Top Tech And Design Trends For 2022: 360 Degree Audio, VR and 5G

By Robyn Foyster Robyn Foyster has been verified by Muck Rack's editorial team
on 17 January 2022

This year the tech and design world showcased an emphasis on 360 degree audio, VR, 5G and an elevated era of working remotely.

Airpods Max
Apple Airpods Max

There was a big focus on rebuilding home audio and tech systems to adjust to working from home, but also for at home entertainment purposes – with ‘home theatre’a top searched term on Google in Australia during early July.

Some of the top international audio brands are predicting the trends we’ll see in the audio and tech space for 2022.

retro

Retro rivals Modernism

Already trending across fashion, design and tech at the back end of 2021 – retro is in. Romy Roug,

Global Marketing Manager for global leader in handcrafted loudspeakers, Dynaudio, predicts that in

2022 we will see the continued resurgence of retro, vintage and Y2K audio designs too. This has

been increasingly evident year on year, with consumers gravitating towards brand designs typical of

early 2000’s tech.

The recent comeback of wired headphones (as an accessory or for intended use) is likely to spill over

into 2022. Could the ‘retro’ trend possibly be due to the wave of nostalgia that the pandemic has

brought to consumers?

Sustainable

Sustainable Tech Boom

Romy Roug of Dynaudio also reveals that the industry has put a greater focus into how sustainable

the entire supply chain is regarding the creation of tech products. “Cradle-to-cradle” is a buzzword

that has been increasingly used in relation to the sustainability of materials and processes being

used when creating new products. While it’s been a recurring theme in most industries in the past

few years, it’s predicted the tech industry will see a big leap in this journey in 2022.

Apple_design-awards_shapr3d-app_06292020

Design Meets Consumer Tech

Popular design elements from 2021 are set to carry over into tech in 2022. Warm neutrals and

earthy tones (such as shades of green and yellow) have been the most popular for elements of

design, so it’s likely we’ll see these filter into the consumer tech market.

Nick Renshaw, PR Manager for multi-award winning UK hi-fi brand, Q Acoustics, is predicting top

tech brands to be inspired by another design element in the creation of products: Reductionism.

This is becoming a popular element of design that involves creating a minimalistic look by reducing

the number of factors that go into a design.

Consumers are also attracted to lux looking materials used for creating products. Designers are

shifting to build an experience for the consumer that uses the product, and lux materials give this

feel. Tech is no different, ensuring the consumer is drawn to the products to match the aesthetic of

their home.

Samsung-Freestyle
Samsung Freestyle

Return to a Portable World

The past two years have brought a lot of adjustments to ‘normal’ life, two of those being a switch to

spending more time indoors and working from home. This also challenged the way in which we use

audio products. Consumers have been upgrading work, entertainment, and audio systems to adjust

to the impacts of lockdown. As we return to ‘normal living’ and begin to move around more, we will

likely see the demand shift back to more portable products.

QLED-8K_Ambient-Mode-_Samsung-1
QLED-8K_Ambient-Mode Samsung

Quality above All

Clare Newsome, Head of PR for British audio leader, Naim, predicts an increasing desire for quality,

including a return to true hi-fi in the home. Convenience remains key, but with a greater

appreciation for superb performance and built-to-last design. An investment in authentic musical

experiences for years to come, rather than ‘throwaway’ products are on the rise.

On a related note, Nick Renshaw of Q Acoustics also foresees high resolution audio streaming

continuing to rise in popularity as consumers move to 4K TV’s, 5G networks, and invest into home

theatre set ups. TV sound enhancement is moving to Active/Powered products as an upgrade to

sound bars, for consumers who want to combine great stereo sound imaging for music with

immersive sound for movies

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