Mobile Audio Hub

The 3.2.1-channel soundbar from Samsung features a wireless subwoofer as well as Dolby Atmos and DTS:X support. Thanks to a coupon code, the HW-S800B can now be ordered with a massive discount of almost $500.

OnePlus has introduced its Buds 3 as the TWS counterparts for the new sub-flagship Ace 3 smartphone today (January 4, 2024). Nevertheless, the peripherals have launched with one or two of the highest-end specs of yesteryear, support for the LHDC 5.0 codec included. They are also IP55-rated and have touch controls.

JLab has officially unveiled two new products for its audio accessory lineup, which includes the JBuds ANC 3 TWS Earbuds. As a pair of third-gen earbuds, the buds bring improved battery life and aim to deliver better audio than the predecessors. The good part is that they are still reasonably affordable like their predecessors.

With a 24% discount, these earbuds offer active noise cancellation, transparent mode, adaptive EQ, spatial audio with dynamic head tracking, and up to 4.5 hours of listening time.

JLab has introduced two new products for its lineup. Among them is the JBuds Lux ANC Wireless Headphones. They are the brand’s first attempt at high-end headphones capable of providing premium sound without breaking your wallet. While we hear such claims from many brands, JLab’s new headphones do appear to have the potential to deliver.

FiiO is offering a new all-in solution for streaming digital media that offers high audio quality and a HDMI port.

The OnePlus Buds 3 will officially debut in the Chinese market on January 4 alongside the OnePlus Ace 3. As the successor of Buds 2, the new earbuds claim to feature good hardware with proper tuning, gearing them to “popularize flagship sound quality.”

iQOO has launched its first ever Watch today (December 27, 2023). The new wearable boasts a 1.43-inch AMOLED display powered by a custom OS for its health- and sleep-tracking features, and has the option of independent eSIM connectivity. The Watch is joined in its debut by new TWS earbuds of impressively long battery life for an attractive price.

The newly launched Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds are currently at their lowest-ever price. With a 17% discount, the buds are down to $249 from their usual $299 tag. But note that this Christmas deal may remain active only for a limited time.

Noble Audio has launched the Falcon Max earbuds using solid-state drivers from xMEMS. The micro-electromechanical systems drivers are built using silicon on a microscopic scale rather than a conventional driver and cone. The result is superior audio reproduction with less distortion.

Neurotechnology firm Neurable has partnered with Master & Dynamic to create the MW75 Neuro, a noise-cancelling headphone with a built-in brain-computer interface, which will allow it to measure the wearer’s brain activity and thus help monitor focus or mental fatigue through the day. The headphone is based on Master & Dynamic’s flagship MW75 featuring 40 mm beryllium drivers and adaptive ANC.

The recently launched Jabra Elite 10 earbuds have just dropped to their record-low price. They are currently available for just $199.99, which translates to a $50 discount from the usual $249.99 price tag.

Tangara is aimed at music and gadget lovers who miss the charm of the Apple iPod, but not the extreme limitations imposed by Apple's closed ecosystem. The new music player is completely open source, so it can be developed further or modified at any time.

The Dolby Atmos-capable mid-range system from Bose is a stand-alone solution with five speakers and the option to upgrade it with a corresponding subwoofer. Amazon has now put the Smart Soundbar 600 back on sale for its lowest price yet.

LG has introduced three new soundbars for 2024. These offer, depending on the specific model, 9.1.5 sound and thus spatial audio - within physical limits, of course.

Dangbei has announced that it will unleash the "next dimension in 4K laser home cinema" at CES 2024. The Las Vegas show will serve as a launch event for the global versions of the 2 projectors that will usher it in. The Mars Pro 2 and X5 Ultra are backed to introduce brand-first specs such as ALPD 5.0, and will debut alongside Dangbei's apparent answer to one of LG's more experimental monitors.

The Hisense HS2100 2.1 Soundbar with Wireless Subwoofer is now available in North America and Europe, with a 45% discount currently offered to US customers. The new model has a maximum output of 240W, with features including DTS Virtual:X, an HDMI ARC port and Bluetooth connectivity.

