Amazon announces new Echo Buds with more powerful ANC and better comfort

Amazon today introduces its pair of second-generation Echo headphones. The new truly wireless headphones improve on the originals with a more comfortable design – they’re now 20% smaller – and improved active noise cancellation. But Amazon remains aggressive on the price: the 2021 Echo Buds are priced at $ 119.99 for headphones and a USB-C charging case, or $ 139.99 for an upgraded case with wireless charging. For a limited time, both are reduced. The regular set drops under $ 100 to $ 99.99, with the wireless charging pair costing $ 119.99. The new Echo Buds will be released on May 13.

In addition to reducing them, Amazon has also made some comfort-focused design changes to the Echo Buds. They now have a vented design (like AirPods Pro, Pixel Buds, etc.) to reduce unwanted hearing pressure. The company shortened the nozzle so the Echo Buds don’t sit as deep in your ear canal, and the outer depth has been reduced for a more flush fit. The ear tips – four sizes are included – are now oval shaped, and you also get two sizes of optional wing tips in the box.

Instead of a glossy tactile surface like on the original Echo Buds, the outward-facing exterior is now fully matte. But Amazon slapped its logo on the headphones this time around, which I could have done without. They now come in white in addition to black.

Image: Amazon

With the first Echo Buds, Amazon borrowed some of the noise reduction technology from Bose. But this time he’s doing everything himself. The company claims that second-generation headphones “cancel twice as much noise” as before. In passthrough mode, you can adjust how much ambient noise you want to pass through. Sound quality has also seen improvements, according to Amazon’s press release:

The Echo Buds deliver crisp, balanced sound with a wide dynamic range – so you can get the most out of your music, regardless of genre. The high-end speakers are optimized for increased bass and treble fidelity, reducing distortion during media playback, delivering vibrant melodies and clear lyrics.

The second-generation Echo Buds are rated IPX4 for water and sweat, which Amazon says should cover all exercise and “light rain”. And Amazon says the microphones on those headphones – three on each bud – are upgraded as well; they are “optimized to capture lower frequencies compared to the previous generation”, which apparently results in better quality for voice calls. The two heads can be used independently in mono mode.

Image: Amazon

Battery life is estimated at five hours of listening with noise cancellation on, with two additional full charges in the case for a total of 15 hours. (The case now has status lights for each individual earbud, which is a handy addition.) If the battery is low, charging over USB-C for 15 minutes should give you around two hours of playback.

To see how aggressive Amazon is on pricing, let’s compare the Echo Buds to the larger market for popular wireless headphones. Most of them have noise cancellation, although some (like the Pixel Buds) don’t:

Bose QuietComfort headphones at $ 279
Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 2 $ 249.95
$ 249 Apple AirPods Pro
$ 229.99 Jabra Elite 85t
Sony 1000XM3 Earphones $ 229.99
Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro $ 199.99
Google Pixel Buds $ 179.99
$ 179.99 Jabra Elite 75t
$ 139.99 Amazon Echo Buds with Wireless Charging ($ 119.99 for a limited time)
$ 129.99 Anker Liberty Air 2 Pro
$ 119.99 Amazon Echo Buds with USB-C ($ 99.99 for a limited time)

Much like the first model, Amazon is hoping that much of the appeal of the Echo Buds will be the ability to use Alexa wherever you go. You can of course request a specific artist or song, but Amazon also added the ability late last year to request music by activity type. You can control your smart home, play an Audible audiobook, request transit directions, or even use Alexa’s local search powers to find the nearest COVID-19 test site.

You can also ask any nearby Alexa device to find your headphones, and they’ll play an audible chime to help them locate them more easily. Amazon says “later this year” it will add the VIP filter feature that debuted on its Echo frames, which lets you choose which notifications you want to hear and avoid the rest.

If the noise reduction improvements are as big as Amazon claims, the second-gen Echo Buds could prove to be quite convincing – especially at their low price compared to the competition. Stay tuned for a full review in the coming weeks.