I don’t believe you’re an athlete unless you have Bluetooth earbuds around your neck

I’m not a sports person, but I know some things about athletes. I know they wear gym shoes; I know they usually coordinate their pants and shirt to match their shoes; and I know they enjoy sweating. Tech companies seem to think true athletes want to have Bluetooth earbuds that come with a neck strap. Today Samsung announced its new Bluetooth Level Active headphones, which it designed for “exercise and outdoor activities.” They have earhooks so they don’t fall out of ears, they come with a neck strap, and they’re also splash resistant. Athlete things.

The earbuds can be controlled through Samsung’s companion Level app, which lets users decide what notifications and alerts are pushed through. The earbuds also track workouts through S Health.

The Level Active follows Samsung’s Level U neckbuds, which came out last year. Those didn’t have a silicon strap. And this year, we saw the neckbuds again in Bang & Olufsen’s Beoplay H5. I guess what I’m trying to say by showing you these neckbud examples is that the style isn’t going away. Ever. Okay maybe not ever but probably not for a while, so get used to the neck love and maybe consider becoming more athletic to take full advantage of those earhooks.

The Level Active is now available in the US for $99.