What headphones are better for running? Share the best running headphones you can't miss in 2025!

With the improvement of health awareness, more and more people are joining the ranks of running and fitness. Enjoying music or listening to podcasts while running can not only make exercise more interesting, but also help maintain rhythm and motivation. But now there are a wide variety of running headphones on the market, which one should I choose? Although many running headphones are highly recommended by sports experts, there are also many complaints on the Internet about their discomfort and poor sound quality. It is normal for everyone to have such concerns. After all, many headphones on the market are under the banner of being specially designed for running, but in fact, there are obvious shortcomings in the research and development of key technologies such as sports adaptability and sound quality. More than 80% of friends reported that after using some running headphones, they had problems such as unstable wearing, ear pain, and even poor sound quality that affected the running experience.

The picture above is a part of the running headphones I recently reviewed:

As a professional digital reviewer, I remind everyone to be rational when choosing running headphones and not be swayed by advertising and marketing. To this end, after a long period of actual use, I have specially selected five popular running headphones for evaluation, and recorded their respective advantages and disadvantages in detail. I hope this guide can help you find the one that suits you best.

Here is a comparison chart showing some of the running earphone test results:

Professional running headphones have many advantages in improving the running experience. They not only allow you to enjoy high-quality music while running, but also ensure your safety during exercise. For the majority of running enthusiasts, they are indispensable sports helpers. However, considering that many of us run in a variety of environments, and everyone has different requirements for the comfort and sound quality of headphones, if you blindly choose running headphones, it is easy to fall into the "pit" of non-professional products. You may have ears that feel uncomfortable after wearing them for a while, the sound quality is noisy and unclear, and even the headphones break after a few uses, which seriously affects your interest in running. What's worse is that long-term use of products with poor quality may cause certain damage to hearing, which is not worth the loss.

1. Things to note when buying running headphones

Pitfall 1: Don’t choose small internet celebrity brands

The reason why a brand can become a brand is that it relies on its strength, quality control and other aspects of high-quality performance. It has reliable quality assurance, is quite influential in the market, and is deeply trusted by consumers. When we choose bone conduction headphones, it is right to give priority to big brands with strong professional strength. Bone conduction headphones from big brands often perform well in research and development strength and sound quality experience, and are also very friendly to novices. On the other hand, the product quality of those emerging, niche, and low-priced brands on the market is usually difficult to guarantee. The quality of headphones in the same batch varies, and manufacturers do not pay much attention to quality inspection when leaving the factory. Therefore, when purchasing bone conduction headphones, give priority to big brands, and the quality and after-sales service are more guaranteed.

Pitfall 2: Don’t choose a product that has no patents and only talks about acoustic technology

Although the sound quality of headphones is a bit mysterious, some technical configurations are the basic guarantee of sound quality. Aspects such as the vibrator of the sound unit and sound tuning are very critical. Some headphones just use two terms randomly and claim to have adopted new optimized acoustic technology and tuning. It is very simple to identify this kind of "IQ tax" headphones. Just see if the corresponding technology has a patent. Whether it is the improvement of sound quality technology or vibration leakage, as long as it is a real acoustic technology, there will be corresponding patents. If the details page or customer service is hesitant and evasive about the technical patent issue, then there is a high probability that there is a problem with the headphones, and we have to avoid it.

Pitfall 3: Don’t choose a machine that is too bulky

The cabin of the bone conduction headset is to enhance the stability of the ear hook. It is necessary to balance the weight of the front and back of the body to avoid being top-heavy. It is not just a matter of using a bar. Cabinets that do not fit the auricle completely waste the advantages of bone conduction. It is very likely that the ear bones and facial bones will be pinched and hurt after wearing for half an hour. When choosing, you should pay attention to the design issues. Excellent bone conduction headsets will adopt ergonomic designs suitable for sports, taking into account the weight of the front, back, left and right, and the adaptability of glasses, and will also work hard on material craftsmanship. Specifically, you should consider the shape design, weight and material of the headset. The shape design should ensure that it is not loose during exercise and not too tight to make people uncomfortable. The lighter the headset, the less it feels to wear. Skin-friendly materials can also increase comfort. For example, try to choose silicone materials (maternal and infant grade silicone is best), the lighter the headset, the better, and try to choose compatible with glasses. If you have requirements for comfort, it is recommended to directly consider bone conduction open headphones.

