TOZO OpenReal True Wireless Earbuds review – Open ear comfort

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.