Tag Archives: Wireless Earbuds

JBL Tour PRO 3’s futuristic charging case can perform feats no other case can

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True Wireless Stereo or TWS earbuds continue to evolve every year, but their charging cases have mostly been nothing more than portable battery packs. In 2022, JBL showed that there’s so much potential in those pebble-shaped devices when it slapped a touch screen on them. That may look fancy and cool, but some might think it’s also just a gimmicky feature. It is, however, just the tip of the iceberg, because the second-gen screen-toting Smart Charging Case that comes with the new JBL Tour PRO 3 definitely offers more, proving that there’s plenty of room for improvement and creativity if you’re willing to also pay the literal price.

Designer: JBL

A touch screen on an earbuds charging case is admittedly more of a nice convenience than a killer feature. It allows you to control playback, screen calls, and view media information without having to pull out your phone. It’s definitely an eye-catching design that made JBL’s earbuds look like they’re from the future, but the capabilities of the next-gen charging case can be qualified as a necessity, especially for globetrotters and frequent flyers.

The JBL Tour PRO 3’s second-gen Smart Charging Case can function as a wireless audio transmitter, practically replacing the role of a Bluetooth dongle. Simply plug the case into a USB or analog socket and have the audio stream to the earbuds instantly and with lower latency than Bluetooth. This feature was made with in-flight entertainment systems in mind, giving travelers more flexibility and peace of mind, knowing they don’t have to rely on fickle and unstable Bluetooth dongles ever again.

The Tour PRO 3 charging case is also one of the first few to support the new Auracast technology. The case becomes the source of an audio broadcast, allowing other Auracast-compatible earbuds, earphones, and speakers to share and enjoy the same tunes. You can also join other Auracast broadcasts by tapping on the case. Of course, there’s also a measure of privacy with a password to keep random people from joining your party.

The JBL Tour PRO 3 earbuds themselves won’t be overshadowed by its charging case, boasting a new head tracking technology that makes audio sound like they’re coming from outside your head and stays fixed in place no matter how much you swing or turn your head. For all these advanced features, however, the buds will set you back around $334, which isn’t exactly a small amount. The JBL Tour PRO 3 will arrive in mid-September bearing Black and “Latte” colorways, though availability in the US has not been announced yet.

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Meditation device concept hides earbuds inside to help shut off external noise

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When I want to shut out the outside world and just focus, I put on a pair of noise-cancelling earphones. Sometimes I also want to meditate and since I live in an area where outside noise is constant, earphones and headphones are pretty helpful. What if you actually have a device that is primarily meant to help you meditate, relax, and get in touch with your inner self, with listening to music just being a secondary function?

Designer: Suosi Design

Medispace is a concept for a meditation device inspired by the singing bowls from the Himalayas. Just like the Tibetan bowls that are meant to help you relieve stress and get into your inner self by tapping and touching it, this device is meant to do that but with an urbanite twist. The device is small enough to fit into your palm so it’s easy to make it “sing” as you try to meditate. And what makes it more modern is that there are noise-canceling earbuds that you can use to fully immerse yourself in your meditation.

The device is able to simulate more than ten kinds of singing bowl sound changes. This makes you feel like you are actually using one of those Tibetan bowls as you touch and tap the metal disc on top of the Medispace. Inside, it functions more like a charging case for your earbuds which are part of your meditative experience. Medispace itself looks like a night cream moisturizer container which makes sense since that can also be part of your self-care routine. The earbuds look like your typical listening device but a bit bigger and with a seemingly textured/pebbled surface.

It’s an interesting concept to combine a meditative device with earbuds. But since we live in a world that offers up a lot of distractions, we need all the help we can get to shut off the outside world every once in a while and focus on things like deep breathing, meditation, and our inner lives.

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Meditation device concept hides earbuds inside to help shut off external noise

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When I want to shut out the outside world and just focus, I put on a pair of noise-cancelling earphones. Sometimes I also want to meditate and since I live in an area where outside noise is constant, earphones and headphones are pretty helpful. What if you actually have a device that is primarily meant to help you meditate, relax, and get in touch with your inner self, with listening to music just being a secondary function?

