Nank Runner 4 Headphones Review

Nank Runner 4 Bone Conduction Headphones Review

If you’ve ever stood shivering in a pen at the start of a UK ultra, whether it’s a muddy 50k ultra in the Peaks or a 100-miler on the South Downs, you’ll have noticed a common theme. Look around at the other runners, and you’ll see a sea of bone conduction headphones.

It’s usually a dominance of Shokz or Suunto, and for good reason. Situational awareness is critical when you’re out on the trails for hours (or days). You need to hear the marshal’s instructions, the runner behind you asking to pass, and, crucially, approaching traffic on road crossings. In fact, plenty of race organisers now strictly forbid in-ear buds, mandating that if you want music, it must be bone conduction or open-ear.

Shokz has undoubtedly cornered the market here, but they come with a premium price tag. So, when Nank sent me a pair of their Runner 4 headphones to test out, I was keen to see if a budget-friendly contender could actually hold its own on the trails.

At the time of writing, these are sitting at around £58 (with a discount), which is roughly half the price of the big-name competitors. But do they perform?

First Impressions & Design

First off, the Runner 4 sports a standard bone conduction design that will be familiar to anyone who’s used this tech before. They are impressively light, roughly 26g, and to be honest, once they’re on you barely notice you’re wearing them. They sit comfortably over the ears and don’t seem to bounce, which is priority number one.

Feature-wise, they come with 16GB of onboard storage. Nank says this allows you to upload thousands of MP3s directly to the headset, meaning you could technically leave your phone at home. I’ll be honest though, I didn’t use this feature. I’ve been fully captured by streaming services, and the only physical music I own is my vinyl collection, which isn’t much use halfway up a mountain. However, if you are trying to disconnect completely and leave the phone behind, it’s a nice option to have.

They are also rated IP68 waterproof, and Nank confidently claims you can use these for swimming. I’m a runner, not a swimmer, so I didn’t take them for a dip, but it’s reassuring to know they are fully covered against sweat and the inevitable torrential rain we get on UK trails.

One feature I really appreciated was the controls. Nank has stuck with physical buttons, which are far superior to touch controls when you’re moving. There are three in total: one for Power/Play/Pause, one for Volume Up/Next, and one for Volume Down/Prev. They are easy to find with sweaty hands or gloves, which saves a lot of faffing about.

Sound Quality vs. The Price Tag

So, how do they sound? Look, I’m no audiophile, but the sound is decent. Like most bone-conduction headphones, they lack that deep, thumping bass you get from traditional in-ear buds. That’s just the nature of the physics involved; you sacrifice bass for safety.

My only slight grapple was the volume. On quiet trails, it’s perfect, but if you’re running a section of busy road with heavy traffic, I found myself wishing for just one or two notches more volume to cut through the external noise.

If I were to compare them directly to a pair of Shokz, I’d have to admit the Shokz win on clarity and volume. But, and it’s a big but, you have to factor in the maths. The Shokz are double the price, but the sound quality is definitely not twice as good. If I were to put a number on it, I’d say the Shokz are maybe 10-20% better. For the massive saving you make with the Nank, that’s a trade-off many runners will be happy to make.

Battery Life & The Charging Conundrum

The Runner 4 boasts a 10-hour battery life. For a long Sunday run or even a 50k, that’s absolutely fine. However, if you’re eyeing up a 100k or a 100 miler, these likely aren’t going to last the full duration.

This brings me to the one thing I would change: the charger.

The Runner 4 uses a proprietary magnetic charging cable, exactly the same style as the Langsdom AirWave Pro headphones I recently reviewed. At home, on your bedside table, this is great, it snaps on easily. But out on the trails? It’s not practical.

If you’re trying to charge these on the move using a power bank inside your running vest, the magnetic connection is just too weak. It disconnects constantly with the movement of running. I would much rather forfeit the "ease" of the magnet for a secure USB-C port. A standard cable clicks in and stays in, meaning you could charge them reliably while running through the night without worrying about the connection dropping.

Verdict: Are Nank Runner 4 Bone Conduction Headphones Good For Running?

Overall, I was impressed with the Nank Runner 4 headphones. The audio is OK, the battery is decent, they are tough enough for wet UK weather, and they have proper physical buttons. When you consider the price is currently £58 with a 20% discount (usually £73), they are a fantastic option for anyone running on a budget.

For me, I’ve found their perfect place in my kit list: they are my ultimate backup pair. I’ll be taking them on my longer ultra marathons as a backup. When my primary headphones run out of juice after 10 or 12 hours, I can simply swap to the Nank Runner 4s without having to mess around with charging cables in the dark.

Pros:

✅ Great value
✅ Lightweight
✅ Waterproof
✅ Physical Buttons

Cons:

❌ No USB-C

If you want a reliable pair of bone-conduction headphones without the premium price tag, these are well worth a look.

Nank Runner 4 Bone Conduction Headphones

Nank Runner 4 Headphones - £58.62