AfterShokz Aeropex Review: Open-Ear Wireless You Can Trust!

True wireless earbuds are lighter and more compact than any other type of headphones.

Some are made for daily usages like casual music streaming and calls. Others are meant for sporting purposes or both.

The Aeropex Aftershokz fits both bills. We’ll discuss it in detail.

Welcome to the AfterShokz Aeropex Review.

Here are the things we’ll cover in the subsequent sections:

• About the Aftershokz Aeropex brand
• Special features of the Aftershokz Aeropex
• Drawbacks of theAftershokz Aeropex
• Comprehensive buyers guide on truly wireless earbuds
• Benefits of the Aftershokz Aeropex
• What other are saying about the Aftershokz Aeropex
• Alternatives to the Aftershokz Aeropex

Let’s begin.

Aftershokz Aeropex Review

About the “Aftershokz Aeropex” brand

Aftershokz is an American audio products company that manufactures bone conduction headphones.

The company was founded to address the issues of discomfort after the long-term use of ordinary headphones. The Aeropex, Xtrainerz, Air, and Open Move are some of their flagship wireless headphones.

All Aftershokz gadgets have either IP55, IP67, or IP68 waterproof certification. Professional athletes are some of the biggest buyers of Aftershokz products.

This is largely due to their ruggedness.  They also manufacture accessories such as carrying bags.

Special features of the AfterShokz Aeropex Open-Ear Wireless buds

Design

The Aeropex got a major design updated from the preceding Air model. The Aeropex now sits with a less-intrusive 30-degree tilt.

This makes them noticeably comfortable both on daily usage and during workouts-they rest way below your head when bench-pressing. They are made from the same high quality, titanium material.

It looks and feels great. There four-color options-cosmic black, eclipse blue, solar red, and lunar grey. I’m sure you may like one of those. 

They are more compact and subtle compared to the older model. Aftershokz claims they are smaller and lighter(more on this later)

I like the packaging. It comes in a premium, well-designed box. Upon opening it, you’ll find 4 sections. The second one from the right is where the AfterShokz Aeropex Open-Ear Wireless buds are housed in a cutout.

The rest of the sections have texts and some really good-looking people. Overall, the unboxing experience is a party on its own.

The gadget has three buttons: 2 volume rocker(+ & -) on one side and a multifunction button on the other. They have excellent feedback and are well-planted.

Aftershokz was nice enough to include a free gel carrying case. You get two magnetic charging cables. There’s also a pair of earmuffs. 

These are meant to provide extra isolation. It may be useful if you want to enjoy the maximum volume. It may also help you hear calls/ audio files better if you are in a crowded environment.

Another convenient feature is the better positioning and sizing of the multifunction button. It’s now smaller and lower for easy reach.

Speaking of convenience, the charger tips and terminals are now magnetic. I’m not sure they are better than the previously used USB B charger. They are hard to miss though.

Fit and Comfort

The AfterShokz Aeropex Open-Ear Wireless buds fit nicely and snuggly. They sit comfortably behind the ears. Their 30 degrees of tilt relative to your head.

The connecting band is flexible and rigid enough to adjust its position to your liking. Overall, these things are stable on the head. They don’t fall off when you bend either.

Sound Quality

The AfterShokz Aeropex Open-Ear Wireless earbuds are louder and less tickly than its predecessor. It has been nicely angled away from the ears just enough to produce good sound.

It has some degree of bass and boasts good clarity. It works best with calls and audiobooks. 

Don’t be surprised if you find yourself throwing one of these into your gym bag. They are noticeably loud under ordinary environments. Gladly, they don’t leak sound.

This makes it almost impossible for people around you to hear anything. This is great for use for commuting or on a plane.

Not that these headphones might muzzle upper mid and high-frequency notes. A good example is a soft rock. The disturbance is hardly noticeable and decreases with a decrease in volume.

The angle of transduction also makes these earbuds less intrusive. It also has no syncing issues with video platforms such as Netflix and Youtube.

Water Resistance

The AfterShokz Aeropex Open-Ear Wireless earbuds are IP67-certified water-resistant. They can survive depths of up to 3m and submersion time of up to 30 minutes.

Obviously, it can resist sweat and splashes. This makes them ideal for workout purposes. Again, ensure they are always dry before charging them up.

Controls

The AfterShokz Aeropex Open-Ear Wireless earbuds have three buttons-volume +, volume -, and, a multipurpose button.