Designer: Suosi Design

Medispace is a concept for a meditation device inspired by the singing bowls from the Himalayas. Just like the Tibetan bowls that are meant to help you relieve stress and get into your inner self by tapping and touching it, this device is meant to do that but with an urbanite twist. The device is small enough to fit into your palm so it’s easy to make it “sing” as you try to meditate. And what makes it more modern is that there are noise-canceling earbuds that you can use to fully immerse yourself in your meditation.

The device is able to simulate more than ten kinds of singing bowl sound changes. This makes you feel like you are actually using one of those Tibetan bowls as you touch and tap the metal disc on top of the Medispace. Inside, it functions more like a charging case for your earbuds which are part of your meditative experience. Medispace itself looks like a night cream moisturizer container which makes sense since that can also be part of your self-care routine. The earbuds look like your typical listening device but a bit bigger and with a seemingly textured/pebbled surface.

It’s an interesting concept to combine a meditative device with earbuds. But since we live in a world that offers up a lot of distractions, we need all the help we can get to shut off the outside world every once in a while and focus on things like deep breathing, meditation, and our inner lives.

The post Meditation device concept hides earbuds inside to help shut off external noise first appeared on Yanko Design.

Earbuds with nano camera and smart AI are more than just music for your ears

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Earbuds are a kind of accessory you’ll find most common in anybody’s arsenal. They isolate you from the distracting outside world and help you focus while working, exercising, commuting, or anything in between. Extending the usability of earbuds for people with vision problems or in general even the common users who like to turn on their ANC at full blast. Apart from the audio information, the eyes are the best sensors to gauge the environment.

The Cell Buds are an evolution of the good old earbuds into a wearable that assists the blind in navigating crowded spaces or even being aware of what’s around them with sound cues coming from the buds equipped with nano camera units that keep track of any information that may be vital. This eliminates the need for transparency mode to be aware of the space, or even situations where you want strong ANC while being totally aware of what’s happening around in a crowded urban area, essentially making them your eyes and mind for daily life assistance.

Designer: Minwoo Kim

https://vimeo.com/user217694550

These earbuds are loaded with an ultra-compact vision cam and AI to bring all the smart features of your smartphone to this cool gadget plugged into the ears. As a part of the Samsung Design Membership course, Minwoo conceptualized this design to dramatically improve the user’s experience. The on-device AI brings personalized interaction with information available in the cloud and the compact vision cameras keep sensing the surrounding environment around you for any signs of danger or information that might be important to you. For example, an approaching motorist from the left when you are busy crossing the street.

With smart AI, the wearables can be useful for frequent travelers or people with vision impairments. The hands-free personal assistance provided by Cell Buds keeps you from checking your phone, thereby curbing your digital life for good. Design and comfort are prime when it comes to the concept, as Kim has managed to fit a rotating camera unit inside the housing that houses the driver units, microphones, and the battery. According to him, the camera drive unit slightly protrudes from the ear to increase the camera’s field of view.

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A Groundbreaking 5-Driver Wireless Earbuds is Sweet Music to Your Ears

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Wireless earbuds generally have no more than one driver, and it might be safe to assume that the TE-ZX1, featuring five drivers, is among the highest, if not the highest, number of drivers currently available in wireless earbuds. Having more drivers can enhance sound quality by allowing for more precise sound separation and clarity across different frequencies. According to the company’s recent update, this project is already in the mass-production stage.

If you’re an audiophile like me, you’ll appreciate the analog technology used in custom in-ear monitors (IEM). Their entry model typically starts with a 3-driver setup, designed to deliver balanced sound with a dedicated driver for lows, mids, and highs. On the high end, they offer a model with 12 drivers per ear – yes, 12! Considering this, the introduction of wireless earbuds with 5 drivers in each ear, priced under $300, is a game changer.

Designer: AVIOT

Click Here to Buy Now: $251 $335 (25% off). Hurry, only 31/100 left! Less than 72 hours to go.

