Amazon Echo Buds with Active Noise Cancellation (2021 release, 2nd gen) | Wireless charging case | Black

3.9 out of 5 stars 22,213
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    Reducing CO2 products reduce their carbon footprint year after year. Certified by the Carbon Trust.

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Alexa, play Ed Sheeran

Echo Buds with Active Noise Cancellation

Small, light, and comfortable, Echo Buds with Active Noise Cancellation are designed to feel great and sound even better, no matter what you're listening to. Enjoy up to 5 hours of music playback on a single charge and get hands-free access to Alexa—no tapping required.

advanced chipset, 3 microphones per earbud, compact

Dynamic audio and
active noise cancellation

Premium speaker drivers deliver crisp, balanced sound. Active noise cancellation limits background noise while Passthrough Mode lets you hear what's going on around you. Just touch and hold either earbud for two seconds to toggle between the two features.

echo buds on table, charging pad sold separately

Power up for
work or play

Long-lasting battery and the included charging case let you go with the flow, no matter what your day holds.

up to 5 hours music playback per charge
alexa, read the martian on audible

Hands-free with Alexa

Echo Buds with Active Noise Cancellation work with the Alexa app to play music, stream podcasts, or read Audible audiobooks. Advanced microphones give you hands-free access to Alexa—no tapping required. Just ask Alexa to skip songs, resume reading, or turn up the volume.

echo buds in ear, 21% smaller

Customize your fit,
optimize your sound

Echo Buds are sweat-resistant and come with 4 sizes of ear tips and 2 sizes of wing tips for a secure fit that’s made to move with you. Forming a comfortable, in-ear seal helps bring out the best in your music. Learn how to find your fit.

alexa, remind me to order coffee beans

Take Alexa with you

Ask Alexa to make a call, set a reminder or move your music from one Echo device to your Echo Buds with Active Noise Cancellation - and visa versa. Use VIP Filter to select the notifications you want to hear from specific apps or contacts for supported messaging apps on your phone, and Alexa will filter out the rest.

alexa app, battery level and automatic noise cancel control

Designed to protect
your privacy

Built with multiple layers of privacy protections and controls, including the ability to mute the mics with the Alexa app. You also have control over your voice recordings. You can view, hear, or delete them at any time. Learn more about Alexa privacy.

Every day is an earth day

You don't have to be an environmental scientist to make sustainable choices. We considered sustainability in the design of this Echo device. Here's how:

Materials

Materials

21% post-consumer recycled plastics in case (black color only)
Earbuds, cable, and adapter not included

Renewable Energy

Clean Energy

Amazon is building new wind and solar farms to produce clean energy equivalent to the electricity used by this device.

Packaging

Device Packaging

98% of this device’s packaging is made of wood fiber-based materials from responsibly managed forests or recycled sources.

whitespace

Simple to set up and use

alexa app setup

1.Open the Alexa app on your phone.

charging case and echo buds

2.Open the case and wait for the blue light. Tap the pop-up notification in the app to finish setup.

fit kit and wings

3.Customize your fit with the included ear tips and wing tips.

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Sustainability features

Sustainability features

This product has sustainability features recognized by trusted certifications.

Carbon impact

Carbon emissions from the lifecycle of this product were reduced compared to similar products or previous models.

As certified by
Reducing CO2
Reducing CO2
Reducing CO2
Reducing CO2

The Reducing CO2 label applies to products certified by the Carbon Trust, that are lowering their carbon emissions year after year for the full lifecycle of the product. The Carbon Trust was formed in 2001 and introduced the world’s first carbon label in 2007. It produces its certifications to global leading and independently verified standards. The Carbon Trust has a mission to accelerate the move to a sustainable, low carbon economy.

Learn more about this certification

Part of
Climate Pledge Friendly

Sustainability features

This product has sustainability features recognized by trusted certifications.

Carbon impact

Carbon emissions from the lifecycle of this product were reduced compared to similar products or previous models.

As certified by
Reducing CO2
Reducing CO2
Reducing CO2
Reducing CO2

The Reducing CO2 label applies to products certified by the Carbon Trust, that are lowering their carbon emissions year after year for the full lifecycle of the product. The Carbon Trust was formed in 2001 and introduced the world’s first carbon label in 2007. It produces its certifications to global leading and independently verified standards. The Carbon Trust has a mission to accelerate the move to a sustainable, low carbon economy.

Learn more about this certification

Part of
Climate Pledge Friendly
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Features & details

Features

  • Dynamic audio and active noise cancellation (ANC) - Premium speakers deliver crisp, balanced sound. Sealed in-ear design and ANC limit background noise.
  • Customize your audio - Audio Personalization helps tune audio for your unique hearing preferences to enhance your enjoyment of music and more.
  • Compact and comfortable - Echo Buds with Active Noise Cancellation are small, light, and IPX4 sweat-resistant, with a secure, customizable fit that's made to move with you.
  • Hands-free entertainment - Works with the Alexa app to stream music, play podcasts, and read Audible audiobooks—just ask. Use your voice to make calls, set reminders, add items to your shopping list, and more.
  • Seamless switching — Connect to two devices at the same time and automatically move between devices with multipoint pairing. Move from a video call on your laptop to music on your phone without skipping a beat.
  • Long-lasting battery - Get up to 5 hrs music playback per charge and up to 15 hrs with the charging case. A 15-min quick charge provides up to 2 hrs of music
  • Works with other assistants - Compatible with iOS and Android, and supports access to Siri and Google Assistant
  • Designed to protect your privacy - Amazon is not in the business of selling your personal information to others. Built with multiple layers of privacy controls including the ability to mute the mics with the Alexa app.

Product information

    Additional Information

Technical details

Echo Buds with Active Noise Cancellation

Size

Earbud: 20.0 x 19.1 x 19.1 mm (without ear tip or wing tip) Case: 66.8 x 28.6 x 39.1 mm

Weight

Earbud: 5.7 g (without ear tip or wing tip) Case: 44.4 g (47.6 g for wireless charging case) Actual size and weight may vary by manufacturing process.

Wifi or data connection

Echo Buds use a wifi or mobile data connection and the Alexa app for connectivity and other features. Carrier charges may apply. Please consult your carrier for information on any fees and limitations that apply to your plan. Alexa voice control is supported on Android 8.0, iOS 14, and Fire OS 7 or greater. However, please note that the following smartphones are not compatible with Echo Buds for Alexa voice control. Additionally, Fire 7 (all generations), Fire HD 8 (9th gen or older), and Fire HD 10 (8th gen or older) are not compatible with Echo Buds.

Bluetooth

Bluetooth 5.0 Hands-Free Profile (HFP) support for calling, Advanced Audio Distribution Profile (A2DP) support for audio streaming, Audio/Video Remote Control Profile (AVRCP) for voice control of media sessions, Serial Port Profile for Bluetooth connectivity to Android phones and iPod Accessory Protocol for Bluetooth connectivity to iPhones.

See full technical details

Technical details

Echo Buds with Active Noise Cancellation

Echo Buds with Active Noise Cancellation

Size

Earbud: 20.0 x 19.1 x 19.1 mm (without ear tip or wing tip) Case: 66.8 x 28.6 x 39.1 mm

Weight

Earbud: 5.7 g (without ear tip or wing tip) Case: 44.4 g (47.6 g for wireless charging case) Actual size and weight may vary by manufacturing process.

