Samsung is reportedly working on a significantly newer version of the original Gear IconX earbuds, previously introduced in 2018. Reportedly bearing the model number SM-R170, the earbuds will be available in three colors – black, white and yellow. The most interesting aspect of the new IconX earbuds will be the fact that they sport 8 gigs of internal storage. That’s almost 2000 songs you can store in these upcoming earbuds, as an improvement to its predecessor, which had 4 GB internal storage.
Tuning and Price
It’s pretty early to say this, but the new Gear IconX earbuds may be launched with a Galaxy Branding, just like they did with their smartwatch. Another speculation that arises with this new product is the price factor, that may prove to be a contributing factor if Samsung opts for AKG tuning with their new earbuds. AKG is a legendary studio brand with almost 70 years’ experience in audio and sound, so we can expect Samsung to go for the bigger portion here. Also, Samsung is releasing their very first Bixby-powered Home system, called Galaxy Home with AKG tuning later this year. This here suggests that Samsung may go for the same tuning across the IconX earbuds as well.
As far as the battery life is concerned, nothing definitive is on the charts yet. But looking at the 2018 IconX earbuds which delivered almost seven hours of listening time, the new IconX earbuds will probably be better at the battery game. Now it’s very skeptical to say if they make improvements in the earbuds or the charging case, but we expect fast charging support with the new IconX earbuds, that’s for sure.
Are you a fan of the original Gear IconX earbuds? If so, what do you think about the supposedly new ‘Galaxy’ IconX earbuds? Do let us know!
Samsung Gear IconX is the first wireless set of earphones, offering true cord free experience from a big company. But, are they really worth the big price tag, or should you consider something more affordable.
[section label=”Design”]
Design and Build
The Gear IconX is built really well, with a good quality outer casing. The earphones offer up splash and dust resistant P2i Nano coating despite having a fairly wide feature set. They should withstand your sweat incase you decide to use these for your active life or sports.
The included wing tips and in ear plugs come in a total of 4 different sizes for a perfect fit and are extremely easy to switch.
The carry case also has a rubberized coating on the outside and is built to survive several drops, and it does not pop open incase you do drop it.
[section label=”Hardware”]
Hardware
The Samsung Gear IconX comes with 4GB of inbuilt storage, which can come in handy if you decide to get some music without your phone. Connectivity with your smartphone is via Bluetooth 4.1 (BLE). The Gear IconX also track your fitness via the inbuilt HR sensor and an Accelerometer. The capacitive touch input on both earphones allow for handling and navigating through your music handling calls and listening to the contextual menus.
The Gear IconX come with 2 microphones per earbud, for noise cancellation and audio for phone calls. The Frequency Range is 20~20 kHz, with a Speaker Sensitivity of 89.5 dB ± 3 dB / 1mW and a Speaker Impedance: 16 ohm.
Each earbud has a inbuilt 47 mAh while the outer carrying case has a 315 mAh.
[section label=”Audio Performance”]
Performance and Audio
When you setup your Gear IconX with your phone, the audio is usually set to 50% which is optimised to get you a good battery life.
Audio performance is excellent, while music volumes can be extremely high. Low range and Mids are handled extremely well and audio profiles can be customised using the Gear app on your Android phone.
You can also use a single earbud as a regular bluetooth earpiece incase you like to keep it old school and answer your calls like that.
If you go for your run or go about your fitness routine without your phone, the earphones will still track your health info and heartbeat and then sync up with your phone later.
As wireless earphones they have excellent range and sound and thanks to the snug fit the outside noise is easily cut. The ability to long press and listen to ambient sound means you don’t need to constantly pull the earphones out of your ear.
[section label=”Battery Life”]
Battery Life
The biggest downfall of the Gear IconX has to be the battery life, if you increase the volume from the default while connected to your phone, you will need to charge the IconX every 60-75 minutes. Which if you are used to listening to music for long periods is a definite negative.
The carry case will charge both your earbuds a total of three extra times. However, if you leave your earphones in the case they will be charged constantly basically draining the battery of the earphones and the case as well. Which means leaving your earphones overnight will kill them, making them impossible to travel with.
[section label=”Conclusion”]
Conclusion
The Samsung Gear IconX is the best direction towards a truly wireless music experience, and seems like a better setup than what is expected from the Apple AirPods. However with a 5 hour battery the AirPods have the definite advantage. The Gear IconX will work with iPhones and Windows Phones too if you have those, however, you will get basic bluetooth connectivity and not deep controls and customizations which can be had on Android phones via the Gear App.
The battery life however is a step backwards, and it seems that Samsung rushed into these too early without figuring out real usage scenarios. The poor batteries make it difficult to use these daily, or ever! The battery life is also unwarranted considering the heavy price tag on these.
This is the right approach, however, it’s pre-mature and the battery life is unacceptable, sound quality and volumes are great. The earphones are extremely light and fit well in your ear. The fitness features are also a great add-on.
