Technologies

The New Shokz OpenFit Pro Buds Have Noise Reduction, but That’s Not Why I Like Them

Shokz’s new flagship ear-hook style open earbuds, launching at CES 2026, are its first earbuds with noise reduction. Here are my early hands-on impressions after testing them for a few days.

Shokz wanted to equip its new flagship OpenFit Pro open earbuds with active noise cancellation, but that’s not easy with open earbuds. Instead, it ended up dialing back expectations and calling the tech inside these new ear-hook style buds, «OpenEar Noise Reduction.»

It’s a good thing it did because, during my few days of testing the OpenFit Pro, they didn’t reduce ambient sound nearly as well as the AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation. But they sound impressive for open earbuds, are comfortable to wear and have the premium build quality you’d expect from a set of earbuds that cost $250. Launched this week at CES 2026, the OpenFit Pro come in two color options — white and black — and are available for preorder today at Shokz and Best Buy.

Read more: Best open earbuds of 2026

Larger dual-diaphragm drivers

Formerly known as AfterShokz, Shokz made a name for itself with its bone-conduction headphones. But in recent years it’s added several products that use standard drivers (Shokz markets them as «air conduction» headphones and earbuds) or combines a standard driver with bone-conduction technology, as it did with its OpenRun Pro 2 headphones.

The OpenFit Pro aren’t bone-conduction earbuds. Shokz says they’re powered by its first «SuperBoost» technology, which is built around an «ultra large 11×20 mm synchronized dual-diaphragm» driver. It says the design «expands frequency response up to 40 kHz while significantly minimizing distortion below 100 Hz, delivering more powerful bass, finer detail and a more authentic, stable sound in an open-ear design.»

While I still prefer the sound of a good set of noise-isolating earbuds with silicone ear tips, the OpenFit Pro are among the best-sounding open earbuds I’ve tested. They have full-sounding bass along with good treble detail and clear, natural sounding mids. When I cranked the volume, I did feel some vibration from the bass, which was a little annoying. That said, I encountered only minimal distortion.

Noise-isolating earbuds in this price range (and some that cost much less) will deliver better overall bass performance. But the sound gap between open earbuds and noise-isolating earbuds is narrowing, and in quieter environments the OpenFit Pro perform quite well. They don’t leak much sound, but they do let ambient sound in. While that’s a nice safety feature for runners, bikers and pedestrians, if you’re in a particularly noisy environment like the streets of New York, it can affect sound quality.

Noise reduction takes the edge off ambient sound

While the AirPods 4’s noise canceling isn’t nearly as strong the AirPods Pro 3’s, you can really tell when their noise canceling is engaged. When you turn on the OpenFit Pro’s noise reduction (you can adjust the level of noise reduction in the app), you also notice a difference, but the noise muffling is more subtle. Sounds around me weren’t dramatically reduced. I was still aware of them, but they weren’t as sharp. They were dulled a bit and became less cutting.

Shokz says that the OpenFit Pro use a «triple microphone array, refined speaker design and Shokz’s Ear Adaptive Algorithm to soften unwanted background noise.» The key word here is «soften.» The noise reduction doesn’t eliminate background noise, it just tones it down a bit, taking the edge off. Some people will appreciate that, others will find it underwhelming.

Fairly full-featured

Splashproof and dust-resistant with an IP55 rating, the OpenFit Pro are equipped with Bluetooth 6.1 and also have a spatial audio feature, supporting Dolby Audio with Dolby Head Tracking (Shokz says they’re optimized for Dolby Atmos). You can turn head tracking on or off in the Shokz companion app for iOS and Android and tweak EQ settings as well. Additionally, the buds have ear-detection sensors that pause your music when you take a bud off and resume playback when you put it back on.

Battery life is rated at up 12 hours with noise reduction off and 6 hours with it on, which is pretty big drop off. The case, which is a little heavy but feels solid and is well-designed, supports wireless charging and stores up to 38 hours of additional battery life with noise reduction off or 24 hours with it engaged.

