Echo Buds with Active Noise Cancellation (2021 release, 2nd gen) | Wired charging case | Black
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Purchase options and add-ons
- 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.
We want you to know
Choosing the right ear tip size is important to experience the best sound quality and active noise cancellation performance. Find a comfortable and secure fit through the Fit Guide.
To activate your Echo Buds, you will need to complete registration in the Alexa app using a smartphone with Android 8.0+ or iOS 14+.
For tips related to battery health, visit the battery help page here.
*Wired is an Amazon affiliate and receives commissions for purchases made though links on its site.
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Top Brand: Amazon
Echo Buds with Active Noise CancellationSmall, 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. |
Dynamic audio and active noise cancellationPremium 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. |
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.
Hands-free
|
Customize your fit. Optimize
|
Take Alexa
|
Designed to protect your privacyBuilt 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
21% post-consumer recycled plastics in case (black color only).
Earbuds, cable and adapter not included.
Clean Energy
Amazon is building new wind and solar farms to produce clean energy equivalent to the electricity used by this device.
Device Packaging
98% of this device’s packaging is made of wood fiber-based materials from responsibly managed forests or recycled sources.
Simple to set up and use
1. Open the Alexa app on your phone.
2. Open the case and wait for the blue
light. Tap the pop-up notification in
the app to finish setup.
3. Customize your fit with the
included ear tips and wing tips.
Compare headphones
Price | From: $119.99 | From: $49.99 | From: - | From: $99.00 | From: - | From: $174.95 |
Ratings | 4.0 out of 5 stars (21,961) | 4.0 out of 5 stars (7,111) | 4.7 out of 5 stars (300,638) | 4.7 out of 5 stars (609,539) | 4.2 out of 5 stars (36,347) | 4.6 out of 5 stars (83,874) |
Active noise cancellation | ||||||
Hands-free voice assistant | Alexa | Alexa | Siri | Siri | ||
Tap-to-access voice assistant | Alexa, Google Assistant, Siri | Alexa, Google Assistant, and Siri | Siri | Siri | Google Assistant, Siri | Google Assistant, Siri, Bixby |
Battery life on full charge | Up to 5 hrs (6.5 hrs with ANC and Alexa wake word off) | Up to 5 hours (6 hours with Alexa wake word off) | Up to 4.5 hrs (5 hrs with ANC off) | Up to 5 hrs | Up to 5 hrs | Up to 11 hrs |
Total hours with charging case | Up to 15 hrs (19.5 hrs with ANC and Alexa wake word off) | Up to 20 hours | More than 24 hrs | More than 24 hrs | Up to 15 hrs | Up to 22 hrs |
Quick charge | Up to 2 hrs with 15-min charge | Up to 2 hours with 15-min charge | Up to 1 hr with 5-min charge | Up to 3 hrs with 15-min charge | Up to 2 hrs with 15-min charge | Up to 1 hr with 3-min charge |
IPX rating (water resistance of earbuds) | IPX4 | IPX2 | IPX4 | IPX4 | IPX2 | |
Customizable fit | 4 sizes of ear tips and 2 sizes of wing tips | 3 sizes of ear tips | 3 sizes of ear tips | 3 sizes of ear tips and wing tips |
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. |
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 (case) |
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. |
Climate Pledge Friendly
Products with trusted sustainability certification(s). Learn more
Product Certification (1)
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.
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Customer reviews
Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.
To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.
Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers like the value of the earbuds, saying they are a great value for the price. They say the bud falls out easily and they have difficulty keeping the audiphones in their ears. They also complain about the battery life, saying it is reduced. Customers disagree on performance, fit, comfort, and sound quality.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
Customers generally like the value of the digital device. They say that it has a great value, solid value, and decent sound. Some customers also mention that the sound cancelling is decent.
"...They are the best overall package and at half the price, win-win." 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
"...The only sure thing is it was useless during my vacation. Reduing the rating to one star again." Read more
"...If they removed the white noise, 100% yes – they are absolutely great for their price (other than the white noise)...." Read more
Customers are mixed about the sound quality of the digital device. Some mention that the audio is good, with a great improvement in noise abatement. The mids are mellow and smooth, and the microphones are superior to the AirPods Pro. The bass is natural, rich, and handles fairly deep notes without bottoming out. The ear buds are comfortable, and have solid mics for communicating via calls. However, some say that the sound is muted, the Passthru default setting adds a bunch of white noise, and there is a small distortion in the sound. The buds play a start-up sound when pulling them out of the case, though it's brief.
