Bragi Officially Launches $150 AirPods Competitor 'The Headphone'

Announced last September two days before the Apple iPhone 7 event, and originally planned to launch in November, Bragi's $149.00 wireless Bluetooth hearable, called "The Headphone," is now available for all users to purchase online. The Headphone includes a number of changes from Bragi's The Dash ($299) in order to make it cheaper, ranging from having physical inputs instead of touch inputs and no activity tracking.

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These feature removals have also boosted battery in The Headphone, however, with users able to get up to six hours of music playback on a single charge instead of the four hours that The Dash gets in one life. With the three physical buttons on The Headphone, users can skip through tracks, take calls, make voice commands, activate audio transparency, and more without needing to take out their connected smartphone.

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At $150 The Headphone is $10 cheaper than Apple's AirPods, with a few alternative design changes that might make Bragi's device more enticing for some users, like the physical playback buttons and slightly longer battery life than the AirPods' five hours. Bragi itself took to comparing The Dash, The Headphone, and AirPods in a Facebook post last September centering around nine categories that omitted the AirPods' flagship features like Siri, seamless device pairing, and iCloud sync.

Those interested can order The Headphone today from Bragi's website for $149.00, with shipping currently estimated to arrive within the next two weeks. Although The Dash is available in Black and White, The Headphone is only made in Black. A range of other Bragi accessories can also be purchased from the company's online shop, including The Leash to connect The Dash buds together and extra FitSleeves.

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Top Rated Comments

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AngerDanger

29 months ago

Meh... Call me strange, but I actually prefer the look of the AirPods over these. I mean neither look great but I'd rather look like I have cigarettes hanging out of my ears than pieces of charcoal stuck in them :D

I'm with you. I find it amusing that people think the AirPods, which stick out an inch, look goofy but never complained about having a few feet of wire dangling from their heads.

Rating: 9 Votes

OldSchoolMacGuy

29 months ago

This is the company that bragged about beating the AirPods to market and then had to delay their own product. They gave people a PDF of a picture of their product to print and put in a box for Christmas.

Rating: 9 Votes

Quu

29 months ago

I feel spoiled by the W1 chip from Apple. I'd be unlikely to buy another pair of in-ear headphones after owning the Airpods. They're pretty great.

But competition is of course a great thing so I wish Bragi all the luck with these. I'm sure other companies are also soon to launch their own versions of this idea, I know Samsung already beat Apple to market with their ones.

Rating: 6 Votes

nycSAN

29 months ago

I have these, the Dash, and AirPods. Or, I did have the AirPods before I returned them. The Bragi Headphone is by far the best of the 3.

-Sound great
-Much for functional than AirPods (Can control volume, transparency, Siri, pause and play from the unit)
-Much better connectivity than Dash (I use Dash with its 4gb internal drive for music when I run, don't need to being my phone which I hate)
-I don't love the look of half the AirPod hanging out of my ear.

The Headphones are well worth the $150.

I also bought the Dash, the Headphones, and the AirPods and I came to the opposite conclusion. I returned the Bragi products and kept the AirPods.

The Dash and Headphones sound quality is completely odd -- a lack of mids, and what sounds to me like a lot of added reverb. The AirPods sound way better to me, they fit better, and the battery life and case are great. The Headphones buttons are HORRIBLE and borderline unusable (too stiff & you have to press them into your ear). With the AirPods, you just pop one out to pause. A light double tap on the AirPods and Siri pops up. And the Headphones don't even have a charging case. Sure the AirPods look a little goofy, but people know what they are -- I get stopped on the street, at work, at the gym, and people ask about them -- and sometimes flirt a little. Hey, thanks AirPods! :D

I think the Dash has potential -- but even though it had a big head start to the market, it was a total technological failure. It'll be interesting to see if they can fix the problems and keep developing the product -- it will do a lot that AirPods can't. But in my opinion, the Headphones are a joke. It's subjective though. Do what we did, buy them both, and keep what you prefer. :)

Rating: 6 Votes

Return Zero

29 months ago

Too bad this whole story sounds false, as the Headphones don't have the Transparency function, that's only found in the more expensive Dash.

Huh? If the article is correct... "With the three physical buttons on The Headphone, users can skip through tracks, take calls, make voice commands, activate audio transparency"

Rating: 2 Votes

vinsalducci

29 months ago

Rating: 2 Votes

andy.ringwood

29 months ago

I'm extremely happy with my AirPods thanks Bragi. Nice try though.

The W1 chip is simply outstanding.

Rating: 2 Votes

The Game 161

29 months ago

they do look impressive but the W1 is a game changer for my usage.

Rating: 2 Votes

vinsalducci

29 months ago

Absolutely inaccurate. Transparency is included on Headphone, activated by pressing and holding the + button, turned off by pressing and holding the - button.

Rating: 2 Votes

dannyyankou

29 months ago

Only 6 hours of battery and the website doesn't mention the case holding any extra battery.

Also I'm so used to fast switching between devices with the W1 chip that I don't think I can go back now.

Rating: 1 Votes

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