Sonos earbuds are coming and they look like they're from another planet

(Image credit: Sonos)

published 27 May 2021

Sonos earbuds have been rumored for a while, but it looks like we’re a step closer to them seeing the light of day. While known for its multi-room speakers, a move into true wireless earbuds could really shake up the market.

A US patent filing discovered by zatsnotfunny shows a pretty clever case design that fits the earbuds into the top and bottom of the cylinder-shaped case, along with diagrams of the buds themselves. This allows for a much smaller case than if they were placed next to each other.

The Sonos earbuds have a long flat body that remind me a little of old mobile phone earpieces and have a wedged design that gets thicker towards what looks like a rubberized earpiece.

The patent description confirms that this is indeed a charging case and that it will allow the earbuds to be charged as a pair or when just one is inserted while the other is being used. The larger earpiece could potentially help with increased battery life too.

Another diagram shows what looks like over-ear headphones with a charging adapter in the exterior of the cup. While the design of the headphone itself looks generic, the method of charging – perhaps magnetic – looks interesting.

While timing for these devices is unknown, the filing dates back to the start of February, which means that we could very easily see some earphones from Sonos as early as this summer.

TOPICS

As T3's Editor-in-Chief, Mat Gallagher has his finger on the pulse for the latest advances in technology. He has written about technology since 2003 and after stints in Beijing, Hong Kong and Chicago is now based in the UK. He’s a true lover of gadgets, but especially anything that involves cameras, Apple, electric cars, musical instruments or travel.