Pitfall 4: Don’t choose a product without anti-attenuation design

Headphones are not disposable items, and durability is very important. High-performance bone conduction headphones must have stable performance for long-term use to avoid excessive wear and a decline in user experience. Professional brands will carry out anti-attenuation design in the core chip solution design, spatial structure system and new materials to ensure that the headphones are not easy to loosen or deform during long-term use, and the sound will not be easily distorted or the sound quality will not be degraded. If there is no anti-attenuation design, the headphones may have to be replaced in a year. When we buy bone conduction headphones, we must consider whether it has an anti-attenuation function, otherwise the life of the headphones will be very short. After all, bone conduction headphones are sports equipment used at high frequencies in daily life. Without this function, long-term use will easily cause problems such as headphone damage, inability to turn on, and breakage. Therefore, bone conduction headphones from big brands are given priority. Most big brands are equipped with anti-attenuation functions.

Pitfall 5: Don’t choose products with low waterproof rating or those falsely claiming IP68 waterproof

The waterproof level is very important for bone conduction headphones. They are basically used for sports, and sweating during sports is common. Good waterproof treatment can extend the life of the headphones. Even if they are splashed with sweat, they can be directly washed with water. IP66 or above waterproof is enough, and it is best to reach IP68. But it should be noted that many small online celebrity brands claim that IP68 waterproof is "false propaganda". Although level 8 waterproof is the highest level, it does not specify the specific standards for the bottom line and upper limit of waterproof. As long as it is higher than level 7, it is considered level 8 waterproof. Therefore, some online celebrity brands step on the bottom line and claim to meet the standard, but its "IP68" must meet specific experimental conditions to be waterproof, and it is not suitable for complex environments in daily life. Moreover, many bone conduction headphones now claim to be able to swim in the water, but level 8 waterproof only means that water will not enter at a certain depth. If you really want to use it for long-term swimming, the test must far exceed the level 8 waterproof standard. Many friends reported that the level 8 waterproof headphones they bought broke after a few times of water immersion. This is the reason. Therefore, if you want to buy bone conduction headphones that can be used for swimming, you must recognize IP68 deep waterproof products that can truly adapt to complex environments.

2. Different Types of Running Headphones

The choice of running headphones is very important for sports enthusiasts, because they not only need to provide good sound quality and a comfortable wearing experience, but also have characteristics such as waterproof and sweat-proof to adapt to various sports scenarios.

In-ear headphones: The advantage is that they have good sound insulation, allowing you to focus more on the music, and their sound quality is usually excellent. However, wearing in-ear headphones for a long time may cause a certain sense of pressure on the ears, so they are not suitable for long-term use.

Earhook headphones: They are very stable, not easy to fall off during exercise, and are comfortable to wear. They have non-slip ear hooks and earplugs of different sizes to adapt to the ear shapes of different users. They can be firmly fixed on the ears even during strenuous exercise. At the same time, their sound quality and battery life are also excellent.

Bone conduction headphones: sound is transmitted through the skull, and there is no need to insert the headphones into the ears, so they are very comfortable to wear and will not cause damage to the ears. They also allow you to hear the surrounding environmental sounds while exercising, improving the safety of exercise, such as Nanka Runner Pro5.

Open-back headphones: comfortable to wear, breathable, and will not make the ears feel stuffy, but the waterproof performance may be poor, and it is easy to accidentally touch the ears due to sweating.

3. Running headphones actual test data display

Which running headphones should you choose? In general, different running headphones do have their own advantages and disadvantages. Now, let's take a look at the actual performance of these five running headphones.

TOP1: Nanka non-in-ear bone conduction earphones-Runner 4

【Comprehensive recommendation index: ★★★★★】

Recommended reason: Sports headphones with configuration in the thousand-yuan range, the best value for money!

Nank Runner 4 offers a thousand-yuan level configuration and experience at a price of only one hundred yuan, making it the most cost-effective bone conduction headset on the market. It not only continues Nank's consistent high cost-effectiveness, but also upgrades its configuration, and has been recommended and used by many headset enthusiasts and extreme sports bloggers.

Using flagship acoustic technology, Runner 4 achieves a leapfrog experience in sound quality. After intensive research, NANK Acoustic Laboratory successfully developed the OT closed anti-sound leakage technology version 3.0 , which effectively reduced sound leakage by 90% and solved the sound leakage problem of traditional bone conduction headphones.

In terms of waterproof performance, Runner 4 also performs well. It uses Nano-S nano waterproof coating and ultrasonic welding technology to achieve IP68-level high waterproof performance. It can easily cope with sweat during exercise or splashes during swimming and showering.

Nank has extremely strict requirements on product quality. Each product undergoes performance tests in 43 rigorous sports scenarios to ensure stable performance. It also has more than 6 years of performance anti-degradation design and testing, so that the product's performance degrades by less than 5% after two years of use.

Runner 4 has rich functions, built-in Bluetooth 5.4 chip, supports one-to-two device switching, stable signal and low latency. It is also equipped with 16G large-capacity storage space, supports lossless music playback, and FC safe fast charging technology, providing users with a convenient, safe and efficient charging experience.

