The first ever wireless earbuds

earin

about

Groundbreaking technique

In 2015, Earin was launched on the international crowdfunding platform Kickstarter, where the campaign exceeded its original goal by more than five times in just 40 days, securing over 8,000 pre-orders.
The founders of Earin, with backgrounds at Nokia and Sony Ericsson, partnered with Zenit to enhance the design of their world’s first truly wireless earbuds. A partnership that quickly developed into a close and collaborative design process between the two teams.
background

Setting the stage

Entering a hot new segment in the consumer market as a potential first mover, with a completely new and relatively unknown brand, presented both a significant challenge and a remarkable opportunity. It offered the chance to set the stage and become a key reference point for the future of the segment, knowing that once the superbrands inevitably entered the market, they would bring mainstream consumers along. (However, this also put a lot of pressure on the project and the design process, and several competitors faltered in the race, unable to secure a scalable technology solution or a compelling design solution.)

While Bluetooth earbuds already existed, they were either larger mono earbuds or had a connecting cable between the two. Handling these small and exclusive earbuds in a safe and convenient way posed a new and unique challenge, as there were no established solutions for storing or charging these precious products on the go.
DESIGN SCOPE & INTENTIONS

Your modern silver lighter

Central to the design strategy was selecting Apple stores as the primary sales channel and promoter. This decision shaped the design direction, influencing both tactical and strategic choices throughout the process. As a result, the exclusive design became highly desirable to many other resellers. A key inspiration for the project was to create a unique modern, beautiful artifact that we carry with us, echoing the elegance of historic portable items such as silver lighters, snuff boxes, and perfume bottles. Earins goal was to design something that felt exclusive, infused with a sense of heritage from these timeless products, yet with a distinctly modern touch. Target was also to create a user experience that conveyed the sense of handling something truly precious. Every aspect of the interaction was thoughtfully designed to feel special and precise, while remaining intuitive and easy to use.
“Our goal was to create a beautiful object of desire that you’d want to engage with, handle and showcase—sparking interest and curiosity from those around you.”

Success story

Earin was the first and smallest wireless earbuds available on the market, offering exceptional sound quality. The design received widespread acclaim from both the press and consumers and Earin went on to win the Consumer Product category at the Swedish Mobile Awards in 2017, with the following motivation:
"One of the most successful Kickstarter campaigns ever. Skyrocketing launch with a design centric, minimalistic and innovative solution that really has set the standard for the next generation of headsets. With snow-balling revenues Earin is a now a global player and one of the leaders in the segment
- Consumer Product category at the Swedish Mobile Awards, 2017

Design awards

Earin won the prestigious iF Design Award and was later honored with the German Design Award in 2017.

National Museum Collection

Earin has also earned a place in the National Museum collections of both Sweden and Norway, alongside artifacts ranging from the 16th century to the present day—an honor we are incredibly proud of.

“I’m happy to announce to you that we have incorporated your headphones Earin in our collections when we find them to be a fine example of contemporary design, nor the least of your great concern for the visual and tactile details”
- Cilla Robach, First Curator of Sweden’s National Museum Collection

Gen 2

Zenit was also involved in elevating the design of Earin's second-generation wireless headset, the Earin M2, which incorporated an integrated microphone and a touch interface. The design vision for Gen 2 was to further refine the earbuds design that Earin had formed into two cylindrical shapes that seamlessly merged at an optimal ergonomic angle. We wanted to preserve the core design values and intentions of Gen 1 while giving the M2 a unique appearance and design aesthetics on its own, that also reflected the new technology and functionalities.

The result concluded in adding asymmetric soft chamfers reduce excess volume, enhance comfort, and contribute to its precise, distinctive design identity. The backlit touch surface added a subtle layer of hidden sophistication, elevating the minimalist elegance while seamlessly incorporating smart functionality.
“A better-looking answer to Apple’s AirPods”
- Cnet
“Earin’s M-2 earbuds challenge Apple AirPods for wireless dominance”
- SlashGear
Tagg

000

awards

3+

tagg

00

Innovating beyond the expected - how can we help you define what’s next?
Get in touch
View all cases