[Digital Today reporter Jinju Hong (홍진주)] Over the course of September, major audio companies such as Apple, Sony and Bose unveiled new headphones and earbuds in succession, heating up competition in the portable audio market. As new products across a range of prices and form factors appeared at once, each company’s competitive strategy is becoming clearer.

According to IT outlet TechRadar on Sept. 30 local time, major companies including Apple, Sony, Bose, Sonos, Nothing and Technics unveiled new headphone and earbud lineups in September.

Apple fired the opening shot. At its annual “Surprise and Shine” event on Sept. 9, Apple unveiled two AirPods 5 models. With a relatively lower price point, the products are seen as targeting a broader consumer base in the wireless earbud market, which had centred on premium products.

After Apple unveiled its new products, Sony also introduced three new headphones. They are the WH-CH730N, WH-CH530 and WH-1000XM4C, with a focus on updating existing popular models for 2026. The strategy is to refresh proven lineups and maintain market competitiveness.

Apple also added a new product through its Beats brand. The “Beats 360” was designed to let users mix and match earcup and headband colours. Apple is seen as continuing a strategy of using AirPods and Beats at the same time to target different consumer tastes and demand segments.

Sonos released a product that strengthened integration with its device ecosystem. The “Sonos Ace Ultra” was introduced as improving Sonos ecosystem compatibility issues that had been pointed out in the previous model. It focused on strengthening connectivity across multiple devices rather than simply improving sound quality or hardware performance.

Bose entered the competition with lower-priced products. It equipped a $99 wired earbud with active noise cancelling (ANC) and also unveiled two open-type earbuds. Bose, known as a premium audio brand, is expanding into product lines with relatively more accessible prices.

Toward the end of the month, competition in premium over-ear headphones also intensified. On Sept. 29, Nothing unveiled the “Headphone (1) Pro.” It is the highest-priced headphone among the company’s products to date. On the same day, Technics also introduced the premium over-ear “EAH-A1000,” signalling its entry into the high-end headphone market.

The concentration of new product launches in September was driven by the so-called “Techtember” season for new product releases in the second half of the year. TechRadar described the period as a time when large numbers of new products pour into the market.

Competition is intensifying in the portable audio market as companies can target consumer groups in different ways. Apple and Beats are targeting varied demand by separating brands, while Sony focused on generational updates to existing popular products. Sonos strengthened ecosystem connectivity and Bose widened its price range. Nothing and Technics emphasised design and premium lineups.

The September competition in new audio products was meaningful not only because the number of launches increased, but also because differences in company strategies became more distinct. As products highlighting different competitive factors such as price, fit, noise cancelling, device ecosystems and design appeared in succession, competition in the portable audio market in the second half is expected to intensify further.