Urbanista is following up on its solar over-ear headphones from last year with a pair of true wireless solar earbuds called the Phoenix, which the company officially announced today. Like the headphones, Phoenix Powerfoyle solar panels produced by Exeger to extend their battery life with power from the sun’s rays. But unlike the Los Angeles headphones that have solar panels built into the headband, the panels are not included on the Phoenix earbuds themselves. Instead, they are built into the Phoenix charging case.
The decision to move the solar charging technology to the charging case makes sense given the small size of the earbuds. But it will likely mean that users will have to struggle to keep the solar panels pointed at the sun. A headphone strap on top of your head is ideal for collecting the sun’s rays when you’re using them outside, for example, but most people tend to keep their earbud charging case in their pocket or bag while listening outside and about.
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Urbanista says the Phoenix can get 8 hours of playback from the buttons themselves. When paired with the charging case, however, you’re looking at around 32 hours of total playback time, and this should increase by about an hour for every hour you spend in direct sunlight. As with previous Los Angeles headphones, the Phoenix’s charging status can be monitored from Urbanista’s companion app, which also offers the ability to adjust the EQ of the earbuds or customize the touch controls.
Aside from solar charging, the earbuds’ other more traditional features include IPX4 water resistance (which should mean they can handle sweat well but not heavy rain), support for Bluetooth 5.2 and a USB-C charging port. to recharge their power when they eventually dry up. The Phoenix earbuds support active noise cancellation, have a transparency mode to hear the world around you, and there’s also the ability to connect to two devices at the same time (useful for taking phone calls without forgetting a laptop connection) . Available color options are black and pink.
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While Exeger CEO Giovanni Fili confirms that the Phoenix are the “world’s first Powerfoyle-powered true wireless earphones,” it’s less clear whether these are the first solar-powered earbuds ever. A company called Pearl Audio previously announced an Indiegogo campaign to fund a similar pair of earbuds, but it doesn’t appear that these “AI-powered earbuds” have ever actually shipped. The last update to the campaign was last November, and at the time of writing, the crowdfunding page has been suspended and is filled with comments from backers asking for refunds.
In contrast, Urbanista has a much better track record, having already released a pair of solar powered headphones last year. But we will have to wait a little longer for the release of the Phoenix, which will not ship until the fourth quarter of 2022. When released, the Phoenix should be available worldwide for a price of $149 (£129, €149).
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