Wifi or data connection

Echo Buds use a wifi or mobile data connection and the Alexa app for connectivity and other features. Carrier charges may apply. Please consult your carrier for information on any fees and limitations that apply to your plan. Alexa voice control is supported on Android 8.0, iOS 14, and Fire OS 7 or greater. However, please note that the following smartphones are not compatible with Echo Buds for Alexa voice control. Additionally, Fire 7 (all generations), Fire HD 8 (9th gen or older), and Fire HD 10 (8th gen or older) are not compatible with Echo Buds.

Bluetooth

Bluetooth 5.0 Hands-Free Profile (HFP) support for calling, Advanced Audio Distribution Profile (A2DP) support for audio streaming, Audio/Video Remote Control Profile (AVRCP) for voice control of media sessions, Serial Port Profile for Bluetooth connectivity to Android phones and iPod Accessory Protocol for Bluetooth connectivity to iPhones.

Processors

Realtek RTL8763C Bluetooth System on Chip with integrated Audio Codec, NXP Digital Signal Processor

Speakers

5.7 mm dynamic driver

Microphones

3 per earbud: 2 external beamforming microphones + 1 internal microphone

IPX rating (water resistance)

IPX4 (earbuds only), tested to withstand water splashing. Learn more about our test.

Sensors

Accelerometer, proximity, touch, hall

Battery and power

Up to 5 hours music playback on a single charge with ANC and Hands-Free Alexa. 15 hours total with the charging case.

Up to 6.5 hours music playback on a single charge without ANC and Hands-Free Alexa. 19.5 hours total with the charging case.

Up to 4 hours call time on a single charge. Up to 12 hours call time with the charging case.

Up to 2 hours music playback time with 15-minute quick charge.

Actual battery life will vary depending on device settings, features utilized, environment, manufacturing variability, and other factors. Testing was conducted by Amazon in a lab environment with preproduction Echo Buds and charging case and a prerelease version of the Alexa app on both iPhone and Android phones. Learn more about Amazon’s battery life testing here.

Wireless charging case compatible with Qi-certified wireless charging pads.

Accessibility features

Audio Personalization helps tune audio for your unique hearing preferences. This feature is not intended to diagnose or treat any hearing conditions.

The Alexa app and Alexa-enabled products include several features for customers with accessibility needs related to vision, hearing, mobility, and speech. Learn more about Alexa accessibility.

Warranty and service

1-year limited warranty and service included. Optional 1-year, 2-year, and 3-year extended warranties will be available for U.S. customers and sold separately. Use of Echo Buds is subject to these terms.

Included in the box

Echo Buds, charging case, 4 pairs of ear tips, 2 pairs of wing tips, USB-C cable, and Quick Start Guide.

Privacy Features

Wake word technology, streaming indicator, mute button in the Alexa app, the ability to view and delete your voice recordings, and more. Visit the Alexa Privacy Hub to explore how Alexa and Echo devices are designed to protect your privacy.

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Ratings Active noise cancellation Hands-free voice assistant Tap-to-access voice assistant Battery life on full charge Total hours with charging case Quick charge IPX rating (water resistance of earbuds) Customizable fit
Echo Buds with Active Noise Cancellation
3.9 out of 5 stars (22,213)
check mark
Alexa
Alexa, Google Assistant, Siri
Up to 5 hrs (6.5 hrs with ANC and Alexa wake word off)
Up to 15 hrs (19.5 hrs with ANC and Alexa wake word off)
Up to 2 hrs with 15-min charge
IPX4
4 sizes of ear tips and 2 sizes of wing tips
Echo Buds
4.0 out of 5 stars (8,310)
Alexa
Alexa, Google Assistant, and Siri
Up to 5 hours (6 hours with Alexa wake word off)
Up to 20 hours
Up to 2 hours with 15-min charge
IPX2
Apple AirPods Pro
4.7 out of 5 stars (300,370)
check mark
Siri
Siri
Up to 4.5 hrs (5 hrs with ANC off)
More than 24 hrs
Up to 1 hr with 5-min charge
IPX4
3 sizes of ear tips
Apple AirPods
4.8 out of 5 stars (86,754)
Siri
Siri
Up to 5 hrs
More than 24 hrs
Up to 3 hrs with 15-min charge
Bose Sport Earbuds
4.2 out of 5 stars (36,614)
Google Assistant, Siri
Up to 5 hrs
Up to 15 hrs
Up to 2 hrs with 15-min charge
IPX4
3 sizes of ear tips
Samsung Galaxy Buds+
4.6 out of 5 stars (83,855)
Google Assistant, Siri, Bixby
Up to 11 hrs
Up to 22 hrs
Up to 1 hr with 3-min charge
IPX2
3 sizes of ear tips and wing tips

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Customer reviews

3.9 out of 5 stars3.9 out of 5
22,213 global ratings

Customers say

Customers have negative opinions about the connectivity of the digital device. They say it's difficult to connect to other devices and loses connection constantly. Customers are also disappointed with the battery life. Opinions are mixed on sound quality, performance, value, comfort, and fit.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

Select to learn more
Sound qualityPerformanceFitValueComfortBattery lifeConnectivity
Sound qualityPerformanceFitValueComfortBattery lifeConnectivity
2,630Customers mention
1,641Positive
989Negative

Customers are mixed about the sound quality of the digital device. Some mention that the sound is decent enough, and the ear tips have noticed a great improvement in noise abatement. However, others say that a slight electronic sound can be heard, the volume is louder, and there are noise glitches and distortion in the sound.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

"...These earbuds generally work well for calls. The audio I hear is good - perhaps slightly better than the audiobook/podcast audio I mentioned above...." Read more

"...I like the audio quality of the earbuds themselves. They have a decent amount of bass out of the box with details in the mids and highs...." Read more

"...8/10 Apple: Does a very good job but a slight electronic sound can be heard. Some people said the Echo buds are always recording you...." Read more

"...They work, but they're not the best. They do a good job of filtering out external noise, when talking to someone, but the quality isn't as good as a..." Read more

1,276Customers mention
510Positive
766Negative

Customers are mixed about the performance of the earbuds. Some mention that it works well for calls, Alexa works well, and the ANC seems to be effective. However, others say that it doesn't even work that well, does not work well with Amazon music, and that the right ear buds stopped working.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

"...I go to put them in- whaddaya know, both the buds and battery are completely dead!..." Read more

"...8/10 Apple: Does a very good job but a slight electronic sound can be heard. Some people said the Echo buds are always recording you...." Read more

"...The problem is that maybe the ANC works too well, as I was yelling "ALEXA" and she just couldn't hear me most of the time...." Read more

"...These earbuds generally work well for calls. The audio I hear is good - perhaps slightly better than the audiobook/podcast audio I mentioned above...." Read more

908Customers mention
527Positive
381Negative

Customers are mixed about the fit of the earbuds. Some mention that they fit well and won't fall out of their ears, while others say that the fit was iffy, the buds were great, but the fit is a bit large.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

