AirB is a true wireless earphone launched by BKAV at the beginning of December. Priced at 1.49 million VND for the standard version and 2.99 million VND for the Pro version, BKAV claims that AirB “is equipped with all flagship features” such as Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) Hybrid, transparency mode, water resistance, and call interference reduction…
According to BKAV’s official announcement, the company asserts that AirB is “the first high-end True Wireless earphones designed and manufactured in Vietnam.” On the product packaging, BKAV also clearly states that AirB “Manufactured in 2021 in Vietnam.”
However, data recorded from an import/export management website indicates that BKAV has imported thousands of charging cases from a Chinese company. Specifically, the first shipment included 3,000 units named “Bluetooth earphone charging case (not including earphones), Model: AirB, code CUM-E02A-SAC”. The second shipment consisted of 850 units named “Bluetooth earphone charging case (not including earphones), Model: AirB Pro, code CUM-E02B-SAC.”
Both shipments originated from the manufacturer “Geekor” in China, arriving at Nội Bài International Airport (Hanoi). The trade dates for these shipments were on November 18, 2021, and November 24, 2021, just 2-3 weeks before BKAV officially launched the AirB earphones (December 5, 2021).
Coincidentally, on November 23, BKAV’s CEO Nguyễn Tử Quảng also acknowledged that he had just had the chance to hold the commercial version (MP) of AirB. “As you all know, today the first MP products have just been released. Even for me, today is the first time I officially have the MP version of AirB in hand,” Quảng wrote on Facebook.
The import price for both the AirB and AirB Pro charging cases is 3.56 USD each, equivalent to 81,000 VND. The reason the “Pro” version’s charging case costs the same as the standard version is that the structure of both versions’ charging cases is identical, differing only in the “Pro” label printed on the packaging. Previously, a BKAV employee was publicly criticized by CEO Nguyễn Tử Quảng for “sending the wrong” sample version of AirB to a reviewer, where the earphones were the standard version, but the charging case was for the Pro.
The only difference between the AirB and AirB Pro charging cases is the word “Pro” printed on the back.
In total, BKAV spent 3,026 USD (69 million VND) for 850 AirB Pro charging cases, and 10,680 USD (244 million VND) for 3,000 standard AirB charging cases. As clearly stated in the shipment name, the imported batch only included charging cases and did not include the earphones, so the actual value of a complete AirB remains a mystery.
Previously, on social media, CEO Nguyễn Tử Quảng shared some images of the production line for the AirB earphones. In this post, he stated that BKAV had to design various jigs and robots to produce AirB, as the AirB has a “unique” design that is “not available off the shelf.”
“The jigs and robots mentioned above were all designed by BKAV engineers. Some of you ask why BKAV had to create their own instead of buying ready-made machines. The issue is that these machines had to be specifically designed for the UNIQUE DESIGN of AirB. They are not available off the shelf. Thanks to the core technology R&D process over decades, BKAV can achieve this,” Quảng asserted on social media.
However, the images only show the earphone production process and do not mention the charging case. It is known that the AirB earphones are produced by Synopex Co., Ltd., based in Bắc Ninh.
Another product that BKAV is relying on a Chinese partner for is the Bphone A series. According to information we’ve gathered, all four models of the Bphone A series—A40, A50, A60, and A85 5G—were ordered from a partner named Coosea based in Shenzhen. Nguyễn Tử Quảng previously stated that the reason BKAV follows the ODM model is to reduce selling prices, making it easier to reach customers.