Skullcandy’s $25 ‘affordable’ TWS earphones are going to be an absolute disaster for our environment - Yanko Design

What can you buy for $25? A keen bottle of vino? 2 large pizzas? A pair of TWS earphones? No, not those inexpensive ones off of AliBaba, I'm talking a real pair of TWS earphones from a bonafide audio company. Earlier today, Skullcandy launched Dime, a pair of budget wireless earbuds. They come with a 12-hour battery life (with the case), are IPX4 h2o-resistant, and price 1/10th the cost of the AirPods. At a cost of $24.99, the Dime might be the cheapest pair of TWS earphones from a reputed sound brand.

"Dime breaks downwardly all barriers formerly associated with true wireless," says Jeff Hutchings, Skullcandy's chief production officer, in a press release, "Offering stellar audio and unmatched simplicity at a toll that makes it possible to throw a pair in every purse." The TWS earphones come with a plastic structure and in four colours – Black, Gray, Green, and Blue. At their 'throwaway' price, the earphones actually cut corners in a few places. They come with a 3.5 60 minutes bombardment life, extended to half a day when charged in the instance. The Dime doesn't sport ANC (or any noise cancellation for that matter) or wireless charging. In fact, the earbuds don't even come up with touch on-sensitive controls. They practise, even so, come up with actual buttons (one on each earbud) that let yous control volume, answer/decline calls, or cycle through music. Other than that, they're but a pair of solid earphones with a secure fit and an IPX4 h2o-resistance rating, making them perfect for wearing while going on a jog or while at the embankment. As far equally sound-quality is concerned, $25 bucks will only go you so far… just given this is coming from a company as big every bit Skullcandy, they should sound pretty adept for their price.

While this is a story about consumer-friendly innovation and how one company managed to brand adept TWS tech attainable to a large group of people by bringing the cost down, it'southward also a story of the environmental aftermath of such decisions. The earphones come made from plastic, although there'due south actually no indication of whether the plastic's recycled or non (my coin is on 'No'). Yet, that'southward just a small-scale part of the Dime's critique. The about important part near these earphones really is their price tag and the 'throwaway' civilisation that tag really feeds into, intentionally or unintentionally. At $25, in that location's no way these earphones are designed to be repaired (repairing them may really be more than expensive), which ways if and when they ever become spoilt, Skullcandy just expects you to throw out the old pair out and purchase a new 1 instead. Given their size, and how ridiculously tiny the components within them are, chances are they'll never exist recycled for parts either… and once thrown, the Dime will only end up in a landfill or the ocean, resulting in plastic pollution, east-waste product, and millions of tiny lithium-ion batteries entering our soil or waterways. Skullcandy? More like Skull-and-cross-basic…

Designer: Skullcandy