It looks like the next couple of years are going to be big for the Apple AirPods lineup with the possible introduction of two new AirPods models, the refreshed AirPods Max, and the AirPods Pro (3rd generation). Mark Gurman, the source behind the information, has also alleged that Cupertino is developing hearing aid functionality for the new AirPods.

iQOO has confirmed that it will launch the Neo9 and 9 Pro later in December 2023 - however, according to the latest leaks, the premium mid-range Android smartphones will bring an entire ecosystem of products along with them. They are said to include the brand's first round AMOLED display smartwatch, as well as some new wireless earphones.

Lenovo has introduced the Wireless VoIP Headset, a new Bluetooth headset that supports Multipoint connectivity. Shipping in early Q2 2024, the Lenovo Wireless VoIP Headset is Microsoft Teams certified and offers up to 30 hours of battery life, among other features.

Lenovo has presented new, fully wireless headphones. These do not conform to typical design convention and are intended to be particularly comfortable to wear during sport, for example. High audio quality is promised.

Apple has started selling the USB Type-C charging case it introduced earlier this year with its refreshed AirPods Pro 2. Already available in multiple markets, including Europe and the US, the $99 accessory is an expensive way to bring USB Type-C connectivity to a pair of AirPods Pro 2 earbuds.

OnePlus already offers relatively inexpensive earphones in the Nord Buds 2, which feature active noise cancellation and particularly large drivers for deep bass. Render images now reveal the fundamentally revised design of the OnePlus Nord Buds 3.

Huawei's latest accessory looks like it needs a particularly intense form of ear-piercing - however, it is in fact a new kind of wireless earphone that doesn't go in the ear at all. Instead, the FreeClip is held in place with its new "innovative C-bridge design" for the OEM's take on open-ear audio.

According to some recent reports, Bose is wrapping up the production of Bose Frames - the lineup of smart audio glasses. By the end of this year, Bose Frames products will not be available for sale, while the existing owners will continue to get support.

As per some recent reports, Apple Music is planning to offer incentives to artists and record labels if they make their music available in spatial audio formats. With this new policy, artists will receive higher royalties and make Dolby Atmos music more mainstream.

Loewe's latest amplifier is said to offer a combination of power and features that are not found elsewhere. The manufacturer packs 1200 watts of power into 4 ohms, numerous streaming features and a wide range of ports into an extremely compact case.

The 3rd gen Apple AirPods are once again discounted to their lowest price yet of $140, last seen in the Black Friday week. The earphones, otherwise priced at $169, feature spatial audio and adaptive EQ, a 6 hour battery life, and an IPX4 rating for both the earphones and the case. The AirPods Pro 2 are also currently discounted by 20% to $200.

Bose QuietComfort Headphones, which replaced the popular QuietComfort 45 from the current lineup, are enjoying a 29% discount. With this deal in place, you can get yourself a pair for just $249.

In what might be a mega-leak in terms of next-gen Android smartphones from Asus, the ROG Phone 8 and 8 Pro are officially slated to launch with advanced Bluetooth 5.4 wireless connectivity. Furthermore, the next ZenFone will also have this spec - not to mention its series' first ever Ultra variant. The intriguing development might hint at a significant change in design choices compared to the last few years.

Final Audio’s UX3000 has had a successful launch last year. It challenged the newer Sony WH-1000XM5 at less than half the price. Now, the brand has unveiled the Final Audio UX2000 ANC headphones, which undercuts the UX3000 but promises to deliver better overall performance.

Xiaomi has launched the Redmi Computer speaker, the first device of its kind from the brand, in China. The two-channel speaker has various preset modes for music, gaming and movies. Other features include ambient RGB lighting, a built-in microphone, Bluetooth connectivity and a range of ports.

Final Audio has refreshed the ZE8000, less than a year after it introduced its '8K Sound' earbuds. Now available as the ZE8000 MK2, the new earbuds have a 5 dB higher maximum volume than their predecessors, among other audio improvements.

