Audio

The latest figures on the Indian hearables (or personal audio accessories with smart features) market show that Realme has rocketed into its top 5 brands. This success is particularly impressive as it only started selling products in this category in December 2019. Nevertheless, it now has more of a share than Sony or Xiaomi in that market.

The Surface Headphones 2 offers more features than its predecessor at a lower price. Since Microsoft's latest over-ear headphones support high-resolution Bluetooth connectivity, we decided to purchase a pair to see how they fare.

Samsung’s Galaxy Unpacked Event looks increasingly like it will include the reveal of both the Galaxy Z Fold 2 and the Galaxy Z Flip 5G. Samsung’s President and Head of Mobile Communications Business TM Roh has revealed in a blog post that the company will “be introducing five new power devices” at its upcoming Galaxy Unpacked event.

OnePlus' official Instagram handle has put out a teaser that hints the OnePlus Buds' price. The TWS earbuds will be released alongside the OnePlus Nord on July 21, and promise to deliver up to seven hours of battery life and support charging at 30W.

Xiaomi has announced the new Redmi AirDots 2 earphones, which will be officially launched on July 22. The TWS earphones are currently priced at 79 yuan (US$11) during the crowdfunding stage. The budget earphones offer Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity, virtual assistant functionality, and they weigh in at just 4.1 g per earbud.

Google is currently believed to have a new generation of its Nest-branded smart home speakers in the works. A device that looks like the same from a prior leak has been certified by the Taiwanese electronics regulator NCC. It may confirm the new device's model number, as well as its dual-band Wi-Fi.

OnePlus is currently busily hyping its upcoming take on the mid-range 5G phone, the Nord. Its latest teaser indicates that it comes with certain communication-related Google apps out of the box. This, apparently, is done to keep its software experience the "smoothest" it can be.

Mobvoi is a wearables brand that is teasing its next upcoming products, the Earbuds Gesture, via Indiegogo. They can be controlled through either head movements (in line with their name) or touch-sensitive panels. The OEM also claims they have a whopping 50 hours of battery life.

A press release has revealed that Philips (TP Vision) and Bowers & Wilkins have decided to extend their partnership and continue to offer their respective expertise in future Philips OLED and LCD TVs. The duo previously collaborated on the well-received 65OLED+984 and OLED+934 models, and new televisions are expected to be released soon.

Some consumers might be forgiven for mistaking the TheoryBoard as a particularly extensive gaming keyboard. However, it has been designed by its OEM, the start-up Irijule, as a new technology that helps the user reproduce whatever tunes they imagine, and from scratch too if necessary. It is also a MIDI controller that works with both PC and mobile devices.

Mobvoi has debuted the TicKasa headphones. Although this is only the first product in this category from the band, they have progressed directly to active noise cancelling (ANC) and wireless features. They are Bluetooth 5, have 40 millimeter drivers and have button controls.

Announced earlier today, the Audeze Penrose and Penrose X will start shipping in early September, but those interested can place their orders already. The introductory price is US$249 — US$50 less than the MSRP of this wireless planar magnetic headset for Xbox One, Xbox Series X (Penrose X), PlayStation 4/5 and Mac (Penrose), and PC (both).

Mobvoi may be best known as a wearables brand; however, it is also breaking into the market for smart-home gadgets. The latest of these is the LifeSmart outdoor camera. It supports footage at HD or FHD resolutions, has an IR night-vision mode and a 110-degree field of view.

Mobvoi has announced that today (July 14, 2020) is the anniversary of its birth as a wearables and smart-things brand. Accordingly, it is holding a sales event for the next 11 or so hours. It includes 10% off a new TicWatch C2+, or a third off the 4G/LTE version of this series' Pro variant.

"OnePlus Buds" has just been acknowledged as a real product name by their OEM. The company has also announced that they will launch on the same day as its upcoming first-gen Nord smartphone. The former are expected to be TWS earphones that look much like Apple AirPods.

Xiaomi is currently offering a free pair of piston in-ear headphones to buyers of the Redmi Note 8 Pro. The smartphone has sold in spectacular amounts for the Chinese OEM and currently has an official price of 1,099 yuan (US$157) for the 6 GB + 64 GB model. The retailer JD.com offers overseas shipping for the Redmi Note 8 Pro.

