- Panasonic presents a new version of very affordable ErgoFit in-ear headphones
- The new model abandons 3.5 mm for USB-C
- Otherwise the same shoots
Panasonic just announced a new model of its affordable ErgoFit wired in-ear headphones, affordable and colorful in-ear headphones that have been on the market for a few years now and are designed for everything from working out to commuting. The new offerings appear to retain the same drivers and design, but make one crucial change.
The Panasonic ErgoFit can now be purchased with a USB-C connector, not just the 3.5mm jack that the “original” version used. You can tell the new model by its “(USB-C compatible)” suffix, but otherwise the online listings look similar.
The new headphones cost $24.99 (around £20, AU$40), a slight increase from previous models that sell online for between $8 and $20. They are currently sold in white, black and blue; There’s no bright orange or red or any of the other vibrant color combinations that the 3.5mm options come in.
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They have a 3.6-foot cable, three sizes of included ear tips, and play buttons on the cable.
Who already has a headphone jack?
This isn’t Panasonic’s first pair of wired USB-C in-ear headphones, but the reason it’s announcing the pivot to its popular headphones is probably due to the slight comeback that wired headphones seem to be making (at least in the public eye; I’ve yet to see sales figures that make such an argument).
While 3.5mm jacks are the traditional personal audio jack, there’s a problem: How many phones have headphone jacks? A handful every year and rarely from the big brands. If you want wired audio, you usually need to buy an adapter or use USB-C first.
That’s why USB-C headphones make sense: you can use them on your smartphone (and tablet, laptop, PC; anything that has a USB-C port). It’s a sad sign of the times, but USB-C is replacing 4.4mm as the connector of choice for non-audiophiles (and audiophiles probably aren’t buying $25 headphones anyway).
I like my wired audio, but I admit I barely use 3.5mm. Most of the tech I test is Bluetooth, my keyboard/guitar/amp setup is 6.3mm, and my PC and bookshelf speakers are (gasp) USB-C. The only 3.5mm device I use regularly is a lavalier microphone, which requires an adapter to use with anything.
Panasonic, of course, continues to sell its 3.5mm ErgoFits and there are still many people who continue to use this type of connector. Laptops and the best portable music players still use them, and not all laptops and PCs have USB-C (or, at least, ports to spare). But we’ll see more and more new releases among the best wired headphones that use USB-C, at least as an option.
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