While Sony has already launched a successor, the Sony WH-1000XM4 wireless headphones are still a good purchase. As a matter of fact, they are still considered to be a proper pair of flagship wireless headphones. And things just got even better for those who were eyeing them. The headphones are currently enjoying a $120 discount from the listing price on Amazon.

A clear sign of the music streaming industry recession, tech billionaire Jack Dorsey announced widespread layoffs at Tidal's parent company Block Inc. Around 1,300 employees are expected to be let go.

Xiaomi released the Redmi Buds 5 Pro late last month. And during the official debut, Xiaomi teased a fancier-looking edition that would soon be coming out for gamers. Well, the Redmi Buds 5 Pro eSports edition is here, and it’s currently on sale in China for CNY499 (around US$70).

In Spotify's newsroom, CEO Daniel Ek has announced that the music streaming service is laying off 17% of its workforce. This comes as result of the economic circumstances and the recent slowdown in growth, despite a positive balance sheet.

EarFun touts its new Free Pro 3s as "dual certified" TWS earbuds, in that they officially support both Hi-Res Audio and Qualcomm's latest Snapdragon Sound suite of audio features, aptX Adaptive included. They are also rated for a decent level of ANC, even though their noise-cancelling tech is of the hybrid variety. The Pro 3s' case is also backed to deliver "generous" battery life and also supports wireless charging.

Released earlier this year, the JBL Tune Buds come with Bluetooth 5.3 connectivity, ANC alongside a smart transparency mode, as well as a generous battery life of up to 48 hours (12 for the earbuds and 36 more via the case). The US$59.95 price instead of US$99.95 is a good deal, except for the undiscounted Purple version.

The Sony WH-1000XM5 and Bose QuietComfort Ultra now cost US$379 and US$329, respectively, thanks to an ongoing promotion. They can be purchased at that price via Amazon and Best Buy.

The Redmi Buds 5 Pro is Xiaomi's latest pair of TWS earbuds. Already available in China, the Redmi Buds 5 Pro contain various upgrades over the Redmi Buds 4 Pro, including longer battery life, better ANC and LHDC 5.0 support for higher-quality Bluetooth audio transmission.

Founded in 1980 and an independent subsidiary of Samsung since 2017, Harman is well-known for its presence in the automotive, consumer, and enterprise audio markets. Roon's acquisition gives Harman access to a music player for all major operating systems and the Nucleus hardware server appliances.

LG has announced that it will showcase new tech rated to help "Reinvent your Future" at CES 2024. The company will also reinvent itself as more of an AI-focused "Smart Life Solution Company" during the upcoming trade expo in earnest, which will also see it score more CES Innovation Awards than ever before on devices such as its OLED TVs, portable speakers and UltraGear gaming monitors.

Samsung has announced a new way to catch them all for its fans in Spain, by turning their Galaxy Buds-series TWS earbuds into Pokéballs. This can be done with one of the new Eco-Friends shells for their cases. They come in various forms and integrate a lanyard for ease of carrying.

Realme has announced that it has successfully shipped at least 200,000,000 smartphones. The brand has only been in this industry since 2018; nevertheless, this is only 1 of many major sales milestones achieved in that relatively short time. It has unveiled this latest news ahead of the launch of its next flagship Android device.

Sennheiser’s HD 458BT noise cancelling headphone is currently available on Best Buy for just US$70, after a 65% discount. The headphone features Bluetooth 5.0 with AptX and AptX Low Latency codec support, 30 hours of battery life and weighs just 238 g for maximum comfort over long listening sessions.

OnePlus is gearing up to launch third-gen flagship-series TWS earbuds, according to a new filing discovered on the FCC database. The "Buds 3" are thought to launch with up-to-date specs such as Bluetooth 5.3 and ANC - then again, the possibility of their imminent launch might give those currently doing their Cyber Weekend shopping for the existing Buds Pro 2 little cause for concern.

The FW5 are new and completely wireless earphones from FiiO, aimed at audiophile customers. A Qualcomm QCC5141 chip is installed and the battery life is said to be long.