CES 2015: Philips’ new noise-cancelling headphones plug into a Lightning port

Last year Philips unveiled a set of headphones that plugged straight into the Lightning port of an iOS device. Just a few months later it’s gone one step further and unveiled a noise-cancelling version of those headphones, the Fidelio NC1L, and they don’t need batteries to work.

The fact that the headphones plug directly into the Lightning port means that the energy required to power the noise-cancelling function is drawn directly from whatever device you’re using. Be it an iPod, iPhone, or iPad. That does have the downside of draining your device’s battery at a much faster rate, but it does mean you can enjoy whatever you’re listening to in peace.

Not having to worry about replacing batteries or recharging the headphones is certainly a major advantage, but the Fidelio NC1L’s setup does mean you get better audio quality as well. That’s because the digital/analogue conversion takes place inside the headphones rather than the phone, and because the analogue signal doesn’t have to travel up a wire there’s less possibility of signal degradation.

We’ve no information about UK availability just yet, but the Fidelio NC1L will be released in North America for $300 (£199).

This week we’re bringing you all the latest news, videos and gossip from CES 2015 in Las Vegas. Check out the CES 2015 page to keep up to date and subscribe to our YouTube channel to see hands-on news with our editor Holly Brockwell from the show floor.