Buzz of Smart Headphone: Wireless Headphones Would Meet with the Smart, Connected Space

The audio world is transforming itself and it is bound to make some noise. Headphone that offers way more than playing music sounds intriguing, doesn’t it?

Predicting technology trends is something of an art. Every new day rises with the launch of new, cool gadgets and at the time of CES, the tech-savvy crowd goes absolutely crazy. The wave of wireless technology has hit Silicon Valley and true wireless headphones are the next big thing in the market. Thanks to Apple’s AirPods, aptX HD, and Sony’s LDAC codec, the wireless audio technology is better than ever and following Apple, major flagships would cut the cords of headphone and will let go jack sooner than later. Although the battery life of wireless headphones is bit of an issue right now, it would cease to exist in a few years.

On the other hand, Millennials demand and expect more from a simple device. In the times when digital watches have transformed into smartwatches, headphones were next in line to get smarter. With the advent of technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and 5G connectivity, the era of smart headphones is just begun. Recently, Google and Qualcomm announced to work together to deploy more smart headphones powered by Google Assistant. Moreover, Lenovo has admitted that the smart headphones are the future of audio and Oppo, on the other hand, announced to launch smart headphones which would be compatible with 5G-powered Oppo smartphones.

According to CNBC, Amazon is planning to launch a wireless earbud with an in-build health-tracking feature, priced under $100, making it more affordable than AirPods and Samsung Galaxy Buds. Moreover, the device would be able to track user’s traveled distance, pace, burned calories, along with other parameters. In fact, with the advent of the smart earbud, Amazon would officially enter into the market of health devices.

In other news, Google wants to make it easier to develop Google Assistant-powered earbuds by joining forces with Qualcomm. Qualcomm is expected to help chipsets that can help a user keep the Assistance continuously accessible. Qualcomm’s Bluetooth chips such as QCC5100, QCC3024, and QCC3034 are built into a “Qualcomm Smart Headset Development Kit for the Google Assistant”, making it easier for the companies to incorporate Google Assistance in the earbuds.

Not long ago, the well-known public-benefit company and father of several startups, Kickstarter, has introduced smart headphones called Vinci that are powered by AI along with smart noise-canceling and 3D sound. Moreover, Vinci is controlled by the user’s voice by simply saying “Hey Vinci” and powered by cloud technology, making it wire-free and phone-free.

The rapid advancements in wireless technology, increased penetration of infotainment devices, and surge in need for mobility services are the major drivers for the increasing popularity of smart headphone technology. According to Allied Market Research, the smart headphone market is estimated to reach $21.81 billion by 2025, growing at a CAGR of 20.2% from 2018 to 2025. With the major tech giants including Apple, Google, Amazon and innumerable startups are fighting each other to unveil the most sophisticated smart headphone, it is safe to say that smart headphone technology is here to stay. Thus, smart headphones are the future of audio and we sound that!

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