Amazon has today introduced its second-generation Echo Buds with a 21 percent smaller design and enhanced active noise cancellation.
The second-generation Echo Buds introduce a white color option, and it is difficult to see past the clear design cues that Amazon has taken from the AirPods Pro's charging case, which looks almost exactly the same with an elongated design, a single centered LED, and a long groove to open the lid.
Much like the AirPods Pro, the Echo Buds now feature a vented design to reduce ear pressure. There are also other comfort improvements that have been made possible by reducing the size of each individual bud, such as a shortened in-ear tip and reduced external height for a more flush fit.
Noise cancellation is said to be twice as good as the previous model and the buds now feature an AirPods Pro-style sound passthrough mode. Sound quality has also been improved with extended dynamic range and increased bass and treble fidelity. The microphones are also improved for better call quality.
The second-gen Echo Buds are rated IPX4 for water and sweat resistance, and the earbuds can deliver five hours of listening with noise cancellation enabled, with two additional full charges in the case for a total of 15 hours. Like the original Echo Buds, the second-generation model comes with Alexa built-in.
The Echo Buds come with four sizes of oval-shaped ear tips and optional wing tips in two sizes for a more secure fit.
The second-generation Echo Buds are priced at $119.99 with the standard USB-C charging case, or $139.99 with the wireless charging case, undercutting the $249 price of AirPods Pro considerably. They will go on sale on May 13 and will be discounted for a limited time to $99.99 and $119.99.
What is the appeal of those gummy things inside the ear other than sealing external sound?
I hate them, they are so uncomfortable, that's why I think the basic AirPods are the best design and I hope they continue to exist.
Yes, they’re there for noise isolation so the cancelation performance is more effective. Better isolation also probably reduces the power consumption that would be required to cancel the added bypass noise leakage.
Don‘t like them? Don’t buy them. not complicated. The original design that you have to jam in your ear is more uncomfortable to me. The old design is actually painful
What is the appeal of those gummy things inside the ear other than sealing external sound?
I hate them, they are so uncomfortable, that's why I think the basic AirPods design is the best and I hope they continue to exist or any evolution do not have the silicone tips.
Realistically they are intended to seal your ears better which can improve sound quality and also decrease likelihood of the buds shifting around.
The AirPods are alright but for my own ears they can fall out if I move too much. The AirPod pros improve upon this but they also have tips
Man the same can be said about Apple copying other companies in tech trends, I would even argue it is the opposite: Apple is often the last one to arrive to the party on many things, copying/building on other companies' first attempts.
I agree they're often last to arrive to the table. But as soon as they do, every product that comes out after looks strikingly like Apple's design.
What is the appeal of those gummy things inside the ear other than sealing external sound?
I hate them, they are so uncomfortable, that's why I think the basic AirPods design is the best and I hope they continue to exist or any evolution do not have the silicone tips.
Apple is cutting production of its ultra-popular AirPods by around 25% to 30% due to a decrease in sales as a result of increased competition in the wireless earphone industry, according to a new report from Nikkei Asia.
According to the report, citing sources familiar with Apple's production plans, the tech giant now plans to produce only roughly 75 to 85 million units of AirPods for the...
Google today introduced its latest wire-free earbuds, the Pixel Buds A-Series, which at $99, are $60 cheaper than the standard AirPods and $100 cheaper than the AirPods with Wireless Charging Case.
The Pixel Buds A-Series are the most affordable Pixel Buds Google has released to date, and they offer the same sound quality as prior versions of the Pixel Buds. Reviews have corroborated...
Apple today shared a new AirPods Pro-focused ad called "Jump" on its YouTube channel, highlighting the Active Noise Cancellation and Transparency features of the earbuds in a creative way.
In the spot, a man wearing AirPods Pro jump ropes through the city. It's set to the song "Fallin' Apart" by Young Franco, and it features the tagline "Turn the world into your playground with AirPods Pro."
...
Thursday March 25, 2021 8:44 am PDT by Joe Rossignol
Taiwanese supplier ASE Technology has started production of optical sensors for next-generation AirPods slated to launch in the third quarter of 2021, according to industry sources cited in a paywalled DigiTimes story preview today.
The full report has yet to be published, so there are no further details at this time, but the timeframe lines up with information shared by Apple analyst...
Apple has filed the unreleased "Beats Studio Buds" in the FCC or Federal Communications Commission database under model numbers A2512 and A2513. The new filings come after the reveal of the new earbuds last week within the release candidates for iOS and tvOS 14.6.
The new earbuds feature a smaller design with no stem, much in line with what we're expecting to be a similar design language for ...
Tuesday January 26, 2021 8:24 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple plans to release second-generation AirPods Pro within the first half of 2021, according to unnamed industry sources cited by Taiwanese publication DigiTimes in a report focused on flash memory supplier Winbond.
From the report:Winbond is also expected to be among the NOR flash suppliers for Apple's next-generation AirPods Pro slated for launch later in the first half of this year, the...
With the AirPods 3 rumored to be launching as soon as this month, we've been seeing an increasing number of leaks showing off the design of the new earbuds. Renders were shared yesterday, and today, 52audio has published a series of images said to feature the third-generation AirPods.
As with prior leaks, the AirPods 3 have an AirPods Pro-like design with a shorter stem and a more rounded...
Amazon is offering up to $52 in savings on Apple's AirPods, including the regular model and the AirPods Pro. If you're shopping for the AirPods Pro, you can get these for $197.00 on Amazon, down from $249.00.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Amazon. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
This price is...
Woot today reintroduced its popular sale on Apple's AirPods Pro, marking down the headphones to $189.99, from $249.00. Last month we saw the AirPods Pro drop to around $179 on Amazon, but sales like that have been rare, while Woot's has been the most consistent around online in early 2021.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a...
Amid continuing signs that third-generation AirPods are in the works, a number of images of the new design have purportedly leaked online.
Images recently shared by 52audio claim to reveal the updated design of the third-generation AirPods, perhaps giving us the first clear look at Apple's next-generation wireless earbuds.
The images depict AirPods with a shorter stem and a design very...
Top Rated Comments
Sure, Amazon can undercut AirPods with the lower price because copying is much cheaper than R&D.
Don‘t like them? Don’t buy them. not complicated. The original design that you have to jam in your ear is more uncomfortable to me. The old design is actually painful
The AirPods are alright but for my own ears they can fall out if I move too much. The AirPod pros improve upon this but they also have tips
I hate them, they are so uncomfortable, that's why I think the basic AirPods design is the best and I hope they continue to exist or any evolution do not have the silicone tips.