Subscription pricing has come to the world of true wireless earbuds. Just like you buy phones from wireless carriers in monthly installments, now you can buy a pair of NURABUDS true wireless earbuds by paying $5 per month for a NURANOW subscription.

In fact, that’s the only way to get your hands on the latest earbuds from Nura. But at a time when a decent set of true wireless earbuds can easily run $100 or more (although there are cheaper options), there are a few things to like about this subscription plan.

First, Nura will send you new earbuds every 24 months. That means that you’re basically paying $120 for a new pair of earbuds every two years… but spreading out the payments so that you’re only paying $5 per month (there is also a one-time setup fee of $19, so I guess the first pair actually costs $139).

That’s obviously a good deal for Nura, since it locks in customers. And it might not be the word idea for users, since it means that you get upgraded hardware and fresh batteries every few years.

I’m not usually a fan of plans that lock you into replacing your hardware every two years whether your old device is worn out or not. But I have yet to use a pair of true wireless earbuds that’s lasted for more than a few years without developing some problem or another, so a subscription plan might actually be a good fit for this product category.

Nura also says that you’re not locked into a contract, but I imagine you’ll at least have to pay off your first set of earbuds before cancelling.

NURANOW will also bring “music-related discounts, benefits, and giveaways” to subscribers.

The NURABUDS that will be the first to ship are a set of true wireless earbuds with Bluetooth 5.0, aptX support, IPX4 sweat resistance, and support for active noise cancellation.

They come with a charging case… but Nura isn’t exactly promising stellar battery life. Expect about 4 hours of continuous use or 10 hours of total use when you take the charging case into account.

Nura’s charging case is pretty small. But for some reason it’s 2021 and this thing comes with a micro USB charging cable.

Unlike the NURATRUE earbuds, which features technology to automatically “measure your hearing” and create a personalized audio profile for you, the NURABUDS can only import profiles if you’ve already created them using another Nura product.

The NURATRUE earbuds also offer longer battery life, come with a bigger charging case with a USB0C port, and don’t require a subscription, instead selling for $200.

press release via Engadget

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One reply on “Nura’s new earbuds are only available with a subscription (but you get a new pair every 24 months)”

  1. I personally don’t see the value in these wireless earbuds when they’re above $50 or so.

    I’ve tried several of them, and none of the expensive ones I’ve tried offer sound quality that I would consider good. The leap from $50 to $200 wireless earbuds doesn’t seem worth it to me. I don’t find that you gain $150 worth of value in quality, and you certainly don’t gain anything in convenience.

    I also don’t find them to be more convenient. Infact, I find them to be more inconvenient. They’re far easier to lose, and you’re constantly struggling to find somewhere to put them.

    I have no trouble carrying around a pair of good wired headphones. My Takstar Pro 82’s, and my Audio Technica M40’s are not difficult to carry. /old-man-rant

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