Made for swimmers! Xiaomi unveiled unique headphones, with built-in memory and water resistance

While most manufacturers are competing to offer the best wireless in-ear or over-ear headphones, Xiaomi has taken a somewhat unconventional path. The Chinese giant has just unveiled Bone Conduction Earphones 2 – headphones utilizing bone conduction audio technology, specifically designed for water sports enthusiasts and especially swimmers.

Sound that doesn’t need air

Unlike conventional headphones, which create sound waves by vibrating air, bone conduction technology transmits sound directly through the skull bones to the inner ear. This offers several key advantages – primarily, the ears remain open, which increases safety when moving outdoors, and crucially, it allows functionality even underwater, where regular headphones fail.

Swimming is precisely the discipline where Xiaomi sees the main use for its new product. Bone Conduction Earphones 2 come with a special swimming mode, designed to ensure clear and crisp sound even when submerged. The manufacturer guarantees water resistance when submerged up to a depth of 5 meters for two hours, which should be more than sufficient even for more demanding swimming training sessions.

Music without a phone directly in the water

Since connecting to a phone while swimming is not practical, Xiaomi has equipped its new headphones with internal memory for storing music files. Users can thus upload their playlist directly to the headphones and listen to their favorite tracks without needing to carry a phone. The manufacturer has not yet specified the storage capacity, but we expect it to be at least several gigabytes.

Power is provided by a 165 mAh battery, which, according to Xiaomi, should ensure up to 12 hours of listening on a single charge.

Design and Availability

Xiaomi Bone Conduction Earphones 2 are currently available in China in two color variants – black and white. The introductory price is approximately 699 yuan, which would correspond to roughly 2,100 CZK without tax when directly converted. Whether and when the headphones will reach the global market, including Europe, is not yet clear.

Bone conduction audio technology is not entirely new to the market. Several specialized manufacturers like Shokz have been focusing on this type of headphones for a long time. However, the entry of a major player like Xiaomi could contribute to greater popularization of this solution, especially among athletes.

An Alternative Not Just for Swimmers

Although Xiaomi primarily targets swimmers, bone conduction headphones also find application among other user groups. Cyclists and runners appreciate the ability to listen to music while simultaneously being aware of their surroundings, which increases safety when moving in traffic. People with certain types of hearing damage can also utilize an alternative sound transmission path that bypasses problematic parts of the ear.

Made for swimmers! Xiaomi unveiled unique headphones, with built-in memory and water resistance Jakub Kárník News Jakub Kárník News

The sound quality of bone conduction headphones generally does not reach the level of top-tier in-ear or over-ear models, but the technology has significantly improved in recent years.

What do you think of Xiaomi’s new headphones?

Source: Xiaomi