The CMF Phone 1 looks like a solid budget phone that features a swappable back cover schtick reminiscent of the ancient HTC Tattoo. What caught my eye, though, are the CMF earbuds and their case, which rocks a volume wheel. Now I want my next earbud charging case to have one.

A Volume Dial on a Charging Case Could Actually Be Useful

As a Galaxy Buds Pro owner, I can confidently say that their automatic voice detection feature works as well as a screen door on a submarine. Most of the time, the feature doesn’t work when I want it. It ignores my voice on a regular basis, and it kicks in when I don’t need it—every single time I clear my throat.

The shoddy voice detection left me with no choice but to disable it. The solution was to map the manual transparency mode toggle to my earbuds’ touch and hold gesture, instead of reserving said gesture for volume control. So now, the only way to manage the sound volume while using my Galaxy Buds Pro is with my phone.

But reaching for my phone to adjust the volume usually results in a quick lock screen glance. A quick glance at the lock screen often leads to me unlocking the phone and checking it for no reason other than habit. A volume wheel-rocking earbud charging case would prevent me from unlocking and glancing at my phone every time I want to tweak the sound volume, which would be pretty neat.

Not only that, but a volume knob on my earbud charging case would also allow me to freely adjust the volume on every device I use the earbuds with, be that a PC, console, or TV.

Built-in Volume Controls Could Diversify Charging Case Designs

The only differentiating factors in the ho-hum world of earbud charging case design are the shape of the case and the presence of transparent details, like on the Nothing Ear 2 and the fresh-from-the-oven Galaxy Buds Pro 3.

Adding a volume wheel would shake up the bland and unexciting field of earbud charging cases, and the possibilities are endless. For starters, you’ve got the old-school volume wheel design with only the tip of the wheel being visible, like on the legendary Sony Walkman.

Then you’ve got the volume knob-like implementation, which is the route Nothing took when designing the CMF Earbuds case.

I could also see phone-like volume rockers, touch-based volume controls, or a volume control touch bar similar to those on some ASUS mechanical gaming keyboards.

Or what about an iPod-like jog dial Apple could slap on the AirPods Pro Gen3 charging case? Imagine an AirPods Pro Gen3 charging case equipped with a touch-based or mechanical jog wheel you can use to adjust the volume and control playback. Something similar to the TinyPod Apple Watch case below, just without the screen.

In the case of the mechanical variant, the wheel could fit flush with the surface of the charging case and feature a nice and robust tactile feedback that would kick in when you rotate it clockwise and anticlockwise to adjust the sound volume. Tactile volume dials would not only inject a breath of originality and utility into the world of earbud charging cases; they would also bring back a dose of physicality and tactility to the otherwise bland, sterile, and touch-only smartphone experience.

A Volume Dial on My Earbuds’ Charging Case Would Be a Great Fidget Toy

Lastly, an earbud charging case equipped with a volume dial would be a perfect fidget toy when out and about. For instance, I love the infinite scroll wheel on my Logitech MX Master 3S and use it as a fidget toy all the time while watching YouTube.

A similarly tactile, metal volume wheel on my earbud charging case would be a killer fidget toy. I probably wouldn’t take my hands off it every time I go for a walk with my earbuds on, let alone while using the earbuds on my PC or TV.

Seeing a volume dial on an earbud charging case was one of those “I didn’t know I needed this until now!” moments. Now, all I can think about is whether other brands will copy Nothing and start slapping volume wheels on their forthcoming wireless earbud charging cases. I know I’d love to see it.