Although positioned as a sub-flagship product, Runner 4 is also equipped with NANK's exclusive patented technology, which outperforms all products of the same level in terms of sound quality. It has a super high cost-performance ratio and is an ideal choice for users who pursue cost-effectiveness. Whether it is daily sports, travel, or leisure and entertainment, Runner 4 can be your ideal companion and is worth a try for every sports enthusiast!

TOP2: Beats Sports Headphones- Fit Pro

【Comprehensive recommendation index: ★★★】

Recommended reason: Shark fin ear wing design, personalized and comfortable

Beats Fit Pro uses a built-in accelerometer and Class 1 Bluetooth® technology to detect voice information when you speak, helping you achieve the best call effect. Dual beamforming microphones can accurately locate your voice, while the digital processor can filter out external noise and wind. What's more special is that it does not adopt the conventional TWS ear-hanging design, but is equipped with shark fin ear wings, which can be flexibly adjusted according to your ear shape, and has a pressure-relieving ventilation design, allowing you to wear it comfortably all day. Three different sizes of soft silicone earplugs are suitable for most people.

TOP3: Sony float Run open headphones

【Comprehensive recommendation index: ★★★】

Recommended reason: Classic black and white color scheme, simple and durable

Sony's float Run headphones currently only offer one color scheme, with a black main body and white cavity. The unique contrasting color design makes the headphones easier to identify. At the same time, silicone, a skin-friendly material, is added to the top and back parts that have more contact with the ears. This allows the headphones to feel skin-friendly when in contact with the skin while also increasing their anti-slip properties. Even if you sweat, you don't have to worry about slipping. In terms of sound quality, it uses a 16mm sound unit, and the overall listening experience is more similar to that of a speaker product, with a richer sound. In addition, it also has IPX4 level waterproof capabilities, which is more than enough to cope with sweating and light rain.

TOP4: 1MORE S50

【Comprehensive recommendation index: ★★★】

Recommended reason: The product is carefully equipped with three sets of replacement earmuffs of different sizes, demonstrating a deep understanding and respect for personalized needs.

1MORE S50 open-ear headphones, with its cutting-edge Bluetooth 5.3 technology and IPX7 waterproof capability, redefine the freedom and peace of mind of wireless listening. Its core charm lies in the ingenious earmuff design, which not only optimizes the directional transmission efficiency of sound, allowing each note to accurately hit the heart and create an unprecedented sense of immersion; but also through three sets of carefully prepared replacement earmuffs of different sizes, it demonstrates the brand's deep insight and meticulous care for the personalized needs of users, ensuring that every user can find the most comfortable and fit that suits them best.

When it comes to wearing experience, 1MORE S50 is undoubtedly a model of comfort and stability. Its lightweight body and soft and delicate ear hook design gently embrace the ears like clouds, and it feels like nothing even if you wear it for a long time, achieving true "no-feeling wearing". And this design does not sacrifice stability. Whether it is a daily leisurely stroll, or a short run, high-intensity fitness and other dynamic scenes, 1MORE S50 can be as stable as a rock, ensuring the continuity and enjoyment of the music journey.

In terms of battery life, 1MORE S50 demonstrates what a "protracted war" means. A single charge can provide up to 11 hours of music, which is enough for most users to use for a whole day. If used with a portable charging box, the battery life can be increased to an amazing 38 hours, completely saying goodbye to battery anxiety and letting you enjoy music with you wherever you go.

TOP5: Nanka non-in-ear bone conduction headphones—Runner CC4

【Comprehensive recommendation index: ★★★★★】

Recommended reason: The best earphones in 100 yuan with the best comprehensive capabilities, highly recommended by several sports enthusiasts

This Nanka Runner CC4 can be said to be the most cost-effective headset I have used in the hundred-yuan price range. First of all, this is the first bone conduction headset equipped with a Bluetooth 5.3 chip, which is even ahead of the thousand-yuan flagship. Compared with the general Bluetooth version, it has greatly improved basic performance such as connection distance, stability, delay, and anti-interference. In addition, it has 4G memory and can be switched to MP3 mode, which is also very convenient.

The high cost-effectiveness of this headset is not only reflected in its configuration, but also in its sound quality. The headset is equipped with AF full-vibration directivity technology. By increasing the sound area of the headset vibrator and optimizing the direction of sound propagation , the sound details of the headset are richer, and the sound is clear and soft without being harsh. It has a very good degree of restoration when used, which is also one of the important factors for recommending it.

In addition, the headset adopts a lightweight design as a whole, with a built-in lightweight titanium metal frame. The whole device weighs only 25 grams, breaking the weight limit of bone conduction headsets. It is light and stress-free to wear , and there will be no discomfort even after long-term use. If you want to buy a cost-effective bone conduction headset, then this Nanka Runner cc4 must not be missed.