Can Samsung finally make the wireless earbuds work with their new IconX?

Fitness is cool. That’s the world we live in today and many tech manufacturers are furthering their efforts to launch equally cool fitness tracker devices. Earlier we saw Xiaomi announce their awesome new Mi Band 2, before that, Pebble unveiled their super cool smartwatches and the Pebble core, now, it’s Samsung‘s turn.

Meet the Gear IconX.

Don’t be mistaken, Samsung’s IconX aren’t just your average Bluetooth wireless earbuds, it can do more than stream music from your smartphone. The IconX are fitness earbuds which mean they can track fitness data such as your distance, speed, duration, heart rate and calories burned, all of which easily syncs with the S Health app on your smartphone. Controls for the IconX are also simple as you can either tap or swipe on them to issue various commands.

What’s more, the IconX has a built-in Voice Guide feature that can update you on your workout progress as you go along so you won’t have to expend unnecessary effort to whip out your phone or smartwatch and look. The IconX can also act as a standalone music player, able to store up to 1,000 mp3 songs within its 4GB of onboard storage. These earbuds also have an Ambient Sound Mode which allows outside noise to pass through them so that you’re aware of what’s going on around you.

The IconX has a 47 mAh battery that Samsung says can last between 1.5 (Bluetooth streaming) to 3.8 (standalone music) hours of use per charge depending on how you use them. But if you’re worried, the case that Samsung has included with the device is also a wireless charger and 315 mAh battery. So, by simply storing your IconX, they will naturally recharge too. Each case can fully charge the IconX twice.

With small earbuds, the fit is absolutely crucial as you wouldn’t want them falling out during a rigorous exercise. The IconX comes with three different eartips and wingtip sizes that you can mix and match to get the best fit. Samsung says that the Gear IconX will be available globally beginning Q3 of 2016 for USD199.99 (around RM830).

The IconX shares a lot of similarities with another Kickstarter pair of wireless earbuds, called the Bragi Dash, which received its fair share of criticism. But, while one came from a small startup, the other was created by one of the largest electronics manufacturers in the world. Let’s see what Samsung can bring to the table.

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