Announced earlier this year, appliance giant Dyson has officially unveiled the full specifications of the upcoming Dyson Zone – its first wearable purifier and advanced noise-canceling headphones.
Reportedly the product of five years of research, the Dyson Zone combines the company’s two unique product offerings as its first foray into audio and wearable technology. And the specs certainly seem to indicate that the company is going to start things off strong.
According to Dyson, the Zone headphones will feature advanced noise cancellation, aided by the presence of 11 onboard microphones, 8 of which will monitor outside noise at a reported rate of up to 384,000 times per second. There’s also the promise of full-spectrum audio capable of reproducing frequencies from 6Hz to 21kHz and dual microphones that enable clear voice capture for calls or recordings. The company also promises that there will be minimal harmonic distortion across the entire frequency range thanks to signal processing that occurs 48,000 times per second. On top of that, the cases will offer up to 50 hours of battery life, depending on usage.
While these impressive specs alone are enough to make the Dyson Zone headphones stand out, the real eye-catcher comes with the Zone’s wearable air purifier tagging along for the ride.
In case you didn’t remember it from our coverage earlier in the year, the Zone Purifier is a detachable visor that’s supposed to be able to remove contaminants as small as 0.1 microns, bringing Dyson’s decades of experience in airflow into a wearable device for the first time. Appreciated (Opens in a new tab) With 99% of the world’s population living in cities with air pollution levels higher than those judged to be safe according to the World Health Organization, portable purification solutions loom as potential game-changers – if consumers can get past the area’s exotic appearance.
Much like an item ripped straight out of a sci-fi movie, launch prices for the Dyson Zone are not yet known, but the headphones are expected to be available for purchase in various regions from early 2023 — starting in China in January, ahead of the US launch. and the United Kingdom, Hong Kong, and Singapore as of March. Availability for Australia has not yet been confirmed.
Importantly, Dyson hasn’t suggested the area be a suitable defense against the potential spread of Covid-19, though it remains to be seen if future testing of wearable purification capabilities can pay off in this area.
Analysis: Dyson’s wearable purifier could be fine, if you don’t mind the way it looks
There’s little to deny the new value of the Dyson Zone, where the look of the headset is particularly distinctive. How many potential buyers there is is anyone’s guess, but it’s eye-catching and a conversation starter to say the least. In fact, we weren’t sure that Dyson would go ahead with full production and launch the region on the market, but we put our foot down.
When we were first introduced to the Dyson Zone at an event in the UK, it seemed as if the wearable was being positioned as a portable purifier rather than a headphone. However, the company seems quite keen to make sure it sounds good too — we’re still testing its sonic prowess, but our curiosity has certainly been piqued.
And while wearable air purifiers themselves aren’t new, the combination of sound and purifier is unique and we’re not sure anyone else would want to keep up with the engineering resources Dyson has. Given the increasing frequency of major weather events such as wildfires and storms that throw up a lot of soot or dust, there is certainly potential for this technology to fill a need in the consumer market.
However, one look at the Dyson Zone’s impressive performance specs gives an impression of how much the headphones cost — and odds are they won’t come cheap. Are we really ready for a set of premium-looking wireless headphones with a premium price tag attached? Dyson hopes so, and at least backed the area up with performance specs to make it an interesting consideration.
