Image discovered in Samsung app hints at AKG branded wireless earbuds
Earlier this year Samsung replaced the Gear IconX with the Galaxy Ear Buds. Samsung promotes the accessory as having "sound by AKG," which of course the company acquired when it bought Harmon International Industries back in 2016. Now, it appears that AKG is prepping its own branded earbuds. XDA Developers found some clues when it looked at the latest version of Sammy's SmartThings app (v1.7.33). What it discovered was a trio of images. Two of them showed new AKG headphones and the third one, with the model number AKG N400, revealed a pair of wireless earbuds.
The unnamed product could be competition for Apple's Powerbeats Pro. Unlike the hugely successful wireless AirPods and the Galaxy Buds, the Powerbeats Pro have a hook to keep them in your ear. And so do the AKG N400, according to the discovered image. We could see the latter offer many of the same features as the Powerbeats Pro including water and sweat resistance and 9-hour battery life. And we'd expect to see the AKG branded buds positioned as wireless earbuds for the audiophile; this way Samsung could justify selling them for more than the $129.99 Galaxy Ear Buds.
Considering that the image of the AKG N400 appeared in an update for the SmartThings app that was disseminated last month, we could see the wireless earbuds unveiled August 7th at the next Samsung Unpacked event that will take place at Brooklyn's Barclay's Center. We should see the manufacturer take the wraps off of the Galaxy Note 10 and Galaxy Note 10+ at the same event.
Apple is expected to launch a redesigned version of the AirPods later this year with some new features like a water-resistant build, noise-canceling and perhaps some color options besides white. Sony recently unveiled a set of wireless earbuds of its own priced at $230. The category is just warming up with more competition coming later this year from Amazon and Microsoft.
Last November, research firm Gartner estimated that the number of ear-worn wearables shipped will rise from an estimated 33.44 million units delivered last year to 158.43 million by 2022.
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