The newly developed system is known as the “Tribrid 5-Driver”. It includes a planar magnetic driver, three balanced armature drivers, and one dynamic driver. Planar Magnetic Drivers, Balanced Armature Drivers, and Dynamic Drivers each uniquely contribute to the audio quality. First, the Planar Magnetic Driver is known to produce superior sound quality, by utilizing a thin, lightweight diaphragm that’s able to cover a large surface area to deliver clear, detailed sound and excellent response times. The diaphragm’s size and thinness allow it to produce sound evenly across the frequency spectrum, contributing to a smoother, more natural sound.

Enjoy Wireless High-Resolution Audio with LDAC

Second, the three Balanced Armature Drivers are smaller and more efficient than other types. Due to their size, they are often used in in-ear headphones. These drivers can be tuned to specific frequencies, making them ideal for producing high-frequency sounds with precision. Multiple balanced armature drivers can be combined in a single earphone to cover a wide range of frequencies.

Lastly, the Dynamic Driver in the TE-ZX1 earbuds is 10mm in diameter, which contributes to superior sound quality and realistic low frequency. Dynamic drivers are known for their ability to produce strong, impactful bass and handle a wide frequency range. A significant advantage of dynamic drivers is their ability to handle a lot of power without distortion, which contributes to a louder, more powerful sound.

When working together, these three types of drivers should deliver dynamic and expansive sound quality across the frequency range, thanks to their complementary characteristics. I’m a big fan of in-ear-monitor (IEM) earphones, mainly because of the near-custom fit they offer. They provide a more enjoyable listening experience during long flights, extended office hours, or lengthy hiking trips. The high-speed combat ship “Swordfish II” from the hit anime series ‘Cowboy Bebop’ inspires the design, presenting a balanced yet high-tech and cutting-edge feel. When a product’s weight is distributed throughout the entire device, particularly something that sits in a compact space like your ear, it needs to feel balanced. This balance is what the designer has strived to achieve. The semi-hard case housing the earbuds is well-designed and features an integrated recharge function, providing up to 20 extra hours of listening enjoyment. The earbuds alone offer up to 8 hours of playtime and require only a 10-minute charge to gain another 60 minutes.

Regarding listening pleasure, having high-end drivers alone won’t guarantee rich sound quality without LDAC technology. Meanwhile, thanks to the 5 drivers, the use of a Digital Signal Processor (DSP) has been meticulously minimized By using LDAC – an audio coding technology developed by Sony that enables the transmission of High-Resolution (Hi-Res) Audio content, even over a Bluetooth connection. Unlike other Bluetooth-compatible coding technologies, such as SBC, it operates without down-converting the Hi-Res Audio content and allows approximately three times more data than those other technologies to be transmitted over a Bluetooth wireless network. This results in enhanced sound quality, more detailed and nuanced audio reproduction, and an overall superior listening experience.

Click Here to Buy Now: $251 $335 (25% off). Hurry, only 31/100 left! Less than 72 hours to go.

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Wireless earbuds concept suggests a novel and weird way to clean it

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Wireless earbuds, particularly the so-called True Wireless Stereo or TWS earbuds, have now become a common sight, in no small part thanks to Apple retiring the headphone jack and pushing the AirPods as a solution. These accessories come in different shapes and sizes, but the one common design they share is that the buds are enclosed in a container that acts as their charger as well. As any user of these tiny buds has experienced by now, both the buds and their are often exposed to dirt and grime that could become a health issue over time. Cleaning the earbuds themselves might be trivial, but when that dirt gets deep inside the case, the task becomes significantly more difficult. This concept tries to solve that problem by practically overhauling the charging case design, and it takes inspiration from the weirdest source to implement the strangest cleaning method.

Designer: Seungjae Lee

For TWS earbuds that store the buds’ stems vertically like with the Apple AirPods, the charging cases have a small and deep tunnel where dirt and bacteria can get in and fester. It’s not impossible to clean but it does take some effort, requiring you to really stop and use some tools to wipe the dirt deep inside. If only you could blow the dust and dirt away quickly when you need to, just like with many other objects you might have with you.

The Double Barrel Bluetooth Earbuds concept offers that convenience by turning the charging case into two hollow tubes with openings on both ends. The inspiration for this design was, apparently, a double-barrel shotgun, which is probably the last thing you’d expect to associate with non-violent wireless earbuds. As a visual embellishment, inserting and removing the earbuds would light up LEDs inside the barrel, as if you were shooting bullets.

