Lightning earphones are quite new earphones. Some people just prefer to plug their earphones into the lightning port, but there are other reasons to use it as well. For example, if the normal earphone port on your iPhone or iPad is broken, repairs can be expensive so it is often cheaper and easier just to get a pair of lightning earphones as a replacement for your normal earphones.
The lightning specification also offers a benefit over the normal 1/8th inch earphone jack: it allows devices to draw power from the iPhone or iPad they're hooked into, which can then power noise canceling technology if the earphones have it, meaning they can be smaller since they don’t require a battery. Lightning earphone also allows for higher quality audio transmission and firmware updates for earphones.
