The Swedish audio brand announced the Urbanista Phoenix back in August, with the headline feature of a solar panel-equipped charging case that could theoretically keep the contained earbuds topped up indefinitely. Now these long-lasting ‘buds are available to purchase at a price of £139 / €149 / $149. We saw this solar charging facility introduced with last year’s Urbanista Los Angeles over-ear headphones, which we awarded a solid 4 out of 5 review. Now that same Powerfoyle solar panel technology has been bundled up into a more compact true wireless earbuds package. Even without this solar technology, the Urbanista Phoenix will last an estimated 8 hours, with a boost to 34 hours with the charging case added to the equation. That case can add an hour of charge for every hour exposed to direct sunlight. The buds themselves are IPX4 water resistant, which helps with the whole outdoorsy vibe given off by the key solar charging feature. These are solid earphones quite apart from the charging gimmick, with 10mm dynamic drivers, support for the SBC and AAC codecs, and hybrid active noise cancellation (ANC). You also get multipoint connectivity for connecting you to two devices simultaneously. You can tweak the EQ using the related Urbanista mobile companion app for iOS and Android, which can also supply visual indications of the case’s solar charging levels. The Urbanista Phoenix is available in Midnight Black or Desert Rose.
