Why Bone Conduction Headphones Outshine AirPods for Your Workout Routine

The New Year is merely hours away, bringing along a series of resolutions. Approximately 77% of you will commit to enhancing your health in 2025 and lace up your shoes to head to the gym or go for a jog. As you prepare, you’ll grab your AirPods (or a comparable earbud from Samsung, Google, or JBL) and insert them into your ears.

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Apple AirPods are fantastic for enjoying music and highly effective at drowning out background noise. However, during workouts, particularly outdoors, it’s essential to stay alert to sounds like approaching vehicles. Almost every earbud offers some kind of pass-through mode, but I’ve noticed that having speakers forcefully crammed into your ears undermines that intention.

Open-ear bone conduction headphones provide an ideal answer. They operate without speakers, instead using vibrations to transfer sound through the bones in your ears. If you’ve never experienced this technology, it might seem like a gimmick, but it functions remarkably well!

Though they’re bulkier than traditional earbuds (typically connected by a band that loops around the back of your head), I find them comfy during extended workouts and compatible with hats and bicycle helmets. Besides not obstructing your environmental hearing, bone conduction headphones are superb for individuals like me who have sensitive ear canals that earbuds tend to irritate.

Suunto Sonic Is The Ultimate Workout Partner

Suunto Sonic bone conduction headphones are incredibly lightweight. Constructed from a silicone-titanium composite, they weigh just over an ounce (31 grams for everyone else worldwide). Unlike Suunto’s other headphone models, these lack LEDs, which results in a more streamlined design.

They are sweat-resistant (assuming you don’t produce enough perspiration to exceed an IP55 water resistance rating) and can withstand splashes and rain. Because the upgraded audio driver is fully enclosed, the Sonic headphones are extremely robust, able to endure temperature extremes ranging from 140° to -4°F (60° to -20°C).

The Suunto Sonic features dual microphones and built-in noise cancellation, allowing you to take calls while on the move (literally) without sacrificing call quality. The noise cancellation is effective against wind speeds of up to about 10 MPH. So, while it may not suffice for the fastest cyclists, it is certainly adequate for my fellow New Year’s joggers.

There are three buttons for adjusting volume, managing your playlist, and answering or ending phone calls. Although the answer/hang up button on the driver section is readily accessible, the buttons for volume and track control (which double as the Bluetooth sync and power buttons) might be somewhat challenging to differentiate during physically demanding activities. Nevertheless, with a bit of practice, it becomes instinctive.

During my months of testing the Suunto Sonic headphones, I remain consistently impressed by their power management. They require only an hour to charge yet provide up to 10 hours of continuous usage. They also retain their charge exceptionally well, meaning they are almost always instantly ready when you are. And if they happen to be uncharged, a quick 5-minute plug-in can deliver a 3-hour charge.

It’s advisable to keep the charging cable secure, however. The headphones utilize a proprietary magnetic charging cable rather than USB-C or a charging case.

You can simultaneously pair the headphones with your phone and another device via Bluetooth using the Suunto app, but I usually prefer to use them solely as my primary workout headphones for whichever device I am utilizing at that moment. Instead of disturbing the entire household while I dive into the Peloton’s annual Top 50 Music countdown series, I simply turn these on and start.

Even though I anticipated that the banded design of the Suunto Sonic headphones might be bothersome, they are so lightweight that I barely notice them until it’s time for floor exercises. That minor inconvenience is worth it since I can easily engage in casual conversations and remain aware of the coaching for my current workout.

Outdoor sessions are where the Suunto Sonic headphones truly excel. In this era of electric vehicles, I am never startled by a car creeping by or a cyclist zooming past me (well, not never… some of them are unbelievably quiet). I appreciate in-ear coaching while running and often desire a podcast or music for longer runs. But I also want to stay aware of my surroundings. This technology allows me to do both effortlessly.

With a price tag of $129, Suunto Sonic isn’t the least expensive headphones available. However, considering their cutting-edge technology, clear sound quality, and remarkable durability and battery life, they are certainly worth the investment. They might even outlast your New Year’s resolutions.

You can find them in three different colors (my preferred shade is Lime, inspired by one of my favorite Taylor Swift songs) on the Suunto website.