Amazon are investing more heavily in wearable technology. The latest arrival is echo buds. This article will cover all of the feature and technology used so you will know exactly what these are and if they are right for you. I will also go through alternatives for comparison so you can be better informed on your buying decision.
What Are Amazon Echo Buds?
Technology has come on in leaps and bounds especially battery size. These changes have enabled technology manufacturers to make smaller devices. Amazon Echo Buds are premium earbuds with added smart technology.
These earbuds are designed to pair with your smartphone. You can listen to music, answer and make phone calls and give instructions using Amazon Alexa. I will cover what all of this means.
How Do Amazon Echo Buds Work?
Wireless earbuds are not new technology however Amazon Echo Buds are a newer design. Each earbud has its own battery so there are no cables going between the buds and each one operates independently. Each earbud has 3 microphones so you can be heard clearly for Alexa voice commands.
The earbuds come with a wireless charging case. The idea behind this is that:
- Place the earbuds into the case
- The cases onboard battery charges the earbuds
- The case can charge the earbuds fully 3 times.
- the case is connected to the power to be charged (using micro USB)
The earbuds have a whole host of features that I will go through next.
What makes Amazon Echo Buds Stand out?
There are a number of features that help the earbuds stand out in the growing earbud market. Firstly there is the premium sound and noise cancellation that uses Bose Background Noice reduction technology. Alexa comes built-in so you can give hands-free voice commands like “Alexa, play slipknot”
What is Active Noise Cancellation?
The noise cancellation feature is very handy. Active Noice Cancellation uses microphones to listen to active background noise, detect patterns on the lower noise spectrum. The earbuds then generate the negative opposite noise wavelength to cancel the noise out. This is mixed with what the headphones are playing to cancel out the background noise. Amazon has incorporated Background Noise Reduction Technology supplied by Bose!
A double-tap on the earbuds either disables or enables this feature so you can tune in and out of the noise when you want.
How long does the Battery last?
A full charge will give you up to 5 hours playback. This might not sound like long but storing them in the case actually keeps them charged. The earbuds magnetically clip into the case. The case is able to charge them 3 times fully before you need to charge the case battery.
Design and Fit
The earbuds are small and light. They measure just 22 x 23 x 24mm and weigh only 7.6 grams. The earbuds come with ear and wingtips so you can choose the size to make them a comfortable fit. These are water-resistant to IPX4 for more information see our IP water-resistant guide.
What is Amazon Alexa and how does it work?
For those of you not familiar with this technology Alexa is a voice command recognition system. You can simply say “Alexa” followed by a command and it will do it. There are thousands of voice commands but here are some common ones that are useful when wearing these earbuds.
- Alexa Call Mum
- Alexa Play Slipknot
- Alexa what is the weather
- Alexa read me the news
What makes these earbuds different is that they are always listening for the keyword Alexa so you don’t have to press a button or activate an app.
What are the alternatives?
Now let’s look at alternative options including the pros and cons.
Apple AirPods
AirPods are apple equivalent, they are a similar product to the echo buds. You get the same performance on battery 5 hours per charge. However, the AirPods don’t feature noise cancellation.
Bose SoundSport
Bose have their own brand of wireless earbuds. These are aimed at the sports market. These have the same 5 hours playback time but only 10 hours total charging from the case.
Echobuds Common Problems and Solutions
The volume is quiet?
Most likely due to being in a noisy environment with the sound cancelling enabled. Try increasing the volume in this situation
The Alexa App doesn’t work or stops working
This can be resolved by doing the setup process again.
Cannot connect the device to my phone
You may need to enable Bluetooth and install the Alexa app.