"Smart earphones, as a combination of technology, music and life, will definitely become trendy in the near future," said a company executive on Thursday.

"The smart earphone market will witness an explosive growth this year and we will tap into this rising market," said Miao Jingwei, product manager of Funcl, a headphone maker.

Miao made the remarks as Funcl unveiled its latest wireless earphones in Beijing on Thursday, as part of the young startup's ambition to challenge major earphones in the market including AirPods from Apple Inc and FreeBuds from Huawei Technologies Co Ltd.

The gadgets include an AI wireless headphone using Snapdragon technologies from Qualcomm, which will enable users to power AI voice assistant and real-time translation.

According the company, the time delay rate of this latest earphone was only 60 milliseconds, which is the best not only in China but also across the world.

"We want to make 'internet earphones', meaning that most people are able to enjoy benefits brought by high-tech smart headphones," said Miao.

Echoing his words, the startup set the two new products at a low price, 299 yuan ($47) and 99 yuan each, hoping to attract more young consumers.