Remember when you used to just throw away the cheap and nasty headphones that came with your phone? Those days are definitely behind us, as testified by the news that the LG V20 will come with a pair of bespoke B&O PLAY headphones.
Hopes are high for the LG V20, which will launch on September 6, and the tie up with B&O brings a big slice of audiophile legacy to the phone.
The primary benefit for buyers will be the presence of special B&O Play headphones with each phone, but – as you might expect – the collaboration also brings certification and the promise that engineers have come together to balance the sound on the handset.
And let’s face it, with our phones serving as the primary portable music players for the overwhelming majority of us now, it’s no bad thing to have audio as a major selling point.
Expertise
“The collaboration with LG provides a wonderful opportunity to showcase B&O PLAY’s expertise in terms of audio technology, design excellence and user-centered philosophy,” said Henrik Taudorf Lorensen, president of B&O PLAY.
“With the new LG V series smartphone, users will experience a new premium sound experience that they have never heard before.”
Juno Cho, president of LG Electronics and Mobile Communications Company, added: “A growing number of consumers expect a better audio experience from their smartphones than what has been available in the past and I’m confident that the V20 delivers on these expectations.”
It’s unlikely to be the last major headphone announcement paired to a flagship phone – with plenty of rumors floating around the Apple iPhone 7 and its move a step further away from those dodgy old white earbuds.
Source: techradar.com
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Audiophilia seems to be making a comeback. But they need to do a little bit better on hardware association. It would be better to have a set Klipsch Image S or X series or Reference X series, Shure SE315 or higher, Sony XBA-H1, Sennheiser CX 300 or higher or a number of other audiophile IEM brands.
Combine any of those IEMs with a high end Wolfson DAC…like many phones and mobile devices have had in the past…and they'd have something worthy of audio-centric marketing. Personally, I'd vote for the Sony XBA-H1. Very inexpensive compared to the others, but very good sound quality.