Microsoft Surface Earbuds Review
There has been a significant rise among wireless earphones ever since Apple released its very own Airpods. Gadget companies such as Microsoft are catching up on this latest gadget craze.
Enter Surface Earbuds, the first of Microsoft’s wireless earbuds. The Surface Earbuds are one of Microsoft’s Surface devices that aim to deliver innovation and convenience.
A few years ago, Microsoft introduced the Surface Headphones that brought fresh ideas in audio innovation. It includes rotating dials where you can adjust its volume and noise-canceling levels. That’s a surprising feature for an audio device.
This time, Microsoft outshines itself through Surface Earbuds, an audio device that focuses on quality and user comfort.
Stick around for a more detailed discussion on Microsoft Surface Earbuds review.
Comfortable design
Let’s start with the overall design of the Surface Earbuds. If you are familiar with the Apple Airpods, the Surface Earbuds will come out strange to you. When wearing them, they look like a massive pair of round earrings than a tech product. But despite its appearance, Microsoft has a reason behind that.
Compared to the typical earphones that perfectly seals your inner ears, the Surface Earbuds have rubber tips that sit outside your ear canal. They nestle securely into your ears without any extended fins found in sport buds.
Wearing the Surface Earbuds doesn’t feel like wearing anything at all. It is comfortable, with its lightweight and origami-like fit. Unlike the Apple AirPods with only one standard size, Microsoft offers three sets of interchangeable silicone ear tips. Every box comes with small, medium, and large ear tip sizes. You can choose which rubber tip will securely fit into your ear.
One of the unique features of Surface Earbuds is the large, round pads with a responsive touch surface. The intuitive gestures such as swipe, touch, and tap allow a surprising amount of audio control. For example, if you swipe the left bud backward or forward, the pad lets you skip between tracks. Swiping up and down on the right will adjust its volume. You can pause and play music by double-tapping, and a long press will activate the voice assistant. These are just some of Surface Earbuds’ excellent features that you rarely find on other wireless earbuds.
For the earbud pad, no need to worry about its accuracy because the controls worked smoothly. Microsoft made a smart move on having the track and volume control on separate ears.
When it comes to comfort, Microsoft remains to be competitive. The Surface Earbuds are an extremely comfortable fit into your ears. They snug perfectly in your ears instead of filling your entire ear canal. You can wear it the whole day without feeling any discomfort or any inner-ear pain.
Excellent Performance Without Sacrificing Comfort
In terms of its performance, the Surface Earbuds can run up to eight hours of battery life before recharging it. If you left it on idle for a full 10 minutes, the device would automatically shut down to conserve battery life. You don’t need to fret about the earbuds’ battery life, because the case provides two additional refills with a total of 24 hours.
For each earbud, you can monitor the battery percentage using the LED light. You can also adjust the EQ customization through the Surface Audio app, which is available on iOS, Android, and Windows.
When it comes to performance, the Surface Earbuds offer rich sound quality. It has a premium sound for music and calls that lets you listen and connect with incredible clarity. It also features an immersive Omnisonic sound that can effectively deliver a satisfying acoustic experience.
Microsoft Surface Earbuds Specs
For more information, check out this list for the Surface Earbuds specs:
- 98” x 0.78” diameter
- Two microphones per earbud
- Weight: 0.26 oz (7.2 g)
- 8 hours of continuous listening time
- 8-hour charges with the earbuds charging case
- Compatible with Windows 10, IOS 12 or 13, and Android 9 or 10
The Surface Earbuds cost $249, including the two earbuds, charging case, and three silicon rubber tips. It is 25% more expensive than the Apple Airpod with charging case.
The price of $249 is not bad for wireless earbuds that offer great sound, comfortable design, long hours of battery life, and flexible noise canceling.
However, if you are a heavy earphone user who prioritizes sound quality over comfort, you may check other wireless headphones that offer better sound quality. You may also try the Microsoft Surface Headphones 2, which has the same features as Surface Earbuds but with better audio quality.
Drawback: Not Suitable for Heavy Listening
One of the significant drawbacks of the Surface Earbuds is its design. Unlike the Apple Airpod that looks like a tech product, the Surface Earbuds look like a massive pair of round earrings attach onto your ear canal.
When you are in a crowded place, there are higher chances of hearing external noises while wearing the earbuds because of its open design. They do not entirely block out external sounds, as Microsoft created the buds to allow you to stay connected to the outside world.
The Surface Earbuds are not applicable for rigorous activities such as exercise. The rubber tip may not be enough to secure it safely in your ears.
Apart from these minor drawbacks, the Surface Earbuds are still a better choice for cranking up your favorite tunes. You can turn up the volume at a higher level to drown out any external noise. In terms of its design, most workers will appreciate its open design features if they want to listen to music in an office environment.
Final Verdict
Microsoft’s Surface Earbuds are more than just a wireless listening device. It offers an intuitive control that allows you to control your music in a single touch.
With its ultra-comfortable design, you can listen to music and connect with your phone all day. Although it comes with a hefty price, Microsoft’s Surface Earsbuds offers an impressive audio performance with an excellent design quality that will suit your needs.
