CES 2020 | Harman Kardon rolls out new 'Fly' range of headphones, including AirPods competitor

Harman Kardon, one of Samsung’s acquisitions, has launched three new wireless headphones under the banner of its new ‘Fly’ branding. The new Fly range is targeted at a younger audience who want a more upmarket sound and who might be unfamiliar with Harman's more upmarket gear. Accordingly, the Flys are also priced more affordably to help capture a slice of the market that Apple and Beats are currently dominating.

The new Harman Kardon Fly TWS are a direct competitor to Apple’s regular AirPods range. Where Apple’s popular true wireless buds go for US$159, Harman Kardon is pricing their new buds at an attractive US$149. Like Apple’s AirPods they offer up to 5 hours on a charge, or 15 hours in total when combined with the charging case – although this is less than Apple’s AirPods which pack in a total of 24 hours of battery. The Fly TWS, however, are touch-enabled, IPX5 rated and support Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa.

Designed to take on the Beats Solo Pro and Sony’s popular WF-1000XM3, the Harman Kardon Fly ANC over-ear headphones feature, as the name suggests, active noise-cancelling. They feature 40 mm custom drivers and are specifically tuned for listening on the go. They are good for 20 hours on a charge with BT and ANC activated, 30 hours just on BT and up to 35 hours when wired with ANC enabled. They too support Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa and are priced at US$249.

Rounding out the releases are a set of Fly BT, the cheapest in the range priced at US$99, have a cord that makes them a good choice for runners who might be concerned about their true wireless buds falling out on a jog. They will last for up to 8 hours on a charge and are equipped with a quick charging capability. As with the other two new Fly headphones from Harman Kardon, Google Assistant or Amazon Alexa is just a tap away.