Amazon Echo Buds (2023) review: $50 goes a long way

When Amazon launched its 2nd-generation Echo Buds in 2021, the corporate redesigned them to deal with almost each difficulty with its first try. They’d true energetic noise cancellation (ANC), higher sound and a smaller dimension. Whereas these ANC Echo Buds are sticking round, Amazon took a a lot totally different method for its third model. It opted to maneuver from the mid-range to a low-cost mannequin with an all-new design that covers many of the primary options you’d count on. As at all times, the Alexa devoted will get probably the most out of the new $50 Echo Buds, however in quite a lot of methods you can argue a finances mannequin that does effectively with the necessities is the place Amazon ought to’ve been all alongside.

Design

Whereas the primary two iterations of the Echo Buds had comparable designs, Amazon fully modified issues up for the third era. The 2023 mannequin has an AirPods-like stem that extends down out of your ear towards your jaw. The silicone ear ideas are gone as effectively and the buds sit in your ear fairly than fully closing off your ear canal. There are two units of silicone “covers” included with the Echo Buds that Amazon says will “optimize your match.” They don’t actually change how the earbuds really feel in your ears as a result of they’re so skinny. They simply present a tiny little bit of grip to assist them keep put.

The largely open design is nice for if you won’t wish to block out the world totally. Nevertheless, they’re solely IPX2 rated for cover from water droplets. The 2nd-gen Echo Buds provided barely higher IPX4 resistance, so I wouldn’t depend on the 2023 mannequin as your exercise accomplice when you sweat rather a lot.

Amazon didn’t minimize too many corners on the subject of controls to maintain prices low, although. The higher, predominant a part of the Echo Buds settle for faucets (single, double, triple and lengthy press) for music playback, calls and to summon Alexa manually. The earbuds are additionally geared up with in-ear detection for computerized pausing. You possibly can reconfigure the defaults any variety of methods, together with swapping out core controls for quantity. You’ll want two spots for that although, as quantity up is one gesture whereas down requires one other.

The controls are mirrored on either side out of the field, however you don’t must hold them that manner. You too can reassign the lengthy press to mute the Echo Buds mics or activate your telephone’s native assistant. Since these earbuds supply hands-free entry to Alexa, you may technically get each. Nevertheless, the Echo Buds gained’t summon Siri or Google Assistant if the mics are muted, even when you’ve assigned them to the lengthy press motion. The underside line right here is that there’s a lot of customization obtainable and the earbuds reliably settle for your faucets with out having to repeat a contact command.

Regardless of the longer total design, the charging case with the brand new Echo Buds stays small. This one will simply tuck in a tiny pocket. The Bluetooth pairing button is on the surface up entrance, sitting just under an LED standing indicator, and a USB-C charging port resides on the best aspect.

Software program and setup

One of many largest points I’ve with the Echo Buds is that they require the Alexa app for a full setup. I’m effectively conscious earbuds and headphones want apps to get probably the most out of their options, however the Alexa app is bloated because it handles all types of good gadgets past simply the Echo Buds. There’s rather a lot to deal with right here simply to tweak your settings. Amazon has put the earbuds information up prime so that you don’t must go searching for it, however there’s nonetheless rather a lot to get misplaced in down beneath.

The Alexa app shows battery life percentages for each earbuds individually and the case proper on the house display, in addition to an simply accessible mute button for the microphones. Tapping additional into the settings exhibits you Bluetooth connections and offers you the choice to disable Alexa hands-free. Be aware that this doesn’t mute the mics and you’ll nonetheless manually summon Amazon’s assistant with a protracted press on the Echo Buds. The earbuds additionally assist multipoint connectivity for 2 gadgets directly, and in my expertise switching is fast and dependable.

Because it has prior to now, the corporate means that you can activate and modify Sidetone. That’s the quantity of your personal voice you wish to hear throughout a name. VIP Filter returns as effectively, which helps you to determine which contacts and apps you wish to obtain notifications from. EQ customization comes within the type of three sliders for bass, mids and treble, simply above the choice to reconfigure the faucet controls. Amazon has included a Discover My instrument within the app and there are function classes for Leisure, Communication and Location & Maps that assist to additional personalize the Echo Buds Setup.

Sound high quality

Relating to open-type earbuds, sound high quality can range wildly from mannequin to mannequin. It’s comprehensible that some firms battle to ship the perfect audio with out sealing off your ears and the wearer’s ear form can dramatically affect the outcomes. However Amazon tackled each of these challenges admirably and created a sound profile that’s fairly good in a set of $50 buds.

