- Panasonic just launched its new RB-F10 earphones
- They’ll cost just £79.99 (around $110 / AU$165)
- They boast Bluetooth 5.4, a seven-hour battery life, and solid audio
Panasonic has just announced a new pair of cheap wireless earbuds with its open ear Panasonic RB-F10 earphones.
Like other open ear designs, rather than sitting inside your ear, these earbuds sit over your ear canal. This allows you to hear your music clearly, but also, because your ear isn’t blocked, you can hear what’s going on around you.
The Panasonic RB-F10s specifically come with a few handy features.
They boast Bluetooth 5.4 with multipoint, so you can easily switch their connection between two different devices. They also feature built-in microphones for voice calls with automatic background noise removal, allowing you to be heard more clearly.
Additionally, they have a seven-hour battery life, which can be extended by a further 18 hours using their charging case.
Lastly, because open ear headphones are usually a little bigger than earbuds, they can boast bigger drivers, which should lead to a richer sound than you might be used to. At least, that’s what Panasonic is promising from its new RB-F10s.
Best of all, they come in at just £79.99 (around $110 / AU$165) which makes them one of the more affordable options in the open ear space – and if they can stick the landing could help them secure the best budget option spot in our pick of the best open ear headphones guide.
Open ear headphones are the best
I adore open ear headphones, and recently converted my fiancée to the lifestyle as well.
We love to watch videos or listen to music on our phones, but it’s easy for it to become a competition as we each try to drown the other’s audio out by turning up our speakers louder and louder. We’ve tried using over-ear noise-cancelling headphones, but then it’s impossible for us to talk to one another, especially if one of us is trying to shout for the other from another room.
Open ear headphones strike the perfect balance because we can enjoy our own private audio, but still call out to each other or easily come in and start chatting without having to compete with noise cancelling tech.
They’re also ideal for working out (especially running, as you can enjoy your motivational audio and still hear what’s going on around you), or while traveling, as you can keep an ear out for any public transport announcements that you might miss if ANC is turned on.
I’ve also found that they’re hooked design is generally comfortable yet secure. I’ve tested several open ear headphones designs, and I frequently forget to take them off even when I’m not playing any music because I just forget I have them on.
Lastly, as is true for other earbuds, their small case makes them so easy to carry with you. Unlike a pair of headphones, you can get away with your pockets rather than needing to bring a bag as you can transport your cans when you aren’t wearing them.
Now we haven’t yet tested the Panasonic RB-F10 earphones, but they look like they tick a lot of essential boxes on paper, which could make them a solid choice if you’re after the convenience of open ear headphones that I and others are already enjoying.