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Along with a new fitness smartwatch called the Gear Fit 2, Samsung on Thursday announced a pair of truly wireless earbuds called the Gear IconX.
2016-06-03
That's right, there's no wires to be found on the IconX earbuds, even to connect the earbuds to each other.
Like the Gear Fit 2, it's designed for casual exercisers rather than fitness junkies, but it still can still track the most important metrics for general fitness.
These earbuds are so logical and obvious once you see how they work.
Here are Samsung's Gear IconX wireless earbuds, and yes, they are truly wireless. They connect to your smartphone over Bluetooth, and they can also track your distance, speed, and hear-rate.
Antonio Villas-Boas/Tech Insider
Here's how they can play music without being connected to each other: Each bud has its own 4GB of storage for music. You can also just use them to stream music from your smartphone. Each bud plays music independently from the other and they stay in sync with each other with their own Bluetooth connection. I spent a few minutes listening to these headphones and they sounded pretty good.
Antonio Villas-Boas/Tech Insider
You'll need the charging pod to use them for longer than a regular workout. The battery life is short at one and a half hours with fitness tracking and Bluetooth music streaming, or three hours when playing music stored in the buds and fitness tracking.
Antonio Villas-Boas/Tech Insider
The charging pod also acts as a carrying case so you can easily keep track of them. It's small and light, and shouldn't be a problem in most carrying bags.
Antonio Villas-Boas/Tech Insider
Each bud can sense your heart rate through the skin in your ears with this rectangular sensor. They also turn on and off automatically when you put them in and take them out of your ears using this sensor.
Antonio Villas-Boas/Tech Insider
You can sync the fitness data collected by the IconX, as well as control music, through the Samsung S Health app.
Antonio Villas-Boas/Tech Insider
The IconX comes in three different colors: black, white, and blue.
Samsung/Tech Insider
The earbuds come with matching charging pods, of course. The Gear IconX will be available to buy later this summer for $199.
Samsung/Tech Insider
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Antonio Villas-Boas was a consumer tech expert with over a decade of experience testing and reviewing smartphones, tablets, computers, smartwatches, and phone carriers.ExperienceAntonio joined the Business Insider team in 2015 as a tech reporter on the news desk and moved to the service journalism team in 2020. During his time as Business Insider’s senior tech reporter, Antonio developed industry-leading battery-life tests for smartphones and tablets, and covered and reviewed hundreds (if not thousands) of products from major brands like Apple, Google, Samsung, and OnePlus since as far back as Samsung’s Galaxy S6, the original Apple Watch, and the very first Google Pixel. This decade-plus of experience has given him tremendous insights into what consumer tech truly stands the test of time and what will be irrelevant in just a few years' time (RIP The Pebble).Antonio is also an experienced deal hunter, surfacing the best discounts on phones, laptops, and smartwatches for readers during sale events like Prime Day, Black Friday, and Cyber Monday. Previously, Antonio was a consumer-electronics analyst at PCMag and ran his own blog. Why you can trust AntonioAntonio approaches all his reviews not only as a tech expert but as a consumer himself. He reads every word of fine print in the phone carrier plans he reviews, and is deeply skeptical of deals that promise you the latest iPhone model for free. (Spoiler: it might be “free,” but you could be stuck with it for three years.)He largely recommends less expensive and small-scale fixes to upgrade your existing tech before considering buying the latest and flashiest in new tech. Antonio believes his role as the go-to “tech guy” for his family and friends extends to his readers as well; he only recommends products that have stood up to the testing process.Scripps News, NewsNation, Fox 5 DC, NBC LX, and Rich DeMuro’s “Rich On Tech” radio show have requested his commentary and expertise. ExpertiseHis expertise includes:
Phones, including the iPhone, Google Pixel, and Samsung Galaxy models
Phone accessories, including charging cables, phone cases, and protection plans
Smartwatches, including the Apple Watch, Galaxy Watch, Pixel Watch
Mobile carrier plans, including major carriers and MVNOs
Tablets, including iPads and Galaxy Tabs
Laptops and computers, including MacBooks and Windows models
Computer accessories, including mice, keyboards, and monitors