In my tests in the streets of New York, callers said my voice sounded clear and natural (it didn’t sound too digitized or robotic) and background noise reduction was solid. Overall, voice-calling performance seemed quite good, though, as I said, the buds do let ambient sound in, so it was a little harder for me to hear callers in noisy environments.

Shock OpenFit Pro early conclusions

Several new premium open earbuds are being released in early 2026, so I’m reserving final judgment on the OpenFit Pro until I have a chance to compare them to some of these new models. But I liked the design of these ear-hook style buds and thought they were among they top-sounding open earbuds I’ve tested. While I was less impressed with the buds noise-reduction feature, at least Shokz didn’t try to position these as true active noise-canceling earbuds. That would have been a mistake and taken away from the buds’ many likable attributes — and perhaps angered some buyers.

Technologies

Amazon’s Alexa Plus Confounds Chris Hemsworth in Super Bowl Ad as the AI Tool Launches

Alexa Plus is aiming higher with a new superhero Super Bowl spot and a US-wide launch, including a free version for any app user.

The Alexa Plus AI has been in early access for over a year, but this week all that changes, starting with a Thursday preview at Amazon’s upcoming Super Bowl ad featuring Chris Hemsworth. Let’s look at how our phones and smart speakers are getting this smart voice assistant upgrade.

I’ve been reviewing beta Alexa Plus over the past year and found the AI upgrade to be highly conversational and more capable than the old Alexa, bringing new ties to third-party apps like Uber and Ticketmaster. Starting on Tuesday, Amazon has completed its rollout and made Alexa Plus available to anyone who wants to try it in the US.

It’s no wonder Hemsworth got worried at just how responsive the voice assistant could be. The rogue AI scenarios in the Super Bowl ad playfully acknowledge people’s fears over inviting generative artificial intelligence into their private lives as the Australian actor gets hacked by a garage door, drowned in his pool and mauled by an Alexa-ordered bear.

Amazon makes it clear that no damage was ultimately done.

«By casting Chris Hemsworth, the last guy on the planet you’d expect to be scared of anything, we were able to lean into the conversation and put people at ease through humor,» said Jo Shoesmith, Amazon’s global chief creative officer.

Alexa Plus arrives with a free version and more

So, what does this new Alexa Plus expansion — available now — include? The most interesting part is several tiers of the AI’s service, starting with a free version that anyone can use as long as they have the Alexa app downloaded or visit the web portal Alexa.com (which we’ve also tried).

You won’t get any advanced Amazon Echo capabilities that way, but you will be able to test out Alexa’s conversational AI and see how similar it is to talking to a human. Alexa Plus errs on the side of chatty, but its ability to summarize answers, stop in mid-conversation and answer follow-up questions is welcome. As I’ve said before, it feels like what voice assistants were always supposed to be like.

«Alexa Plus is built to make customers’ lives meaningfully easier — and that starts with conversation. Because Alexa Plus lives in the middle of everyday life, it has to be natural and trustworthy,» Panos Panay, senior vice president at Amazon Devices & Services, tells CNET. «The Super Bowl is the perfect moment to introduce this evolution at scale.»

Two other Alexa AI tiers exist. The first comes when you subscribe to Amazon Prime for $15 per month. That unlocks not only Prime’s own content but also all Alexa Plus capabilities across all compatible devices. This includes Echo smart speakers and AI video summaries for Ring security cameras, among other tricks. You can try telling your Echo device to «Upgrade to Alexa Plus» to get started.

The final option is paying $20 per month to unlock all Alexa Plus capabilities across all devices, independent of an Amazon Prime subscription. Alexa won’t be able to interact with Prime content like videos or Amazon Music, but it can connect with everything else the AI upgrade offers. Since you need an Amazon account either way, this tier is for specific people who want to avoid Prime content.

Is the new Alexa AI worth your time?

