2-Week Review: SUUNTO Wing Open Ear Bone Conduction Headphones

REVIEW – The SUUNTO Wing are a pair of open-ear bone conduction headphones that seem to have a lot going for them. Priced at $200, these aren’t your average headphones. They’re geared towards the active lifestyle where your surroundings should be prioritized, mostly for safety and physical awareness.

I spent the last two weeks testing them out, and I’m here to report what I like and what I don’t like about them. I’m not going to re-hash all of the selling points. Rather, I’ll stick to sharing my experience using them while putting them through several workout sessions. Let’s start with an unboxing:

What I Liked

• Excellent build quality – I appreciated the matte black appearance with red accents at each end of the SUUNTO Wing Headphones. The material is soft and supple while naturally wicking away moisture, including sweat and rain. They’re quite durable too. I’ve accidently dropped them and even sat on them a few times and they worked like a charm after each occurrence.

• Great sound quality – For a pair of headphones that aren’t actually inserted into your ears, the SUUNTO Wing sound excellent. The sound is vivid and realistic while including a plethora of favorable bass. Vocals, mids, and highs come off as clear while bass is deep and resonating. I was surprised at just how much the sound profile shined, regardless of the type of music I played.

• The right amount of pressure – Since the SUUNTO Wing don’t actually get inserted into your ears, they rest on the bone near your ears. Frequencies then vibrate this area of your face/head and create sound without plugging-up your ear holes. The result is a soundstage that keeps you aware of your surroundings. Luckily, there seems to be the right amount of tension against your head, creating an experience that doesn’t cause pressure points while staying put, even with vigorous activity. I used them on several morning jogs, bike rides, and basketball hoop sessions. No issues to report on them staying put.

• LEDs on both sides – The built-in LEDs are nice to have when you’re working out near roads or busy intersections. They act as a visibility flag on both sides of your head, while looking pretty cool. The LEDs also give you clear indication on charging status once you return them to the dock or charging cable.

• Unique charging dock – I really liked the small charging dock that’s included. The headphones rest inside and snap securely closed with the inclusion of a small clear-black plastic piece. Once on the dock, you can stow them away in the provided pouch, which is nice to have as an extra barrier of protection.

• Unique controls – While the physical buttons are nice to have, the head movement controls are pretty cool too. With them, you can accept or reject a call, simply by shaking your head twice to reject it, or nodding twice to answer it. If you’d like to switch songs, simply shake your head twice. Although these controls are not adjustable, they’re nice to have when you’re on the go.

• Excellent call quality – With CVC noise noise reduction, the built-in microphones do a great job at only picking up your voice without background noise. I tested them on 4 different phone calls and each time, anyone on the other end of the call had no idea I was wearing headphones. Vocals come across loud and clear without distortion from various background noises.

• Dual Bluetooth connection – I appreciated the ability to connect to my PC and phone simultaneously. I was able to listen to music from my PC while being wide open for incoming phone calls. While this isn’t a feature I plan on using all the time, it’s surely nice to have.

• Great battery life with fast charging – I was able to get around 9 hours of continuous playtime before I needed to recharge the SUUNTO Wing headphones. In some instances, I could push this closer to 10 hours, but never beyond. In my opinion, this is superb. Nearly 10 hours of playtime between charges meant that I didn’t have to carry around the charging dock for a full day. Plus, they re-charge very quickly when you’re using the dock. In about 30-40 minutes, they were fully charged and ready to go.

What I Didn’t Like

• No USB-C cable included – The only way to charge the dock is via USB-C. Unfortunately, SUUNTO didn’t provide a USB-C charging cable. The only cable in the box is a proprietary USB-A cable that’s used to charge the headphones without the use of the dock. Including a small USB-C cable would have been appreciated. Luckily, I have spare USB-C cables laying around.

• Difficult to lay down – The band that goes around and behind your head is a bit much. In essence, it sticks out quite far, making it hard to lay down and/or rest your head on something when they’re being worn. Admittedly, these aren’t sleep headphones and are actually geared-towards working out, but it’s worth noting.

• Lackluster mobile app – While having a mobile app is a nice inclusion, the SUUNTO app is definitely lacking in features. With it, you’re able to view the head movement controls, sound modes, adjust the LED lighting, configure a dual device connection, and access the user guide. Unfortunately, there’s only two modes to choose from; normal or outdoor. And with each, none of the equalizer settings are accessible, nor adjustable. I would have appreciated the ability to fine-tune my audio profile rather than choose from only two presets.

• High price-point – There’s no hiding from the fact that the SUUNTO Wing are priced kind of high. At $200, they’re more of a premium pick rather than a budget, run of the mill offering. Personally, I think they’re a bit expensive for what you get. But keep in mind, SUUNTO is a name-brand with an excellent reputation in the workout space. These are meant to last and provide great audio-listening for a long time to come.

Would I Recommend The SUUNTO Wing?

Yes, I would recommend the SUUNTO Wing to anyone who doesn’t mind spending $200 for a pair of bone conduction headphones. They’re designed well and built to withstand constant use. Even if you’re not workout-minded, they’re a nice pair of headphones to use on a daily basis.

Just be sure to take note of the potential downsides that I listed. With that, you’ll know what’s lacking so you can be well-aware of any drawbacks before you decide to purchase them.

Personally, I think the pros definitely outweigh the cons in this instance. The build quality, sound quality, and overall aesthetics are quite pleasing.

After two consecutive weeks of testing out the SUUNTO Wing, these are a pair of bone conduction headphones that I’ll be keeping in my audio arsenal for a long while.

Have you tried out the SUUNTO Wing’s yet? Let us know what you think by dropping a comment below. I’d love to hear from you!