The following are the functions of each:

Multipurpose button

• Press once to play/pause
• Double press to skip forward 
• Triple press to skip backward 
• Press once to receive an incoming call. You’ll hear a beep once before the call is answered
• Press once while on a call to hang up
• Press and hold to reject an incoming call. You’ll hear a beep twice before the call is rejected.
• Long press when the device is on and hold for 2 seconds to activate your phone’s voice assistant

Volume +

• Press(as many times as you want for finer adjustments) to increase volume when a file is playing 
• Press and hold when it’s on standby to check battery level-the voice assistant dubbed Audrey will reply with either “battery low”, “battery medium” or “battery high” or “charge me”
• Press and hold for 5 seconds turn on the earbuds
• Press and hold for an additional 2 seconds to activate Bluetooth pairing mode. Audrey will say “pairing” and an LED will flash.

Volume –

• Reduce volume 

Volume+ and volume- simultaneously

• Press and hold for 2 seconds while on a call to mute mic. Audrey will say “mute on”
• Press and hold for two seconds on a muted call to unmute mic. Audrey will say “mute off”
• Press and hold for 2 seconds when music is playing to change between two  equalization modes
• Press and hold for 2 seconds when music is paused to check battery status

How to reset the AfterShokz Aeropex Open-Ear Wireless earbuds

• Press and hold the volume + button for 5 seconds to activate pairing mode. An LED flashes.
• Press the volume +, volume – and multipurpose button simultaneously for 3-5 seconds. Wait for a beep or vibration.
• Turn off your headphones. They are now reset to factory settings.

Connectivity

The AfterShokz Aeropex Open-Ear Wireless earbuds have excellent, stable, long-range connections. Thanks to the upgrade from Bluetooth V4.2 on the older model to V5 on these.

You shouldn’t experience any intermittent connections whatsoever. They also work well with both iOS and Android devices. The files play with no lag either.

Battery

The AfterShokz Aeropex Open-Ear Wireless earbuds come with two proprietary magnetic chargers. The other end is a USB A connector.

You’ll have to carry this specific cable everywhere you go. On the other side, they are easy to clip in and out. Both the charger and the charging port look and feel premium.

Aftershokz claims the Aeropex Open-Ear Wireless earbuds can deliver up to 8 hours of playback time. This is at maximum volume.

In real-life use, these things exceed this rating. You may get more than 9 hours of playback time. 

This is one of the best battery lives in the wireless earbuds market. They charge from 0 to 100% in 2 hours. This is relatively manageable and convenient.

Price

The AfterShokz Aeropex Open-Ear Wireless earbuds have excellent build quality, excellent battery life, stable connectivity, and are healthy for your ears.

For all these features and more, they cost $159.95. This is costly by all standards. However, it’s much friendlier than the price of competing wireless earbuds.

Drawbacks of the AfterShokz Aeropex Open-Ear Wireless buds

Audibility

The bone conduction technology is miles away from perfect. In contrast with speaker counterparts, It has lesser quality and volume.

The open ear design also welcomes more distractions from your immediate environment. This further reduces its audibility. It also slightly lacks bass although it’s nothing you can’t get used to.

AfterShokz Aeropex Open-Ear Wireless Buyers Guide

Price

Although not exclusively, price is a major indicator of quality. The best products in the market, quality-wise, are typically costlier.

The contrary is true for their cheaper counterparts. Well, the bone conduction wireless bud industry is no different. In this industry though, there’s not a ton of competition. So, many products are mostly similar.

Luckily, there are neat, premium touches that tell them apart. For instance, tough materials, longer battery life, and comfortable design.

These contribute to the pricing of a bone conduction wireless bud. I recommend just getting the best model if you can. The best of these things are way cheaper. than most competing products in the market. 

The brand really counts here. Reputable brands generally do a good job in terms of technology and design. They also have the privilege to improve from older iterations.

This drives their price up. However, especially when you buy the latest versions, you enjoy useful updates. 

This means improving what people hated in the previous version. Don’t use price as the only metric for quality. Consider other factors such as the tech features and simplicity of use.

Note that these capabilities can be included with innovation, thus, eliminating the need for a high budget.

Fit

A bone conduction wireless earbud should fit snugly on the stimulated bone. In most cases, this is the cheekbone.

Too much pressure and it’s gonna tickle. Too little contact and you’ll miss notes. Especially if you were attending music classes. See what I did there?…notes? Classes? lol

Another aspect of the fit is the angle of the tilt of the transducer around your head. This predicts the setting of the bone conduction wireless bud around the ear.

Possible compromises of comfort and audibility may arise. I found 25-35 degrees to be the best fit. For instance, at 30 degrees of tilt, the transducer sits just tight and far enough from the ear.

