Hopping onboard the true wireless stereo (TWS) bandwagon is major sportswear giant Adidas, which recently announced three new devices that are set to ship out in November. The new earbuds are a collaboration between the brand and Zound Industries, the Swedish audio company that is also responsible for manufacturing head/earphones for Marshall and Urbanears. These are not limited edition releases, by the way – unlike the South Korea-only Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro Adidas Originals Special Pack.
The first of the three new audio products is the Adidas Z.N.E. 01 ANC which, as its name implies, comes with active noise cancelling capability. Featured onboard are 6mm audio drivers, a total of six microphones (three on each side) for ANC and calls, and an IPX5 rating in terms of sweat and water resistance. The Z.N.E. 01 ANC is claimed to last up to 4.5 hours of playback on a full charge, with a total of 15.5 hours via its included charging case. The new earbuds are offered in two colourways: Light Grey and Night Grey.
Next up is the standard Z.N.E. 01, which lacks onboard ANC but comes with larger 12mm audio drivers and features a different design. This version is equipped with only one microphone on each side, and is sweat and water resistant with a rating of IPX4. Adidas says the earbuds are capable of lasting up to 5 hours on their own, and a total of 20 hours via the charging case. There’s only one colour option for the Z.N.E. 01, which is Night Grey.
The third product on the list is the FWD-02 earbuds – and yes, there are no fullstops in between each of its letters, but that’s not the only differentiating factor that sets it apart from the Z.N.E models. Unlike the earlier two, the FWD-02 sports a stemless design and comes with wingtips for added comfort and fit. No ANC on this model, but it does offer an Awareness Mode that lets in audio from your surroundings, in case you need to catch an announcement and so on. The earbuds come with 6mm drivers, and are rated IPX5 for sweat and water resistance. Adidas says the pair is able to last up to 6 hours of playback, with an additional 19 hours of charge via its charging case.
As mentioned earlier, all three Adidas earbuds are slated to be shipped out in certain regions by November. The Z.N.E 01 ANC will retail at US$189 (~RM784), while the standard variant is priced at US$99 (~RM410) and the FWD-02 at US$169 (~RM700). Unfortunately, it is not known if the trio will be making their way to Malaysia in the foreseeable future.
(Source: Adidas [Official website])