The very first thing that impressed me with the Echo Buds was the readability and element. Softer and acoustic genres like bluegrass, folks and lighter nation sound nice, with the nice and cozy strums of Zach Bryan’s guitars and vocals on American Heartbreak reducing via the combo. Swap over to the electro-pop-rock of PVRIS’ Evergreen and also you’ll discover that these earbuds do lack a little bit of low-end thump. That’s frequent with open designs, so it’s not shocking. If I press the buds in barely, the bass is extra current. Sadly, which means audio high quality could range based mostly on how the Echo Buds sit in your ears.

Total, the tuning is well-balanced throughout genres. At instances, there’s a heavier dose of treble, however it’s not a relentless difficulty. However generally the Echo Buds ship higher audio high quality than a lot of the $50 competitors. They pickup loads of refined reverb when it’s current and there’s good texture to drums and distorted guitars throughout hip-hop and metallic respectively. They even adequately render all the layered and distinctive sounds of the KAYTRAMINÉ album.

In contrast to the earlier model of Echo Buds, there’s no energetic noise cancellation right here. Because of the semi-open design it might be largely wasted anyway. This implies the brand new Echo Buds gained’t do a lot to dam a loud espresso store or air conditioner, however they need to hold you from lacking bulletins, warnings or every other essential information that may in any other case go unheard.

Battery life

Amazon says you may count on as much as 5 hours of use on these Echo Buds. You possibly can lengthen that determine by one hour when you choose to disable hands-free entry to Alexa. There are three further fees within the case and a quick-charge function provides you with as much as two hours of listening time in quarter-hour. The Echo Buds are replenished by way of the USB-C port on the best aspect as there’s no wi-fi charging right here. Amazon doesn’t embrace a cable both, citing its Local weather Pledge Pleasant dedication, however chances are high you have already got one. If not, the corporate affords the choice to bundle it for $10 extra.

Throughout “common” use, I nonetheless had eight p.c left within the tank after 5 and a half hours. That’s a mixture of taking part in music, taking calls and leaving the buds on my desk exterior of the case a few instances. I additionally had the wake phrase energetic, so I went past the corporate’s said quantity. 5 hours is close to the business common as of late, particularly for extra inexpensive fashions, however it’s good to see Amazon barely overdelivering.

Name high quality

To help with calls, Amazon put in two mics and a voice accelerometer on every earbud. As at all times, firms’ claims about name efficiency are usually exaggerated to some extent with guarantees of “crystal clear” high quality. That’s precisely what Amazon says in regards to the Echo Buds, however total readability isn’t significantly nice. Your voice comes throughout barely muffled, although it’s completely effective for common video and voice calls. I wouldn’t do any recording with these – not that you’d with most earbuds anyway. The Echo Buds do a good job combatting background noise, together with a loud fan that got here via as mushy white noise as an alternative of its raucous rumble and a close-by sport of Mario Kart 8 wasn’t picked up in any respect.

The competitors

At $50, Amazon is considerably undercutting its competitors from the largest names in wi-fi earbuds. Sony’s least expensive possibility, the WF-C500s, are $100 and Samsung’s Galaxy Buds 2 are solely about $10 much less. Apple’s 2nd-generation “common” AirPods are $129, however there’s a pricier, redesigned mannequin of those who debuted in 2021.

For extra apt comparisons, you’ll wish to look to the likes of Jabra and Anker for the perfect finances wi-fi earbuds. The Jabra Elite 3 are my prime inexpensive choose on account of its spectacular sound high quality for the worth ($80), good battery life, comfortable match and dependable contact controls. There’s no computerized pausing and EQ changes are restricted to presets, however the audio is nice out of the field. My colleague Jeff Dunn prefers Anker’s Soundcore Area A40. For $75, you get respectable ANC, customizable sound, eight hours of battery life and nearly all the necessities.

Wrap-up

Amazon’s new method to Echo Buds has produced fascinating outcomes. The corporate was solely going to enhance issues a lot at its earlier mid-range value level, there’s a restrict to how a lot tech you may add to a $150 set earlier than the worth has to go up. Going for the finances patrons as an alternative of constructing a high-end set of $300 earbuds makes extra sense contemplating its method to different gadgets. Nonetheless, the corporate managed to create low-cost Echo Buds with sound high quality that punches above the worth level whereas nonetheless together with all the primary performance. Alexa customers even get a hands-free assistant, which isn’t all that frequent on $50 earbuds. There are actually some omissions, however on the entire, Amazon’s option to go finances pleasant looks as if the best name.