Accessories

Apple will launch headphones more expensive than Beats

What does higher-end look like?

Published

January 25, 2019

Luigi Leonardo

Remember the astronomic popularity of Beats by Dr. Dre? For the earlier part of the decade, the iconic brand was an incredibly popular fashion statement. Eventually, Apple capitalized on the brand’s popularity, purchasing the company for its own in 2014. Even now, Beats remains a viable and popular headphone brand.

Beats now represents Apple’s substantial stake in the audio accessories market. However, with the launch of the AirPods, Apple has its own horse in the race. The wireless AirPods created a new ecosystem for the company: go wireless to enjoy audio. Unfortunately, they have enjoyed only mixed reactions at best. Outside of necessity, the AirPods just can’t dominate as much as the Beats.

Apple will likely address this disparity soon. Based on a report by Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, the company is developing a high-end, wireless pair of over-ear headphones. Further, the report has drafted a timeframe for the launch: as early as the second half of the year.

Of course, the rumor started making its rounds last year. At the time, the plan failed to materialize anything tangible. Now, we know more.

The upcoming headphones will hopefully occupy a higher-end market, compared to the already-premium Beats. As such, the headphones will likely have a more expensive price tag.

Sadly, quality is another question altogether. Apple is already a high-end brand by itself. What does higher-end mean? What will it bring to the table?

Accessories

Sony unveils world’s 1st Eclipsa Audio-certified mic for smartphones

Published

October 12, 2026

GadgetMatch

Sony has unveiled the ECM-AX10 microphone, the world’s first Eclipsa Audio-certified microphone for smartphones.

Tailored for vloggers, content creators, and even smartphone filmmakers, the ECM-AX10 helps capture video sound that feels more natural, immersive, and true to the moment.

It features four built-in omnidirectional microphone capsules that can record sound from multiple directions. Sony’s spatial audio processing, meanwhile, recreates a sense of space, direction and distance. This makes videos feel more engaging for viewers.

The mic connects directly to compatible smartphones via USB-C and gives creators three easy ways to capture sound: Ambisonics recording for spatial audio production, binaural recording for an immersive headphone experience, and stereo recording for everyday videos and social content.

When used with Sony’s dedicated Spatial Audio Video Tool app, creators can shoot video, check footage, make simple edits and export content with spatial audio.

This allows users to complete the entire production workflow for spatial audio video on their smartphone.

Creators can also utilize the app for publishing in Eclipsa Audio for an immersive experience on YouTube. In addition, binaural recording can be used for 360 Reality Audio for headphone-optimized three-dimensional sound experience, even where Eclipsa Audio is not supported.

The Sony ECM-AX10 is developed with sound engineers to ensure the delivery of authentic and immersive sound.

Sony worked with Sony PCL, a Sony Group company with extensive expertise in planning and producing content and spatial experiences.

The Sony ECM-AX10 will be available in Singapore from October 2026 at selected retail shops and online stores, with suggested retail pricing at SG$ 249.

Accessories

Spotlight: Marshall Heston 60

More than just your any typical soundbar!

Published

October 9, 2026

GadgetMatch and Michael Josh Villanueva

Living in New York means making every square foot count, so why own multiple gadgets when one can do the job?

In this video, THE Michael Josh takes a look at the Marshall Heston 60. It’s a premium TV soundbar that brings more to the living room than just better sound.

With its sophisticated design, powerful audio, and versatile features, it sits in his living room while doing much more than you might expect from a soundbar.

CHECK IT OUT HERE: https://bit.ly/MarshallHeston

Accessories

Samsung joins the clip-on earbud trend with the Galaxy Buds On

But it’s exclusive to South Korea for now.

Published

October 2, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

Audio wearables have been getting makeovers as of late. Besides the traditional form factors, the segment is experimenting with bone conduction and clip-on headphones. Today, Samsung is joining that trend with the Galaxy Buds On.

Debuting in South Korea, the Galaxy Buds On is Samsung’s first-ever clip-on earbuds. You’re likely familiar with how these earbuds look like, having seen them grace the ears of many a passerby today. Instead of plugging right into your ear canals, they actually do clip onto your earlobes. Samsung’s take, however, is a little bit heftier, which the brand claims gives it a wider surface area to balance the weight for your ears.

Additionally, the new earbuds has a TwinBoost speaker system. While the system adds better bass to the earbuds, it also adds automatic voice adjustments to better attune the sound according to your environment. It also has an Audio Leakage Reduction feature, so others won’t be able to hear what you’re listening to.

The Galaxy Buds On has a charging case almost identical to the Galaxy Buds4 case. Powered by the Snapdragon S7 Gen 1 Sound Platform, the earbuds can reportedly last up to 9.5 hours on a single charge.

Right now, the wearable is exclusive to South Korea, but Samsung says that a global rollout will happen in the future. In South Korea, the Galaxy Buds On costs KRW 299,000 (or approximately US$ 220).