For this to work, however, the buds themselves have to be straight, which would have been awkward to wear inside our ears. The concept proposes to make the tips foldable so they would take the form of typical earbuds that you can comfortably wear in your ears. And because of the double-ended opening, you can actually put in or remove the buds in either direction.

While the concept design is definitely interesting, it is based on the rather shaky premise that cleaning the earbuds case by blowing into them is actually a smart idea. Our breaths aren’t exactly clean and, more importantly, they also carry with them small saliva particles that could damage the charging contacts inside. And by keeping both ends open, the case would actually invite even more dirt and particles inside, making regular cleaning even more of a chore.

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Nothing Ear (2) Review: An Exercise in Iterative Refinement

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PROS:


  • Unique, distinctive design

  • Personalized sound profiles

  • Well-balanced performance for price

  • Clear sustainability strategy

CONS:


  • Noticeable wind noise despite ANC
  • Available only in white

  • Visually identical to Ear (1)

RATINGS:

AESTHETICS
ERGONOMICS
PERFORMANCE
SUSTAINABILITY / REPAIRABILITY
VALUE FOR MONEY

EDITOR'S QUOTE:

The Nothing Ear (1) represents a clear step forward in quality while retaining the first-gen earbuds' winning points.

The removal of headphone jacks from smartphones initiated by Apple caused a surge in the number of wireless earbuds in the market. That, of course, also gave birth to the need for good earbuds designs, though many, unsurprisingly, were content to just copy the leading brands. It isn’t always about looking different, though, since a unique design might also end up being unusable or don’t deliver an adequate level of performance. Form and function should always go hand in hand in the first place, and that seems to be the goal of the second-gen Nothing Ear (2) TWS earbuds, keeping what worked and refining what needed improvement. Given the reputation of the first-ever Nothing product, we just had to take it for a spin to check if its successor sounds as clear as it looks.

Designer: Nothing

Aesthetics

With so many TWS buds looking like AirPods knockoffs, it’s not surprising that some manufacturers have tried moving away from that design with mixed results. Some have gotten rid of stems completely, while others have added wings. Nothing’s strategy wasn’t to go overboard by changing the shape of the buds and instead gave it a distinct character with a transparent stem that truly set it apart from the crowd.

The Nothing Ear (2) retains this character and, in fact, looks eerily similar to the Ear (1). You could almost call this the Ear (1.5) or Ear (1) II because of how little it has changed, at least on the outside. Internally, however, this new pair definitely steps up the game enough to be called a successor. This theme of not changing what isn’t broken is pretty much the essence of the Ear (2), and it’s not exactly a bad thing.

There are some visual differences, of course, though you’ll find them mostly on the charging case. The rounded box’s edges are squarer now, and the white panel on the bottom is slightly raised to act as a protective bumper. The case is made of a new material that’s supposed to make it more resistant to scratches, though ours showed slight marks very early into the game. What hasn’t changed is the dimple on the top cover that still lets you twirl the case around between your fingers like a fidget toy.

In terms of looks, you’d be forgiven if you mistook the Ear (2) for the Ear (1). Those who expected something more sensational from Nothing’s first product might walk away disappointed yet again. It’s not a complete loss, though, because using the same design helps reinforce the Nothing Ear’s image as a fun and enjoyable product, now made even better, at least on paper. One knock against it, however, is that Nothing doesn’t have plans on making the Ear (2) available in any other color, at least for now. That could very well change in the future, just like how the black Ear (1) eventually came to be.

Ergonomics

Since there isn’t much of a difference from the first Nothing earbuds, it shouldn’t be a surprise that the Ear (2) is just as comfortable. In fact, the buds’ more compact design makes it a wee bit lighter at 4.5g, but that doesn’t reduce its ergonomic performance in any way. It has a secure fit and won’t suddenly fall off your ear while you’re moving around or even just talking, which we can’t say the same for other buds we’ve tested.

One thing that takes that comfort and fit to the next level is the new Ear Tip Fit Test. It goes beyond just letting you pick tips that you’re comfortable with but also makes sure that they form a proper seal in your ears for the best audio. This test is the first part of Nothing’s new Personal Sound Profile feature that truly makes the buds yours, putting you in the driver’s seat of your listening experience and enjoyment.

