2024 could be a transformative year for headphones and earbuds

A lot happened this year in the world of headphones. 2023 brought big new product launches as usual, but it also continued the story of earphones and headphones growing smarter and more advanced, and audio quality continuing to reach new heights. And for better or worse, this trend has helped strengthen his ecosystem lock-in of brands like Apple, Samsung, and Google.

Bose has completely overhauled its hardware lineup and released QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds and Headphones, the latest addition to the company’s best-in-class active noise cancellation. Sony has launched his long-awaited WF-1000XM5 earphones. Jabra has tried to keep pace with its bigger competitors with a pair of new premium earbuds, the Elite 10 and Elite 8 Active. Other companies were manufacturing buds with great sound and unique features such as 3-way multipoint pairing, in the case of Panasonic’s Technics brand.

Apple and Samsung, on the other hand, largely stuck to their existing products in 2023, focusing instead on new software features that increase their value. Apple has introduced several features to make AirPods Pro more intelligent about your everyday environment, including adaptive audio, speech recognition, and personalized volume. These are much better earbuds now than they were when they first launched, which shows the benefits of these ecosystem-dependent gadgets. It’s a hassle if you’re on the other side of the fence, but for those who have already adopted it, the list of useful features continues to grow.

This year has not been without some challenges. LE Audio continues to roll out at a snail’s pace, delaying the introduction of exciting enhancements to the Bluetooth specification. We hope that CES 2024 will see a strong launch of a wave of new hardware that supports the AC3 codec, Auracast (streaming audio to multiple devices at once), and other LE Audio benefits.

Either way, 2024 is shaping up to be a very exciting year for audio geeks. New devices are emerging from big tech companies, and new competitors are emerging as well. Qualcomm could radically advance the range and fidelity of its earphones by using its Wi-Fi to compensate for its Bluetooth weaknesses.

bloomberg’s Mark Garman reported that Apple is planning to replace the 3rd generation AirPods with the following products: two One of them will feature active noise cancellation, a feature that will bring it to a lower price point than the flagship AirPods Pro, but after the move to USB-C in September, big changes could come next year. is low. The new mainstream AirPods continue that change. It also maintains a one-size-fits-all design that doesn’t require anything inserted into your ear canal. This makes them Apple’s most comfortable earbuds for some people, and they’re also great for staying aware of your surroundings.

The Galaxy Buds 2 Pro have been well received by critics and audio experts alike, and nearly two years after their release, it’s the perfect time for Samsung’s next top-tier earbuds to debut. There haven’t been many rumors about the Buds 3 Pro, but Samsung is going all out to counter Apple’s latest software tricks with some clever new features of its own that will strengthen the Galaxy Buds’ interaction with the company’s upcoming Galaxy S24 series. That is inevitable.

After years of rumors, Sonos is expected to release its first wireless headphones sometime next year. The product is rumored to be priced at a hefty $400 to $500, which would put Sonos’ headphones in competition with some of the best headphones in the category, including Apple’s AirPods Max and Bose’s QuietComfort Ultra. That’s going to happen. It’s a bold strategy for a newcomer, but Sonos expects its debut headphones to bring in the bulk of its revenue from new hardware launches next year, so there’s a lot to be desired. The big question is how Sonos will stand out in a crowded field. The headphones will definitely integrate with the company’s multi-room audio platform. However, other key features remain unknown.

Qualcomm’s latest chipset designed for these products uses micropower Wi-Fi to keep your music playing even when you’re no longer within Bluetooth range of your smartphone. This also allows you to deliver true lossless audio from your compatible Android smartphone to your wireless earbuds. Wi-Fi also helps overcome congestion and occasional signal interruptions that can occur even when using Bluetooth earphones in crowded environments. This S7 Pro silicon has a lot of potential. Next, we need to see if it runs smoothly across headphone manufacturers. The first such devices are expected to be on the market starting in 2024.

As 2023 draws to a close, there are tons of great products to choose from, as my buying guide to the best wireless earbuds makes clear. Everyone is good at active noise cancellation, ambient sound modes, and other important features. 2024 will see where this category goes next, how the biggest companies in the tech industry can continue to move forward, and how they can convince consumers to upgrade from what they’re using now. This should be a great indicator.

Headphone manufacturers can’t seem to agree on how spatial audio should work with music. And there’s a lot of “fake” processing and virtualization going on. With the new Ultra lineup, Bose has adopted a unique spatial audio solution that completely ignores the actual Dolby Atmos audio mix. Jabra’s new Elite 10 earphones similarly use Dolby processing to “spatialize” all your music whenever you enable the setting. And head tracking remains a largely gimmicky experience, primarily useful for watching movies rather than music. It would be great if tech companies could somehow get on the same page and bring some consistency to spatial audio over the next 12 months. However, I expect it to remain free.

One thorny problem that tech manufacturers have yet to solve with wireless earbuds is the concept that wireless earbuds are ultimately disposable. Over time, your battery will lose its charge and you will have no choice but to replace it with a new one. While this cycle is great for tech companies’ bottom lines, it’s not so great for the environment. And while the industry has made strides in the repairability of some smartphones and PCs, there has been little progress on relatively smaller and more delicate earphones. It would be great if at least one or two of his manufacturers could change this plan for his 2024, but I’m not counting on it. This is the main reason why you shouldn’t forget about good old wired earphones, even if they don’t have the fancy perks of modern wireless earphones.