Somehow, I always manage to leave the house in the morning with fully charged headphones, but I rarely remember to charge and bring a power bank. It’s not as though the former is essential and the latter nonessential — I need both to get through any big day out.
Smartphone maker HMD came to my rescue with its new Amped Earbuds, announced at the Mobile World Congress here in Barcelona on Sunday. The buds come inside a reverse charging case that packs a 16,000-mAh battery — definitely enough to be a great backup option if your phone runs out of charge and you need a quick top-up.
Not only can the case wirelessly charge HMD phones like the Skyline, but it can charge other wireless-charging compatible phones too — the iPhone, for example. If your buds run out of charge, you can charge them from your phone. This is a nifty idea — a real two-birds-with-one-stone solution — that could set the Amped Earbuds apart from other smartphone manufacturer-branded headphones, which are plentiful and often tricky to distinguish between.
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Hands-on with the Amped Earbuds case
I had brief hands-on time with the buds at the show and was impressed by how portable the case felt — definitely more light and compact than most power banks. It snapped on and off the back of my iPhone with no trouble, and I felt that the connection was sturdy enough that it wouldn’t pop off if I accidentally nudged it. The buds pop out of each end of the case, and magnets provide an extra level of security to keep them in place, so there’s no risk of them slipping out. The bud folds out from the tip and comes in three different sizes, meaning you should be able to find one suitable for your ears.
The buds also offer active noise cancellation for a peaceful listening experience and environmental noise cancellation to keep your calls nice and clear. There’s equalization control available too if you go to the effort of downloading the dedicated Android or iOS app.
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If you’re a minimalist, often short on space or, like me, just incapable of keeping more than one item charged at any one time, the Amped Earbuds could be the ideal solution. The buds will be available after MWC in the UK in April, costing £169 (around $210 converted).
