Amazon Echo Buds: Hands-On Experience with True Wireless Noise Canceling Headsets

Amazon takes the show Alexa on the go with its new Echo Buds headphones, true wireless headphones that pair with a connected smartphone and promise to offer a complete Alexa experience.

I have tried them and I can say that they are comfortable in my ears. But as they are in the noise isolating style, they might not be at home – especially if you have small ears. Basically, if you used the Jabra 65t headset, you'll know it.

Overall, Amazon has done a remarkable job in mastering most of the basics for wireless headsets. It has even been exceeded at a particular place: the reduction of noise. No, I did not say "noise suppression" because even though they use Bose algorithms to reduce noise, they are not as effective as full-size cans.

But they are effective. I could easily double tap the sides to enable and disable noise cancellation, which made a significant difference in the noisy work area of ​​Amazon's headquarters.

Most important of all: they sound very good. I obviously can not give you a real judgment on the quality of the sound, but over a few songs, I had no complaints to make and I could note some details in the mediums, which I guarantee. have not heard of AirPods.

But to say that they are better than the AirPods would be premature. On the one hand, the case is significantly bigger on the echo buds. On the other hand, it loads via Micro USB, not USB-C. AirPods can use Lightning, but at least this cable is not disconnected at the moment.

The case is good for 20 hours of listening, while the buds themselves are good for five hours. Unfortunately, there is no wireless charging. They are water resistant IPX4 against splashes, sweat and small rains. They also pause when you take one out of your ear, thanks to a small infrared sensor.

Of course, the echo buds are an echo. So you can say at any time the word "Alexa", which sounds like the familiar chime of your requests. I will say that in the very noisy space, I can not really say if Amazon heard me; the confirmation chime was very subtle and really only started when my request was complete.

You can also press and hold to get the native wizard for your phone. The double and long presses are the only commands, by the way. As far as I know, there is no way to change the volume or even pause it by default. Fortunately, you can change the options on either side in different controls if you wish.

They will cost $ 129.99 when they will be available later this year, making them cheaper than almost all other truly wireless headset brands, including AirPods or PowerBeats Pro headphones. Apple, the Jabra Elite 65t headphones, Sony WF-1000XM3 and Sennheiser, Sennheiser's True Momentum Wireless headphones. and the Jaybird Vista model.

A pair of truly inexpensive wireless headphones, which also handles a really effective noise reduction, is a very big problem. I think the price of moving and reducing the sales of a lot of headphones will be serious.

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