Headphones and earbuds, mostly earbuds, are no doubt the wearable tech accessory of choice in the gym and for running, traditionally though, it’s been all about the audio.
Now, smart earphones with heart rate monitoring and other biometric tracking capabilities are on the rise and getting more attention from fitness enthusiasts. Mammoth brands such as LG and Sony already have HRM earphones available, and other big names, including Under Armour and Bose, have announced 2016 will see them release heart rate headphones.
There are also plenty of other less well-known companies beginning to serve up biometric tracking by way of the ear, such as Jaybird, LifeBeam, Jabra and plenty more. The ear-based fitness tracking space will be well occupied by the end of the year, and I don’t think it will be long before we see an announcement about Nike HRM headphones.
The latest big fish to jump into the biometric hearables pond is Samsung with their Gear IconX. The new fitness tracking smart earphones were announced at the same time as the GPS-enabled Samsung Gear Fit2.
Samsung Gear IconX
Audio
First of all, music.. The Samsung Gear IconX are completely wireless and come with 4GB of storage. A capacitive touch interface on the side of the earphones lets you tap and swipe to control your tracks, this means they can be used as a standalone music player as well as stream music over Bluetooth from your smartphone. Ambient sound mode can be activated so you can stay in touch with your surroundings while listening to tunes.
The supported audio formats are MP3, WAV, V9, AAC, WMA, M4A. If you’re using MP3s, the 4GB (3.5GB usable) of storage onboard the Gear IconX will hold around 1000 tracks. The dynamic driver in each ear has a 20~20 kHz frequency range and 16 ohm impedance.
Calls
In addition to the standalone music player, the smart earbuds are enabled with Bluetooth 4.1 BLE and have built-in microphones so you can use them to wirelessly take phone calls hands-free.
Fitness Tracking
The smart wireless earbuds will keep track of your speed, distance, calorie output, duration, and heart rate. Audio feedback from the IconX voice guide provides your fitness stats and progress while you’re working out. The voice guide is supported in 15 different languages and has been recorded by real people, so it won’t sound like an annoying robot. It looks like the voice guide only gives you feedback on your biometrics, and not coaching insights like the AI onboard the LifeBeam Vi.
The data collected by the earphones syncs with Samsung’s S Health app, which allows you to transfer the data to select fitness apps. IconX can also be used with some of the best fitness apps, including Strava, MapMyRun, Runkeeper, and Endomondo over Bluetooth.
Compatibility
Gear IconX are compatible with devices with at least 1.5 GB of RAM running Android 4.4 and above.
Battery Life
Each of the earbuds is powered by a 47mAh battery. Included in the package is a portable charging case with a 315mAh battery.
If you’re streaming tunes over Bluetooth, the battery lasts around 1.5 hours. Playing tunes that are stored onboard the earphones with the standalone player gives around 3.5 hours of battery life. Both of these numbers include the biometric tracking.
Water-Resistant
Unfortunately not.. Splash-proof only.
Price and Release Date
Samsung’s new fitness hearables will be available at the beginning of Q3 2016 with a price tag of $199 USD.
• Samsung Gear IconX
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