Another invisible change that Nothing made for the comfort of its customers is the way you control the buds. It has done away with taps and slides, which are often error-prone and are easily triggered by accident. With the Ear (2), you press or squeeze the stem for more intentional control, and each of the actions can be customized through the Nothing X mobile app.

Performance

If the Ear (2) looks a lot like the Ear (1) on the outside, the hardware and software upgrades inside make all the difference in the next-gen product. It is, unfortunately, also the reason why these new features can’t be made available to the first Nothing Ear, because that older pair doesn’t have the necessary hardware to support those nifty treats. Then again, that’s also the reason why you’d want to buy a new Ear (2) in the first place.

In addition to a more powerful chipset and more stable Bluetooth connection, the Ear (2) now features a custom 11.6mm driver that’s paired with a new diaphragm. That diaphragm combines a softer polyurethane (PU) material to let lower frequencies come through and a more rigid graphene for more sensitivity to higher frequencies. These new parts are enclosed in a similarly new dual-chamber design that expands the sound space and increases airflow.

What all these mean in practice is that the Nothing Ear (2) delivers an impressive audio quality that is clear and full, regardless of the range. You get mighty bass and crisp vocals from every tune or podcast that you play through it. But not everyone hears the exact same way, and this is where the Ear (2) really shines. It introduces the Personal Sound Profile test powered by Mimi, the same hearing test app certified for medical hearing devices, to a personalized equalizer setting formed around what you can hear and can’t hear. The test is a simple series of questions that try to determine your hearing range, and the settings are all automatically done based on the results. Of course, you can still choose your own settings if you prefer, but the generated equalizer will be great for users that don’t have much audio expertise.

The Ear (2) now also offers three levels of Active Noise Cancellation or ANC, letting you decide just how much of the outside world you want to let in. You can even let the buds decide the best level for you with Adaptive Mode, taking into account the amount of distracting noise around you. While it does work in general, we still heard some wind gusts while riding our bike, something we didn’t experience on another pair of buds.

Nothing did retain some of the “fan-favorite” features from the Ear (1), most notably, a low-latency mode for playing games and the ability to detect whether you’re wearing the buds or not. For the Ear (2), Nothing adds the ability to connect to two Bluetooth sources simultaneously, allowing the buds to switch between calls from your phone and music from your laptop as needed. The charging case still supports both USB-C wired as well as wireless charging, and you can even charge it on top of the Nothing Phone (1) if you have one.

Sustainability

Finally, we get to review a consumer electronics product that does have a word or two to say about the environment. Given how wireless earbuds are littering the market, there’s some comfort in knowing that there are companies acting responsibly to make sure they don’t litter the planet as well. Make no mistake, the Ear (2) is still mostly made from non-sustainable materials like plastic, but Nothing deserves some kudos for not only taking steps to minimize its carbon footprint but also making it clear what those steps are.

The circuit boards for the Ear (2), for example, are made from 100% recycled materials. It would be great if the plastics were also made similarly, but that could happen after Nothing has checked off all the other important boxes for its buds. The company does claim that it uses renewable electricity in manufacturing this product and that its lifetime carbon footprint is only 3.1kg of carbon dioxide equivalent. And, of course, there’s the plastic wrap-free packaging, which should be the standard for mobile devices and accessories by now.

Value

People seem to go through earbuds at a worryingly rapid rate, so they’re always on the lookout for great deals and prices. There is also a very wide range of prices for these products, and some are not always worth their weight in gold, while others turn out to be unexpected treasures. At $149, the Nothing Ear (2) will clearly be compared with the likes of higher-end TWS earbuds that sit a little below the luxury line. The good news is that you get what you pay for and maybe even more.

For that price tag, the Ear (2) delivers the quality you’d expect but also wraps it in a personalized experience tailored to your unique hearing profile. It’s not absolutely perfect, and some audiophiles might prefer buds coming from more established brands, but those usually cost twice as much. You also don’t get a head-turning design with those, and the Ear (2) definitely stands out in that respect.

