After years of wireless earbuds that contained a fair amount of wires, we’re finally beginning to see wireless buds that are actually wireless coming to the market. The only problem is battery life — but the ELWN Fit earbuds, which just launched on Kickstarter, aim to change that.
With the Fit earbuds, ELWN says it has two main priorities: fit and battery life. Given the name, the first is probably the most important to the company. While most in-ears arrive with a handful of different tips, ELWN is offering the Fit with 48 accessories, including single- and triple-flange silicon tips, comfort fit and sport fit memory foam tips, in-ear wings, and over-ear hooks. Combining the various tips and hooks, the company says more than 180 different fit options are available.
The company uses a similarly strange approach to battery life. While the Fit in-ears can truly be used wirelessly, they also include the Infinity Band portable charger. The buds themselves only offer 3.5 hours of playback, with the Infinity Band charger plugged in, the company claims over 6.5 hours.
Instead of choosing one or the other, the company intends for users to listen with just the Fit earbuds, plug the Infinity band in when needed until they’re charged, then charge the band while using the earbuds on their own. Using this back-and-forth technique, users should ideally never run out of battery life, as long as they are diligent about charging the Infinity Band.
The ELWN Fit are currently planned to retail for $190, but Kickstarter backers have the chance to grab them at a lower price. Early Bird pricing has already run out, but backers can purchase a pair of in-ears for $120, or order two pairs for $220. Units are expected to go to manufacturing in August and ship to backers beginning in October.
As always, this is a Kickstarter project, complete with the associated risks, but that doesn’t seem to have discouraged backers. Only a day into the campaign, the ELWN Fit earbuds have already skyrocketed past the company’s $50,000 goal. The campaign comes to a close on August 11, so if you’re interested, see the Kickstarter page for more information.