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Nank Runner Diver2 Pro: One Minute Review
The Nank Runner Diver2 Pro are unquestionably one of the best pair of bone conduction headphones on the market, and certainly the best pair of waterproof headphones I’ve personally tried in a very long time. They perform well in all areas, offering long-lasting battery life and ample storage, and prove comfortable to wear both on land and in water.
I used the headphones on my runs for quite a few weeks and could find precious little to moan about. Their adjustable hooks allow you to achieve supreme comfort, and you can also adjust the transducers – bend them inwards towards your ear, for example, to activate the Runner Diver2 Pro’s “noise canceling” mode – to suit your needs. Note, though, that noise canceling here isn’t exactly on a par with the ANC you’ll find on the Apple AirPods 2 Pro; you’ll need to wear earplugs to really eliminate sound leakage.
Nevertheless, to expect a pair of bone conduction headphones to feature world-class noise canceling is likely an ask too much. The Diver2 Pro are open-ear headphones that have been designed to enable you to continue to hear the world around you, stay safe on the roads and perform well in water. By their nature, bone conduction headphones don’t shut sound away, which explains the reason that the noise canceling mode disappoints here.
Bone conduction headphones work by using transducers to emit sound waves through your temples towards your eardrums, rather than directly into your ear canals. And coupled with the proprietary magnetic charger, silicone casing and 32GB storage in the Diver2 Pro, allow them to be used in the water, too. Bluetooth signals don’t travel well underwater, so the onboard storage is crucial for swimmers.
Overall, the Nank Runner Diver2 Pro are genuinely well-crafted and well-executed headphones for all manner of sports, from running to swimming. They’re a bit thicker and bulkier than market leader Shokz’ slender offerings, probably in order to accommodate that MP3 player – but we really can’t fault that; the headphones are quick to charge, simple to use and high-performing; they’re great for runners, cyclists and swimmers alike, which will make them near-perfect for triathletes.
Nank Runner Diver2 Pro: Price & Availability
- $199.99 / £154.50 / AU$427.80
- More expensive than OpenRun Pro 2
- Can be found on sale for less
The base price of the Nank Runner Diver2 Pro is $199.99 / £154.50 / AU$427.80. For that sum you get the headphones, the proprietary magnetic charging cable, earplugs, and three sizes of sound-quality enhancers. A carry case is available, but it’s sold separately – which is disappointing considering the price
While the base price is more expensive than the Shokz OpenRun Pro 2, putting the Diver2 Pro at the very top end of bone conduction models, the headphones can frequently be found at a discounted price on both Nank’s own website and third-party outlets such as Amazon. At the time of writing, Nank’s website has the US version of the Diver2 Pro on sale for $159.99, and the UK version for £123.60.
Find them on sale for less, and I’d consider the Diver2 Pro a good buy – especially at that UK price point.
Nank Runner Diver2 Pro: Design
Weighing around 32g, the Nank Runner Diver2 Pro headphones are light and comfortable both in and out of the water, which is surprising given they come packing 32GB storage. Their silicon casing is remarkably soft, especially on the enclosed earplugs, which are made from the same material. The IP69-rated sealed unit makes the Diver2 Pro headphones fully waterproof and sweatproof; even open-water swimmers can use them without worry of saltwater getting into cracks and crevices.
The magnetic proprietary charger is well designed and clips onto the inside of the unit neatly; however, given the price, I was surprised to see Nank still using USB-A for its charging point. I reckon if we’re expected to pay full-price for these headphones, then USB-C – rapidly becoming the new universal standard due to its faster data transfer and charging speeds – should have been used instead.
The headphone’s arms allow you to pull the transistors towards your ears by up to 35 degrees, delivering greater control over how much sound is heard, while a trio of buttons enable you to skip tracks, adjust volume, and switch between Bluetooth and TF (storage) modes. Patented technology aims to reduce vibrations in the unit – a common problem with bone conduction headsets – by up to 35%. You can also slip the included silicon sound-quality enhancers over the base units, to stick in your ears, to ensure sound is conducted more effectively.
Overall, the Diver2 Pro’s are extremely well-designed: light, durable, comfortable and eminently functional.
Nank Runner Diver2 Pro: Features
- Noise canceling mode
- Multipoint connections
- Masses of storage
The adjustable arms of the headphones operate the noise canceling mode that Nank advertises: it claims that by pressing sound units closer to the ears and adding ‘noise canceling waves’ that you have the option between open-ear and closed-ear. You can slip the included silicon sound quality enhancers over the base unit, to stick in your ears and ensure sound is conducted more effectively.
However, the real stars of the show here are the multipoint connection with Bluetooth 5.4, which allows you up to two high-quality connections at once to switch between freely, and the built-in storage. The 32GB offered here is generous, holding up to 8,000 tracks – enough for hours upon hours of podcasts, or the longest workout playlist anyone has ever (probably) compiled. You can adjust the volume up and down, switch between modes or skip tracks with the Diver Pro2’s simple button configuration. While this might appear a limited feature set, in terms of bone conduction headphones, the Diver2 Pro are practically feature-rich.
I can’t really think of anything else I’d want on the Runner Diver2 Pro, apart from the ability to isolate the stored music into specific playlists, as I can do on Spotify. However, I can’t imagine how Nank would go about implementing such capability. These headphones are effectively a high-capacity iPod Shuffle at a fraction of the size, built into a pair of headphones. Awesome.
Nank Runner Diver2 Pro: Performance
- Great performance and comfort during runs
- Works well in the pool
- Battery lasts ages
I used the Diver2 Pro for multiple runs of varying length in Bluetooth mode, and found them ridiculously easy to set up and simple to use. My one gripe was that I was expecting the volume up/track forward button to be on the front of the unit rather than the rear, which took some getting used to.
Aside from that minor gripe, the headphones were light, comfortable and a pleasure to run with. While I didn’t find the noise canceling mode particularly useful – there was still plenty of ambient noise leakage, and the music just got louder rather than clearer – but this is a small complaint. From the start, the sound was clear, nicely balanced rather than overly-bassy (which is common with bone conduction headphones), plus the headset worked well for taking calls on the go, cutting out some ambient wind noise at my end.
In the pool, I found the Diver2 Pro similarly useful. Loading the built-in MP3 player with music was super simple from a laptop, and switching to storage (or “TF mode”) from Bluetooth was simply a matter of pressing the power button three times in quick succession. Despite an unavoidable change in sound levels as my head rose and fell out of the water during a swim, I could hear my music clearly throughout my swim.
Battery-wise, the headphones performed as described, lasting for around 12 days with plenty of use before needing to recharge. On the occasion I did find the battery low, charging for 10 minutes delivered an extra hour of use.
Scorecard
|
Category |
Comment |
Score |
|
Value |
A premium set of bone conduction headphones, more expensive than most. |
3.5/5 |
|
Design |
Comfortable and practical. |
5/5 |
|
Features |
As feature-rich as bone conduction headphones get. |
4/5 |
|
Performance |
Exceptional in and out of the water. |
5/5 |
Nank Runner Diver2 Pro: Should I buy?
Buy it if…
Don’t buy it if…
Also consider
How I tested
I spent weeks testing the Nank Runner Diver2 Pro, going on runs and one pool swim. I drained the battery down with frequent use, charged it again, tried all the modes and loaded songs onto the unit using the proprietary cable.
First reviewed: March/April 2025
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matt.evans@futurenet.com (Matt Evans)
