Wired headphones and other retro gear are having a comeback

Remember the earbuds with the white cord that plugged into your phone or iPod from like, 20ish years ago? They’re back. Bose announced new wired earbuds this week and is calling the renewed interest a “cultural renaissance.” It’s all part of a larger, “old-is-new” analog tech comeback.

Wired headphones are all over social media. People love them, including Instagram user Zayynelly, who posted a reel about it.

Paul Gagnon, vice president and industry advisor at Circana, said consumers spent 16% more on wired headphones in 2026.

“This kind of throwback nostalgia to a simpler time with a device that just does a very simple, basic function, but sparks maybe some joy,” he said — like popping in a CD or calling a friend on a landline, the kind with the curly cord.

Gagnon said this isn’t necessarily about saving money. “Everybody has a camera in their smartphone. Why would somebody want to buy a $150 point-and-shoot camera? It's for the experience.”

It’s novel for Gen Z, said Eric Athas, the author of “Saying No to New.”

“They're the generation that has known Amazon Prime and apps,” he said. “This is all they've known their whole lives.”

Twenty-eight-year-old Andrew Roth recently switched to an analog alarm clock.

“Instead of rolling over and grabbing your phone and checking it, you have like five to 10 minutes of peace in the morning,” he said.

Roth added that as AI surges, people are reevaluating their relationship with technology and thinking, “‘hey, maybe this is not so good for us and for the world around us.’”

Roth’s company, Offline, promotes another throwback: meeting up with people in real life.