Samsung and Starbucks collaborated over coffee-cup-shaped Galaxy Buds… and I’m thoroughly confused

In a year filled with absolute absurdity, Samsung and Starbuckssomehow managed to still top the list.

Words cannot espresso how confused I feel! Samsung and Starbucks just unexpectedly dropped a (metaphorically and perhaps literally too) hot new product – Cappuccino-inspired earphones. The ‘Latte Art Buds Case’ is the result of a Korea-specific collaboration between the two brands, and will be available to enthusiastic Koreans alongside a few other products including a more discreet-looking Galaxy Buds case with just the Starbucks logo, and a few smartphone cases (some with built-in Starbucks receipt-inspired smartphone grips). The showstopper, however, is the ‘Latte Art Buds Case’ – a Starbucks cup-shaped case that opens up to reveal two Galaxy Buds inside. Why this exists, I’ll never know. Why do I want this so bad, I guess that’s an unknown too.

Designers: Samsung and Starbucks

Clearly, the Latte Art Buds Case is meant to be some caffeine-lover’s tabletop swag. There’s no way that entire contraption will fit in your pocket easily, although looping a carabiner through the cup’s handle and securing it to your pant’s belt loop is certainly fathomable. The mini-cup comes in its signature white design, with the Starbucks mermaid logo on the front, and even latte art on the top for added realism… although given its size, just styling it to look like an espresso cup would work much better in my opinion. However, if you want to wear your love for Starbucks on your person instead of having these buds as simply a tabletop accessory, Starbucks and Samsung have a more pocket-friendly branded case with the Starbucks insignia on the front.

The price of this swag is still unannounced, although it will be available exclusively at select Starbucks outlets across South Korea in a limited capacity, so chances are you’ll need a whole latte luck to get your hands on a pair.

The post Samsung and Starbucks collaborated over coffee-cup-shaped Galaxy Buds… and I’m thoroughly confused first appeared on Yanko Design.

Samsung’s TWS Earphone cases are just FILLED with 90s clamshell nostalgia!

So much happened in the last week that it’s common for announcements to either spill into the following weeks, or go completely unnoticed. In a few ways, this product is a bit of both. Announced alongside Samsung’s entire roster of Galaxy Unpacked products is a little something called Anycall, a faux phone model designed for one purpose and one purpose only… nostalgia!

Meet the Anycall cases, a set of wonderful covers for the Samsung’s Galaxy Buds case. Much like how Elago’s cases give the AirPods a unique character, the Anycall cases turn the Samsung Galaxy Buds into a set of incredibly nifty-looking 90s style clamshell phones! Obviously, the phones are non-operational and are just for the aesthetic, but they do give the TWS earphones a neat, nostalgic spin! Available in 2 styles (with and without an antenna), the Anycall T100 or Anycall E700 give your Galaxy Buds cases a distinct 90s vibe that’s sure to appeal to a certain group of people. I’m sure there’s a certain satisfaction to opening the cases and shutting them with authority too, almost as if you’re violently hanging up on a robocaller. The cases are available as in-store gifts when the Galaxy Buds Pro earbuds are purchased in-person in retail outlets in South Korea, and are even listed online on Samsung’s website as optional addons for when you’re buying the Galaxy Buds. They’re a little on the pricey side, costing $30 per case… but can you really put a price tag on nostalgia??

Designer: Samsung

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It’s 2020 and I’m still surprised we haven’t figured out the best shape for a pair of earphones. We’ve experimented with circles, silicone tips, weird wing-shaped hooks that latch onto parts of our ear canal, and even AirPods, and we’re yet to arrive at a universal earphone design that fits, pardon the phrase, like a glove. Recent images based on reliable leaks show that Samsung’s experimenting with kidney-bean shaped TWS earphones that fit neatly into the outer-ear canal. Given their form, it seems fitting that Samsung’s codenamed them The Bean.

The Bean’s shape looks pretty promising and is apparently smaller than any of Samsung’s Galaxy Buds. Sort of a cross between a hearing aid and consumer-grade wireless earphones, the Beans are a little over an inch long and have two small loudspeakers each, covering the midrange and treble, as reported by WinFuture. There’s even an outside channel similar to what you’d find in subwoofers, and a host of microphones, not just for answering calls, but presumably also to help cancel outside noise, because of the lack of an air-tight silicone tip on the Bean.

There’s no official word from Samsung with any working details or a release date (or even a price range), but reputable sources indicate a summer or autumn launch to coincide with the Galaxy Note 20. Until then, I’m stuffing broad-beans into my ear to see if they actually hold up. Please don’t try this at home.

Designer/Visualizer: Roland Quandt for WinFuture

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