Urbanista, a leading speaker and headphone company, has reportedly developed a wireless noise-canceling headphone, the Los Angeles, which comprises of a solar panel that is integrated into the length of the headband. This enables the headphones to draw power from indoor as well as outdoor light.
According to the credible reports, Los Angeles has a built-in 750mAh battery that can be charged conventionally using USB-C provides nearly 50 hours of battery life. However, solar charging is the real appeal to these headphones. Priced at £169 (approximately $232), they are expected to arrive in early summer.
The company reportedly claims to offer infinite playtime from these headphones. However, the right amount of power generated by them while solar charging varies. An hour spent in the sun apparently produces power which is sufficient for three hours playtime. On cloudy day, it can drop to just two hours. In the worst-case scenario on a long flight journey, the user might need about eight hours of light exposure for one hour of playtime.
Besides their solar charging feature, Los Angeles headphones are reportedly similar to its current Miami range. They have built-in microphones for which can be used with voice assistants such as Google Assistant or Siri on-ear detection. They offer an ambient sound mode and connect wirelessly over Bluetooth 5.0. It also comes with a carrying case, in-flight adaptor and audio cable.
For the records, JBL had also announced a very similar solar-powered pair of headphones- Reflect Eternal in December 2019, which was eventually crowdfunded on IndieGoGo website. However, these headphones are not available yet. The company had posted an update in December 2020 stating that the headphones faced delays due to the pandemic, and it would provide refunds to its backers.
Both Urbanista’s and JBL’s headphones reportedly work on the same Powerfoyle solar charging technology which was developed by a firm named Exeger.
Source credits: https://www.theverge.com/2021/4/14/22383302/urbanista-los-angeles-solar-powered-noise-cancelling-wireless-headphones