Bang & Olufsen Announces AirPods Competitors With 35-Hour Battery Life

Luxury audio technology company Bang & Olufsen has updated its truly wireless earbuds, the Beoplay E8, and has upgraded its battery life.

Bang & Olufsen's third-generation Beoplay E8 now features up to 35 hours of battery life, which makes it perfect for those who love to listen to music or take and make calls. The earbuds themselves are able to last for up to 7 hours on a single charge. The charging case provides four additional charges, which means users can simply listen more and worry about plugging in to charge less.

The Verge noted that since this is the third time the company has tried its hand at creating truly wireless stereo earbuds, it has enough experience and knowledge to create one that has mastered the all-important basics.

The third-gen Beoplay E8 still features a driver with the same 5.7mm size as that of the 2nd-gen model. It also comes with a wireless charging case that can be charged with a Qi charger or via USB-C if the need arises, just like last year's model.

Despite having a similar driver size, the 3rd-gen Beoplay E8 features smaller and lighter earbuds that are more comfortable to wear for longer. This will likely entice users to wear it and forget it – until the 7 hours are up. The smaller size will also allow users with smaller ears to enjoy the new audio accessory.

The 3rd-gen Beoplay E8 also now has support for AAC and the Qualcomm aptX codec so that users can enjoy clear wireless sound from their devices. And to ensure smoother, better connectivity, Bang & Olufsen also gave the new earbuds support for Bluetooth 5.1.

Bang & Olufsen proudly claims that the new Beoplay E8 version has been tuned by its acclaimed sound engineers so that it can produce an “authentic sound experience.” The new device also has a Transparency mode that allows users to hear their surroundings so that they stay aware of what's happening around them.

The company also said it doubled the number of microphones so that it can deliver better call quality. It didn't specify how it does this, but did say that it used a “solution where the microphones are focusing on the voice.”

The 3rd-gen Beoplay E8 doesn't feature active noise cancellation, like the one on the AirPods Pro. It does, however, feature passive noise cancellation in the form of in-ear tips de signed to limit the amount of outside noise that creeps into the ears while listening to music.

Bang & Olufsen's website says the 3rd-gen Beoplay E8 will retail for €350 (about $390), and will be released Feb. 14.