A lot happened in the headphone world this year. 2023 gave us the usual serving of big new products, but it also continued that story of earbuds and headphones growing smarter and more advanced — while audio quality keeps reaching new heights. And for better or worse, the trend helped to strengthen ecosystem lock-in for brands like Apple, Samsung, and Google.
Bose overhauled its hardware lineup and released the QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds and Headphones, which are the latest flexes of the company’s best-in-class active noise cancellation. Sony launched the hotly anticipated WF-1000XM5 earbuds. Jabra tried to keep pace with larger competitors with a pair of new premium earbuds, the Elite 10 and Elite 8 Active. Other companies produced buds with fantastic sound and unique features like, in the case of Panasonic’s Technics brand, three-way multipoint pairing.
Meanwhile, Apple and Samsung largely stuck to their existing products in 2023, focusing instead on new software capabilities to enhance their value. Apple rolled out several features including Adaptive Audio, Conversation Awareness, and Personalized Volume to make the AirPods Pro even more intelligent about your day-to-day surroundings. They’re far better earbuds today than they were when they first went on sale, which goes to show the benefit of these ecosystem-dependent gadgets. It’s a pain if you’re on the other side of the fence, but the list of conveniences keeps getting longer for those already bought in.
This year wasn’t without some hiccups: LE Audio continues to roll out at a snail’s pace, slowing the arrival of exciting enhancements to the Bluetooth spec. Hopefully CES 2024 will jump-start a wave of new hardware that supports the AC3 codec, Auracast (streaming audio to multiple devices at once), and other LE Audio benefits.
Either way, 2024 is looking like a very exciting year for audio nerds. New devices from tech’s big players are on the way, we’ve got fresh competitors emerging, and Qualcomm could radically evolve the range and fidelity of earbuds by using Wi-Fi to make up for Bluetooth’s weaknesses.
Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman has reported that Apple is planning to replace the third-generation AirPods with two new models in 2024. One of them will include active noise cancellation, bringing that feature to a lower price point than the flagship AirPods Pro, which are unlikely to undergo any big changes next year after making the transition to USB-C in September. The new mainstream AirPods will continue that changeover. And they’ll preserve the one-size-fits-most design that doesn’t require sticking anything into your ear canal. This makes them Apple’s most comfortable buds for some people, and they’re also the best at keeping you aware of your surroundings.