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Dec 08, 2023

Amazon Echo Buds (2023)

The $49.99 Amazon Echo Buds (2023) differ from the $119.99 2nd-Gen Echo Buds

The $49.99 Amazon Echo Buds (2023) differ from the $119.99 2nd-Gen Echo Buds (which are still for sale) in that they leave off active noise cancellation (ANC) and opt for an open-earbud design rather than one that seals off the ear canal. It's sometimes difficult to get consistent stereo imaging with this model as a result, but if you do, the Echo Buds reward you with quality audio that you can customize in the companion app. Hands-free Alexa and responsive controls are additional highlights, and we can look past the lack of a charging cable in the box at this price. If you want a more premium open-ear experience, the $99 Nothing Ear (stick) true wireless earbuds, an Editors' Choice winner, produce more consistent sound, offer a more durable build, and look more stylish. The Echo Buds are still worth purchasing if staying below $50 is your goal, however.

Available in Black or Glacier White, the stem-style Echo Buds ship with translucent, removable silicone covers that don't seal off the ear canal—they look like miniature silicone socks for the earbuds. Unfortunately, these are easy to lose and you get only one extra pair in the box. The earbuds stay in the ear fine with a barely-there feel, but the audio presentation is inconsistent because of the many different angles at which they can sit. As mentioned, the 2nd-Gen Echo Buds have eartips that seal off the canal; they also use a more rounded design with no stem.

Internally, 12mm dynamic drivers produce a frequency range of 20Hz to 20kHz. The earbuds are compatible with Bluetooth 5.2 and support the AAC, AptX, and SBC codecs. That's a nice range of codec support at this price, though the noise-cancelling Monoprice Horizon ANC earbuds ($59.99) offer the newer AptX Adaptive option. The Echo Buds also support multipoint pairing via the Alexa app.

The circular exterior of each earbud works as a capacitive touch panel. By default, the controls are the same on each side: Single taps control playback, double taps skip to the next track, triple taps navigate to the previous track, and long holds summon Alexa. That's not an ambitious layout, but it's easy to customize the controls in the companion app. Even better, the buttons are highly responsive to inputs.

In terms of durability, the Echo Buds have an underwhelming IPX2 rating, which means they can withstand water droplets at an angle. Suffice to say, you need to be careful not to expose these to heavy rain or sweat. For reference, the second-gen Echo Buds have an IPX4 rating and the Nothing Ear (stick) model sports an IP54 rating. But if you need earphones for exercise, our favorite budget model is the IPX7-rated Tribit FlyBuds 3 ($35.99).

The matte gray charging case is nondescript, with a rectangular-yet-rounded shape. The front includes a status LED and a pairing/reset button, while a USB-C port sits on the side. Alas, there's no USB-C charging cable in the box, so you must supply your own. I applaud companies that take a serious stance on eco-waste, but the exclusion of a cable won't sit well with everyone. The case does not support wireless charging either, an upgrade option available for the 2nd-Gen Echo Buds.

Amazon estimates the Echo Buds can last roughly five hours per charge and that the case holds an additional 20 hours of battery life. The runtime increases to six hours if you turn off the hands-free Alexa capability. Of course, your results will vary based on your typical listening volume level. Charging the earbuds for 15 minutes should get you up to two hours of playback.

The Alexa app (available for Android and iOS) works with tons of devices from Amazon (and other manufacturers), so the user interface can feel somewhat cluttered. Most of the app's interface has little to do with the basic operation of the Echo Buds, but a dedicated settings tile at the top of the app (which appears after the initial pairing process) gets you access to all the important sections.

Tap the panel to see the remaining battery life for each earpiece and the case. Below this, the Bluetooth section lists which devices are currently connected with the earbuds. An Alexa section lets you toggle hands-free Alexa access (using wake words to activate the mic), while a Sidetone area allows you to control how much of your voice you hear on calls.

Further down, you can adjust the Bass, Mids, and Treble levels using simple faders in the EQ section. You can also customize the on-ear control layout, as mentioned. The app limits single-tap assignments to playback and track forward actions, but more options open up with the double- and triple-tap gestures.

Beyond adjusting EQ and controls, you can enable the location-based Find My feature, plus customize the music, podcast, and radio streaming services the app uses by default.

One other feature worth highlighting is the ability to use Alexa within the Echo ecosystem to move audio between devices—for example, from an Echo speaker to your Echo Buds and vice versa. An upcoming Alexa feature, called the VIP Filter, will also let you set up a prioritized list of contacts from whom Alexa can read your notifications.

With a proper fit, the Echo Buds dutifully deliver the low-end thump on tracks with intense sub-bass content, like The Knife's "Silent Shout." They don't distort at top volume, and the lows still sound robust at more reasonable levels. Higher-frequency content steps in to provide balance.

The earbuds also reproduce most of the sub-bass at the 34-second mark of Kendrick Lamar's "Loyalty.'' The first parts of the sub-bass synth progression are audible and get an appropriate amount of rumble, but the deepest elements fall just outside the scope of the drivers. The lack of an in-ear seal doesn't help matters, because the variability inherent to that design makes a full bass response difficult to achieve, anyway. That's disappointing, because the bass depth actually sounds pretty good if you find a sweet spot. Otherwise, the various vocal performances sound clear and bright, an emphasis that carries over to the rest of the track. The in-app EQ is quite effective if you want to tone down that effect, despite using generic band descriptors.

Bill Callahan's "Drover," a track with less deep bass in the mix, better reveals the pair's sound signature. If you secure a proper fit, the drums on this track sound full, with a moderate amount of boosting. Callahan's baritone vocals get plenty of treble edge, and the acoustic strums receive lots of attention, too. The brightness is still present even in the case of a poor fit, but the bass takes a big step back.

On orchestral tracks, like the opening scene from John Adams’ The Gospel According to the Other Mary, the Echo Buds can produce rich bass depth and bring the lower-register instrumentation forward a bit in the mix. Meanwhile, the higher-register brass, strings, and vocals retain their crisp presence. Again, this experience assumes the optimal scenario in terms of fit.

The mic array works well, and I had no trouble understanding every word from an iPhone test recording. The signal is relatively clear and emphasizes speech. Thus, both phone calls and Alexa commands should be relatively seamless.

The Echo Buds' inconsistent ear-to-ear audio presentation won't bug everyone (especially for the sub-$50 price), and their hands-free Alexa integration makes them smarter than most budget alternatives. If you do prefer an open-ear design and are willing to fiddle with the fit, these earbuds can provide a quality audio experience after all, and they offer plenty of personalization options, too. The open-ear and Editors' Choice-winning Nothing Ear (stick) earbuds are also worth considering, thanks to their better audio quality and far more durable IP rating, though they cost twice as much.