Almost everyone wants to ride the TWS earbuds wave, so it’s not surprising that the majority of designs all look quite similar. It’s only recently that manufacturers have started diversifying the designs of not just the earbuds themselves but also the charging cases. We’re even starting to see charging cases with built-in displays, paving the road for even more variety.
There’s definitely still plenty of room for growth, especially for designs that eschew traditional shapes and form factors. This concept, for example, turns Bluetooth earbuds into something more than just an accessory: it also become something like a friend that keeps you company and entertained all throughout the day and even through the night.
Designer: Eric Cheng
The basic shape of earbuds chargers is box-like for practical reasons. It is, after all, easier to cram everything inside such a plain and simple shape. There are some that go for a tube-like design for some extra impact, though those tend to be more cumbersome to use because of fancy but unnecessary sliding mechanisms.
Being square doesn’t have to mean boring, even though the idiomatic expression does mean exactly that. With a few additional details, a plain old earbuds case becomes an anthropomorphized robot that wouldn’t look out of place in a Toy Story scene. That’s what the DMOOSTER D76 mini TV concept design tries to bring to the table, or to your pocket for that matter, giving an accessory a face and a relatable character you can get attached to.
There are sides to the same coin of this design. The most obvious is the armless robot form, with the charging case’s display as its expressive face. When you pull out its legs, however, you not only see the USB-C charging port, it also becomes the eponymous mini TV that sparks the imagination of a miniature toy world. These two modes don’t really have any practical function, but they bring the otherwise plain and boring accessory to life.
Of course, it’s still a charging case, but the location of the earbuds is curious. They’re actually outside the box, inserted in silos behind the case and to the sides. It does mean you don’t have to open the case to get the buds and put them back in, leaving more room for essential electronics or a larger battery inside. It also means, however, that the buds have a greater risk of being dislodged and getting lost, which would probably earn a frown on this cute robot’s face.
