Audio headphone manufacturer Bragi today announced The Headphone, a new set of wireless earbuds that are less expensive than the company's first gen Dash product at just $119 on a pre-order program. Offering up to 6 hours of untethered playing time, they're also being positioned as a great solution for next generation smartphones that don't have traditional 3.5mm wired headphone jacks,
such as Apple's forthcoming
iPhone 7 that is expected to launch this week. However, Bragi may be competing directly against Apple as it has also been rumored that Cupertino's external audio solution may come in the
form of wireless "AirPods." Whether or not they'll come with the next gen iPhone as a bundled item remains to be seen of course too. Regardless, Bragi's new buds, though not unique, come at a time when the wireless audio product category is due for some real innovation.
The wireless earbud product segment is still a work in progress with many manufacturers throwing all kinds of sensors and functionality at the devices in an effort to delivers a more functional, smart wearable that can do more than just play music. Bragi's new Headphone product, however, does away with the company's higher-end Dash product's fitness tracking capability and on-board storage in an effort to focus more on the audio side of things, extend battery life and reduce cost. Again, 6 hours of play time is what Bragi is bragging about and with 250 hours of standby time to boot. From a cost standpoint, if you consider
Samsung's IconX product retails for $199, Bragi's Headphone pre-order price of $119 is a solid deal. Bragi's pre-order deal runs until November 1st, however, after which the price goes up to $149, which is still pretty competitive.
Audio fidelity and functionality of Bragi's previous gen Dash product line was generally met with praise when they launched. Hopefully, with some refinement, these next-gen buds will rock a little harder. You can swing by the Bragi
pre-order page, here if you're interested in picking up a set when they ship in November.