If you’re wondering whether Alexa Plus is worth it compared to alternatives like Gemini for Home or whatever Apple is cooking up with Siri, I found my experience with the voice assistant to be the most positive I’ve had overall. Sometimes a little too positive — as we’ve seen with chatbots, Alexa Plus can be very willing to agree with you and promise to do anything, even if it can’t.

Also, if you use an Echo, it will send your voice recordings to Amazon for automatic analysis; there’s no getting around that privacy concession if you want Alexa on a smart device.

Those issues aside, Alexa Plus as part of Amazon Prime for $15 is an excellent deal, especially if you already use Prime for ordering, catching up on Fallout, etc. If you’re not sure how talking to the new and vivacious Alexa feels like, all you need is an Amazon account to try it out online.

Technologies

Snag a Rare Discount on the Amazing Beats Powerbeats Fit Earbuds With This Limited-Time Deal

Get yourself these amazing earbuds while they’re back down to their lowest-ever price.

The 2025 Beats Powerbeats Fit is on our list of the best workout earbuds and headphones, and right now you can get yourself these powerful Beats Powerbeats Fit earbuds for $180. That’s a $20 discount and brings them back down to their all-time low price. They’re worth it at full price, so if you want them, now’s a fantastic chance to pick them up for less. The only issue is that Amazon’s limited-time deals don’t last long, so you’ll need to be quick if you want to secure them at this price.

The upgrades on the Powerbeats Fit are mostly cosmetic and concern ear fit, so they’re a better fit for people who don’t currently own another pair of Beats in the Powerbeats family. In his review, CNET’s audio expert David Carnoy said, «The design upgrades to the wingtips and case do improve the buds, which remain quite appealing for those looking for secure-fitting earbuds for workouts and everyday use.»

The Powerbeats Fit includes ear tips in four sizes, including extra small, so that everyone can find a secure fit. They can last up to 30 hours when carrying around their charging case, and they offer active noise cancellation that comes in handy when you’re getting your reps in. Both the earbuds and the case are IPX4 water and sweatproof, which means your workout won’t get in the way of your music or audiobooks.

Need more ideas for your next pair of earbuds upgrade? We’ve got a list of the best wireless earbuds you can check out so you can make the most of your holiday cash gifts.

HEADPHONE DEALS OF THE WEEK

Sony WH-1000XM5 Wireless Noise Canceling Headphones (Black):

$248 (save $152)
Beats Studio Pro Wireless Noise Cancelling Headphones (Black):

$170 (save $181)
Sony WH-1000XM6 Wireless Noise Cancelling Over-Ear Headphones:

$398 (save $62)
Bose QuietComfort Wireless Noise Cancelling Headphones (Twilight Blue):

$179 (save $170)
Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless ANC Over-Ear Headphones (Black):

$200 (save $250)

Deals are selected by the CNET Group commerce team, and may be unrelated to this article.

Why this deal matters

Like other audio gear from Beats, the Powerbeats Fit earbuds offer excellent sound, a comfortable fit and decent noise cancellation. However, they usually command a price of $200. This modest Amazon discount of $20 brings them down to $180 for a limited time, their best price to date across several colors.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections Hints, Answers and Help for Feb. 5, #970

Here are some hints and the answers for the NYT Connections puzzle for Feb. 5 #970.

Looking for the most recent Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands puzzles.

Today’s NYT Connections puzzle is kind of tough. Read on for clues and today’s Connections answers.

The Times has a Connections Bot, like the one for Wordle. Go there after you play to receive a numeric score and to have the program analyze your answers. Players who are registered with the Times Games section can now nerd out by following their progress, including the number of puzzles completed, win rate, number of times they nabbed a perfect score and their win streak.

Read more: Hints, Tips and Strategies to Help You Win at NYT Connections Every Time

Hints for today’s Connections groups

Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: Star-spangled signs.

Green group hint: Smash into.

Blue group hint: Not green or red.

Purple group hint: Same surname.