Skullcandy has launched a new pair of eco-friendly wireless headphones that take a unique approach to achieving sustainability.
They are called EcoBuds sustainable true wireless earbuds. According to the official product page, the devices are made from 65 percent recycled plastic and are claimed to have 57 percent less heavy metal compared to other products. The interesting thing about the EcoBuds is that they forego the traditional rectangular charging case and opt for a charging base. The reason for this, as Skullcandy explains, is that the company did not want to have a lithium battery as part of the overall package. They can be quite harmful to the environment. A report from the Energy Research Institute states that the mining and production of lithium-ion batteries may be “worse for the climate than the production of fossil fuel vehicle batteries.”
Due to this design choice, the only battery the device will have will be the one inside the headphones and it will not last all day. At most, you get eight hours of audio playback. That runtime may be disappointing, but Skullcandy has a solution: reverse charging. Connecting the dock to a smartphone via the integrated USB-C cable allows you to drain your mobile device's battery a little. A quick 10-minute charge gives you two hours of power.
Notable Features
As for the rest of the hardware, there don't appear to be any special features or drivers inside the EcoBuds. Skullcandy focused on making the construction of the headphones the main selling point. They are primarily a mid-range pair of headphones.
The company claims that the EcoBuds have a “secure, noise-isolating fit” that ensures nothing leaks in, and house “expertly tuned” drivers that output high-quality audio. They have an IPX4 resistance rating, meaning the devices can survive sweat and splashes of water. Additionally, you'll have access to three preset equalizer modes (Music, Bass Boost, and Podcast), allowing you to adjust the headphones to match a specific type of media.
Available only in Glacier Blue, Skullcandy's EcoBuds are on sale right now for $40, £30 in the UK and €35 across the EU. We don't know if they will come to Australia, although we asked. This story will be updated later.
If you want something with extra power, check out TechRadar's list of the best wireless headphones for 2024.
