TWS headphones have undergone rapid development over the past few years, with continuous technological advancements driving the improvement of their basic functions. The addition of new features such as active noise cancellation, call noise reduction, and fast charging has effectively enhanced user experience, leading to a richer range of application scenarios and increasing consumer recognition. New products are continually being launched, and sales are steadily climbing.
The competition for new products in the first half of 2021 remains fierce, with dozens of products already launched. Smartphone manufacturers and audio companies have released their latest products. In May alone, flagship new products from brands such as Huawei, Xiaomi, OPPO, vivo, Edifier, and Soundcore were announced, all supporting active noise cancellation and featuring significant performance improvements, with sound quality becoming a hot topic for this year’s new products.
The richness of product functions and performance improvements are directly related to the efforts of supply chain manufacturers of Bluetooth main control chips, power management, sensors, batteries, and more. Excellent products are more likely to be favored and adopted by brand manufacturers.
Recently, I Love Audio reported on the eight most popular Bluetooth main control chips for TWS headphones among Chinese engineers in 2021, introducing true wireless Bluetooth headphones from multiple perspectives, including their characteristics, advantages, and current market conditions, and analyzing the importance of Bluetooth main control chips, along with application cases and function interpretations of eight Bluetooth audio SoCs.
This time, I Love Audio will again recommend ten power management chips frequently used in new TWS headphones in 2021. Let’s take a look at the products available for TWS headphone engineers to choose from~
1. How big is the TWS headphone market?
In September 2016, the launch of Apple’s AirPods revolutionized the headphone industry and opened the door to the true wireless headphone era. In recent years, as the Bluetooth connection of TWS headphones has become more stable, latency issues have been resolved, and features such as active noise cancellation and call noise reduction have been promoted, the market’s acceptance of TWS headphones has continuously increased, leading the industry into a phase of explosive growth.
According to data from I Love Audio’s “2021 TWS Headphone Industry White Paper”, the global shipment volume of branded TWS headphones in 2020 was about 250 million pairs, and it is expected to reach 551 million pairs by 2024. From 2020 to 2024, the growth rate of branded TWS headphones will slow down, but the compound annual growth rate of market shipments will still reach as high as 19.8%. Additionally, based on data from multiple channel suppliers, the shipment volume of white-label headphones in 2020 was about 350 million pairs, and it is expected to exceed 500 million pairs by 2024.
In the next five years, with the continuous accumulation and maturation of technologies such as Bluetooth, sensors, and batteries, as well as the increasing market penetration, the TWS headphone industry will continue to develop rapidly, with the potential to become a consumer electronics item with annual shipments exceeding 1 billion, second only to smartphones.
2. Why are power management chips important?
The biggest feature of TWS headphones is that the inclusion of a built-in battery allows them to avoid the constraints of wires. However, due to the size limitations of the headphones, battery life is a significant pain point for TWS headphones. While the use of a charging case does not enhance the single-use battery life, it greatly improves the convenience of charging, and with the addition of fast charging features, it effectively enhances the user’s actual experience.
The power management chip is one of the most important configurations in the charging case, primarily responsible for charging the internal battery of the charging case, boosting the output of the charging case’s internal battery to charge the headphones, and many products also support protection functions, improving charging speed, accurately controlling current and voltage, and reducing damage to the headphones’ battery, making it very important in TWS headphones.
Currently, there are two mainstream charging methods for charging case power management chips in the market: switch charging and linear charging. Compared to linear charging, switch charging significantly improves power conversion efficiency, reduces thermal loss, and generates less heat on the chip and circuit board under the same charging current, especially advantageous during high current charging.
3. Top 10 Power Management Chips Preferred by Engineers
I Love Audio has selected ten power management chips adopted by new TWS headphones in 2021 from numerous domestic and international manufacturers, along with application cases and function interpretations, to provide selection references for engineers. Everyone can vote for your favorite power management chip.
The following is a detailed introduction and application case of the ten power management chips, sorted alphabetically by brand name, with no ranking implied.
1. ETA Yutai Semiconductor ETA9084
Yutai Semiconductor ETA9084 is an ultra-low power TWS charging case chip that supports input overvoltage, output overcurrent, short circuit protection, and battery overcharge/discharge protection, with all protections fully covered; it has four indicator lights for charging, full charge, discharge, and battery level.
