Recently, wired headphones, which have been eliminated for almost 10 years, have unexpectedly become popular and have become the most talked about phenomenon-level product in the headphone circle.
A report from research firm Circana shows that wired headphones have rebounded strongly after five years of sales decline, with sales soaring 20% in the first three months of 2026.
Picture from Xiaohongshu netizen
"No need to charge, no need to worry about losing, no need to pair, just plug it in and listen, the sound quality is better than a thousand-yuan headset." This comment, which has been wildly forwarded on social platforms, accurately summarizes the core logic of this "reverse upgrade". There are multiple reasons behind this retro trend: First, it is the reincarnation of fashion. Australian actor Jacob Elordi, supermodel Bella Hadid, Jennie, Ning Zhuoyi and many other stars frequently wear wired headphones for appearances, making white cords a low-cost yet highly recognizable styling item.
Li Ronghao also shared on Weibo that he likes to use wired headphones without charging.
Secondly, wired headphones are an absolute victory in cost-effectiveness. Apple EarPods sell for 149 yuan, while AirPods 4 sell for 999 yuan, and the noise reduction version is as high as 1,399 yuan. The price of wired headphones is less than one-seventh of wireless headphones. More importantly, wired earphones solve two major pain points of wireless earphones: battery life anxiety – TWS earphones can last for 5-11 hours at a time, and even shorter after the battery decays, while wired earphones never need to be charged; they are easy to lose – it costs 500 yuan to lose an AirPods, while it costs 20 yuan to buy another pair of wired earphones. In addition, wired headphones also have a "social shielding" function. The white wire sends out a "do not disturb" signal from a distance. This is a visual social status that wireless headphones are difficult to provide.
Netizen: I support!
Because I lost my wireless
"Who on earth canceled the headphone jack? That's why I haven't changed my phone yet."
“But the phone doesn’t have a hole to plug in wired headphones.”
“I used to get headphones when I bought a mobile phone, but now I don’t even get them anymore.”
“And the sound quality is extremely good!”
"The key is that the original hole is gone, and you still have to charge it…"
“I just knew that fashion is a cycle.”
"You don't need to charge it and you don't have to worry about losing it. I just lost a Bluetooth headset today."
"I support it! Because I lost my wireless."
