Why does every set of new TWS headphones/earbuds look just like the AirPods? A new pair of earbuds have been spotted in the wild, with the HTC U Ear headphones spotted in an FCC listing. This means that we could be seeing the first wear of TWS headphones from the company in the near future.
But first, what do we know?
HTC U Ear
Like many of these listings, not any actual specifications are given. However, the pictures are already quite revealing—namely, the design of the HTC U Ear looks like yet another AirPods clone. Besides the black colour that’s depicted in the images, you can also see that HTC has gone with a form-factor that will see the stems of the earbuds stick out of your ears, just like the AirPods.
The charging case—that could be charged via USB-C—also looks very, very similar to Apple’s own version. We aren’t sure if these will support wireless charging, although it looks like a USB-A to USB-C cable will be provided out of the box.
HTC’s move will see them join an already competitive market for TWS headphones, with more and more smartphones arriving without traditional 3.5mm headphone jacks. As a result, we’ve seen a boom in the TWS market..
You could also argue that this has been a long time coming from HTC. The Taiwanese company acquired a stake in Beats Electronics almost 10 years ago, although they sold off their stake in the years since. This was, of course, before Beats were bought over by Apple—and before the ensuing success enjoyed.
To be honest with you, this area of the market isn’t exactly an easy one to compete in. Many device manufacturers leverage off ecosystem benefits, as well as hardware features like Active Noise Cancelling and ambient noise functionality (or as Apple likes to call it, Transparency Mode).
We don’t know the details on the HTC U Ear just yet, but as TWS headphones can be pricey, pricing will be a crucial factor in the potential success of the HTC U Ear.
What do you think? Do you fancy the AirPods-like design of the HTC’s new headphones? Let us know in the comments below.
