The Surprising Wireless Earbud Trend Taking Over Fitness

Apple, by far the biggest name in wireless earbuds (its AirPods business alone generates billions in revenue each year), is finally jumping on this popular trend — or at least openly embracing it.

When the company revealed its AirPods 4 last month, it was the first time Apple advertised its wireless earbuds as having an “open-ear” design. The 2019-released entry-level AirPods and 2021-released AirPods — both now discontinued — fit similarly but were not advertised as such. (You can check their respective press releases, here and here.)

When Apple refers to an “open-ear design,” it simply means that its wireless earbuds don’t rest deep in your ear canals or have silicone tips (like its AirPods Pro). This allows the earbuds to let ambient sounds seep in so, theoretically, you can better hear the outside world while listening to music.

Of course, anybody who has worn non-Pro AirPods in recent years likely hasn’t thought of them as “open-ear” wireless earbuds. They were just wireless earbuds. But “open-ear” has become a buzzword in the wireless earbud space. And most manufacturers seem to be jumping in on the action.

The Open-Ear Movement

Wireless earbuds with open-ear designs aren’t exactly new, but they’re definitely becoming more mainstream. In the last two or so years, some of the biggest names in headphones (and audio in general) have jumped in on the action. This includes the likes of Sony, Bose, Beyerdynamic, Soundcore (Anker) and Nothing.

The rise of open-ear wireless earbuds has predictably coincided with the boom in cycling and running. The open-ear design allows you to better hear traffic and other distractions — and thus exercise more safely.