"No Cables, Big Hit"... Samsung, Apple, and MS Wireless Earbuds Clash

New Revenue Source Rapidly Emerging to Offset Smartphone Sales
AirPods Earned 13 Trillion Won Last Year Alone
Samsung, Google, and MS Counterattack with New Products This Spring

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Jinju] Wireless earphones are rapidly emerging as a new revenue source to replace the slowing sales of smartphones. Last year, Apple reportedly earned 13 trillion won from AirPods alone. While Apple has captured half of the market with its 'AirPods,' Samsung, Google, and Microsoft are launching counterattacks with new products this spring. Global IT giants are targeting wireless earphones as the 'post-smartphone' and are making strategic moves.

According to industry sources on the 16th, Samsung Electronics is set to unveil the successor to its wireless earphones, the 'Galaxy Buds+,' alongside the Galaxy S20 series and a new foldable phone at the Unpacked event in San Francisco on February 11 (local time), with a planned release in March. According to IT specialist media SamMobile, the Galaxy Buds+ will feature significant improvements in battery life and microphone functionality. However, it is reported that the 'Active Noise Cancelling' feature, which removes external noise and is included in the AirPods Pro, will not be included. The design and basic functions of the wireless earphones will not change significantly; instead, the focus is on improving minor inconveniences experienced by users.

Galaxy Buds+ Targeting Apple AirPods to Launch in March

Samsung Electronics is expected to increase the battery capacity of the Galaxy Buds+ from 58mAh to 85mAh. The music playback time on a single charge will dramatically increase from 6 hours to 12 hours. To improve call quality, the number of microphones will be doubled, adding two per earbud, increasing the total from 4 to 8. Additionally, a convenience feature will be added that allows users to check the battery charging status not only through the app but also via LED light colors inside the wireless earphone case.

Wireless earphones emerged as an alternative after the 3.5mm headphone jack disappeared to make smartphones thinner. The wireless earphone era officially began when Apple launched the 'AirPods' in 2016. In 2019 alone, Apple released the 'AirPods 2' and 'AirPods Pro' consecutively, achieving sales of $12 billion (approximately 13.9 trillion won) from AirPods in one year. Samsung Electronics also released the 'Gear IconX' in 2016 and launched its third wireless earphones last year under the name 'Galaxy Buds,' maintaining the third-largest market share. According to market research firm Strategy Analytics (SA), the wireless earphone market size is expected to grow from 107 million units last year to 220 million units this year. It is estimated to expand to 600 million units by 2022.

Google, Amazon, and MS Join In... 'Post-Smartphone' Heats Up

Global companies such as Google, Microsoft, and Amazon are also rushing to release premium wireless earphone products. Microsoft plans to launch the 'Surface Earbuds' at $249. The biggest features include the ability to control PowerPoint slides and compatibility with MS Office, with up to 8 hours of playback. Google plans to release the 'Pixel Buds 2,' unveiled last October, early this year, priced at $179. The product allows users to search for information, navigate, perform real-time foreign language translation via Google Assistant, and automatically adjusts volume according to surrounding noise. Amazon released the 'Echo Buds' with active noise cancelling for $129.99.

As chip prices for wireless earphones decrease, mid-range wireless earphones are also emerging rapidly. Chinese audio device manufacturers such as QCY and Xiaomi are expanding the market with products priced between 30,000 and 50,000 won. Additionally, various manufacturers including JBL, Huawei, Beats, Jabra, Bose, JLab, Sony, Amazon, Skullcandy, Jaybird, and Realme are releasing wireless earphones.

Ken Hyers, Director at SA, explained, "Apple is expected to maintain a dominant position in the wireless earphone market for the next five years. As wireless earphone chipset prices decline, hundreds of thousands of manufacturers have launched affordable wireless earphones over the past six months, increasing the options for consumers to choose mid-range wireless earphones even if they are not premium."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.