The result is a nice balance between contact pressure, comfort, and volume. You may also want to factor in the gross size of your head.

If you have a lot of hair, then, ordinary bone conduction wireless buds may not work for you. Unless you hang it around the jaws, which is a little weird. But hey, do your thing!

Battery

Bone conduction buds are considered to be more power-efficient than typical speaker wireless earbuds. So you are likely to get more playtime than competing speaker wireless buds.

That said, you can get bone conduction wireless buds with better stamina than others. Whenever possible, check the battery capacity per bud.

This can give you a rough idea of the longevity you should expect. Most companies do well to test this out for you. You’ll get the ratings in hours.

For instance, the number of hours of playback you can get per charge. Or how much more listening time you can get for plugging the buds for a few minutes.

Either way, the battery life ultimately depends on the charging speed and battery capacity. If you land a pair with larger batteries, you’ll get more stamina.

If you find a pair that can recharge quickly, you get more stamina as well. I’ll advise you to look for a pair with both. 

Fortunately, you can find one right now like the Aftershokz Titanium open-ear wireless bone conduction earbuds. On the same topic, ensure that you get the right charger.

Some models have a single shared battery. This means you have one cable to charge it up. Others have individual batteries with individual charging ports. 

Consider the charging time from 0 to 100. This will help you slot in charging time in your schedule. Also, find bone conduction wireless buds that have efficient transducers. This ensures high battery efficiency. 

Connectivity

Wireless earbuds should be compatible with your devices. Or at least, with your primary device. Bluetooth is the mainstream mode of connection in most wireless headphones.

Check the BlueTooth version supported on the earbuds. Confirm that it is compatible with your phone.

Whenever possible go for bone conduction headphones with the latest version of BlueTooth. If you are using an old phone, consider upgrading.

I mean, if you have the money for earbuds, then…Anyways, the stability of the connection largely depends on the BlueTooth technology in use.

Codecs are one of the things to check. A codec is simply the default program that your phone uses to send and receive information from the earbuds. iOS uses AAC while android uses AptX.

Both formats can be “read” on either platform. However, the quality will suffer, slightly!

Confirm the range of connectivity as well. This should be far enough. As a minimum, it should maintain a stable connection from wherever the paired phone is placed near your body.

Thankfully, the latest version of BlueTooth(V5) has a theoretical range of about 800 feet. Most quality bone conduction wireless earbuds have excellent range.

Control

Your overall experience is dependent on how you can interact with the device. For instance, do you like tap points, buttons, or squeeze transducers?

You are likely to find only buttons in most bone conduction headphones. Granted, they are well-engineered in premium models. Look for securely-planted buttons or responsive touch and squeeze “buttons”. 

This ensures you get instant feedback. It also improves its durability since you wouldn’t be fighting with it, lol! Check the number of supported functions per button.

The higher the number, the less likely you’ll need to reach for your phone. Especially for workout or commute purposes.

Shoot for at least the ability to adjust volume, pick/decline calls, play/pause, and skip forward/backward, completely hands-free.

Voice control would be another important feature to have. It’s not only convenient but also important in this world of Alexa, Siri, Google Assistant, Bixby, and the likes.

Automatic functions are also starting to pop up in this segment. For instance, some truly wireless earbuds have proximity sensors and accelerometers.

This enables them to detect when to play/pause/sleep/power off by selecting your motions. It’s classy and battery-friendly.

Sound Quality

Bone conduction technology is still a work in progress. Meaning you should not put it side-by-side with speaker technology. The latter has been perfected for nearly one-and-a-half decades.

This is not to mean you won’t find a good quality sound. This technology is catching up.

I remember when bone conduction headphones became mainstream a couple of years ago. They could hardly produce any bass.

But at the time of writing this article, some models have actual bass. While they are not nearly as pumped, you can have a good time with bone conduction wireless earbuds.

The Aftershokz Aeropex bone conduction wireless earbuds have a high sensitivity microphone. It accurately picks up your voice. The result is accurate voice commands and high-quality calls.

Design

The dimensions, curves, joints, color, texture, and weight are the key aspects to consider in the design of bone conduction wireless earbuds.

They speak paragraphs about the engineers who designed the product. First off, you need to like how the earbuds look. You must also like how they look on you. 

Next, they should have a careful, precision design. Every aspect of the design should contribute in one way or the other to the perfection of your experience.

It should be light, comfortable, snuggly, and stylish. Color is subject to personal preferences. Speaking of which, the buds should be available in a wide range of colors if possible.

The location of buttons/ interactive surfaces should be strategic. Translation, it should be easy to reach and even remember. Also, the location of the charging port should be considered.

