Samsung brings premium 'Level' headphone and speaker lineup stateside to battle Apple's Beats
Samsung on Wednesday announced the imminent release of its "Level" headphone and portable speaker lineup, which features four premium devices seemingly aimed directly at Apple's Beats hardware.
With Apple's $3 billion acquisition of Beats in May, the tech giant gained one of the most popular -- and high margin -- headphone brands on the market in Beats by Dre. Now, arch rival Samsung is getting in on the action with its own mobile-first premium audio lineup called Level.
Launching tomorrow through an exclusive 72-hour deal with online shopping network Gilt, Samsung's product line includes two headphones, one earphone and one Bluetooth speaker.
The top-tier Level Over is priced at $350 and comes packed with 50mm drivers, wireless capabilities, active noise cancellation with four integrated mics, audio enhancing tech and on-board physical control for volume, music playback and voice call functions.
Samsung's Level On is a more compact on-ear design with 40mm drivers and plush polyurethane ear cushions. The On also features a foldable chassis and comes in at $180. The Level lineup's least expensive piece of kit is the $150 Level In, an in-ear headphone that sports a three-way speaker system consisting of with two balanced armatures and a dynamic driver.
Rounding out Samsung's new mobile audio offerings is the $170 Level Box, a Bluetooth speaker with two 56mm drivers with passive radiator, NFC, pairing, on-board controls, built-in microphone for speakerphone duties and a battery capable of a claimed 15 hours of playback.
Level is being marketed by Samsung's mobile arm, which is interesting considering the company usually goes through its audio division for such products.
Comparisons will likely be drawn with audio hardware from Apple's Beats Electronics, makers of some of the most popular mobile headphones on the market. Beats' products are priced above equivalent Samsung Level devices, an example being the $380 Beats Studio Wireless over-ear style headphone.
All four Level products are slated to start sales on Thursday at noon Eastern time through Gilt, which will be offering a special bundle of the Level On and Level Box for $300. Following Gilt, sales will expand to Amazon.com on July 20, Samsung.com on July 21 and select Samsung Experience Shops at Best Buy on July 27.
With Apple's $3 billion acquisition of Beats in May, the tech giant gained one of the most popular -- and high margin -- headphone brands on the market in Beats by Dre. Now, arch rival Samsung is getting in on the action with its own mobile-first premium audio lineup called Level.
Launching tomorrow through an exclusive 72-hour deal with online shopping network Gilt, Samsung's product line includes two headphones, one earphone and one Bluetooth speaker.
The top-tier Level Over is priced at $350 and comes packed with 50mm drivers, wireless capabilities, active noise cancellation with four integrated mics, audio enhancing tech and on-board physical control for volume, music playback and voice call functions.
Samsung's Level On is a more compact on-ear design with 40mm drivers and plush polyurethane ear cushions. The On also features a foldable chassis and comes in at $180. The Level lineup's least expensive piece of kit is the $150 Level In, an in-ear headphone that sports a three-way speaker system consisting of with two balanced armatures and a dynamic driver.
Rounding out Samsung's new mobile audio offerings is the $170 Level Box, a Bluetooth speaker with two 56mm drivers with passive radiator, NFC, pairing, on-board controls, built-in microphone for speakerphone duties and a battery capable of a claimed 15 hours of playback.
Level is being marketed by Samsung's mobile arm, which is interesting considering the company usually goes through its audio division for such products.
Comparisons will likely be drawn with audio hardware from Apple's Beats Electronics, makers of some of the most popular mobile headphones on the market. Beats' products are priced above equivalent Samsung Level devices, an example being the $380 Beats Studio Wireless over-ear style headphone.
All four Level products are slated to start sales on Thursday at noon Eastern time through Gilt, which will be offering a special bundle of the Level On and Level Box for $300. Following Gilt, sales will expand to Amazon.com on July 20, Samsung.com on July 21 and select Samsung Experience Shops at Best Buy on July 27.
Comments
Lowlife? For this? I bet they sounds better than Beats, and if they cost less, well that's good competition.
LOL...and they still lose. Samsung, do what you're good at, not whatever others do.
That said- Samsung can die
Only this time, they'll have Jimmie to deal with, and based on how he's now gone after Chinese knock-off makers, Scamsung will be in for a WORLD of pain!!!
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Apple, please develop a smart umbrella, smart candle, smart floor carpet, smart wine glasses and/or smart toilet paper just to let the world see that Samsung will create a copy of whatever you decide to do! /s
From an April review:
[I]"The Level Over is clearly the flagship: big, cushiony over-the-ear cans with a padded headband. I found them very comfortable. The outside faces of the headphones are touchpads; you stroke them to change the volume or pause the music. They pair with other devices by NFC (tap to pair), they have active noise cancellation, and they work in Bluetooth lossless Apt-X or wired modes. The headphones have 30 hours of Bluetooth battery life with noise cancellation off.
Samsung made a big deal about its 50mm neodymium driver, which it says provides "more natural" sound. The sound was rich, absorbing, and didn't overly play up the bass. My notes include the words "bell-like" and "crystalline." Are these nice headphones? You bet. Price will be very relevant."[/I]
Wait.....
for innovation sake.. this company must be killed...
Apple should start patenting headphone designs...
Withdraw all US troops from South Korea.
probably sound better - not that is saying much.
I don't get those comments either. Many headphones look like this. I think it's pretty obvious they are not Beats. These look more generic than Beats. Can't wait to see what Apple does to Beats when they reengineer them, tweak the details and up the quality of materials. I think it was $3B well spent considering the three things they got. 500 Beats Employees. 100 Beats Music employees. Iovine, and Dre? And the go to overear headphone Brand. This gives Apple street cred in this space where fashion means everything. Now quality will match the fashion part while Samsung run around town chasing second place.