Skip to main content

These glow-in-the-dark Powerbeats power your run while keeping you safe

Glow-in-the-dark paint has all kinds of uses. It can make watch faces and camera markings easier to see at night, it can illuminate bike lane markings, or it can simply make your multimillion-dollar hypercar even harder to ignore. But Beats by Dr. Dre is using the material to create wireless headphones that might offer some safety benefits. Today, the company announced limited-edition, $200 glow-in-the-dark Powerbeats created in collaboration with Japanese fashion brand Ambush.

Glow-in-the-dark Powerbeats 4
Beats by Dr. Dre

It’s the first time Beats has created a glow-in-the-dark product, and it’s the first time it has worked with Ambush, a brand that is probably best known for its line of comic-book-inspired “Pow!” necklaces.

“I live in the middle of Shibuya [Japan] and I am always inspired by how the city just glows at night time,” said Yoon Ahn, the co-founder and creative director for Ambush. “I thought it would be really cool to design a product that could capture that same city energy when you’re outside late at night listening to music.”

With the exception of the glowing paint job, the presence of the Ambush logo, and an included co-branded ripstop pouch, there’s nothing that differentiates these Powerbeats from the company’s normal $150 Powerbeats 4 headphones. The extra $50 is pretty much for bragging rights.

Glow-in-the-dark Powerbeats 4
Beats by Dr. Dre

They feature 15-hour battery life, Apple’s H1 wireless chip for quick and easy pairing with Apple devices and hands-free Siri, and IPX4 water-resistance.

The phosphorescent material in the product’s paint is similar to many other glow-in-the-dark products. To charge it up, you expose it to a light source, whether natural or synthetic. Depending on how bright the light and how long the exposure, the Powerbeats will emit some of that light back in the form of a gentle greenish glow.

Beats wouldn’t offer a concrete number for just how long the glowing effect will last, but it’s, ahem, safe to say that the extra visibility it offers runners and other folks who like to get outside after the sun goes down will help increase safety for as long as it continues to glow.

The limited-edition Powerbeats will be available starting on November 18, at Apple.com, Dover Street Market, select Nordstrom stores, and Nordstrom.com.

Editors' Recommendations

Simon Cohen
Contributing Editor, A/V
Simon Cohen covers a variety of consumer technologies, but has a special interest in audio and video products, like…
The living room tripod is now officially a thing you need
An iPhone on a Peak Design travel tripod.

A carbon fiber Peak Design Travel Tripod is overkill for living room video calls — but it also is very cool. Phil Nickinson / Digital Trends

Now that you can choose between using FaceTime or Zoom on an Apple TV — and that really isn't as much of a lesser of two evils scenario as it sounds — it's time to consider one more accessory to stash inside your living room closet for those special occasions: a proper tripod for your phone.

Read more
The weirdest and wildest AV gear of 2023
The Dyson Zone air-purifying ANC headphones on a model.

This year has been full of some pretty excellent and innovative tech products, and that includes audio/video and home theater gear -- from blisteringly bright TVs to headphones with Wi-Fi and earbud charging cases with LED screens to new-and-improved products from all the big shots like Apple, Sony, Amazon, and more.

But I'm here for the weird stuff. The interesting stuff. The stuff that made our eyes widen and our eyebrows do funny things. And throughout 2023, there have been a few good ones, including a fire-breathing $3,900 surround sound setup, a turntable you might want to eat with a side of fries, and a James Bond-worthy TV in a suitcase. Here, then, is some of the weirdest AV gear of 2023.

Read more
These Sony wireless noise-canceling headphones are $100 today
Sony WH-CH720N Noise Canceling Headphones on the ground

For those who are looking for cheap headphone deals with active noise cancellation, you can't go wrong with the Sony WH-CH720N. They're pretty affordable at their original price of $150, but Best Buy's $50 discount pulls their price down to just $100. We're not sure how much time is remaining on this offer though, so if you want these noise-canceling headphones, you're going to have to proceed with the purchase right away to be able to take advantage of the savings. If you don't act fast, there's a chance that you miss out.

Why you should buy the Sony WH-CH720N wireless headphones
The Sony WH-CH720N wireless headphones are affordable, but they come with active noise cancellation, which is one of the features highlighted in our headphone buying guide. Their Dual Noise Sensor technology blocks all unwanted sound, but you they also offer an adjustable Ambient Sound mode with 20 level settings so you can listen to your surroundings and your music at the same time. The Sony WH-CH720N also have Adaptive Sound Control, which automatically adjusts Ambient Sound settings depending on where you are and what you're doing.

Read more