TWS is the abbreviation of True Wireless Stereo, which means true wireless stereo. TWS technology is also based on the development of Bluetooth chip technology. According to its working principle, connect the mobile phone to the main earphone, and then connect the main earphone to the auxiliary earphone wirelessly, so as to realize the true wireless separation of the left and right channels of Bluetooth. When the slave speaker is not connected, the master speaker returns to monaural sound quality. TWS technology has been applied to the field of Bluetooth headsets, and a new product-TWS Bluetooth headsets came into being.

     To trace its development, we must start with Apple. After the iPhone 7 canceled the 3.5mm jack in 2017, the Bluetooth headset market developed rapidly. Of course, Bluetooth headset technology and products have been developed for many years, products and quality are uneven, and the industry is in chaos. Until Apple released the world's first TWS Bluetooth headset AirPods, it connected Apple's ecosystem products (Iphone, Ipad, iWatch, Macbook) with built-in optical sensors and accelerometers. Double-click the wireless headset to connect to Siri. The headset can also reduce noise and filter noise to ensure sound quality during calls. At the same time, with the development of artificial intelligence at home and abroad, TWS technology uses the trend of artificial intelligence to take the express delivery of the "smart" era. Since the Bluetooth headset, it has been full of new vitality.

TWS has these characteristics

1. true wireless can achieve single ear and binaural wearing

    The TWS Bluetooth headset does not require a data cable connection, and does not need a traditional headset data cable connection. The left and right earphones form a stereo system through Bluetooth, which improves the ability of listening, speaking and wearing. If you add professional acoustic pickup technology, intelligent noise reduction technology and artificial intelligence algorithm noise reduction technology, you can achieve a perfect audio experience: ear sound, video calls, music enjoyment, mountain climbing, running, safe driving, etc. are not restricted.

2. Intelligent noise reduction function

     From the product point of view, the noise reduction function is an essential technology. The audio-visual experience TWS headset is a focus of attention in the user application scenario, we can design a product, but we cannot guarantee that the user of the application has already designed your product on site. When we dig deeper into certain products in the industry, It is found that many users have bad and interesting outdoor noise reduction. These bad user experience greatly reduce the production efficiency of the product.

3.Semi-intelligence and intelligence

    In the era of crazy development of TWS headsets in 2018, we have gone through the road of semi-smart headsets. Take the smart TWS Bluetooth headset represented by out-of-office inquiry as an example. It is not only a different hardware product, but also a smart interactive smart product, loaded with in-depth content in the APP. At the same time, in version 5.0, more Bluetooth chips are upgraded and serial flash memory is embedded, which makes customer software upgrades more flexible and supports third-party software migration. Open its portal with original ecology or content (audio content, headline news, health news, financial news, sports news, etc.), in fact, this piece of content has great potential. The mainstream first-tier giants have stepped into the field of artificial intelligence and are building their own intelligent ecological chain. Taking Microsoft, Google, and Amazon as examples, foreign companies have expanded wireless intelligent voice interaction services such as Microsoft Cortana, Google Assistant, and Amazon Alexa. Behind this is a war for smart end users. The representative of the new generation is the GT100 product of Bailing Acoustics. Behind it is a professional acoustic team to do the most advanced acoustic research and development in the industry. App certainly supports the above ecological content.

    The same domestic hardware manufacturers, represented by mobile phone manufacturers supporting voice assistants, Huawei's TWS supports its small, and Xiaomi's TWS in the mobile phone supports Xiaoai students, and this aspect is particularly important. The era of intelligence has arrived, and pure hardware has been advertised as low. End products, because no one wants to spend the same money to buy cheap hardware products. From the third quarter to the fourth quarter of 2019, the sales of smart speaker products + TWS smart headset products are expected to increase significantly, which will promote the development of artificial intelligence.

Why is TWS so popular?

    First, let's talk about the market for wired headsets. According to industry statistics and statistics from professional market research institutions, the wired headset market exceeds US$100 billion a year! With TWS technology, you can say goodbye to those wired headsets that are constantly being cut and cluttered. When you are listening to music, there is no need for a cable between the media source and the earphones, or even between the left and right earbuds. The embarrassment of the headphone cable over the years is finally a thing of the past. In addition, I believe that with the upgrade and update of TWS technology, there will be greater breakthroughs in the field of noise reduction. Once the entire TWS industry breaks through, the cost of chips and solutions will be reduced. It is expected that in the next two to three years, TWS headsets will become a standard part of mobile phone shipments of major mobile phone hardware manufacturers.

What are the shortcomings of TWS at this stage?

