Better value than standard Apple AirPods

The new headphones from Amazon are a good option if you don’t want AirPods. I’ve been testing Amazon’s new Echo Buds for the past few days, and they are an improvement over the first-gen Echo Buds in almost every way.

They are more comfortable, have better noise cancellation, stay in my ears, and sound better than the first version. Starting at $ 119, they’re also a solid alternative to Apple’s $ 159 AirPods and even offer some of the features found on Apple’s $ 249 AirPods Pro.

Apple has the lion’s share of the Bluetooth headphone market, thanks to the success of its headphones, but that grip is loosening as other companies continue to flood the market with low-cost alternatives. Many of the competing headphones aren’t very good, and while the AirPods Pro are still my recommendation for people who use Apple products and are willing to spend more, the second-gen Amazon Echo Buds are really good for the price and offer more for your money than regular Apple AirPods.

This is what you need to know.

Amazon addressed almost all of my complaints with the first-generation Amazon Echo buttons.

The new model is 20% smaller than the first generation, which means that they are not as clunky and they feel better in my ears. They come with various rubber tip sizes that Amazon says should fit roughly 95% of the ears in the population, and various rubber wings that help them stick to the ears better.

I was able to run, walk, and exercise on a bike without them falling over, even when I was sweaty (they’re sweat resistant too). They are much more comfortable to wear for several hours than the first model, as they do not fall as deeply into the ear canal.

Music, podcasts, and phone calls rang out clearly. The thing that caught my attention the most was the bass, which I especially like while exercising. Amazon also optimized the microphones to improve clarity. There are three microphones in each earpiece. My editor gave it an 8/10 for clarity during a 15 minute phone call with him, only noticing that there was a slight reverb effect at the beginning of the call, as if he were speaking in a large open room.

Early Echo Buds had a Bose noise reduction feature that didn’t work very well. This model replaces it with active noise cancellation, similar to what you would find on Apple’s AirPods Pro. It’s subtle, but I noticed it did a good job of blocking the wind during a run, most of the roar of a lawnmower across the street while in my office, and the hum of my exercise bike. The highest-pitched noises, like my one-year-old’s laugh, still crept in. I think Apple’s noise cancellation is still a hair louder, but the important thing is that it is much better than the first model. Like the AirPods, there is a step mode that can increase outside noise, which was useful when I was walking around with a stroller and still wanted to hear the cars and my surroundings.

Amazon also improved the case you keep them in. It’s 40% smaller and includes more modern USB-C charging, which means you can use the same cable that charges an Android phone. A wireless charging case is available for $ 20 more.

Amazon teamed up with Anker on a new wireless charging pad that you might want to consider. It costs $ 18, works well, and has a nifty little groove that you can put the Echo Buds in so you know they’re in the right place and charging at all times.

I like having Alexa built in. You can open the voice assistant at any time by saying “Hello, Alexa” to play music in a variety of applications, including popular ones like Spotify, Pandora, Amazon Music, and others. Or you can ask Alexa to do things like turn off your office lights. You can still use the Google Assistant if you’re on Android, or Siri on an iPhone, by changing the long-press touch control on the side of the Echo Buds. However, these controls were sometimes tricky for me. There seems to be a slight delay, so I would sometimes pause a song when it played twice instead of skipping it.

Battery life is solid too. Amazon promises five hours of music with active noise cancellation turned on or four hours of talk time. The case, which recharges the Echo Buds, lasts for 19.5 hours before you have to recharge it by plugging it into the wall or (if you have the wireless option) by placing it on the charging pad. That aligned with my experience. I fully charged it on Saturday and as of Wednesday I have 23% left in the case and 88% left on each button, after a few hours of listening every day.

For comparison, the Apple AirPods (which don’t have noise cancellation) last for 5 hours of playtime or 3 hours of talk time, and the AirPods Pro offer 4.5 hours of playtime with active noise cancellation or 5 hours without it. The case of either one should be recharged after 24 hours of use.

The Echo Buds also have a “Find My” feature like the Find My iPhone app. I really liked that I was also able to ask an Amazon Echo to find them and that Alexa told me, through the Echo, where they were last seen (at home, of course).

I use AirPods Pro or AirPods Max most of the time at my desk. The only thing that struck me is that the Echo Buds have no way to seamlessly switch between devices.

With AirPods, I love being able to stay on an iPhone, switch to my Mac or iPad, and have my AirPods follow me. Echo Buds need to be paired with each device individually, so switching between devices isn’t that easy. This isn’t a big deal for Android users, but it’s one of the ways they differ from AirPods.

Also, even though Amazon said it improved the microphones so Alexa can hear you better, it sometimes missed what it was trying to ask for. However, this happens with all voice assistants and all headphones, but it is annoying when you try to play a specific song and you have to keep repeating yourself between breaths.

I think the new Echo Buds are among the best headphones with active noise cancellation.

Most people, especially iPhone users, should buy AirPods Pro if they are willing to spend $ 249.

But, at $ 119, the Amazon Echo Buds offer more features than the regular $ 159 AirPods. At $ 139 with the wireless charging case, they’re an even better deal than the $ 199 AirPods with wireless charging. The only thing you’ll really sacrifice is fast transfer between Apple devices and a few hours of battery life for the charging case.

The point is: Amazon finally has a pair of headphones worth considering.