Image source: Bang & Olufsen
Apple might have dominated the wireless earphones market with the AirPods, but Bang & Olufsen (B&O) plans to grab a slice of the pie with its first truly wireless earphones, the Beoplay E8.
Unlike the AirPods, the Beoplay E8 comes with different ear tips so that you can customize the fit. It is also splash and dust proof, which means the Beoplay E8 can be used outdoors and in the gym. The left and right earpieces have a touch sensitive surface for volume control, play/pause, answer/end calls, transparency mode and voice activation.
Transparency mode is a new technology form B&O Play which will let in the sound of your surroundings in a seamless manners so that you can choose to focus on the music or let a bit of the real world in. There are four different levels of transparency to choose from. In the near future, B&O has plans to upgrade the voice recognition feature to help you learn a new language or translate what you say into another language on the go.
As with all B&O products, the audio quality of the Beoplay E8 is a key focus. Each earpiece has a 5.7mm electro-dynamic driver, a small electromagnetic transducer, NFMI technology and a Bluetooth 4.2 with Digital Sound Processing for dynamic sound tuning.
The Beoplay E8 provides up to four hours of music playtime at a moderate sound level in a single charge. The carrying case, which doubles as a charging case, can re-charge the Beoplay E8 twice. This gives the Beoplay E8 a total of up to 12 hours of playtime, which is half of what the AirPods can deliver.
Available from 12 October, the Beoplay E8 is priced at US$299 (~S$405). This price includes the charging case, five ear tips and charging cable.
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