JBL Reflect Eternal Solar-Powered Headphones Unveiled With 'Virtually Unlimited Playtime'

JBL has unveiled a new solution for the battery woes of Bluetooth headphones – wireless over-the-ear headphones that rely on solar power and ambient light for charging. The JBL Reflect Eternal is a new pair of headphones that employ the Exeger Powerfoyle solar charging technology to offer ‘virtually unlimited playtime' as long as you go out in the sun or move around in well-lit surroundings. However, the JBL Reflect Eternal headphones won't be available via online stores or retail outlets, as they are up for crowdfunding and will only ship to backers in October next year, provided the product actually makes it out of prototype stage.

Starting with the headphones themselves, the JBL Reflect Eternal look like your regular Bluetooth headphones, but they also have a solar cell strip on the neckband. JBL has employed Exeger's Powerfoyle solar charging material that can juice up the battery when sunlight falls on it, or even when it is exposed to ambient light indoors. JBL says sitting outside for 1.5 hours will provide enough juice for 68 hours of playtime.

This is direct sunlight exposure we are talking about here, with an illuminance of 50,000 lux, and not just regular daylight. However, there is a USB charging port as well for backup, and it can fully charge the JBL Reflect Eternal headphones' onboard 700mAh battery in 2 hours. The IPX4-rated headphones feature 40mm drivers and can pair with other devices over Bluetooth 5.0. The JBL Reflect Eternal headphones also offer features such as hands-free calling, ambient sound awareness, and one-tap Google Assistant and Alexa support.

The JBL offering is priced at $99 (roughly Rs. 7,000) and comes in red and green colour options. Early Bird stock has already been fully booked on Indiegogo, but the Indiegogo Discount perk priced at Rs. 9,163 and Early Adopter Discount perk at Rs. 7,032 for the JBL Reflect Eternal headphones is now live on the crowdfunding platform. But do keep in mind that the prototype work is still underway, and the JBL Reflect Eternal headphones are only expected to ship in October next year, provided the project is not canned mid-way over performance or funding issues.