Say this for Starbucks: The coffee may just taste like burnt, but the merch is usually good. The last example, if spotted by 9to5Googleis a collaboration with Samsung (unfortunately only in South Korea) who has made branded cases for the Galaxy S22 series and the Galaxy Buds 2.
One of the Buds 2 case options is a dark green case with a Starbucks logo. (Boring.) The other is a small white mug with a handle and fake latte art with the top flipping away to reveal your earbuds. (Less boring!) Thanks to the giant mermaid logo on the side, it won’t appeal to anyone but the most diehard of Starbucks javaheads, and I suppose I should point out that I’ve never had a Starbucks barista draw a picture perfect . foam sheet on my drink, but I love it anyway.
Samsung also has a history with nice cases like this one. For example, you might remember his pokéball cover for the Buds, which he released last month – also exclusive to South Korea. Like that one, the mug is just hilariously impractical: It takes a small, unobtrusive pocket-sized case and it turns into something loud and impractical. To give you an idea of the size of the thing, you actually put your whole charger down inside the mug. There are no new features and no extra battery capacity in that big body – just more gadget for your gadget.
But why shouldn’t chargers be more fun for fun? The mug is just a cute desk accessory, a place to store your entire earbud set so you don’t have to constantly rummage through your pockets and desk to find that little case. And if you carry the wallet type, a larger and more elongated suitcase can actually be a good thing. The world could use a more chaotic take on cases and chargers in general.
It’s not yet clear what the new Samsung Starbucks merchandise will cost when it goes on sale tomorrow, and since they’re limited and exclusive to South Korea, you probably won’t be able to get your hands on one. But my eBay warning for “coffee mug Buds case” is already set.