"...They also include the most ear and wingtips to cater to almost every ear type. They are the best overall package and at half the price, win-win." Read more

"...The Amazon Alexa android app is very large, nearly 300MB, has used over 500MB of memory, and has far more functionality than is needed to manage..." Read more

"...These will work with any Qi charger but the Anker pad is small, has an indendation for the Buds 2 case, and there are status lights for the earbuds..." Read more

"...4. Fit. The standard bud tip sizes fit great in my ears; however, over time, a few hours or so, the fit becomes very loose and threatens to slide..." Read more

683Customers mention
445Positive
238Negative

Customers are mixed about the value of the headphones. Some mention that they are great for the price, feature-packed, and have decent sound. Others say that they're not worth the money and can't do well what they've been designed to do. The price is not the cheapest but fairly reasonably priced.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

"...They are the best overall package and at half the price, win-win." Read more

"...Unfortunately, the low end on these is a bit lacking. While the bass is present, there isn't much power behind it...." Read more

"...better even when exercising and outdoor activities, the have decent sound for the price...." Read more

"...If you want a solid set of buds at a very reasonable price, Amazon has created a very compelling package here...." Read more

639Customers mention
287Positive
352Negative

Customers are mixed about the comfort of the digital device. Some mention that they are comfortable, giving them a premium feel, while others say that it can be uncomfortable. They say that the ear tips are less comfortable than the 1st generation, and that ear tapping aggravates any discomfort.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

"...Clear and concise.7/10 Huawei: Gets there but a few notes start to hurt your ears, too much...." Read more

"...The earbuds are comfortable, and I've been able to wear them for hours on end without issues...." Read more

"...The earbuds are not the most comfortable I have used, but it is more important to me to keep the device in my ear...." Read more

"...You get good sound, decent ANC, really comfortable buds, ambient pass through, auto-pause, single bud usage, Alexa Voice on-board, USBC / available..." Read more

861Customers mention
217Positive
644Negative

Customers are dissatisfied with the battery life of the earbuds. They mention that the case and the bud would not hold a charge. Some say that the app is a battery killer and the buds don't always power down when put back in the charge case.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

"...My only real complaint is battery life...." Read more

"...I truly regret my purchase. here's why:1. Battery life. My biggest complaint is the battery on these...." Read more

"...Battery life is long enough that I do not notice. I can listen to music & talk on the phone for hours and the earbuds still have over 50% battery...." Read more

"...The case only holds two full charges, which isn't a lot, so I always charge the case after an extended session of use...." Read more

656Customers mention
140Positive
516Negative

Customers have connectivity issues with the digital device. They mention that it's fiddly to connect to devices other than their phone, it loses connection constantly, and it'll become very inconsistent with the Bluetooth connection. They also find the lack of onboard connection control annoying and mention that they can't connect multiple devices at once like they could with the first version.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

"...This entry is a waste for most users. It duplicates the bluetooth OS notification, and selecting it does nothing...." Read more

"...The Echo Buds do not seamlessly switch between devices...." Read more

"...the fact that the 2023 Echo Buds inexplicably are not compatible with my 12 South Airfly adaptor...." Read more

"...That's it. The rest works fine: They connect properly and quickly with the Alexa app. Battery life is fine...." Read more

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Top reviews from the United States

Michael S.
5.0 out of 5 starsVerified Purchase
Stands tall against other name brands, at half the price.
Reviewed in the United States on May 16, 2021
Color: BlackStyle: Wired Charging CaseConfiguration: Echo Buds
I do not normally write reviews but the reviews here aggravate me as they have not done their due diligence, have flat out no idea, just regurgitated their first emotional impulse, or have absolutely nothing to do with the product. I also feel because they don’t carry a big... See more
I do not normally write reviews but the reviews here aggravate me as they have not done their due diligence, have flat out no idea, just regurgitated their first emotional impulse, or have absolutely nothing to do with the product. I also feel because they don’t carry a big name as Apple or Samsung does on the audio scene, they automatically get cut short because of branding. I experienced this firsthand when I told my brother I picked up a pair of these buds and he immediately responded with “don’t Amazon devices suck with their sound?” Listen, maybe at one point they did, but with every new product, improvements can be made. Just because you had a bad experience once doesn’t mean you always will.

Just a few reviews on here that I want to clarify. Someone said you need to download the Alexa app to use the buds. No, you don’t. If you want an express setup, fine-tune it with the ANC, and the EQ to get the best experience, it would better serve you to download the app. I don’t see why that’s a problem considering every other bud out there asks the same thing. You can use the buds but in order to tune anything, you need to download their corresponding app. I had to do the very same thing with every other bud I tested.

I hear people were baited with the free audible subscription. I didn’t buy these for free audible, if you did, you bought them for the wrong reason. If you already redeemed a free code, why that would be a shock that you can’t keep buying Alexa devices to redeem your months of free (insert subscription offer) only to be able to return the product and basically do that indefinitely baffles me. And why not receiving audible for free has actual anything to do with the product, I will never know. I understand that if you were promised a free gift and didn’t get it, that would be a bummer. But take that up with Amazon, not on the review of the buds that have no bearing on the status of your Audible subscription.

These buds are great. I tested them side by side against the Airpods Pro, Samsung Buds Pro, and the Huawei Freebuds Pro. In sound fidelity, soundstage, and overall roundness of sound, the Echo buds win. For context, I have a studio for voice-over work. I use JBL reference monitors. For headphones, I use the Beyerdynamic DT 1990 PRO. I tested all buds against studio-quality reference speakers and sound engineering software. Of course, none of the buds stood a chance, however one was clearly better than the rest. The one that most clearly represented the music and sounded most closely to the reference monitors were the echo buds by a mile.

Bass:
8.5/10 Echo buds: The bass was very thumpy and rumbly, hit nice and hard when it was supposed to, and did it with a high level of clarity.
9/10 Huawei: Just as good as the Echo Buds, maybe even touch better overall, slightly more precise.
4/10 Samsung: There was bass when there wasn’t supposed to be. Seemed like it was on all the time and was very muddy with no clarity at all.
5/10 Apple: Decently responsive but didn’t have the power to hit hard when the track called for it.

Mids:
9/10 Echo buds: Captured every note of voice and captured the whole orchestral range without anyone instrument dominating due to a lack of quality equalization. The good thing with these I can easily change the equalization if need be.
7/10 Huawei: Good but very bland, clarity wasn’t all there. Still, not bad at all.
5/10 Samsung: That bass is muddying this up something terrible, I even had it on the “clear’ setting in the EQ. The lack of a proper EQ makes it impossible to make these buds work. The presets are garbage.
8/10 Apple: I cannot deny these are very good and capture everything well with a great soundstage for a bud.

Treble:
9/10 Echo buds: Very round, not tinny. Clear and concise.
7/10 Huawei: Gets there but a few notes start to hurt your ears, too much.
4/10 Samsung: I’m starting to hate these now. Once again these are muddied by that awful bass that doesn’t even hit hard. The EQ makes it sound tinny and very high to break past the overblown bass. Didn’t realize they were Beats by Dre. But name sells so…
10/10 Apple: This is where these really shine, the higher notes are perfectly represented on their own. The lack of punchy bass leaves them feeling flat and not rounded out.