1. The battery life issue

This is the most important. Why? Considering the ergonomic design of in-ear-ear or semi-ear, due to the size of a single ear-most TWS are compact; according to statistics, the battery capacity of single ear is between 25-60mah, single ear Or after both earplugs are fully charged, the maximum battery life is less than 3 hours. In addition, it is not a domestic brand. Of course, I believe that the follow-up will do better. The premise is a breakthrough in battery technology and a breakthrough in ergonomic design. Of course, a shortcut is in the warehouse, because when we put the headset into the charging state, if the storage battery capacity is large enough after charging, we can keep the battery life long, because, after all, no one wants to repeatedly charge the warehouse for three days and two days. Yes, new products and new technologies need to subvert the past, solve user pain points, so that it can achieve the best user experience. Increasing the battery life of the charging box can, to a certain extent, make up for the problem of the small battery of the headset, which is also more acceptable to users.

2.Noise reduction in complex environments

Not every TWS manufacturer has a certain degree of research in the field of acoustics, and there are few domestic companies specializing in acoustic technology. In the era of smart phones, noise reduction technology is achieved through network optimization + hardware support + software assistance. Among the mid-to-high-end brands we tested, there was almost no noise reduction experience to our satisfaction; Huawei's noise reduction effect was comparable to China; another dark horse: Bailing Acoustic's digital silicon microphone + artificial intelligence algorithm, experience the effect in many products most. The subway we measured can be used normally at the moment of starting, opening and closing, the call is not affected, and the sound and sound quality can remain normal, which is very rare.

3.The bottleneck of wireless transmission distance

According to the Bluetooth 4.2 protocol, the theoretical range of the TWS headset can reach 100 meters, while the final theoretical range of the new Bluetooth 5.0 can reach 300 meters. However, in actual use, complex environment, circuit itself, radio frequency interference and many other issues limit its use distance. According to the measured data, the mainstream use range in the current market is 10 meters, and the farthest is only 12 meters. At this stage, judging from the domestic application scenarios, it is obviously unable to meet the user experience needs. Who can solve the problem of transmission distance means that there is an absolute advantage in this industry!

4. Sound quality and sound effects

This kind of problem has little response in China, but foreign buyers have high requirements for sound quality and sound effects. On the official Amazon website, we have obtained a lot of data and received many bad comments about the sound quality and sound effects. Sound, in addition to a good chip and solution, the hardware also needs good materials. On the other hand, you also need to optimize the hardware + software (very professional). The design of the headphone cavity structure will directly affect the tone and sound experience, in other words In other words, TWS is completed, and I want to be more professional in this industry. It is not a simple appearance structure, copy of internal things, but also a product's competitiveness.

Industry development prospects of TWS headset products

1. TWS headset will become intelligent

With the help of artificial intelligence technology, TWS headsets are developing rapidly, which can be perfectly combined in the field of artificial intelligence and can be used with artificial intelligence products. On the other hand, TWS headsets can also be completely intelligent products. Because the smart voice technology at this stage has matured and is widely used in cars, smart home products, etc., TWS headsets can do this: voice control, attitude, etc., smart sonsor technology bracelets and watches that are now widely used, actually The above can also be extended to TWS headsets; in the next stage of market competition, the artificial intelligence of TWS products will become one of the focuses.

2. The chips of hardware manufacturers will integrate more functions of TWS

For example, Qualcomm TWS Plus also supports the new QCC 5100 series Bluetooth chips. TWS Plus currently only supports the Snapdragon 845 platform. If a headset that supports this technology is paired with other devices, it can only be connected in TWS mode. You cannot enjoy lower audio delay and longer battery life. In addition, this technology can use the mobile phone as a broadcast center to transmit audio signals to multiple Bluetooth devices at the same time without any auxiliary device support. At present, mobile phones supporting Bluetooth 5.0 technology have gradually become the mainstream configuration. I believe that with the continuous investment of hardware manufacturers and the upgrading of products, more technical applications will be plugged into the wings of TWS headsets.

3. Scalability of TWS products

At present, the TWS industry is mainly represented by TWS headsets. In fact, TWS is not only suitable for headphones, but also extends to all audio fields (TWS speakers, TWS smart wearable products, etc.). The innovation of each category or market leadership is enough to make you stand out in the market!

4. High bit rate transmission will still be the focus of the next step

The high transmission bandwidth of Bluetooth 5.0 also enables TWS true wireless Bluetooth headsets to conduct bilateral calls, and high bit rate audio playback is used in Bluetooth audio products for the first time. But there is still a lot to be done in this regard, mainly in application technology breakthroughs, Bluetooth version 4.2, many domestic manufacturers have achieved DSP effects, mainly on speakers, but in the field of TWS headsets, there is no one yet. Manufacturers can achieve DSP effects; at this point, the soundtrack and the supplier may have to solve technical problems in sound quality in the next step.