Last October, Adidas partnered with Swedish headphone manufacturer Zound, best known for its collaborations with marshalto announce three sets of new true wireless earbuds. One of them was the FWD-02 sports earphones, which were supposed to be launched last year. However, after a delay, they are finally available from this month.
Adidas
As a refresher, the FWD-02 Sport are two runner-friendly earbuds with interchangeable ear tips and wings, and a force sensor so you can control them while wearing gloves. They’re also IPX5 rated, making them sweat and water resistant. Adidas and Zound claim you can expect up to 6 hours of playtime from the earbuds, with the charging case offering an additional 19 hours of battery life before you need to head to an outlet.
The case features a mesh top layer, which Adidas says will help the buds dry faster if you need to store them. The FWD-02 also features an awareness mode that filters out ambient noise so you can stay safe while using it for outdoor workouts.
At $170, the FWD-02 earbuds face stiff competition, particularly from Apple Beats Fit Pro. Although they’re $30 more expensive, they include active noise cancellation, a fit that many people like, and Apple’s H1 chip for hands-free access to Siri, one-touch pairing, and other iOS-specific features. The lack of ANC isn’t a dealbreaker for a pair of sports-focused earbuds like the FWD-02, but it’s a feature that more and more people are wanting to put on their next set of headphones.
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