The echo buds may not be the best in a particular area. But in my testing, they are without question the overall winner. And for the price, that’s just a bonus.

ANC: Tested with vacuum, exhaust fan, central air AC unit, on a crowded street, and inside an airplane during flight. (ANC hiss and distortion is present on all buds but some more so than others, be objective, not dramatic)
4/10 Echo buds: Yikes, these did not do well. Some reviews say it doesn’t work, it does, stop being dramatic. However, they do not nearly stop incoming noise the way the others do. It stops a lot of the bass but high notes seem to come right through. When you turn the ANC on and off it's clearing stopping all the bass and some mids from coming in. Little bits of hiss and distortion.
8/10 Huawei: Very impressed.
7/10 Samsung: Good job
9/10 Apple: This one easily did the best with the smallest amount of hiss and music distortion.

Passthrough:
7/10 Echo buds: Very present and loud hiss, but realistic, not electronic sounding.
6/10 Huawei: Not a lot of hiss but sounded electronic or robotic.
6/10 Samsung: Hiss is there but not robotic, rather a bit muffled if anything.
8/10 Apple: Does a very good job but a slight electronic sound can be heard.

Some people said the Echo buds are always recording you. Ok, no it isn’t, but you can also turn the microphone off at any time. It even says it in the description. “including the ability to mute the mics with the Alexa app.”

Everything else like customizability preferences, fit and feel, call quality, assistant responsiveness, etc., are all subjective due to the nature of different people and different circumstances and environments.

Closing thoughts:
I understand the music and sound people enjoy is subjective and that’s not how this is rated. This is rated objectively, using the onboard EQ of the buds to get them the closest to reference as possible. I prefer to listen to my music as the artist intended. The echo buds objectively got the closest to reference while maintaining their roundness and soundstage overall. However, if ANC is the biggest factor in your decision, might I suggest the Sony WH-1000XM4. I do not mean to sound dismissive but we are talking about buds and they have limitations. If you are looking for buds and the intended purpose of them therein, the Echo Buds deliver. They also include the most ear and wingtips to cater to almost every ear type. They are the best overall package and at half the price, win-win.
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Brian
4.0 out of 5 starsVerified Purchase
Excellent earbuds for running
Reviewed in the United States on May 19, 2021
Color: Glacier WhiteStyle: Wired Charging CaseConfiguration: Echo Buds
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Pros: Earbuds stay in ear during running even with heavy sweat Very good sound quality, especially for earbuds Tap controls work well (except in rain) App works well for device setup and settings management Cons: Not reliable to use in... See more
Pros:
Earbuds stay in ear during running even with heavy sweat
Very good sound quality, especially for earbuds
Tap controls work well (except in rain)
App works well for device setup and settings management

Cons:
Not reliable to use in rain
Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) inconsistent
Poor sound isolation in the device itself
300MB app that can use over 500MB of memory, may slow down some phones
Potential privacy issues (app wants access to lots of data)

Neutral (pro/con depends on your perspective):
Many extra features in app that may be useful to some people
Alexa Hands-Free support

FYI: I am using the Echo earbuds on a Samsung Galaxy S9 Android phone.

General impression:

My primary use for earbuds is to listen to a wide range of content while exercising, and especially when running. Every earbud I have tried previously - wired or wireless - tends to fall out of my right ear when I get sweaty. No combination of inserts and eartips has solved this issue for me.

Fortunately, the Echo earbuds are a strong improvement. I have exercised a half-dozen times using these earbuds. The earbuds stayed firmly in my ear even when sweating heavily thanks to the eartip design along with the helpful setup & testing walkthrough. The earbuds are not the most comfortable I have used, but it is more important to me to keep the device in my ear. An earbud did fall out once when running in moderate rain – I will discuss problems with rain below.

Audio quality for music is very good with excellent frequency range for earbuds. I listen to rock, pop, and classical music and am happy with the music quality. I am especially happy with the range of voices I can hear in classical music. I have not adjusted the equalizer in the app.

Audio quality for audiobooks/podcasts is good, but not great. Spoken audio is not as clear and crisp as I would like. I have not adjusted the equalizer in the app, but I do not expect them to help because almost all spoken audio will be controlled by a single equalizer slider. Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) can help when it works well, but is inconsistent as described below.

Battery life is long enough that I do not notice. I can listen to music & talk on the phone for hours and the earbuds still have over 50% battery. I could use these 4-5 hours a day and make it through a work week. However, I have all advanced features disabled, so this is best-case battery life.

Using Echo earbuds for phone calls and work meetings:

These earbuds generally work well for calls. The audio I hear is good - perhaps slightly better than the audiobook/podcast audio I mentioned above. The other people on the phone call can hear me well. There are a couple of caveats:

1. The beamforming microphones are not exceptional - the people on the phone call can hear some of the noises around me.
2. If you have passthrough enabled, the other person on the call will hear all of the passthrough content.

A couple times I have had issues where it sounds like I drop out of the call briefly, or where the audio is clearly delayed. I have not verified that the issues are caused by the Echo earbuds, but it happened in locations where I have not had problems with other bluetooth devices.

Using Echo earbuds in the rain:

I was caught in moderate rain during one of my runs with the Echo earbuds. This caused two problems:

1. The right earbud fell out once
2. The water triggered the "tap" actions

I went into the app and disabled all of the "tap" actions to work around the 2nd issue.

Amazon Alexa and Setup:

The Amazon Alexa android app is very large, nearly 300MB, has used over 500MB of memory, and has far more functionality than is needed to manage earbud settings. I generally view this as a negative. There are some interesting features that may take the place of other apps you use and provide niche benefits when with the Echo earbuds. However, most of them seem to be designed to provide more of your personal data to Amazon. I have dismissed/disabled all of those extra features.

As other reviewers have mentioned, you must enable location sharing when you activate the Echo earbuds. Fortunately, I was able to revoke that permission after earbud activation and have seen no negative impact on functionality. I have also disabled Alexa Hands-Free and have not seen any evidence that the device is listening for verbal commands.

I like how the app walked through device pairing, device setup, and testing for fit except for location sharing being required. For me, the eartips are a pain to pull onto each earbud. It took me a minute or two per eartip per earbud, and I chose the wrong eartip initially. The tight fit is probably good in the long-term but is annoying in the short-term.

The app used a lot of battery power during the initial setup. Power usage has been negligble since then.

There is an Amazon Alexa notification bar item whenever the Echo earbuds are connected. This entry is a waste for most users. It duplicates the bluetooth OS notification, and selecting it does nothing. It would be useful if selecting it took you to the earbuds setting screen. Amazon probably includes this notification item to prevent the OS from auto-closing the app in the background, which may be needed for some of the app features. However, I don't use those features, so I would prefer not to have the notification bar clutter.

Another frustration is the app takes about five seconds to recognize that the Echo earbuds are connected before the earbud settings become accessible within the app. This happens every time the app is opened, even if the app was opened ten seconds earlier and the earbuds were connected the entire time. The notification bar item telling me the earbuds are connected is present - why are the earbud settings not immediately available in the app?