"...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
"...I think the ANC is just "okay", nothing great. It does work to limit some noise, but I can still hear most everything, just at a lower volume...." Read more
"...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..." Read more
"...Mids:9/10 Echo buds: Captured every note of voice and captured the whole orchestral range without anyone instrument dominating due to a lack..." Read more
Customers are mixed about the performance of the digital device. Some mention that it works well, while others say that it doesn't even work that well. The ANC seems to be effective, but some customers say that the left side fails.
"...It's a surprisingly useful tool to have...." Read more
"...occasionally doesn't sense that it is actually in my ear and stops sending signals...." Read more
"...I mainly use it to control playback of Audible books and it is truly wonderful. I can say "Alexa play titleX on Audible" and it will do so...." 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
Customers are mixed about the fit of the ear buds. Some mention that the fit is ok for the style, while others say that it was iffy. The buds do not fit in the case as well with them on, and the tip part isn't large enough.
"...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..." Read more
"...The buds don't fit in the case as well with them on which has caused me to need to fiddle with them a bit when returning them to the case...." Read more
"...The case **I think the case is really nice. It is small and slim enough to fit into the coin pocket in my pants without bulging too much...." 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
Customers have mixed opinions about the comfort of the headphones. Some mention that they are really comfortable buds, with a rubberized texture feel to them that gives them a premium feel. However, others say that after a while they start to hurt and the wing tips actually hurt their ear.
"...Clear and concise.7/10 Huawei: Gets there but a few notes start to hurt your ears, too much...." 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
"...might help, but I generally do not like to use them as they are not comfortable...." Read more
"...The earbuds are comfortable, and I've been able to wear them for hours on end without issues...." Read more
Customers are dissatisfied with the battery life of the earbuds. They mention that the case lid closes too easily, the app is a pretty big battery killer, and the bud's don't always power down when put back in the charge case. They also mention that they are not very dependable and could break during regular use.
"...so at the hotel, but when the time comes to use these buds, the battery is empty...." Read more
"...My only real complaint is battery life...." Read more
"...If I take the bud out and didn't bring the case up, it just runs out of battery overnight with no way to turn it off.- Ear fit isn't great...." Read more
"...Battery life is fine. And I can start and listen to books, podcasts and music on Audible, Spotify and Amazon Music...." Read more
Customers are not satisfied with the stability of the earbuds. They say that the bud falls out easily with any sudden movement. Some customers also mention that the buds do not stay in their ears for long periods.
"...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..." Read more
"...It doesn't fit well and is not secure in my ear. The wings don't seem to help...." Read more
"...are comfortable, but I definitely get a sense that they create a vacuum in my ear canal (to create a physical noise isolation), and that makes me..." Read more
"...This just doesn't have that. There are reasonably strong magnets that keep the buds secured and charging properly...." Read more
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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.
Instead of breaking this down by pros and cons, I'm going to go by product features as many have both pros and cons.
** The Single Killer Feature **
Hands free Alexa is nothing short of incredible, an absolute game changer. Many other earbuds can integrate with Alexa (and other assistants), but to activate you need to tap the earbuds. Being able to just talk to Alexa anywhere and everywhere is magical.
I've been an Apple iPhone user since the introduction of the iPhone and I love their hardware and iOS in general. However, Siri is just plain awful. It is slow, clumsy, often doesn't hear what you are saying and is so bad that I had given up on voice assistants completely. With these Echo Buds, I have now entered the world of Alexa and couldn't be more pleased. It is everything that Siri isn't -- quick, good solid responses, rarely misinterprets what I say, even understands whispers with incredible accuracy.
As for Alexa and the Echo Buds, this is so much more than just saying "Alexa, what's the weather?". I mainly use it to control playback of Audible books and it is truly wonderful. I can say "Alexa play titleX on Audible" and it will do so. I can say "Alexa pause" and "Alexa resume" at any time and it reacts quickly. I can say, "Alexa go back" which defaults to 30 seconds, or "Alexa go back 5 minutes" if I've let my mind wander and missed a chunk of the story.
The only negative of Audible and Alexa is that it streams it and won't play from the downloaded copy in my Audible iOS app. As long as I have a good cell signal, this isn't really an issue. One thing I did notice is that you have to be a little careful if you switch from using an Alexa device and the Audible app for playback. More than once I had a Whispersync failure and it lost my place. I found that force-quitting the Audible app after an Alexa session resolved this issue (in other words, listen to Audible on Alexa, force-quit Audible app, then launch Audible app and when you play a title it will auto-update to the current position).
