Urbanista’s latest earbuds get power from any light source

One of the last things holding back wireless earbuds is that they still need to be plugged in occasionally.

Urbanista wants to change that with its $149 Phoenix wireless earbuds, which feature a solar-powered charging case.

The case uses the same Powerfoyle solar tech from Swedish company Exeger that powers Urbanista’s Los Angeles over-ears, and Adidas’ RPT-02 SOL.

It differs from traditional solar panels because it can charge from any light source. That could be office overhead fluorescents, LEDs, or the sun.

The Phoenix earbuds have a claimed eight-hour battery life before needing to charge. The battery in the case can supply another 24 hours of playback. That’s already a long time before needing to plug into a wall charger.

READ MORE: JBL’s newest earbuds have a touchscreen on the charging case

The Exeger panel can extend that substantially. Urbanista says that every hour the case stays in the sun it will get another hour of stored charge.

Of course, you can always plug them into a USB-C charger if you are in a situation where bright light isn’t available consistently.

The rest of the Phoenix buds seems fairly standard. You’ll get active noise cancellation, multipoint connectivity, IPX4 water resistance, and a choice of pink or black colorways.

What struck me is just how far wireless earbuds have come recently. We reviewed another Urbanista pair in 2020, the London.

They cost the same as the Phoenix, but without the cool solar power charging, multipoint connectivity, or the total available battery life.

Have any thoughts on this? Let us know down below in the comments or carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

Editors’ Recommendations:

• New LG earbuds kill bacteria and feature active noise canceling
• Sennheiser’s new headphones boast impressive 60-hour battery life
• Review: Oladance Wearable Stereo open earbuds
• Apple’s AirPods could get USB-C charging by 2023

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Joe Rice-Jones

Maker, meme-r, and unabashed geek with nearly half a decade of blogging experience. If it runs on electricity (or even if it doesn't), Joe probably has one around his office somewhere. His hobbies include photography, animation, and hoarding Reddit gold.