Suunto Aqua AI headphones bring smart coaching to swimmers
Suunto’s just dropped its Aqua AI headphones at CES 2025. These bone conduction headphones pack great sound and some smart AI features to help you boost your performance.
The Aqua AI headphones are designed for anyone who’s serious about their training. While they’re targeted at swimmers and triathletes, they’ll work just as well for anyone into running, cycling, or swimming. Since they use bone conduction tech, the sound comes through vibrations on your skull, so your ears stay open to the sounds around you. That’s great for safety when you’re running or cycling outdoors, as you can still hear traffic or other potential hazards.
Swimmers will love this
What really sets these headphones apart is their focus on swimmers. The AI features can analyze your swim stroke, looking at things like your stroke posture, head pitch, breath frequency, and glide time. It’ll even send you suggestions for improving your form through the Suunto app. If you’re trying to get faster in the pool or fine-tune your technique, this could be a great addition to your gear.
One thing people are saying about the Aqua AI headphones is that the sound quality is surprisingly good, especially for a bone conduction model. At just 35 grams, they’re light and comfortable to wear, staying securely in place even during tough workouts. You’ve got 32 GB of onboard storage, which is enough to hold about 8,000 songs, so you don’t need your phone on you for music. And controlling your playlist is as easy as moving your head—no need to mess around with buttons.
Durability is key when it comes to any sport, especially swimming. The Aqua AI headphones come with an IP68 waterproof rating, meaning they can handle being submerged up to 5 meters for 2 hours. As for battery life, you get 10 hours of playtime on a full charge. And with the included charging pod, you can stretch that out to another 20 hours. In a rush? A quick 10-minute charge gives you 3 hours of playtime.
A strong contender
The Suunto Aqua AI headphones come in at $179 or £175, which puts them in the same price range as the Shokz OpenSwim Pro—one of their biggest competitors. With their mix of AI features, solid sound, and durability, they’re definitely a strong contender in the market. If you’re someone who swims or trains outdoors and wants a bit of tech to help you out, these headphones could be just what you’re looking for.
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It’ll be interesting to see how they stack up against the competition, but early reviews suggest Suunto has something worth considering. If you’re in the market for a new pair of headphones that can handle your training and your tunes, the Aqua AI headphones could be a good option to try. Check them out on Suunto’s website.
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