I like how Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) and Passthrough are managed in the settings. Unfortunately, I do not get much value from either one.

- Passthrough works quite well, but these earbuds do not provide enough sound isolation to need passthrough at the listening volumes that I use. There is so much sound leakage through the earbuds that I can hear what is happening around me while running outdoors without using passthrough. On occasion, passthrough also adds noise on the higher settings.

- ANC is inconsistent. In some situations it works well - that is, I hear less background noise and I don't notice it. In other situations I can "hear" the ANC, including shifts in the compensation, and it seems like the devices are applying maximum ANC even when it is not needed. Hopefully a software update can improve the consistency of ANC. As a workaround, an option to manually control the amount of ANC would help.

Conclusion:

Overall I like these earbuds. They are the best earbuds I have tested for running, and I will keep using them for running and exercising except when I am in rain. I am hopeful that future updates will make Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) more consistent and enjoyable.
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This Is Not
5.0 out of 5 starsVerified Purchase
A great pair of budget earbuds
Reviewed in the United States on June 22, 2021
Color: BlackStyle: Wireless Charging CaseConfiguration: Echo Buds
Amazon did a lot right this time around. I had issues with the first gen Echo Buds, enough to not keep them. Their case was large, it used micro-USB, the earbuds were bulky, and the noise reduction was mediocre. However, Amazon improved on nearly every aspect this time... See more
Amazon did a lot right this time around. I had issues with the first gen Echo Buds, enough to not keep them. Their case was large, it used micro-USB, the earbuds were bulky, and the noise reduction was mediocre. However, Amazon improved on nearly every aspect this time around. The charging case is smaller, it charges via USB-C with optional Qi compatibility, the earbuds are smaller, their sound quality is better, and the ANC is effective.

I watched and read, what felt like, tons of reviews for these earbuds. Some complained about the ANC, others had issues with the overall build quality, and some reviewers said the earbuds were still bulky. I was worried that these weren't going to be able to compete with other earbuds and fall flat. That hasn't been the case. Amazon's 2nd generation Echo Buds compete with the Galaxy Buds Pro, AirPods Pro, and other premium ANC earbuds. Yeah, the ANC isn't as good as the AirPods Pro (or new Sony XM4 earbuds) but they're also at least twice as expensive as these (at least during Prime Day).

The Amazon Echo app is required for setup, but you don't have to give Amazon access to everything. It requested my location when using the app (not all the time), it wanted access to my microphone but only uses it when the app is open and I trigger Alexa, and that's about it. Nothing was out of the ordinary and you aren't signing your life away to Amazon, unlike what some reviewers are making the Echo app out to be.

I like the audio quality of the earbuds themselves. They have a decent amount of bass out of the box with details in the mids and highs. I adjusted their EQ to increase the bass and highs a couple of notches, which was about it. The audio quality still isn't as "thunderous" and booming as my PowerBeats Pro but it is better than standard AirPods, my Galaxy Buds+, and other earbuds in the $100-$150 range. I even like it better than my wife's AirPods Pros. The ANC is good, it's enough to cancel out office chatter, the fan in my office, and other things. It dulls the sound my keyboard makes and, when music is playing, I can't really hear anything. The earbuds get nice and loud as well. I haven't used these on a plane, but I think they would get the job done. The ANC isn't as good as $280 earbuds from Bose or Sony but that should be expected when buying $80-$100 earbuds (or even at their full price).

I disabled Alexa from the get-go. I have an iPhone and prefer to use Siri. I adjusted the tapping controls, which actually work unlike the controls on earbuds from other manufacturers (I'm looking at you UE), so that tapping and holding on the right earbud triggers Siri. It works without issues. I may eventually enable Alexa once Amazon rolls out the feature allowing me to select which apps Alexa will read notifications from. Until then, I'll keep it disabled.

The earbuds are comfortable, and I've been able to wear them for hours on end without issues. The medium ear tips fit my ears, but I did need to add the medium sport fins. Three different size fins and four different ear tips come in the box, the medium for everything fit my ears. It doesn't matter if I'm walking, bending over, laying down, or sitting upright. The earbuds comfortably stay put without me having to adjust them or feeling like they're falling out of my ears.

My only real complaint is battery life. The Echo Buds 2 compete with the AirPods Pro in terms of battery life, but 5 hours isn't much when compared to other earbuds. It's not bad but it could have been better. Amazon went with RealTek for the bluetooth in these instead of Qualcomm, the latter focuses more on efficiency. Amazon could have sacrificed efficiency for having a solid connection. These have skipped once on me when I was outside walking next to electrical equipment, I don't think that's bad at all. Still, 5 hours with ANC isn't much and the two additional charges out of the case aren't a lot either. I would expect at least 3 additional charges out of the case at this point.

That's my only gripe against these. Amazon made a solid pair of earbuds that have become my daily drivers. They would have been fine at $140 but are even better at $100. Definitely pick up a pair this Prime Day or the next time they're on sale. I also recoomend buying the companion Anker charging pad. These will work with any Qi charger but the Anker pad is small, has an indendation for the Buds 2 case, and there are status lights for the earbuds and case on the pad.
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Josh Sturgeon
1.0 out of 5 starsVerified Purchase
They sound great- That's the ONLY positive
Reviewed in the United States on November 9, 2022
Color: BlackStyle: Wired Charging CaseConfiguration: Echo Buds
Let me start with the one and only positive: They sound fine when they're working normally. However, if I could go back, I would not have purchased these. I truly regret my purchase. here's why: 1. Battery life. My biggest complaint is the battery on these. Not... See more
Let me start with the one and only positive: They sound fine when they're working normally. However, if I could go back, I would not have purchased these. I truly regret my purchase. here's why:

1. Battery life. My biggest complaint is the battery on these. Not the life itself- about 5 hours on a full charge. No, my issue lies with everything else about it; As Amazon itself states, there's no way to turn these off. They're always on and using energy, even when docked and "charging". Several times, I've charged them fully before going to bed (I don't charge my devices overnight, bad for battery longevity) and they were dead by morning! This came to a head today, and inspired me to write this review.
I had about a half charge in the dock battery, with full charge on the buds themselves (or so the lights indicated). Worked for about 3 hours, then set them to charge for about 10 minutes so they'd last the rest of my shift. I go to put them in- whaddaya know, both the buds and battery are completely dead! This scenario has happened twice now at work, leaving me absolutely flabbergasted where all that energy goes in the span of 10 minutes. Definitely DO NOT buy unless you're in the habit of leaving your devices charging as much as humanly possible.

2. Noise glitches. I primarily use the passthrough option, as ANC gives me a headache (for what it's worth, the ANC does work well). At least once during any given shift, one of the following audio quirks make themselves known: When a very loud, sudden noise occurs, or sometimes just adjusting the buds' fit, an INCREDIBLY LOUD screech will drill directly into my eardrum. Some kind of feedback loop with Passthrough maybe? There must be a built-in failsafe though, as it is almost immediately silenced right after. Still, doesn't help my tinnitus for the rest of the day. The OTHER weird thing, around once a day/every other day, one of the buds will emit this disgusting scratchy/squelchy crackling sound, as if a spider is crawling around in my ear. absolutely horrific, and this one can last upwards of 15 seconds!

