With enough light, playtime is technically infinite.
Urbanista continues to innovate in sustainable audio technology with the second-generation Los Angeles over-ear headphones and Phoenix true wireless earbuds, featuring Exeger’s Powerfoyle solar charging material and upgraded power-efficient components. This combination enables potentially infinite playtime in optimal light conditions, all at a more accessible price.
How Urbanista Revolutionized Solar Charging and Battery Life
Urbanista has retained the solar-charging technology from the first-generation Los Angeles headphones and Phoenix earbuds. These earbuds can recharge continuously in any light, indoors or outdoors. This means they will keep on charging even while you’re listening to music as long as there is light.
However, the second-generation models feature more power-efficient internal components. This enhances the devices’ energy management and extends their playback time.
Because of this, they can now provide weeks or even unlimited usage, depending on the light exposure.
For example, the Los Angeles headphones, with 10 hours of low (indoor) light exposure per day, could last over 50 days on a single charge if used for four hours daily. The Phoenix earbuds, on the other hand, could last for almost 16 days with the same conditions.
Urbanista estimates that these playtimes can practically become infinite if the devices are exposed to more consistent and stronger light exposure.
However, these are yet to be tested in real-world use cases. The good news is, aside from their solar charging capabilities, these devices also include USB-C ports for traditional charging to keep your headphones awake for longer.
The Los Angeles headphones offer 60 hours of battery life without solar charging, which is a drop from the previous model’s 80-hour battery life. Urbanista explains that this drop is made to equip the headphones with a smaller battery, making them lighter and more comfortable.
Meanwhile, the Phoenix earbuds offer 40 hours of total playtime (8 hours for the earbuds, and an additional 32 hours from the case) without solar charging. This is an upgrade from the 24-hour capacity of the previous model’s charging case.
Other Notable Upgrades
Aside from the improved power efficiency, the new generation of Los Angeles headphones and Phoenix earbuds feature several upgrades from their predecessors.
Some of the most notable ones are:
- Adaptive Noise Cancellation: Urbanista’s new headphone models boast adaptive noise cancellation, a step up from the hybrid ANC in previous models. This feature responds to external sound changes in real-time for more effective noise reduction.
- Design upgrades: The new Los Angeles model now includes a much-requested 3.5mm jack for wired listening, addressing a major omission in the original design. The Phoenix earbuds now also boast an IP54 rating for dust and water resistance – a significant improvement from the previous version’s IPX4 rating.
- Ergonomic upgrades: The headphones are lighter and feature a lower clamping force. As for the Phoenix earbuds, they are made to be more compact compared to the previous generation.
- Multipoint Support: The Los Angeles headphones can now connect to multiple devices simultaneously. The Phoenix earbuds already have this feature in the previous generation, but it has been upgraded to be more intuitive via the Urbanista app.
Pricing and Availability
The second-generation models are still under development but should be available by mid-2024. They are also expected to be launched at a lower price than their predecessors. The Los Angeles headphones will be sold at $179 (down from $199), and the Phoenix earbuds will be at $129 (reduced from $149).