Apple Beats Gets Some Competition with the Launch of Samsung’s High-End Headphone Line ‘Level’


SamsungLevel2Apple and Samsung have long resided in enemy camps due to the multitude of lawsuits, patent wars and accusations of blatant copycatting surrounding their smartphone products. This week Samsung upped the competitive ante with their new line of high-end headphones, Level, set to compete with the recently Apple-acquired Beats line. The Level lineup became available in the United States today and offers four different products to suit your needs: two pairs of headphones, a set of earbuds and a Bluetooth-enabled speaker; all strikingly similar to products currently offered in the Apple Beats lineup. While the names of each device are fairly self-explanatory, we’re taking a look at what’s so great about them, and how they stack up against their Apple counterparts.

SamsungLevel1The Level Over is an over the ear headphone and their top-of-the-line offering. This particular headphone is set to compete with the Beats ‘Studio’ wireless headphones, but for just a little less (the Level Over retails at $349.99 while the Beats Studio will set you back $379.95). The Level Over offers Bluetooth connectivity, Active Noise Cancellation, NFC pairing and a “powerful, clear, sharp sound”. Additionally, a detachable audio cable offers further connectivity options, with a microphone and remote control for your smartphone. For those who want even more control of their sound intake, Samsung even offers an Android app called “SoundAlive” that allows for personalized EQ customization.

SamsungLevel3The Level On earphones sit –surprise, surprise - on the ear and promise to deliver a “powerful, clear and pure sound”. They are similar to the Over in look, but slightly more compact and are foldable for easy transport. Plus, they lack the touch controls and Bluetooth connectivity of the Over. Most comparable to the Beats Solo, another wired headphone currently retailing at $199.95, the Level On is priced at a slightly more affordable $179.99.

The Level In, if you haven’t already guessed, is the in-ear/earbud member of the Level family. Samsung claims the Level In will give music lovers a “three-way speaker system” that delivers “clear sound separation and rich, natural sound quality”. While they seem a little pricy for earbuds, at $149.99, they are right on par with their Apple Beats counterpart, the Tour, which currently retails for $149.95.

SamsungLevelThe Level Box is a wireless Bluetooth speaker that boasts 15 hours of playback per charge, NFC, an integrated HD microphone and control buttons. While the Box’s closest competition will be from Apple’s own Bluetooth speaker, the Beats Pill, there are several similar products on the market that will give the Box a run for its money. As far as cost goes, the Box comes in just a little under the Pill at $169.99 (the Pill retails for $199.95). Test groups with TechCrunch were recently given the opportunity to sample various speaker offerings in this category and reported that Samsung’s Level Box delivered exceptional build quality and performance when compared to similarly-sized options in the same price range. Even better, the Level Box is priced slightly lower than some of their most popular competitors, like Logitech’s UE Boom and Bose’s SoundLink Mini.

The Samsung Level line launched exclusively on Gilt.com and will be available through Amazon starting next week as well as at Best Buy beginning July 27th.

Topics: Technology News Apple Gadgets & Peripherals Samsung Smartphones & Mobile Devices

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