3. Touch function. The buds have your standard "Tap once to play/pause, tap twice to skip", etc etc. This feature is wildly inconsistent, however. Many times throughout the day, my podcast will be paused when I'm just adjusting the buds in my ear, no matter if it's a short or more prolonged adjustment. On the flipside, they often refuse to play/pause when I'm intentionally trying to do so, over a range of tap lengths/force amounts. Quite irritating over time.

4. Fit. The standard bud tip sizes fit great in my ears; however, over time, a few hours or so, the fit becomes very loose and threatens to slide out at any opportunity, requiring additional adjustments, and additional unintended pauses as mentioned above.

5. Price. I bought these at $150. I'm now dismayed to see the price drop soon after to $120, and then $70 on a limited time deal. A bit nitpicky on this one, just disheartening to see I could have saved $80 on these tiny demon pods had I waited a bit longer.

I'm not sure if I have a defective unit or what, but the 30-day window has long passed for me. The best thing I can do now is warn others.
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Carlos
3.0 out of 5 starsVerified Purchase
Disappointed - lower quality and functioning than the previous generation
Reviewed in the United States on February 10, 2024
Color: BlackStyle: Wired Charging CaseConfiguration: Echo Buds
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------ UPDATE ------ I carefully followed the Audio Personalisation a couple of times and changed the silicone rubber tips for a larger size and most audio weirdness and problems with noise cancellation went away. I found a way through the Audio Personalisation... See more
------ UPDATE ------
I carefully followed the Audio Personalisation a couple of times and changed the silicone rubber tips for a larger size and most audio weirdness and problems with noise cancellation went away.
I found a way through the Audio Personalisation feature to increase volume.
I also have to say, I have not had the issue of one earbud connecting and other not as it was common with the 1st generation.
I am now mustly pleased with the product.
My review remains at 3 stars though.
--------------------------------------------------------------

This is probably my first negative review ever as I usually research my products a lot before purchasing.

But I had the first generation echo buds and was highly satisfied and pleased with them. I used them to listen to music podcasts and audiobooks when traveling, when biking, when running and was happy with them for about 2 years. You could just ask Alexa to play stuff, to skip, to rewind, etc. And the noise cancellation feature was awesome. Then after 2 years, one of them started to simply disconnect while I was jogging. This was quite annoying and could only fix it by disconnecting, putting them back in the case and reconnecting. Which disrupted my jogging pace.

So it was a no brainer to get the new generation. I saw the 2023 version at a low price, but it did not have noise cancellation and had the air pods design which I don't like.

Then I found the 2021 2nd generation with noise cancellation and the original echo buds chunky design and went for them. It would take them a little longer to arrive, so in the meantime I also ordered a cheap set of chinese wireless headphones (those that come connected together) so I could get back to running with music and books in the meantime.

So disappointed with the new echo buds.

The "active" in active noise cancellation seems to be a disaster in many ways:

When I tried using them for running, it simply tries to adjust or readjust with every step and you listen kind of a click or chop with every step. Very annoying.

When walking or biking, the noise cancellation also tries to adjust frequently, resulting in sudden changes in volume and sound quality. Also annoying, although less than the constant chop when running.

And when riding a motorcycle, the wind somehow also makes the noise cancellation to constantly change the sound quality.

None of these things happened with the old first generation echo buds.

And then came the screeching echo noise. It first happened when you hold one in your hand and the other is in your ear. Then it started to happen when I was using them while walking the dog. High pitch screeching sound. But I won't insist on these, since I just googled about it and followed the recommendation to clean the ear pieces and the screeching has gone away since.

That's it. The rest works fine: They connect properly and quickly with the Alexa app. Battery life is fine. And I can start and listen to books, podcasts and music on Audible, Spotify and Amazon Music. Just not at peace while running, biking, exercising or on a motorcycle. The accidental tapping other mentions does happen, but I'm clunky anyways, so I assume that's on me.

For using them on an airplane, they work fine and also at home, the office and when driving. Which is what I have finally resigned to use them.

For running, biking and exercising I use the cheap Chinese ones I bought which turned out to be more reliable and deliver a better experience and sound quality while doing those activities. (For reference, I paid US$15.98 for those at 52% discount, which I just checked and seems to be a perennial deal :-p).

So, to sum it up, if you plan to use the wireless buds for exercising, I advise you stay away from this.

If it will be just gardening, driving or indoor use, they will do the job.

Ps: I've had these for only 2 months.

Ps #2: I wish volume was louder, at least for Audiobooks, and I couldn't find an easy way to amp it.

Ps #3: I had not done the Audio Personalisation option. I just did and it allowed me to increase volume. My Audible audiobook sounds much better now.

------ UPDATE ------
I carefully followed the Audio Personalisation a couple of times and changed the silicone rubber tips for a larger size and most audio weirdness and problems with noise cancellation went away.
I found a way through the Audio Personalisation feature to increase volume.
I also have to say, I have not had the issue of one earbud connecting and other not as it was common with the 1st generation.
I am now mustly pleased with the product.
My review remains at 3 stars though.
--------------------------------------------------------------
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Sportutegirl
5.0 out of 5 starsVerified Purchase
Ticks every box well, but not quite the best. - improving.
Reviewed in the United States on May 23, 2022
Color: BlackStyle: Wireless Charging CaseConfiguration: Echo Buds
EDIT/UPDATE: I cannot say this was a result of my own review, but I have raised my review rating by a star to account for this - it seems Amazon through a software update was able to add support for multipoint bluetooth connectivity. As my millennial friends would say, this... See more
EDIT/UPDATE: I cannot say this was a result of my own review, but I have raised my review rating by a star to account for this - it seems Amazon through a software update was able to add support for multipoint bluetooth connectivity. As my millennial friends would say, this is an absolute flex on Google, for they only months ago released their Pixel Buds Pro, with multipoint BT connectivity as a flagship feature, but leaving their a-series, gen 1 and gen 2 Pixel Buds users without the feature.

Coming from a technical background, I know this can be difficult for other bluetooth device manufacturers to do, most of the time they're using off-the-shelf BT adapters which they cannot update the firmware on themselves (they have to talk with whoever manufactured the bluetooth adapter), and in other cases, its impossible to update it without ripping it out of the device first.

Amazon is showing Google up by using their control over the hardware and software of the buds to add features never even dreamed of by the team who designed and released these buds (as evidenced by the lack of mention on the product page), and the fact that I received this in a free software update makes my day.

For those curious, my buds are on software version 603267242 and the case is on 602808458. You can enable multipoint by going to the settings page for your Echo Buds and using the "connected devices" section to put them in pairing mode. Using the normal pairing mode method (buds in case, lid open, pressing and holding button until blue light flashes), might not cause them to pair in multipoint mode.

ORIGINAL REVIEW: Having owned my current pair of Echo buds for nearly a year now, I feel I can give a sufficiently detailed review on them.

