The only things guaranteed in life are death, taxes, and kids being reliably entertained by something incredibly loud and annoying. For this generation, it’s a tablet, but instead of taking away their tech for some peace and quiet, you can just give them more, because Logitech’s new Zone Learn headphones are specifically designed to survive the abuse kids heap upon their gadgets.
The Logitech Zone Learn are based on the wired version of the Logitech Zone headphones, which were designed specifically for the return to crowded office life, where video calls (that could have just been an email) are still more common than ever. The $US129 ($179) Logitech Zone feature a flip down boom mic with noise cancellation so other voices in the office won’t be heard in the background of a call, as well as an inline remote control on the headphone cable with dedicated buttons for muting or ending calls.
The Logitech Zone Learn look very similar to the adult-focused Zone headphones, but instead of being designed for the workplace, they’ve been reimagined as a more affordable solution for schools, and feature several improvements to make them better suited to a younger user base.
Aside from a snazzy blue and orange colour finish, the Zone Learn headphones feature extended adjustability to ensure a comfortable fit for users all the way from kindergarten up through grade 12 (good luck getting a teenager to wear these). The flip-down boom mic is still included, and the Zone Learn’s drivers are tuned to enhance speech instead of music, as the headphones are specifically designed to be used for video calls or apps that help kids learn to read. Basically, they’re intended for any situation where kids need to be able to clearly hear and follow along, even in a noisy classroom setting.
The Zone Learn headphones feature “reinforced subassemblies” so they can easily survive drops off a desk, and are designed to be easily wiped clean thousands and times without any visible wear and tear. They also offer an improved level of repairability, with two ear cup style options — on-ear and over-ear — that can be removed and reinstalled with a simple twist.
Logitech also offers three four-foot cable options for the Zone Learn headphones: USB-A for older laptops, USB-C for more modern laptops and mobile devices such as tablets and smartphones, and a classic 3.5mm audio cable for connecting to devices still rocking a headphone jack.
To make it easier to manage what could potentially be hundreds of the headphones at a single school, the Zone Learn are only offered with a headphone cable, taking charging out of the equation. That approach also ensures that dead batteries or Bluetooth connectivity problems never hinder their use, and you won’t find a single shortcut button anywhere on the headphones, which could easily become a distraction for kids.
At launch, the Logitech Zone Learn will be exclusively available to schools and other educational institutions, and will come pre-configured with either of the ear cup styles and one of the three cable options (although replacements of both can be purchased separately) for just $US35 ($49). Logitech also plans to sell the Zone Learn headphones individually starting sometime “in early summer” and while they will only include the over-ear earcups, they will come with both a USB-C and 3.5mm cable for $US40 ($56).