LG has designed its new GX soundbar as a matching accessory for the 65-inch 'Gallery' OLED TV. Beside this, it features eARC in its HDMI ports; Bluetooth for wireless functions such as streaming directly from a mobile device, and Dolby Atmos. It will become available to US customers later in July 2020.

The design of Samsung's next Galaxy Buds has leaked again, this time courtesy of Evan Blass. The FCC has also certified the earbuds, which are rumoured to be called the Galaxy Buds Live or Galaxy Buds X. The earbuds, which are associated with the model number SM-R180, may well launch on August 5 at Samsung's next Galaxy Unpacked event.

The latest truly wireless (TWS) earbuds from UGREEN upgrade to a USB type C port for charging and to an IPX5 rating for ingress protection. They also have a Qualcomm chipset which confers some up-to-date audio specs on these new HiTune accessories. They include Bluetooth 5.0, cVc v8.0 for noise cancellation and aptX.

Creative Technology has announced its latest headset, the Creative SXFI Gamer. Featuring replaceable ear cups, RGB lighting and USB Type-C connectivity, the SXFI Gamer retails for US$129.99 and £114.99 in the UK. The headset also includes the company's new CommanderMic and is compatible with Gen2 of its Super X-Fi technology.

HarmoniQLabs is a company that has an in-house 3D-printing process to make its new TWS earbuds. The OEM claims that the resulting unique shape created is better for prolonged wear and for passive noise cancellation. These new accessories will launch via Indiegogo on July 13, 2020.

Vizio has announced new additions to its collection of soundbars, which are available either now or later in 2020. They are headlined by the Elevate 5.1.4, which stood out in its category at CES 2020 due to its Adaptive Height Speakers. These rotating parts activate to deploy content with the high-end audio tech it supports.

Panasonic has announced pricing and availability data for its new RB-M500B and RB-M700B wireless headphones. Both feature 40 millimeter (mm) neodymium drivers housed in ergonomically-designed ear-pads, although only the latter features active noise cancellation (ANC). They are also designed to enhance bass using this OEM's XBS DEEP technology.

Honor has launched a new set of earbuds, the Honor Choice True Wireless Earbuds. Priced at just US$34.99, the Honor Choice supports Bluetooth 5.0, up to 24 hours of battery life and USB Type-C charging. Touch controls are supported too and the earbuds are IP54 certified.

LG has updated the portable variants of its XBOOM speaker line-up. These new PL7, PL5 and PL2 models feature an equally renewed design that incorporates Meridian technology for their audio clarity. They can also be controlled via an iOS or Android app and respond to voice commands.

The Panasonic RZ-S300W are new TWS earbuds with a non-AirPod-clone form-factor and a unique finish. A further variant of the same (the RZ-S500W) have "Dual Hybrid Noise Cancelling Technology" with an ambient mode for "best-in-class" audio isolation. The OEM also has a 3rd pair of new buds launched under its high-end Technics brand.

Xiaomi has released a new XiaoAI Portable Speaker via Youpin that can also be ordered from Banggood for international customers. The mini Bluetooth speaker has a power rating of 2 W and is being offered to domestic shoppers for 49 yuan (US$7). The Xiaomi XiaoAI Portable Speaker with virtual assistant is priced at US$19.99 at Banggood.

Creative has launched the SXFI Trio in-ear headphones that feature an in-line SXFI Amp and a hybrid triple-driver system that yields a 100 dB SNR and 0.008% IMD. The in-line Super X-Fi Amp allows for holographic audio that simulates a 5.1 or 7.1 channel ambience even from stereo sources.

The eminent and apparently OnePlus-focused leaker Max J. has posted a new image of this OEM's inaugural TWS earbuds on his Twitter feed. This one shows the other side of these stem-toting accessories for the first time - and also paints them black. Therefore, it seems the product will have at least 2 color options on their launch.

Adidas has long been associated with sporting endeavors and this has spawned a range of accessories to make staying active fun. Its latest headphone accessory is called the RPD-01 is designed to be both sweat resistant and stay securely in place during physical activity.

Astell & Kern has taken the wraps off its latest high-end portable audio play and it comes with a unique twist. Instead of having a single high-quality DAC, the new A&futura SE200 comes with two high-end DACs from different manufacturers for a higher level of customization.

Harman Kardon has rolled out the latest iteration of its iconic Aura Studio line. The new speaker is the third in the series and offers 360-degree sound over a wireless Bluetooth connection.