It should be easy to reach. It should also be protected if it’s delicate. On the same breath, confirm that you are getting a durable cable.

Water Resistance

A bone conduction wireless earbud should be water-resistant. Especially when you plan to rock them for workouts. In this regard, IP67 certification is the ultimate rating to get.

It means that the earbuds can survive splashes as well as submerging underwater. Therefore, you can work out with them without worrying about sweat damage.

However, NEVER charge wet bone conduction wireless earbuds or any other wireless earbuds for that matter!

Benefits of AfterShokz Aeropex Open-Ear Wireless earbuds

IP67-certified water and sweat resistant

They are rugged; can survive harsh environments 

Compact and lightweight; make them easy to carry 

Open ear design; makes them comfortable and non-intrusive 

Unique bone conduction technology; helps maintain auditory health

What others say about the Aftershokz Aeropex wireless earbuds

After scouring the internet for user reviews, I found the general response to be mostly positive.

People seem to be satisfied with the level of perfect Aftershokz have attained with the unique bone conduction technology. Here’s what some users had to say about the Aftershokz Aeropex wireless earbuds:

• One customer said:

• Another customer said:

• Another customer said:

Alternatives to the Aftershokz Aeropex wireless earbuds

1. Powerbeats Pro

The Powerbeats Pro is a truly wireless speaker bud. It uses buttons and voice controls. With a premium body, the Powerbeats Pro has decent longevity.

Speaking of which, they have a longer battery life more than 10 hours of playback time. They are also louder and have larger bass. 

The ear hooks on Powerbeats Pro makes them convenient to use for sporting/fitness activities.  Overall, the powerbeats Pro is easily the best wireless earbuds. 

Key features of the Powerbeats Pro

• Good build quality
• Have extra earbuds 
• Excellent battery life
• Reliable connectivity 
• Premium audio quality 

Notable differences between the Powerbeats Pro and the Aftershokz Aeropex bone conduction wireless earbuds

1. Pricier 
2. Louder 
3. Clearer 
4. Longer battery life 

2. Apple Airpods Pro

The Airpods Pro is one of the best truly wireless earbuds on the market. They are beautifully designed to deliver the best utility.

For instance, the stem not only houses components but also serves as a squeeze button. It also has several sensors such as microphones, an accelerometer, and a proximity sensor. 

Consequently, it supports automatic play/pause/stop as well as Active Noise Cancellation. They are IPX4 water-resistant. Thus, they can survive mild splashes of sweat and water.

Airpods Pro also sounds great thanks to its updated audio amplifier. It also completely seals the ear canal for a more immersive experience.

Key features of the Apple Airpods Pro

• Many sensors 
• Sharp audio output 
• Extra silicone ear tips 
• IPX4 water and sweat resistant 
• Supports Active Noise Cancellation 

Notable differences between the Airpods Pro and the Aftershokz Aeropex bone conduction wireless earbuds

1. Pricier 
2. Sound better 
3. Available in more color options 
4. Uses speakers in place of bone conduction technology 

3. Jaybird Vista True Wireless Bluetooth Buds

Jaybird Vista is a worthy alternative to the Aftershokz. Not only are they lighter but they also sound better. Thanks to their high-efficiency, 6mm speaker drivers.

They have sufficient bass and have a high audio reproduction fidelity. They are also IPX7-certified water and sweat resistant.

It works well with both iOS and Android devices. The free Jaybird app adds more features to your overall experience. For instance, manual EQ manipulation.

You can also locate(find) your misplaced earbuds. The Jaybird Vista also boasts a long, 6-hour battery life on a single charge.

The case can supply enough charge to push you through well over 16 hours of playback time. The buds also recharge quickly. For example, a 5-minute charge can deliver an hour of playback.

Key features of the Jaybird Vista True Wireless Bluetooth Buds

• Lightweight
• Long-range 
• Free Jaybird app
• Good audio quality 
• IPX7-certified waterproof 

Notable differences between the Jaybird Vista True Wireless Bluetooth Buds and the Aftershokz Aeropex bone conduction wireless earbuds

1. Lighter 
2. Louder 
3. Clearer 
4. Shorter battery life

Conclusion

The Aftershokz Aeropex bone conduction wireless earbuds have excellent build quality, sound great and are friendly to the ears.

It best serves as part of your workout gear. Be sure to charge up your headphones, especially over night. 

Clean them regularly as well. If you liked this article, check out more amazing fitness, information and tech content on the site. Thanks for making it to the end, bye!

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• Jaybird Vista True Wireless Earbuds Review 2021 [MUST READ]
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