Verdict

There was some degree of disappointment over the Ear (1) due to the hype it generated before its launch, but its reception and review definitely satisfied naysayers. There’s always room for improvement, of course, and that is what the Ear (2) is bringing to the table. Going beyond just delivering impressive audio quality, it gives people more control over their listening experience, from personal sound profiles to customizable controls. All in a design that is distinctive, popular, and striking.

The decision to buy a new pair might be more difficult for those who already own the Ear (1) and are happy with it. Then again, the Ear (2) is replacing its predecessor, so this is pretty much the only way forward anyway. In terms of design, the second-gen buds isn’t a sensational and revolutionary new product, but its careful and calculated approach to iterative improvement makes the Nothing Ear (2) deserve a place on your shopping list.

The Nothing Ear (2) launches on nothing.tech starting March 22nd and will be available in the Nothing Store in Soho as well as Kith stores worldwide on March 23rd. Open sales begin on March 28th from online and in-person partner stores globally, including Stock X in the US.

Aki Ukita contributed to this review.

The post Nothing Ear (2) Review: An Exercise in Iterative Refinement first appeared on Yanko Design.

Huawei Watch Buds leak suggests it will come with built-in wireless earbuds

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Thanks to the retirement of headphone jacks on more recent phones, wireless earbuds have started becoming a staple of modern mobile life. But while they offer the convenience of freedom from tangling cables, their diminutive sizes make them easy to lose. More importantly, the need for a charging case to keep them in means an additional object that you need to carry with you all the time and also potentially lose in the process. There have been some attempts to solve this problem, often by tracking the location of the buds or the case and warning the owner if they stray too far. Huawei, however, seems to have designed a rather crafty solution that removes the need for a charging case and, coincidentally, gives its own smartwatch another reason to exist.

Designer: Huawei (via Huawei Central)

It wasn’t until recently that smartwatches became a more common consumer electronics device, in no small part thanks to Apple creating a niche for it. Not everyone, however, might be in need of an advanced fitness tracker and mobile health diagnostic device, but there will always be a few that will need TWS earbuds to go along with their smartphones. Huawei’s solution is simply to merge the two so that you get both for the price of one or probably the equivalent price of one and a half.

Huawei recently teased its next wearable called “Huawei Watch Buds,” which is a rather odd name that sounds like a mashup of two devices. Apparently, that’s really the case, and a batch of leaked photos and a video shows a smartwatch with a pair of wireless earbuds hidden inside. Conversely, it could also be a pair of buds that come with a charging case that happens to be a smartwatch as well. Either way, the design is both ingenious but also odd, and it trades in some problems for others.

Given the fact that it has to store earbuds inside, the smartwatch’s body is unsurprisingly quite thick. This comes at a time when most non-sports smartwatches are trying to go on a diet to make them more presentable and more appealing to buyers. The earbuds themselves are also quite small by necessity, and they come as small capsule-like devices that might instill worries of getting stuck inside your ear.

As for the watch itself, it isn’t that remarkable, especially with the large bezels around the display. Huawei will have to include a larger-than-usual battery inside to offset the needs of the earbuds, further adding to the watch’s size and weight. It remains to be seen how effective this solution will be, but one has to give Huawei some credit for thinking outside the box and designing something so interesting that you might actually want to buy it to try it for yourself.

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Sony LinkBuds S in Earth Blue is designed to help keep the Earth green

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TWS or Truly Wireless Stereo earbuds have now become almost a necessity for anyone that has a smartphone these days, thanks to the retirement of the headphone jack. While it does reduce the number of cables produced for typical wired earphones, especially for phones that don’t ship with a pair, it also means that there are more electronics being made each year. These products normally make use of plenty of plastic, even in small devices like earbuds and their charging cases. The somewhat good news is that manufacturers are becoming more aware of their effects and responsibilities when it comes to the environment, which is why Sony is launching a new option for its latest TWS earbuds that tries to help reduce the damage, even in small doses.

Designer: Sony

Compared to earphones whose cables regularly get tangled up, wireless earbuds are more convenient to use and carry around. Their diminutive sizes, however, also make them too easy to lose as well. And when one piece goes missing, it’s pretty inconvenient to use the buds, even if it’s possible to only use a single one for one ear. Unless you’ve heavily invested in a rather pricey pair, chances are you’ll just end up buying a new one and simply discarding the incomplete set. That’s great for users and companies but not so much for the planet.

