New Products Feature Noise-canceling Function

A rendering image of Samsung Electronics' new wireless earphones

War clouds are gathering over the global wireless earphone market, which has been dominated by Apple. Industry experts are predicting that Samsung Electronics' new wireless earphone Galaxy Bird X (tentative name) will be loaded with a noise-canceling function. Global IT giants such as Microsoft and Google are also launching new products with artificial intelligence (AI) assistant functions.

They say that Samsung Electronics' next-generation wireless earphone will likely be in the shape that fits into the ear. The earphone is reportedly about 2.8 cm and is loaded with two speakers and three microphones in an open-type design without an ear tip.

The name of Samsung Electronics' new wireless earphone is highly likely to be named the Galaxy Buds X. On April 27, the Korean tech giant registered the trademark with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), the European Union Intellectual Property Office and the United Kingdom Intellectual Property Office (UKIPO).

The new wireless earphone is expected to feature an active noise-canceling function. Foreign media outlets such as Forbes asserted that that noise-canceling will be likely to be applied to the Galaxy Buds X. Ko Dong-jin, head of Samsung Electronics' IM Division, said during the regular general shareholders’ meeting in March that the company was carefully considering the application of noise-canceling. Already in April, Samsung Electronics launched the wireless earphone AKG N400 with a noise-canceling function through its subsidiary Harman.

The Galaxy Buds X is expected to come out with enhanced fitness capabilities. According to information released by the US Patent and Trademark Office, the Galaxy Buds X includes a function for measuring heart rate changes, calories burned, distance traveled, and time. Samsung Electronics' first-generation wireless earphone Gear IconX had fitness functions such as movement speed, distance and running guide, but they were removed as Samsung Electronics launched the Buds series.

Global IT giants are also aggressive. Amazon released the “Echo Buds” in September 2019 for US$129.99. It is loaded with AI assistant Alexa, which provides directions, weather searches, and music playback.

Google started selling the Pixel Buds 2 for US$179 on April 27. The Pixel Buds 2 has no noise-canceling function, but information search or real-time foreign language translation is possible through Google Assistant, an AI voice recognition assistant.

Microsoft is about to release the Surface Earbuds soon. It loaded with a noise canceling function and can translate more than 60 languages ​​in real-time through Microsoft AI Kotana. It also works with Microsoft Office programs such as Word and PowerPoint.

The possibility of Apple's launch of a next-generation wireless earphone is also growing. Various predictions have been made regarding the launch date and performance of the new model. In April, Digitimes, a Taiwanese digital media, announced that Apple will release a new wireless earphone, AirPods Pro Lite, in May, but it may be delayed due to the new coronavirus outbreak. Foreign media outlets such as Forbes predicted that the AirPods Pro Lite will sell at a lower price because it is devoid of a noise canceling function.

John Prosser, founder of the Front Page Tech, an overseas technical magazine, predicted in April that the new wireless earphone AirPods X (tentative name) will be launched under the brand name of Apple subsidiary Beats, featuring enhanced fitness functions. It is expected to be released for less than US$200 between September and October 2020.

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