Adidas and Zound Industries has announced the launch of the FWD-02 Sports earbuds, a pair of headphones built from the ground up for runners.
The FWD-02 Sport true wireless were announced last year alongside the Z.N.E. 01 and Z.N.E. 01 ANC, with pre-orders beginning in November 2021. They’re now available to purchase, priced at £139.95 / €169.00 / AUS$270.
And for that outlay you get a pair of earbuds made to give runners and sports fanatics every advantage possible. The research and development process has been fuelled by feedback provided by Adidas Runners (an international community of people who, well, run), offering assessments on the FWD-02 Sport buds through every facet of development from product design to testing.
Sleek in appearance but with a rugged feel, the ergonomics and customisable wing-tips should offer the perfect fit for any runner, while the new force touch interface allows for control of media regardless of weather conditions or whether you have sweaty fingers, or are wearing hats and gloves.
The FWD-02 Sport can be stowed away into a compact charging case that features a breathable mesh fabric lid that allows the earbuds to dry quicker from sweat or water after use. It also displays the battery level and the lid itself is detachable to reduce the risk of it breaking.
There’s no active noise cancellation but there is a Transparency mode for greater awareness of surroundings. Battery is 25 hours in total with six in the earbuds and 19 stored in the case. Water resistance is IPX5, good enough to resist sustained, low pressure jets of water.
Ella Renneus, Designer at Zound Industries said, “The needs of today’s runner have changed in more ways than one. Runners are more frequently interacting with media and apps, so they require more intuitive and reliable input methods. Due to gym closures or personal preference, many runners are spending more time than ever running outside, regardless of the elements. We worked with adidas Runners to create the pair of true wireless sport earbuds that meet and exceed these needs, and consumers can buy them today.”
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