Neopon are TWS earbuds, albeit not ones of the typical 'popcorn' or 'stem' form-factor found everywhere these days. Instead, they have been designed with an ear-hook that connects to the actual, oval ear-bud part via a short flexible cable. Therefore, their maker asserts that they may enhance comfort and wearing time while still providing all the potential up-sides of wireless audio.

LG has announced two pairs of TWS earbuds. Called the HBS-FN4 and HBS-FN6, the latter includes a self-cleaning charging case that LG claims can kill up to 99.9% of E. coli and S. aureus. The earbuds can last up to 18 hours between charges too, but LG forgot to include support for Qualcomm's high-resolution aptX and aptX HD Bluetooth codecs.

Realme has launched a new pair of affordable TWS earbuds in India. The Realme Buds Q has a 10mm driver, offers up to 20 hours of playback with the charging case, is rated IPX4 for dust and water resistance, and comes with a 119ms low-latency gaming mode. It will be available for sale on July 1st on Amazon and Realme's official website for INR 1,999 ($27).

Amazfit claims that its ZenBuds are capable of enhancing sleep or relaxation due to their noise-cancelling, health-tracking and other properties. The brand has finally announced details on how this version of the truly wireless (TWS) earbud will be premiered: as a reward on its upcoming crowdfunding campaign.

The FCC has confirmed multiple aspects of the Sony WH-1000XM4 ahead of its expected release this week. Sony, which is replacing its popular WH-1000XM3 headphones after almost two years, has dropped support for the Qualcomm aptX and aptX HD codecs. The WH-1000XM4 is expected to retail for US$349.99.

General Manager of Poco India, C Manmohan, has shared some information on the company's short-term plans for the Indian market. The Poco F2 Pro doesn't appear to be on the cards for an Indian launch, but the launch of the Poco M2 Pro is imminent. Also, the company's upcoming Poco Pop Buds TWS earbuds seem to be nothing new.

Samsung announced the Galaxy S20+ BTS Edition a few days ago, and it went on pre-order yesterday, with the purple Buds+ BTS Edition as a bonus. To absolutely no one's surprise, the phone has proven to be a masterstroke by Samsung, as it sold out within an hour.

Qualcomm has unveiled the RB5 platform, aimed at the consumer- and enterprise-grade robotic devices of the future. To this end, it is based on the QRB5165 processor, which can handle the imaging sensors, digital signals, machine learning and AI capabilities expected of these machines. It also supports up-to-date connectivity, 5G included.

Anker's latest dock allows the user to connect external monitors via both Thunderbolt 3 and HDMI ports at 60 hertz (Hz). It also has a range of other I/O besides, an SD card reader and a 3.5mm AUX port included. One of its type C ports also allows pass-through charging at up to 85 watts (W).

Samsung has announced BTS Editions of the Galaxy S20+ and Galaxy Buds+. The former will be available in 5G and LTE variants, while all devices will come with BTS photocards. The Galaxy Buds+ are available to pre-order now, with the Galaxy S20+ BTS Editions joining the earbuds on June 19.

The Sony WH-1000XM4 will have an IR sensor for pausing and resuming playback, The Walkman Blog has confirmed. Due to be released on June 23, Sony's new premium over-ear headphones will feature a MediaTek Bluetooth chip too, eliminating the possibility that the WH-1000XM series would continue to support Qualcomm's aptX and aptX HD codecs.

A user over on the XDA forums spotted a mention of the TWS OnePlus Buds in code for the Android 11 Settings APK, lending credence to rumors that OnePlus will soon be releasing its own pair of TWS earphones.

The Lamborghini Edition of the OPPO Find X2 Pro is a version of this phone with an appropriately car marque-themed finish and accessories. It has been released onto the German market via this country's Amazon site. It is in apparently extremely limited supply, but is available to order now.

The S900 is MediaTek's newest SoC that is custom-designed for smart TVs. It is powered by ARM's Cortex A-73 cores, and is compatible with the HDMI 2.1A standard, allowing it to deliver 8K videos at 60 fps and 4K content at 120 fps. The chip also uses machine learning to improve picture quality in real-time.

A Sony Authorized Dealer has confirmed that the WH-1000XM4 will retail for US$349.99, whenever Sony gets around to announcing its next-generation headphones. The WH-1000XM4 will be sold in black and silver too, just like the WH-1000XM3.