Headphones were the original piece of wearable technology and they remain as essential today as ever. But they are starting to change rapidly now, as things like noise cancelling and Bluetooth wireless technology enable the dream of completely cable-free living. What will the best headphones of the future look like?
Google announced the new feature, which turns on transparency mode and pauses music when you start talking, at its event last week, and now 9to5Google reports that the feature is rolling out as part of the 5.9 update for the headphones. It’s an optional feature, though, so if you don’t like it, you don’t have to use it.
Even though Apple has officially switched to USB-C, modder Ken Pillonel (who made headlines modding the port into the iPhone and AirPods) thinks there are still improvements to be made. He’s designed a replacement outer shell for the first- and second-generation AirPods case that’s designed to make it easier to open for battery replacements. He’s giving away the part for free (minus shipping) throughout October.
In an interview with Brian Tong on the Apple Blitz XL podcast, Apple VP of sensing and connectivity Ron Huang explains that while the second-gen AirPods Pro earbuds also have the H2 chip just like its new USB-C model, the new ones are capable of communicating at 5GHz instead of just 2GHz.
He says that’s why the new USB-C AirPods Pro earbuds have enough bandwidth to do lossless audio wirelessly when combined with the upcoming Vision Pro.
Apple:
The H2 chip in the latest AirPods Pro and Apple Vision Pro, combined with a groundbreaking wireless audio protocol, unlocks powerful 20-bit, 48 kHz Lossless Audio with a massive reduction in audio latency
On the PX7 S2 that it released last year, Bowers & Wilkins made the bizarre decision to eliminate the 3.5mm headphone jack. If you wanted to use the PX7 in a wired capacity, you had to use a USB-C-to-3.5mm cable (you know, that very common cable everyone has). Fortunately for traditionalists out there, the new Px7 S2e has brought back support for the 3.5mm connector, and there’s one included in the box.
The Px7 S2e is available now on the Bowers & Wilkins website for $399 (the same price as its predecessor).
Apple quietly snuck some hardware upgrades into its refreshed second-generation AirPods Pro — now with a USB-C port on the case.
As the tech specs page confirms, the earbuds are now rated IP54, meaning they’ve picked up dust resistance, which the Lightning set technically lacked with their IPX4 rating.
