Shokz announced the OpenFit Air 2 on August 24 at $130, going on sale August 27, and the number it leads with is 7.2 grams a bud, around 17 percent lighter than the first generation, as Engadget reported. The charging case came down by a little more than 10 percent, which counts on an earhook design, because those cases have to run large to fit the shape of the buds. Battery is eight hours a charge and 36 with the case, a ten-minute top-up buys three hours, and the buds are IP55 rated with Bluetooth 6.1 and multipoint pairing.
Nothing’s Ear Open weigh 8.1 grams a bud and Shokz’s own OpenFit Pro 12.3, the two figures Gizmodo used for comparison, so the Air 2 undercuts both. What it does not have is noise reduction, and that stays exclusive to the $250 OpenFit Pro. Shokz is shipping a bone conduction pair on the same day at the same $130, 9 percent smaller than its predecessor and IP67 rated, with ten hours of battery.