybrid bone conduction and speaker technology, the OpenMeet still underperforms in bass response. That's apparent on a track like The Knife's “Silent Shout," which has lots of sub-bass content. I heard some bass, but even the higher kick drum felt weak, and most of the bass synth content was absent. The higher-frequency percussion was present, though the detail was missing.
(Credit: Christian de Looper)On Kendrick Lamar's “Loyalty," the sub-bass is absent entirely. The headset reproduces only the highest bass notes. However, the headset does benefit from this track's lack of ultra-high-frequency content. Apart from the bass track and the somewhat limited kick drum, it sounds pretty good.
(Credit: Christian de Looper)On tracks that rely a little less on sub-bass content, like Bill Callahan's “Drover,” the headset performs well. It still offers enough low-mid response to allow Callahan’s vocal to get the richness it deserves, and while the guitar and percussion could use a little more high-end brightness, it still sounds natural.