Amazon’s 2nd Gen Echo Buds are coming in May with a new design and better ANC
It’s been more than a year and a half since we saw Amazon’s first entry in the truly wireless earbuds space. The original Amazon Echo Buds were a solid first attempt, but were a bit bulky and didn’t exactly deliver the best noise cancellation. Today, Amazon is trying to right those wrongs with the 2nd generation Echo Buds.
These new Echo Buds bring Active Noise Cancellation, are about 20% smaller than its predecessor, and claim to off up to five hours of battery life on a single charge. The included case is said to provide an additional 10 hours of juice, and can fast-charge the earbuds. With just a 15-minute charge, Amazon claims you’ll be provided with an additional two hours of playback.
As you might expect, these are powered by Alexa, thanks to the always-listening earbuds, provided that you have the Alexa app installed on your phone. Those looking for some new workout earbuds will enjoy the IPX4 water and dust resistance rating in the Echo Buds.
You would be hard-pressed to be on the lookout for some new earbuds and not find a set featuring Active Noise Cancellation. While the original Buds offered a lighter version of ANC, Amazon has delivered its own ANC technology with this new iteration. The company claims that the ANC will cancel out twice as much background noise when compared to the original version.
Surprisingly, Amazon made its announcement today, but the 2nd generation Echo Buds won’t be arriving until May. Luckily, you can pre-order these today and save yourself a few bucks before these are finally released. There are also two versions available, one of which features a standard USB-C case, with the other version coming with a wireless charging case. In fact, there’s even a new Anker wireless charging puck that has been designed specifically for the new Echo Buds case.
Pre-order pricing for the Echo Buds (2nd Gen) starts at $99.99 without the wireless charging case, and $119.99 for the wireless charging option. And if you want to get the wireless charging bundle with the upgraded case and Anker’s charger, you can pre-order the bundle today for $139.97. After the Echo Buds are released, the price will increase to $119.99 for the standard version, and $139.99 for the Buds with wireless charging case.