A great pair of wireless headphones and a portable Bluetooth speaker are essentials for any music lover who likes to take their tunes on the go – but buying all that kit can get expensive.
However, what if you could combine both form factors? The new Duolink Speakerbuds are apparently able to do exactly this, pairing AirPods-style true wireless earbuds with a charging case that doubles up as a portable speaker.
- Read our Apple AirPods Pro review
- The best true wireless earbuds of 2020
- The top Bluetooth speakers you can buy now
When you want to swap from personal listening to sharing your music with your friends, Duolink says you can slot the earbuds into the top of the speaker "to transfer the music in less than a second, with absolutely zero lag".
You also have the option of listening in mono or stereo thanks to the speaker's modular design, as Duolink explains: "If you want to move from a single full-bass speaker to sharing the high-quality sound on both sides of a room, simply break Duolink Speakerbuds in half to immediately make a stereo sound space yourself".
How do they sound?
The battery life of the earbuds themselves comes in at four hours, while the speaker can last six hours – and if you want to use the speaker-come-charging case to top up your earbuds, you'll get an additional eight hours of juice.
An IP54 water proof and dustproof rating means that both the earbuds and the speaker are suitable for use outdoors, while Bluetooth 5 should ensure a stable connection with your phone or tablet.
Duolink doesn't offer much information on the kind of sound quality we can expect from the earbuds and speaker, aside from saying that the speaker has a frequency range of 20Hz - 20kHz – about average for most personal audio devices.
You may have to wait a little while to test that audio out for yourself, too; the Duolink Speakerbuds will be available to order on Kickstarter from July 30, for $149 (about £120 / AU$220).
Saying that, there is a deal for early subscribers to the Kickstarter campaign, which sees the price drop to $79 (about £65 / AU$115).
Looking for something you can buy now? Check out the best true wireless earbud deals we've spotted today:
