Otterbox makes expensive headphones and chargers now

Otterbox, the company best known for their rugged phone and tablet cases, is expanding its sights on the larger accessory market, with today's launch of new headphones, USB chargers, and a laptop sleeve.

The headphones, made in conjunction with Decibullz, are available in either a $99.95 Bluetooth or $49.95 wired versions. Otterbox isn't saying much about the technical specs on the headphones, but the wireless ones claim to get up to 3.5 hours of playback time on a charge. 

Also available is the $24.95 Otterbox-branded car charger (which offers two 2.4A USB ports), and $24.95 Otterbox USB wall charger (which, despite costing the same as the car version, only offers a single 2.4A port). There's also the preposterously overpriced $29.95 Micro USB cable, and $24.95 Utility Series laptop sleeve — but don't be fooled by the Otterbox name here, it's a regular microfiber-lined polyester pouch, not some sort of ultra-rugged case that the brand is known for. 

 

There's also the $39.95 Bluetooth Audio Adaptor that plugs into a regular wired headset to use over Bluetooth, which is probably one of the better deals in the wave of recently announced products, assuming it offers any decent sound. Otterbox is promising 6.5 hours of battery life for the Bluetooth adapter, which, while better than the Otterbox wireless headphones, is still less than most Bluetooth headphones. 

Look, I'm gonna be honest here: it's interesting that Otterbox is dipping its toe into the expanded accessory market, but almost everything on offer here can be found in either cheaper or better versions from other companies that specialize in these products. And without any of Otterbox's signature rugged durability, it's hard to justify the extra cost on any of these. So maybe save your $30, and get a pack of Anker or Amazon Basic Micro USB cables for a fraction of the cost instead. Otherwise, all the new accessories are available on the Otterbox website now. 

The article was published on : theverge