The ETA9084 features comprehensive functionality, with an input voltage tolerance of up to 20V, a constant output of 5V, and a standby power consumption of 10uA; the charging current is flexibly adjustable, with a maximum of 1A, suitable for various battery types; it includes an EN enable control, allowing for more functions in conjunction with a microcontroller; it has a rich I/O port status, excellent compatibility with microcontrollers, and supports charging, full charge, discharge, and low battery indication; it also includes charging NTC temperature protection for added safety and reliability; the ESOP package is simple and easy to mount, with a DFN small package saving space, with two packaging options available.
Application Case:
1MORE ComfoBuds Pro True Wireless Noise Cancelling Headphones
2. INJOINIC IP5518
INJOINIC IP5518 is a multifunctional power management SoC that integrates an MCU, 5V boost converter, lithium battery charging management, and battery level indication, which can work with different headphone main control platforms to achieve UART communication.
Application Case:
AUKEY EP-M1 True Wireless Bluetooth Headphones
3. LPS LP7801T
LPS LP7801T is an ultra-low power charging boost chip designed for small capacity lithium batteries for charging/discharging, integrating a linear charging management module, low power synchronous boost discharge management module, with built-in power MOS, external programmable charging current, maximum charging current of 1A, with a standby current of <10uA (including headphones and protection board) at a constant output of 5V.
The LP7801T adopts an ESOP-8 package, with built-in OVP, and an NTC that is accurately adjustable, with an input voltage tolerance of 36V, eliminating the need for input overvoltage protection components, and a standby current of 1uA; the efficiency of the boost module reaches 95%, with high voltage tolerance on the switch pin, fixed 5.1V output, fewer peripherals, and low ripple.
Application Cases:
QCY T11 True Wireless Bluetooth Headphones
QCY T10 True Wireless Bluetooth Headphones
UGREEN HiTune T1 True Wireless Bluetooth Headphones
Himalaya AI True Wireless Headphones
4. NuVolta NU1680
NuVolta’s NU1680 is a highly integrated and compact wireless power receiving chip designed for wireless power receivers with a power of less than 5W, achieving the industry’s smallest package of 16-QFN 3.0mm×3.0mm, providing a significant competitive advantage. It integrates a synchronous rectifier, eliminating the need for a bootstrap capacitor, with a charging efficiency of ≥70%.
The NU1680 can provide a wide range of voltage regulation from 3.5V to 9V, and can adjust the output voltage to track the battery voltage, reducing the power consumption of the charging system. Additionally, it supports standard protection functions such as overcurrent protection, short circuit protection, overvoltage protection, and thermal shutdown. It complies with WPC Qi certification, offering advantages of high efficiency and low cost. This 5W wireless charging receiving chip can be widely applied in TWS headphones, electric toothbrushes, e-cigarettes, smartwatches, electric shavers, and other application areas.
Application Cases:
Redmi AirDots3 Pro True Wireless Noise Cancelling Headphones
OPPO Enco X True Wireless Noise Cancelling Headphones
Xiaomi FlipBuds Pro True Wireless Noise Cancelling Headphones
Marshall Mode II True Wireless Bluetooth Headphones
5. SAMSUNG MUA01
SAMSUNG’s self-developed integrated power management chip MUA01 is the industry’s first solution supporting both wireless and wired charging in a single chip, with a very simplified peripheral circuit, supporting the wireless charging alliance (WPC) Qi 1.2.4 wireless charging standard. To provide effective power management, MUA01 integrates an efficient switch charger; it also incorporates an MCU and embedded flash memory (eFlash), allowing for over-the-air firmware upgrades, reducing the use of peripheral components and minimizing board area.
Application Cases:
Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro True Wireless Noise Cancelling Headphones
6. Sinhmicro SS881A
Sinhmicro SS881A is an integrated AD-type Flash microcontroller that includes a power management unit and charging management unit, providing fully software-configurable real-time settings for charging voltage and current. SS881X is one of the products in the Sinhmicro POWR MCU series, integrating rich power management functions to meet comprehensive demands for charging flexibility and safety.
Application Cases:
realme Buds Air 2 True Wireless Noise Cancelling Headphones
OPPO Enco Air Dynamic Edition
Edifier Lollipods Pro True Wireless Noise Cancelling Headphones
Edifier FunBuds True Wireless Noise Cancelling Headphones
Edifier TWS NB2 True Wireless Active Noise Cancelling Headphones
7. Sinhmicro SS809
Sinhmicro SS809 is an AD-type microcontroller integrated with charging and discharging management, featuring rich interface functions, flexible configuration modes, and various low-power options. It is primarily used in portable electronic devices that require charging and intelligent control, bringing streamlined peripheral costs, excellent performance, and convenient development.
