When Amazon unveiled its 2nd Generation Echo Buds in the company redesigned them to solve just about every problem the first time. They had true active noise cancellation (ANC), superior sound and a smaller size. Although these ANC Echo Buds remain close, Amazon has taken a very different approach for its third Version. He decided to upgrade from the mid-range to a low-cost model with a completely new design that covers most of the basic features that you would expect. As always, the Alexa faithful will get the most out of the new 50 Echo Buds, but in many ways it could be argued that a budget model capable of managing the essential good should be where Amazon should have been all along.

Design

While the first two iterations of the Echo Buds had similar designs, Amazon has completely changed things for the third generation. The model has an AirPods-like rod that extends from the ear to the jaw. The silicone ear plugs have also disappeared and the buds rest in your ear instead of completely closing your ear canal. The Echo Buds contain two sets of silicone “covers” that, according to Amazon, “optimize your fit”. “They don’t really change the feel of the headphones in your ears because they are so thin. They provide just a tiny bit of support to help you stay put.

The mainly open design is ideal if you don’t want to completely hide the world. However, they ONLY have an IPX2 protection rating to protect against water drops. The 2nd Generation Echo Buds offered a slightly superior IPX4 resistance, so I wouldn’t count on the model as a training partner if you sweat a lot.

However, Amazon has not cut too many corners on controls to reduce costs. The main upper part of the Echo Buds accepts taps (single, double, triple and long) for music playback, calls and to call Alexa manually. The headphones are also equipped with in-ear detection for automatic pauses. You can reconfigure the default settings in several ways, including replacing the basic volume controls. But for this you need two points, because increasing the volume is one Gesture, while decreasing it requires another.

The controls are mirrored on both sides by default, but you don’t need to leave them that way. You can also reassign the long press to disable Echo Buds microphones or activate your phone’s Native Assistant. Since these headphones offer hands-free access to Alexa, you can technically get both. However, the Echo Buds will not invoke Siri or Google Assistant when the microphones are muted, even if you have assigned them to the long press action. The main thing here is that there are many customization options available and that the headphones reliably accept your touches without having to repeat a touch command.

Despite the longer overall design, the powering matter remains small with the new Echo Buds. This one fits easily in a small pocket. The Bluetooth pairing catch is located outside on the front, just below an LED status indicator, and there is a USB-C powering port on the right side.

Software and configuration

One of the biggest problems I have with the Echo Buds is that they need the Alexa app for a complete configuration. I am conscious that headphones and earbuds need apps to get the most out of their functionality, but the Alexa app is bloated because it manages all kinds of smart devices beyond the Echo Buds. There’s a lot to do here just to tweak your settings. Amazon has placed the information about the headphones at the top so that you don’t have to search for them, but there is still a lot to lose at the bottom.

The Alexa app displays the battery life percentages for both headphones individually and the matter directly on the home screen, as well as an easily accessible mute catch for the microphones. If you continue to press the settings, you will be presented with the Bluetooth connections and you will have the option to disable the Alexa speaker. Note that this does not mute the microphones and that you can still manually access the Amazon Assistant by long pressing on the Echo Buds. The headphones also support multi-point connectivity for two devices at once, and in my experience, switching is fast and reliable.

As in the past, the company allows you to activate and customize the sound of the page. This is the asset up of your own voice that you want to hear during a call. The VIP filter is also returned so that you can decide which contacts and applications you want to receive notifications from. The EQ adjustment comes in the form of three sliders for bass, midrange and treble, just above the Tap catch Reconfiguration option. Amazon has included a Find My tool in the application and there are categories of features for joyful, communication, location and maps that can be used to further customize the configuration of the Echo Buds.