New OnePlus Buds Could Cause Problems For Google Pixel Buds
by Jay McGregor
Wireless earbuds are changing, fast. Not only are they getting smarter, as we’ve seen with Google’s Pixel Buds and Microsoft's Surface Earbuds (despite their problems), but they might be facing a price crash, too.
OnePlus is entering the truly wireless earbuds game and that likely means it will do so at a lower price point than the competition. Despite the OnePlus 8’s price hike, the company is still committed to affordable tech.
But a few quotes from a recent interview with OnePlus’ CEO, Pete Lau, caught my eye and revealed the level of competition the Chinese company will bring to Apple and Google's headphones - and it’s not just on price.
Whilst discussing plans to release new affordable products soon, Lau said that the company is working on a new “ecosystem”.
“We indeed have come from background and roots as a hardware company, but from what we see looking forward, building an ecosystem is a forward trend”.
The article describes Lau’s ambitions for an ecosystem which spans a number of devices that work in harmony with each other. For example, its recently released OnePlus TV has a feature that automatically reduces TV volume when a user gets a call on their OnePlus phone, which is very much a OnePlus invention.
What Lau didn’t talk about in the interview was future iterations of its headphones range. But a new leak popped-up around the same time as the interview depicting new OnePlus “Buds”, which look very similar to Apple’s AirPods.
No details were offered outside of the name “Buds” and a sketch of what they might look like, but the name and design aren’t too important. What matters is what they can do. I think Lau’s revelation of a new ecosystem gives us an idea of exactly that.
What’s lacking in rival devices right now is the function to be connected to multiple devices at once, with automatic switching between devices depending on where the audio source is coming from - this is known as Bluetooth multipoint.
In my experience Bluetooth multipoint hasn’t been particularly well executed - my Jabra Elite 65T headphones produce a static noise when switching. But the concept is solid and potentially one of the few technical areas that OnePlus could gain an upper hand.
A living room of OnePlus devices, including; a smart kitchen display, TV, phone and smart doorbell all being controlled with a voice command via your headphones - whilst automatically adjusting volume on specific devices to accommodate others - is a tantalising prospect.
OnePlus' earbuds may never compete with Google’s endlessly updated Pixel Buds when it comes to smarts. But better integration with other products is a different type of intelligence that’s very welcome. Quickly switching between TV audio and kitchen display audio - to watch a recipe video for example - is the kind of seamless integration I associate with OnePlus.
There are other clever ways this kind of tech could be deployed, too. If you’re listening to your TV whilst cooking, or doing anything that takes your eyes away from TV, the Buds could quickly turn on audio descriptions, which are typically used by people with sight impairments.
The wireless earbud market is very competitive right now. New players are always arriving and existing brands are stepping up their game (Apple could be building health monitoring tech for future AirPods). So OnePlus has a challenge on its hands, but it’s also not exactly shy when it comes to ruthless competition.
OnePlus phones have repeatedly undercut Samsung, Apple and Google for years under the tagline “flagship killer”. I wouldn’t be surprised if we saw early adopter bundle deals for new products in its ecosystem. In fact, in the Fast Company article where Lau was interviewed, it says that affordability of its traditional products is a key gateway into OnePlus’ future ecosystem.
I’m not sure if this explicitly means the Buds will be competitively priced but, considering OnePlus’ entire product portfolio, there’s a good chance. Outside of the price war, though, wireless earbuds are undergoing a small revolution as they smarten up. OnePlus joining in is good news for the consumer, but bad news for the competition.
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