Urbanista's Los Angeles are self-charging, solar-powered wireless headphones

Urbanista announce launch of Los Angeles solar powered wireless headphones
(Image credit: Urbanista)

In the race to extend the battery life of wireless headphones to limitless proportions, Urbanista believes it has found a way to offer audio lovers "virtually infinite” playtime while helping the environment at the same time. 

The Swedish audio brand has announced the release of the Los Angeles self-charging headphones using Powerfoyle solar cell technology (by fellow Swedish firm Exeger), which it says can convert both natural and artificial light into power.

Urbanista claims that the over-ears will constantly charge when exposed to light: an hour of sunlight will supposedly generate three hours of playtime, while even an hour in cloudy conditions will yield two hours of playback. They also have conventional USB-C charging and a hefty 50-hour battery reserve in the off chance you spend a lot of your time in the dark. 

This isn’t the first time we’ve heard of a brand developing solar-powered headphones – JBL, Sola and Helios have all attempted crowdfunding campaigns for similar products.

The Los Angeles headphones have Bluetooth 5 connectivity and feature both active noise cancellation as well as an Ambient Sound Mode that allows you to stay more aware of your surroundings. On-ear detection pauses audio when the cups are removed and restarts it when they are put back in place, too.

The Urbanista Los Angeles wireless headphones cost £169 ($199).

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Mary is a staff writer at What Hi-Fi? and has over a decade of experience working as a sound engineer mixing live events, music and theatre. Her mixing credits include productions at The National Theatre and in the West End, as well as original musicals composed by Mark Knopfler, Tori Amos, Guy Chambers, Howard Goodall and Dan Gillespie Sells.