Sony seems to have the right idea by introducing the new Earth Blue color option for its LinkBuds S TWS earbuds. Rather than just a different splash of paint, the buds are Sony’s eco-friendly option for more conscientious music lovers. While the headphones themselves do still have your typical electronic components, parts of it are made with recycled materials from automobile parts. To some extent, that helps reduce the number of new parts that have to be made and the raw materials that have to be consumed for each and every pair.

The more interesting aspect of these more sustainable earbuds is their charging case. The case and some parts of the buds themselves are made from recycled water bottle materials, which also happens to give them a unique marble pattern. It’s a design that could remind one of seas and oceans, which is probably the effect that Sony is aiming for. Along those lines, the company is also committing to support ocean conservation activities through donations to NGOs.

While Sony does deserve some praise for its attempt to make a sustainable product more accessible and more attractive, it sadly comes a bit short of making a bigger commitment in that regard. The Earth Blue option, after all, is just one out of four colorways, and limiting the recycled materials to just one color means that it won’t appeal to those who don’t like Blue. It would definitely be better if these materials were made available on all LinkBuds S models, but, as it stands, that’s as far as Sony is willing to go for now.

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These wireless earbuds have sci-fi-inspired cases you will want to collect

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TWS, or Truly Wireless Stereo, earbuds have become more common these days now that almost all smartphones no longer have headphone jacks. Since the earbuds themselves are what you’d see and use most of the time, it’s only natural that they also get the most attention when it comes to design and features. Recently, however, there has been a shift of attention from the buds to their charging cases, from the cobblestone-inspired OPPO Enco X2 to the JBL Tour PRO 2 case with an embedded touch screen. The earbuds, after all, are meant to be discreet and almost invisible, while the cases are what people will often see. If that’s the case (no pun intended), then these new TWS buds are definitely worth showing off, especially if you’re a huge sci-fi or cyberpunk fan.

Designer: Gravastar

Gravastar has made a name for itself by producing accessories and gadgets whose designs cater to a very specific demographic. Its conception is quite timely, considering the rise in interest in sci-fi content in recent years. Even cyberpunk, which has been around for decades, is experiencing a bit of a renaissance thanks to a few films and games. Having sci-fi-themed accessories and products can be a lucrative business these days, especially when those products themselves are doing well in the market.

Everyone these days seems to have a pair of wireless earbuds, and there is almost an overabundance of them, especially when you take clones and knockoffs into account. The design of the buds themselves doesn’t tend to vary that much, and they’re often seen simply as tools at this early stage in their market life. Their cases are even more so taken for granted as simply a means to an end, but it’s only a matter of time before they take the spotlight. For fans of all things sci-fi, that time is already now.

The Gravastar Sirius P5 buds have charging cases whose industrial designs are clearly inspired by the futuristic genre. If that weren’t already clear from their looks, the names like Defense Armor, Defense Mecha, and Defense Crystal definitely make it explicit. Made from either zinc alloy or a “LEGO-like material prized for strength and rigidity,” each of these cases has a distinct character that would appeal to fans of certain subsets of the sci-fi genre. Defense Armor, for example, will be at home in the hands of a Cyberpunk 2077 fan, while Defense Mecha might have its DNA rooted in Gundam or Macross.

Tastes can differ, of course, and even the same people might change their tastes from time to time. What makes the Sirius P5 extra special is that you can actually swap the outer shells, provided you’ve purchased all three designs, of course. That’s because the actual charging component can be removed and inserted into different cases, allowing you to change your mind from time to time. There are also four RGB lights that can let you take personalization to the next level.

In terms of features, the earbuds sound (again, no pun intended) pretty basic, with support for Bluetooth 5.2, “environment” noise cancellation, and an IPX4 waterproof rating. The buds themselves can last for eight hours, while the charging case provides an additional 32 hours of use. All these make for a decent audio experience that probably won’t woo audiophiles, but its case will definitely be something you’d be proud to actually wear around your neck.

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