The SS809 includes a linear charging unit for charging lithium batteries, as well as a dedicated headphone communication interface, enabling bidirectional communication between the charging case and headphones. It also supports wireless charging with the QW series, meeting different product specification requirements. The SS809 integrates an MCU microprocessor and embedded flash memory, making it easier to upgrade its firmware, allowing engineers to add personalized customization features. Especially in terms of battery level display, it supports not only the control of 1-5 indicator lights but also RGB lighting effects, LED 188 digital tubes, and custom patterns, providing engineers with the freedom to program.
Application Cases:：
Skullcandy Jib True True Wireless Bluetooth Headphones
Teardown Report: Philips TAT1285 True Wireless Bluetooth Headphones
Lenovo True Wireless Bluetooth Headphones TC03
Edifier TO-U2 True Wireless Bluetooth Headphones Heart Edition
8. TI BQ25619
TI BQ25619 is an I2C controlled 1.5A single-cell buck battery charger with a termination current of 20mA and a boost current of 1A, integrating charging, boost conversion, and voltage protection functions into a single device for charging the battery and headphones.
Application Cases:
OPPO Enco Air True Wireless Bluetooth Headphones
Libratone AIR+ 2nd Generation Noise Cancelling True Wireless Headphones
9. TPS SY8821
SY8821 is a simplified application charging case single-chip solution carefully crafted by TPS, meeting the power characteristics required by all Bluetooth main controls, with options for constant 5V output and droop voltage mode, with a low constant output power consumption of 3uA, flexible configuration of 1-4 indicator lights, no need for custom part numbers, button and Hall control options without requiring an external MCU, allowing for TWS charging case application design with a single chip, greatly reducing stock risk. In the current reality of semiconductor supply shortages, SY8821 is an optimal product for ensuring delivery. All charging case solutions from TPS have passed IEC62368 certification requirements, reducing customer risk of over-certification.
Application Cases:
Baidu Smart True Wireless Headphones S1
Baseus AirNora True Wireless Bluetooth Headphones
Fenda Technology E2 True Wireless Bluetooth Headphones
10. TPS SY8801
TPS SY8801 is a TWS headphone charging case SOC designed specifically for TWS headphone charging cases. It ensures safety and high reliability in its design (supporting 28V input voltage tolerance, with built-in full-function overvoltage, overcurrent, overtemperature, and short circuit protection functions), and integrates I2C communication functionality and internal communication isolation. Through the I2C interface, the system’s MCU can read and configure the internal functions of the power supply, as well as parameters for battery charging and discharging management, easily implementing functions such as NTC protection, segmented battery current adjustment, TWS headphone docking and undocking detection, and automatic power output activation.
Application Cases:
OPPO Enco Free2 True Wireless Noise Cancelling Headphones
Marshall Mode II True Wireless Bluetooth Headphones
Soundcore Noise Cancelling True Wireless Headphones
I Love Audio Summary
Through the teardown of the new TWS headphones in 2021, I Love Audio has selected the above ten power management chips favored by engineers in the current TWS headphone market. These include products from eight chip manufacturers: Yutai Semiconductor, INJOINIC, LPS, NuVolta, Samsung, Sinhmicro, Texas Instruments, and TPS.
With the stable and healthy development of TWS headphones, products have undergone several generations of iterations, and consumers have raised higher demands on the performance and safety of TWS headphones, with battery life being a crucial aspect. The safety of charging and the speed of charging directly impact the user’s actual experience.
Although power management chips for charging cases do not have high charging and discharging power compared to traditional devices, they have relatively high requirements for low power consumption, high voltage tolerance, and high integration for products like TWS headphones that demand high portability. From the summary, it can be observed that multiple products are being developed towards high integration SoC single-chip directions, integrating MCU functions to achieve two-in-one, three-in-one, or even six-in-one charging management solutions, reducing brand R&D costs and enhancing product performance.
I Love Audio’s industry analysis reports continue to be updated, and we welcome major intelligent wearable technology, factories, and component manufacturers to actively contact us to let more people know about valuable products 😀
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