Headphones were the original piece of wearable technology and they remain as essential today as ever. But they are starting to change rapidly now, as things like noise cancelling and Bluetooth wireless technology enable the dream of completely cable-free living. What will the best headphones of the future look like?
Smart lights that know where they’re placed in a room, wild designs for next-gen routers, and a glowing inedible donut.
Rollable laptops, twice-folding phones, and a ‘longevity station.’ This is the CES tech we come back for.
Each bud measures just 19mm x 21mm x 14mm and weighs 2.2 grams. For comparison, an AirPod Pro 3 weighs 5.55 grams and stands a comparatively towering 30.0mm tall. Even the charging case is barely bigger than a Zippo lighter at under two inches long and under an inch tall. And, on top of that, they’re only $39.99.
$700 is a stupid amount of money to pay for a headphone and bag collaboration. Then I saw pics of the OnTrac headphones and color-matched shoulder bag from the Japanese brand. Tempting if you roll this deep, but only 380 units are available globally at Dyson and Porter retailers.
Samsung took heavy inspiration from Apple’s AirPods when it reinvented the design of its Galaxy Buds 3, but is making some tweaks for the next set. Android Authority spotted the Buds 4 Pro in leaked One UI 8.5 animations, with a flatter stem and no light strip.
Just... not the actual phones. Instead, it’s 2023’s repairable Fairbuds XL headphones that will go on sale on Amazon this month. As for the excellent Fairphone 6, CEO Raymond van Eck tells me launching that is a “complicated process,” but one he hopes will be sorted “in the near future.”