JBL Reflect Eternal: Solar-Powered Headphones With ‘Unlimited’ Battery

Meet the JBL Reflect Eternal, a bluetooth wireless over-ear headphone which maker JBL claims will exterminate the anxiety of dead batteries.

A new crowdfunding effort on IndieGoGo shows that JBL wants to ditch the power cord. Instead of plugging in, an array of solar panels is embedded into the headband which charge the battery as you listen.

Coined the JBL Reflect Eternal, its entire schtick is to get you outside. Just an hour in the sun can provide an estimated 68 hours of playtime, while 2.5 hours yields “virtually unlimited” battery life. JBL says that the Reflect Eternal will also charge inside by using light emitted from fixtures. And just in case you live in a cave, the Eternal will also support USB charging.

Packed full of tech.

On top of its carbon-footprint-reducing charging, these cans are also packed full of tech. JBL’s Ambient Aware enables adjustable amounts of outside noise you hear while listening. Its TalkThru feature also lets you hold conversations without removing the headphones or manually lowering the volume. We are slightly disappointed that there’s no active noise cancellation being considered, however. Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant are also built-in.

We aren’t anticipating this to be a killer in terms of sound quality when compared with other wireless offerings. This is especially true when factoring in the cost to stuff solar into these headphones. However, JBL does imply that its 40mm dynamic drivers are more than capable of delivering a quality listening experience.

The campaign is live on IndieGoGo now and has already amassed over 750 orders in just one day. Sadly, the opportunity to pick up a pair of these for $75 has already passed. However, at the time of writing you can snag them for a cool $99 until sold out. Afterwards, expect to pay $129 of the estimated $165 MSRP.

JBL says to expect the Reflect Eternal to begin shipping in October 2020.