Microsoft Surface Earbuds are here: Price, features and specs

(Epitome credit: Microsoft)

Later first being unveiled tardily last twelvemonth, the Microsoft Surface Earbuds are finally ready for primetime. Microsoft's get-go wireless earbuds sport a uniquely large pattern built to evangelize a ton of intuitive control options at the tap of a finger in addition to deep integration with Surface devices and Windows 10 apps.

The Surface Earbuds promise immersive sound via what Microsoft calls "Surface Omnisonic" audio, and are built to pair instantly with Surface PC devices. And since this is a Microsoft product, the Surface Earbuds tin work with Microsoft 365 apps like PowerPoint and Outlook to permit y'all do things like swipe through slideshows or listen to mail messages without having to touch your telephone or PC.

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That's a lot of interesting tech, just can the Surface Earbuds accept on the likes of the Apple AirPods and Google Pixel Buds ii? Here's everything you demand to know about Microsoft'due south new buds.

Microsoft Surface Earbuds release date and cost

The Microsoft Surface Earbuds release on May 12 for $199, and come in a single off-white Glacier colour. Microsoft'south buds are relatively expensive considering their lack of dissonance-cancelling, as the $159 Apple AirPods, $149 Samsung Galaxy Buds Plus and $179 Google Pixel Buds 2 are all cheaper.

Microsoft Surface Earbuds specs

Toll	$199
Size	0.98 x 0.78 inches (per earbud), two.96 10 1.31 x 0.98 inches (charging case)
Weight	0.25 ounces (per earbud), ane.iv ounces (charging case)
Frequency Response	20 - 20kHz
Speakers	13.6mm driver
Bombardment life	8 hours from earbuds, up to 24 hours with charging case
Waterproofing	IPX four
Compatibility	Windows 10 or later, Android 4.4 or later, iOS 9 or later, Bluetooth 4.1/4.2

Microsoft Surface Earbuds features

The commencement thing yous'll probably notice well-nigh the Surface Earbuds is that they're big — and that's for a reason. The earbuds sport 4 anchor points designed to remainder securely in your ear, and besides pack 3 sets of swappable ear tips so you can find the perfect fit. But the real draw here is the sheer corporeality of surface surface area (no pun intended) that these buds offer for touch controls, allowing you to tap and swipe your way through songs, calls and even work presentations.

The Surface Earbuds are optimized to piece of work with a variety of Windows 10 apps. For example, y'all tin utilise them to add alive captions to a PowerPoint presentation complete with existent-fourth dimension translation, or to swipe through a prepare of slides without touching your PC. You tin besides use the Surface Earbuds to listen to and sort through Outlook emails using only touch on and vocalism, meaning y'all tin can become through your inbox in the morning without pulling your telephone out.

Microsoft is promising rich sound quality via the Earbuds' "Surface Omnisonic" audio, which comes from custom drivers tuned to match the quality of live music venues. The buds feature Spotify integration, assuasive you to instantly pull up songs from the pop music service with a quick triple-tap. And you'll become a microphone on either bud built to block out background chatter during calls.

The Surface Earbuds piece of work on iOS, Android and Windows 10, simply it seems similar they'll specially shine on Surface PC devices. With the Swift Pair feature, you can instantly pair the Surface Earbuds to a device like the Surface Pro 7 by simply placing the charging case most your PC.

In our Microsoft Surface Earbuds hands-on review, we institute the buds to exist impressively comfortable, and offer solid sound quality. We found the buds' touch gestures a bit sensitive at get-go, merely it wasn't long before we were opening up Spotify and summoning Cortana with just a quick serial of taps.

Microsoft Surface Earbuds battery life

The Microsoft Surface Earbuds promise eight hours of battery on a single accuse, and well-nigh 24 hours with the charging case. That's a higher rating than the Apple AirPods 2019 (v hours on a charge, 24 with case), merely not quite as colossal every bit the 11 hours of single charge you'll get from the Samsung Galaxy Buds Plus. We look forward to seeing how the Surface Earbuds' bombardment life holds up in existent world use in our total review.

Microsoft Surface Earbuds outlook

The Microsoft Surface Earbuds are shaping up to be one of the most unique sets of wireless earbuds nosotros've seen yet, with a large design built for comfort and a plethora of PC-specific features. The buds' ability to interact with Windows 10 apps and instantly pair to Surface PCs is compelling, but may likewise make them a bit niche compared to the likes of Apple tree's AirPods.

There'south also the issue of price. $199 is a lot to ask for a pair of buds without agile dissonance cancellation, particularly since the fantabulous Sony WF-1000xM3 can be found for around that price or less. But if you're a hardcore Surface or Windows 10 user that wants a pair of earbuds that piece of work seamlessly to your laptop or tablet, the Surface Earbuds only might be for yous.

Mike Andronico is Senior Writer at CNNUnderscored and was formerly Managing Editor at Tom's Guide. When not at work, you tin can usually grab him playing Street Fighter, devouring Twitch streams and trying to convince people that Hawkeye is the best Avenger.