Components
Practical, neutral guidance on sourcing true wireless earbuds — from choosing a supplier to reading a quotation. Written from the supply-side, for the buy-side.
The parts below are the building blocks every TWS project is assembled from. Each card names the leading suppliers in that category and the spec that most affects what the earbud costs and how it sounds.
Qualcomm, BES (Bestechnic), Actions, Airoha, Realtek. Decides Bluetooth version, codec support (SBC/AAC/LDAC), ANC processing and standby power.
Key spec: BT version + ANC channels + codec
6mm–13mm dynamic drivers, or hybrid BA+dynamic. Driver size, diaphragm material and tuning determine the entire sound signature.
Key spec: size + sensitivity + THD
Earbud cells ~25–60mAh, case cells ~300–600mAh. VARTA, ATL, EVE. Cell grade and cycle life drive both runtime and long-term reliability.
Key spec: capacity + charge cycles
1–6 MEMS mics for ENC (environmental noise cancellation). Goertek, AAC, Knowles. Mic count and array quality make or break call clarity.
Key spec: mic count + SNR
LDS, FPC or ceramic antennas. Placement and tuning decide connection stability — the #1 cause of earbud dropouts and pairing complaints.
Key spec: type + gain + efficiency
Wired or wireless (Qi) charging, with or without display. Case battery capacity and power-management IC set the total on-the-go runtime.
Key spec: battery + wireless support