Following a whole host of new features in headphones, plus the increasingly high demand for wireless variants, for the first time ever the average price of headphones has jumped over $40 landing at a $42.70 price point. This is an increase of 14% on last year which was an 11% increase on 2015’s average price of $34 per The Verge.
This price increase comes as everyday users are starting to demand more features and flexibility from what headphones are now able to offer. Whether that’s noise-canceling features, support for Siri or similar technology, or even just plain old wireless headphones, these features have all played a role in the increasing prince point.
Apple has certainly been a large disruptor in that category as the first company to really adopt the headphone jack-less earbuds with their AirPods. Now, the wireless variants make up 85% of shipments with consulting firm Futuresource predicting that 10 million units of the wireless earbuds will be shipped this year at a decreasing price point of $174 from $219 last year.
Google’s Pixel Buds announcement similarly looks to revolutionize the headphone industry as the first real set of “smart” headphones with a full list of hardware options for which the Pixel Buds can interact with. With an ever-increasing demand for new features that can ‘do it all,’ expect a further price jump this time next year in the headphone category.
H/T: The Verge | Featured Image: Apple