Case/Chassis:

The case itself has a nice sleek design with a slight indent on the side that the lid opens from, allowing you to easily pull the lid open. It's small enough to fit into my jeans pocket alongside my keys and wallet, without falling or sliding out. It can fit into the vestigial pocketwatch pocket, but only barely and peeks out to a degree. The hinge feels a little weak, as if a strong enough force applied to the lid could bend its connection out of snap it entirely, and it feels a touch loose, the main body of the case has a sort of raised section that fits into an indented section of the lid. This gives the lid strength when held closed by its magnets and redirects any forces applied to the lid into the main body of the case.

Sound Quality:

Better than my car speakers; with the listening modes such as ANC and passthrough turned off, the sound quality is actually rather pleasant. I have unpaired my phone from my 2019 car and use my Echo Buds exclusively in the car when driving, for music and calls since it sounds so much better. Mind, it is recommended that you use the in-app EQ to turn down mids and treble by one or two ticks to even out the sound profile, especially if you listen to bass-heavy music.

Fit:

Good enough, there are a few pressure points where the body of the earbuds press against my ears and to achieve the recommended fit I have to use tips that are slightly larger than preferred. I could improve comfort by under-sizing the tips and using the wings to keep them stable, but the wing design would worsen the pressure points between my earlobe and the main body, making that the pain-point. I love the color-matched mesh inside the tips, making it easy to tell which size each tip is, and if I am using asymmetric tips (because some people have asymmetric ears), it can help keep track of which bud goes in which ear. In short, I have a listening time of 1-3 hours before the pain gets to me and I have to give my ears a rest... This isn't too bad since the battery is supposed to last 4-5 hours (depending on ANC being enabled, and if I reduce the depth of discharge then it can improve battery lifespan (ex: discharging a battery from 100% to 75% twice is better than going from 100% to 50% once).

Battery:

Truly wireless earbuds have some of the smallest batteries found in electronics, and manufacturers will push them to the limit to hit lovely marketing figures. Google's new pixel buds pro advertise a listening time with ANC of 7 hours. After a year of use, I can confirm that my Echo Buds are still hitting at least 3-4 hours of listening time with ANC enabled. The case holds about 2 spare charges in it, and I find the combined 9-15 hours of listening to be more than enough for most purposes, especially considering I have to take breaks every 3 hours anyhow.

Charging:

This is the only failure of the Echo Buds. I like the use of a USB-C charging port, and the optional upgrade for a wireless charging case. After losing multiple phones to charging port failure, I resolve to only purchase devices with wireless charging from now on, and that resolution is why I held off on getting the first-generation Echo Buds. Since the case is more vertical than it's predecessor, that limits the size of the internal wireless charging coil, and resultingly, the buds have issues trying to charge on a charging pad with too large an internal coil. It will handshake, and initiate the charge, giving the user a pleasant blinking green light, and then fail minutes later - this is an issue I saw even with the official Anker charging pad. Worse yet, for some reason the buds seem to always be warm after wirelessly charging for any length of time longer than 5 minutes. I have deducted one star from my review as a result of this.

Connectivity / Smarts:

The buds are actually fairly nice when it comes to connecting via bluetooth and integration with the Alexa app, Alexa is a pleasant enough assistant and it is nice to be able to turn on and off lights, heaters, AC units, etc as I'm driving away from or towards my home. I have found no issue with the bluetooth connectivity, even in densely crowded areas such as an airplane. Triggering an assistant via a voice command requires their wake-algorithm be running on the receiving device, and since Google and Apple are not going to give Amazon the algorithm required to trigger their assistants via a wake word, this means you're limited to Alexa for truly hands-free operation. That being said, you can setup the Alexa app to trigger your phone's native assistant by pressing and holding one of the buds for 2-3 seconds.

***THIS POINT IS MOOT, SEE ABOVE***
Despite this, there is room for improvement in regards to bluetooth... They need multi-point bluetooth to be really useful. Amazon should want me to be able to swap between my cell phone, and a Fire Tablet, or a Fire TV at will, and ideally even my PC or steamdeck when mine finally ships. Currently, the best option is to pair and unpair it with multiple devices at a time, which is annoying since to pair (without resetting), you must hold the lid open whilst pressing the button until the light flashes blue. This isn't enough to deduct a star, but Amazon should take it into consideration with the third-gen buds, or in the form of a software update if at all possible.
***THIS POINT IS MOOT, SEE ABOVE***

Touch controls:

At launch, the touch controls were laughably limited in scope, you could only customize what the long touch+hold did. After a few updates, the other touch patterns (single, double, triple) can be customized to an extent, and they're acceptable if barely. Unfortunately, they're capacitive sensors, so they can be triggered by anything touching the buds. The Alexa app also provided limited guidance on how best to trigger them, which caused some frustration at first. For those with these buds: you will want to gently but assertively (eg: the minimum amount of force needed for your finger pad to flatten against the surface) press your finger against it for about a half second per press/tap. Do not angrily tap it like you're hitting a key on your keyboard, it'll only miss the touch.

Microphones:

They work, but they're not the best. They do a good job of filtering out external noise, when talking to someone, but the quality isn't as good as a wired boom mic, or a wired in-line mic from a wired set of earbuds. Unfortunately, I don't think this is Amazon's fault as much as it is just the limitations of the bluetooth protocols and the location of the mics. Apple and their copycats with stems on their earbuds may get a better sound if only because there is a dumb-looking stem bringing the microphones closer to your mouth.

Passthrough/ANC:

I'll rate these together since they're basically inverses of eachother; ANC does a decent job of bringing down some of the perceived sound in your environment... it can make me forget my in-window AC or fan is running. It makes my car and airplane rides quieter, which is always pleasant. Passthrough, is sort of like a budget hearing aid: I can customize how powerful it is, and I set it to be more sensitive than my ears normally would be so I can use them to help hear people far away, or who are wearing a mask. It's a surprisingly useful tool to have. My only gripe is that there is a soft, but audible level of white noise than can be heard at all times if either mode is on. This disappears if you disable both listening modes, so I feel it is just a result of the processing the buds are doing, and they're getting confused.

Conclusion:

Honestly, unless multi-point bluetooth is something you need or want, get these. I'd say get them now, but since it's Amazon, they'll go on sale when prime day comes around in July, or whenever else they feel like having a sale. It ticks all the boxes I had for a pair of earbuds when purchasing them, and (with the exception of multi-point bluetooth), it still does after I have experienced them for a year.
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Mike
5.0 out of 5 starsVerified Purchase
Pretty awesome! ***Update*** "2nd Update and yelling ALEXA!"
Reviewed in the United States on May 13, 2021
Color: BlackStyle: Wired Charging CaseConfiguration: Echo Buds
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I just wanted to be one of the first reviews (I don't write many reviews at all)...but I actually got these a day early and played around with them for a bit. Great craftsmanship, solid design and feel...and I'm very impressed with the sound. I normally am not the biggest... See more
I just wanted to be one of the first reviews (I don't write many reviews at all)...but I actually got these a day early and played around with them for a bit. Great craftsmanship, solid design and feel...and I'm very impressed with the sound. I normally am not the biggest fan of headphones that go in the ear, as they tend to somehow make my ears very warm...but these didn't do that at all for the test run I gave them (about 45 minutes). Good noise cancellation, deep bass, high trebles and the best part of all: Alexa at the ready. Pretty cool to just be able to say what song to play and there it goes...even knowing the distance/space from other Echo/Alexa devices and picking the closest ones to the voice saying Alexa (something I had been worried about). I do wonder what would happen if someone near you said "Alexa" while using these...will have to try that out in the future. Though this might be common sense to some, when setting up the Echo Buds with your phone, you need to turn the bluetooth on in your phone. I know that shouldn't be a thing, but a lot of people don't know that and for some reason the directions never mention turning the bluetooth on. Again, these seem awesome, I'm very impressed with them and extremely happy to have them...but it's only been half a day or so. But from the initial outlook, I would definitely recommend these to anyone as they seem like a great set of buds and a vast improvement over the first generation. I will update this review if things get worse or somehow get better...but as of now: A+.

