Samsung wants to remind you it did wireless buds first

With Apple effectively consigning the headphone port to the tech grave with the launch of the iPhone 7, users will now have to make the switch to wireless or try not to lose the in-box adapter in order to listen to tunes.

The announcement was met with people predictably freaking out about the change, but it turns out rival Samsung was also willing to fire some shots at the company.

In a week when all people could talk about was Apple’s new AirPods (ones that look and cost around the same as earrings), Sammy decided to post an interview on its blog with the designers of its own wireless earbuds.

Senior designer Seounghyun Son said: “It was nice to be in a position to set new rules – designing a new and completely cord-free product. But it was also challenging, as a lot of functions needed to be packaged in such a small frame.”

Whether Son is referring to the Gear IconX as a new foray for simply the company or the industry in general is unclear, but there also appears to be some AirPod shade-throwing when discussing the materials used.

The IconX earbuds feature rubber ends, while Apple’s fresh product is essentially a wireless alternative to its plastic EarPods.

Sammy engineer Sunghan Park said: “A harder material would be durable, but might hurt when worn.”

While the South Korean tech giant was the first to bring the idea to production, it does offer the more expensive wireless alternative of the two.

Its Gear IconX headphones are available for £169 in the UK, while you’ll be able to fix Apple’s AirPods into your ears for £159 when they go on sale next month.