I also love being able to access the Amazon Music library. I do have Prime, but not the Premium subscription to Music. It is still a lot of music and I'm happy with what I can find to listen to.
And live radio stations such as NPR work great. The first time you say, "Alexa play NPR" it will ask what station you want, so you can get your local / preferred station. Afterwards, just saying "Alexa play NPR" auto-selects that station.
There is an annoyance with the way Alexa works with third-party, non-Alexa-integrated apps. For example, if I launch a random radio, music, whatever app, it will play fine, and if I say, "Alexa pause" it will pause, but if I then say "Alexa play" it will start playing the default music app assigned to Alexa. In this case, the only way to pause/play is to tap on the earbuds.
** Alexa app & privacy **
I've seen numerous reviews complaining that location access and/or contacts are required to use the earbuds. In my experience, this is NOT the case. I did not allow location access or contacts access (iOS Alexa app) and had zero problems with setting up and using the Echo Buds.
** The fit of the earbuds **
I find that the earbuds fit quite well and the built-in audio test always gives me good to excellent rating on fit. I am using the default medium (blue) ear tips and the small wings. I find I need the wings to give a more secure fit when I am out hiking. I have also found that to get a solid fit, there is a specific technique I need to use to get the earbud tip securely in my ear canal before twisting it into position. I can't describe this in words, but if you don't get this right, the fit will be sloppy.
** Touch Controls **
Two observations: 1) They don't work consistently well for me. I will tap once and often register no tap at all or it will register as a double-tap. This is annoying. 2) The only tap gesture you can customize is the long-press. I don't know why you can't customize all the tap gestures. Perhaps in a software update...
** Battery life **
This is a very mixed bag. Overall, I find that I usually get closer to 4 hours of battery life instead of the stated 5 hours. This may be due to volume (I have it about 2/3 of max volume and the Amazon battery testing was done at 50% volume). It also may be that I keep the passthrough mode enabled and am usually in a fairly noisy environment (hiking outdoors, wind noise, etc). I think, but am not 100% sure, that more noise means more processing is required and this eats into battery life.
That being said, popping them into the case for 15 minutes quickly recharges them enough for another hour of two of use.
The case only holds two full charges, which isn't a lot, so I always charge the case after an extended session of use.
One important note is that Amazon shows the battery life of both the left and right earbuds. You'll notice that one bud will drain MUCH quicker than the other. This has to do with which bud is the primary vs secondary. The primary actually communicates with the phone's Bluetooth and then processes and sends a signal over to the secondary. I often find that the primary bud is 15% more drained than the secondary. You can control which bud is primary vs secondary by which one you put in first, but this can be tricky sometimes. I've done some testing and can reliably get the left or right bud to be the primary (and thus drain faster).
** The case **
I think the case is really nice. It is small and slim enough to fit into the coin pocket in my pants without bulging too much. One little annoyance is that the lid flips closed too easily, but that is a minor thing. Even with the small wings installed, I have absolutely no problem with getting a solid charge connection every time.
I have experienced a glitch in how the charging seems to work. If I open the case when one bud is fully charged but the other is not, it seems to stop charging even when I close the case again. However, if I just put the buds in the case and leave it alone for a while, both buds are always charged to 100%.
** Sound quality **
I think it is quite good! Sure, there are much better sounding buds, for a lot more money. These have decent bass, midrange and treble and sound good with music as well as spoken word (Audible books, podcasts).
** Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) and Passthrough Mode **
I think the ANC is just "okay", nothing great. It does work to limit some noise, but I can still hear most everything, just at a lower volume. Part of this is due to the nature of an earbud not having a complete seal into the ear canal, but part of it is probably less processing power than some of the major players in this market.
I use the Passthrough mode often. I do a lot of hiking in a desert environment and need to be aware of animals, particularly rattlesnakes. The Passthrough seems to accentuate treble sounds, which is perfect to hear a rattler. I have it set at level 4, and there is a little hiss, but nothing I find overly annoying.
I do wish there was a way to quickly disable all noise processing (i.e., turn it off) without having to open the Alexa app on my phone. For example, a 3-way toggle with long-press would work -- ANC, Passthrough, Off.
** Conclusion **
There really are quite a few things to nitpick on these earbuds. They are far from perfect and some cheaper buds (half the price of even less) have overall better functionality. HOWEVER, as I mentioned at the beginning of this feature, Hands Free Alexa is a KILLER feature and, for me, so awesome that I am easily willing to overlook all the negatives. I do hope that Amazon keeps improving these and that the 3rd generation fixes a lot of the issues. Perhaps a software update in the meantime will help with some things.