***Update*** Though it says I just bought the "charging case" version in my heading (I don't know why/tried to correct it 3 times), I actually bought the wireless charging case and the optional pad that it sits in that has the built in indentation just for the case. The whole time it was supposed to be here the day after the release, Friday, May 14. I am now getting a notice from Amazon that it won't be here until July 21...and that pretty much ticks me off. I did check the case against a wireless charger that I have but don't trust, because I saw a review of someone getting a normal case by accident...and it does work as a wireless charger. One other little inconvenience, if you are buying new wall plugs (because these buds as well as the 2 month backlogged charging pad do not come with them) it should be noted that the cables are USB-C to USB-A. I purchased 2 Anker wall plugs with the C plugs thinking that the cables coming with these items would be "C to C"...now I need to buy extra adapters, new cables or new plugs. Just something to think about before you buy any extras and end up with mismatched pieces such as myself.

"2nd Update and yelling ALEXA" I used the Echo buds today (Friday, May 14) while cutting the grass for about an hour. No problems with power, as the battery life was great. I decided to use the ANC to drown out the mower's noise, and it effectively did that...so much so that I actually stalled my mower because I didn't realize how thick/high the grass was and how the mower was struggling with it. I normally base those things on the sound of the mower, as that is what I listen for...but I really couldn't hear those nuances at all. Don't get me wrong, it didn't get rid of all the mower's sound entirely by itself, but with the music playing loudly I really didn't hear it until it wasn't running.
HOWEVER...I really have no desire to pull out my phone to change channels, songs or the volume...so this is why I wanted these buds, so I could just tell Alexa to do that (maybe not on a plane, but you get my point). The problem is that maybe the ANC works too well, as I was yelling "ALEXA" and she just couldn't hear me most of the time. As good as these were at canceling out the mower sound, they were canceling out my voice as well. It was truly pretty bad and annoying, so much so that I shut it off and went with the pass through sound option, and then Alexa was able to hear me ask to play a song or change the channel...all without yelling. But then the mower's sound was there again...so I don't have an answer or a solution to this little predicament. Maybe there is an easy way to fix this, but nothing that I could figure out as of yet. I still would highly recommend these, no "warm ear feeling", Alexa ready to help and great overall sound.
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Luis M.
2.0 out of 5 starsVerified Purchase
Decent sound, terrible fit (painful), additional features meh
Reviewed in the United States on May 14, 2021
Color: BlackStyle: Wireless Charging CaseConfiguration: Echo Buds
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2 Stars because the the sound is actually good, but I can’t really tell if noise cancelation works or not. There wasn’t much of a difference between on or off. Also, the sound (wave/swoosh) it makes when you switch from ANR to... See more
2 Stars because the the sound is actually good, but I can’t really tell if noise cancelation works or not. There wasn’t much of a difference between on or off. Also, the sound (wave/swoosh) it makes when you switch from ANR to Passthrough is the exact same sound. So you can’t tell whether you’ve activated or disabled, you either guess it’s activated or you have to check the app to confirm.

The fit is just awful [for me]. I’ve never been able to use Apple’s earbuds or AirPods, these fit worse.
- The wing tips (both S and L sizes) are basically useless, caused irritation and pain due to the poor fit. They don’t go in my ear easily (not inside the canal, but the cartilage where it should secure) and when it does go in the wing tip slips out after a few seconds to a minute later.
- I tried doing without the wing tips, but the earbuds fall out easily with any sudden movement. I tried tying my shoelaces and they fell out, so definitely can’t use them for exercise or any outdoor activities.
- The earpiece is too short, the whole thing is too big [round], not ergonomic. They won't stay in.

The "Find my" feature, one of the features that sold me, only works if the buds are out of the case or if the case is open (both within bluetooth range). IF the case is open! I'm most likely to need this feature when I’ve misplaced them and they’re IN the case, closed in a bag or a drawer.
- The chime/alert only sounds from the actual earbuds, not the case, and you can also do it by individual bud if you’ve only misplaced one or both earbuds. This is handy, but for me, I would prefer for the case to chime and also to be able to locate them when the case is closed.
- It’ll work when the case is charging, but if it's charging you’ll probably be able to see them or know where they are so that’s whatever.
- It shows you the last approximate location from the last time they were connected to your phone or device, but you must grant the Alexa app access to always track your location. Also, once they disconnect from Bluetooth or out of range this feature is useless, the “Find my” option disappears from the Alexa app (included screenshot). Even if you grant full location tracking, you won’t even be able to see their last location. How am I going to find these if the option disappears? I expect an update to the app to at least see the last location.

Customize Tap Controls aren’t that customizable, with limited options.

The case is a matte black, looks nice and compact, but the lid feels cheap. They should’ve added some tension on the hinge or something that grabs it when opened, it would annoyingly flap closed whenever I opened them or could see it opening in a bag.

Wireless charging worked on both Anker Pad and Apple MagSafe wireless chargers.

I included pictures of the Echo Buds (v2) and Anker’s Soundcore Liberty Neo, these are my current earbuds which I was hoping to replace. The wing tips actually work, they fit better even when exercising and outdoor activities, the have decent sound for the price. No app or “noise cancelation” but you’re also not wasting $100 on something that hurts and you’ll lose because they fall out and the extra features sucks anyway (ANR, Find my).

Those are my issues, maybe my ear just hurts from repeatedly trying to get them to stay, will give them a week or so. But I will most likely be returning them. $120-140 for earbuds that aren’t very comfortable and only good when I’m sitting still with no sudden movements, otherwise they fall out, isn’t a good buy.

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Update after using for 3 days (I received them early):

The Alexa app now shows a "Find My - last known location" option (included screenshot), mine only showed the last location when I gave the app full "Always" and precise location tracking. I guess if you want this feature you just have to be ok with Amazon always tracking your location.

I gave my ears a rest and tried them again. Used them all morning, and they were just ok, but they did hurt after about 2hrs. Still don't think they'd stay in out on a run or a walk. I took one out for a bit and then I couldn't get it to stay after that, even after wiping ears to remove any sweat or oils. It was a struggle and then trying over and over irritated my ear. I hope Amazon will review the design and hopefully come up with something more ergonomic for their Echo Buds v3.

After using them all morning I'd say battery is as described, coming on to about 4.5hrs and buds show L:23% R:18%.

I really wanted to like these, even after the initial discomfort I thought maybe it's something to get used to, but I've decided to return them.
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