The highly anticipated Echo Buds, just like the freshly unveiled Echo Studio, start at a significantly lower price than Apple's option. Then again, unlike the HomePod, people actually buy AirPods in market-dominating numbers, so even at $129, Amazon's first-ever in-house wireless headphones will face an uphill struggle achieving what Echos have managed to do in the last few years.
The Echo Buds are also not the only AirPods rivals to come with either a (technically) superior list of features or lower price point from a giant such as Amazon. But they might just be the most affordable to include noise cancellation, a key feature that Apple has yet to bake into its own-brand or even costlier Beats-branded earbuds.
You probably don't have to worry about Amazon's lack of experience in the premium audio field impacting the quality of this noise reduction technology, which the company borrowed from Bose, one of the most respected names in the market. That's right, you get Bose's industry-leading noise cancellation in a sleek $129 pair of wireless earbuds that can purportedly last up to five hours on a single charge themselves, with a standard case boosting the number to a respectable (albeit not mind-blowing) 20 hours of endurance.
While Alexa will naturally be at your disposal without having to lift a finger, Amazon is far more inclusive than Google or Apple when it comes to competing apps and services, allowing future Echo Buds owners to summon Siri or Google Assistant on their connected handsets by simply long tapping the headphones. Meanwhile, a quick double tap will enable and disable the aforementioned noise reduction functionality as a convenient way to stay in touch with the surrounding world if you so choose.
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Available in a black color only, the Echo Buds should also sound pretty great... for their price tag, at least according to Amazon, which claims two "premium, balanced armature drivers" mounted on each earbud can deliver "crisp, clear vocals, and dynamic bass." Of course, we won't know for sure what these bad boys are capable of in real life until they begin shipping, which will happen sometime next month following a pre-order start right now.
Adrian, a mobile technology enthusiast since the Nokia 3310 era, has been a dynamic presence in the tech journalism field, contributing to Android Authority, Digital Trends, and Pocketnow before joining PhoneArena in 2018. His expertise spans across various platforms, with a particular fondness for the diversity of the Android ecosystem. Despite the challenges of balancing full-time parenthood with his work, Adrian's passion for tech trends, running, and movies keeps him energized. His commitment to mid-range smartphones has led to an eclectic collection of devices, saved from personal bankruptcy by his preference for 'adequate' over 'overpriced'.
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