REVIEW – I cannot wear “in ear” headphones. They just hurt too much! I even avoid the popular Apple AirPods. Besides bone conduction and traditional over-the-ear headphones, there’s this interesting middle ground of “air condition” headphones that sit just outside your ear.
What is it?
The TOZO OpenReal True Wireless Earbuds are a stereo, Bluetooth headphone set featuring Bluetooth 5.3 connectivity.
What’s in the box?
- TOZO OpenReal True Wireless Earbuds
- Proprietary USB charging cable
- Instructions
Hardware specs
- Open-Ear Design
- Air Conduction Technology & Ergonomic Design
- Clear Calls with Dual-Mic ENC & Bluetooth 5.3
- 16.2mm Dynamic Drivers
- Up to 14 Hours Playtime & Fast Charging
- Support TOZO APP
The TOZO OpenReal True Wireless Earbuds are pretty light at 1 oz (30 grams)
Design and features
This is a close-up of one of the speaker drivers. The teardrop-shaped end sits just outside your ear and doesn’t fit inside.
The outside of the TOZO OpenReal speaker features a touch-sensitive area on the right side.
Setup
The included charging cable is a proprietary magnetic system that charges via USB.
I’m sure the magnetic system keeps moisture out, but the magnet isn’t very strong. If you bump the cable, it can unseat the charger. An LED on the side turns red when charging. It goes dark when full.
The TOZO OpenReal True Wireless Earbuds and charging cable end is covered in that grippy, silicone-like material. It picks up dust, lint, and glitter like nothing else.
Thankfully, there’s a little tag that explains the basic functions. When powering on or off the TOZO OpenReal True Wireless Earbuds, you’ll hear a musical chord. When forwarding tracks, you hear a “ba-doop!” tone. The + and – buttons are raised but not easy to tell them apart just by feel alone. I found the touch-sensitive ear button to be a little fiddly. You have to press it in just the right spot to register.
Of course, there’s an app. I was able to adjust the EQ sound curve from it.
Performance
Bass-lovers already know: You’re not going to get skull-shaking audio with this type of headphones. The TOZO is just fine for casual, non-critical listening. To get a sense of what this headset sounds like: take your favorite headphones and pull them away from your ear a little.
The built-in microphone sounds fine, but don’t expect miracles with the microphones that far away from your mouth.
I wear glasses, but I did not experience discomfort even after an hour of wearing the TOZO OpenReal True Wireless Earbuds. And of course, no in-ear discomfort whatsoever.
In my casual tests, I did not notice any Bluetooth latency between the TOZO and my 2023 Macbook Pro. Both are equipped with Bluetooth 5.3, so that probably helps.
What I like
- Doesn’t hurt my ears
- No notcable latency (when used with my Bluetooth 5.3 equipped laptop)
- Audio is “good enough”
What I’d change
- Stronger magnet on charger
- A separate power button would be nice
Final thoughts
With the TOZO OpenReal True Wireless Earbuds, I think I found my new go-to headset for Zoom calls, where I don’t need room-shaking bass, yet I can still get a feel for the environment around me.
Price: $49.99 at the time of publication
Where to buy: TOZO and Amazon
Source: The sample of this product was provided by TOZO.
Gadgeteer Comment Policy - Please read before commenting
Same here. I cannot wear earbuds. They simply fall out at even the slightest movement of my jaw. I spend a small fortune, based on tests and reviews, on “great” earbuds, only to be disappointed again and again.
I will be looking into these. Thanks for the review !
You should trybSonicfoam ear tips, they are a foam you squeeze them between your fingers and they expand in your ear to make a tight comfortable fit they also make a big difference to the sound quality, they come in different sizes to fit your buds and your ears, so two sizes per set…and their customer service is excellent.
For me I would like to have them as I have only one ear that works and I need this to leasten to my tittines sounds.can you tell how much will it cost?
I do not make these. I am not the manufacturer. You might look here: https://www.tozostore.com/products/tozo-open-buds?variant=45649557618977
Thanks for your great review! How would you compare TOZO openreal with the more seemingly prestigious bone conduction model like Shokz Openrun Pro? Thanks a lot.
I do not have a bone conduction model to compare against.
You should try Sonicfoam ear tips, they are a foam you squeeze them between your fingers and they expand in your ear to make a tight comfortable fit they also make a big difference to the sound quality, they come in different sizes to fit your buds and your ears, so two sizes per set…and their customer service is excellent.