The Microsoft Surface Earbuds were announced today during the software giant’s annual hardware event. These are the company’s first true wireless earbuds, and while most features are run of the mill, one truly sets them apart.
The Redmond giant is yet to share the full specifications, but they can be expected soon.
Microsoft Surface Earbuds Have A Unique Design For A Better Fit
The first thing that might catch your eye about the Microsoft Surface Earbuds is the design. They have a sizeable footprint. However, this design was not chosen arbitrarily.
The company says that the earphones are made this way to provide the best fit and in-ear stability. This means you shouldn’t have to worry about the earbuds falling out.
Another advantage is that there’s a bigger area for touch inputs. Speaking of which, the Surface Earbuds recognize plenty of gestures. With a double-tap, you can answer calls, and it takes just a swipe to skip tracks.
To control volume, just slide your fingers up or down and double-tap to pause audio. Long pressing the panel will activate the voice assistant of your choice, which can either be the company’s own Cortana or Google Assistant.
Each earbud gets directional dual-mic arrays that filter out background noise to capture yours accurately. The earbuds also offer omnisonic sound. When it comes to battery they should last a good eight hours, and with the accompanying charging case, you get 24 hours of battery life in total.
Apparently, it takes just 10 minutes to get an hour of battery life. The earbuds are IPX4 certified against sweat and water splashes too.
With a single click, the earbuds can be paired to your computer and smartphone, be it Android or iOS. Spotify integration is also available for Android handsets.
The Earbuds Can Help Enhance Your Productivity
When the earbuds ship during the holiday season, they will cost $249. Which puts them in the premium territory. These are productivity-oriented accessories and aim to make your work life easier, hence the cost.
Gesture controls let you control PowerPoint slides and with live dictation, your text is transcribed in real-time. While that certainly sounds nice, what’s even better is that these earphones can translate your words into another language and display them as captions.
This can be very useful when dealing with clients that speak a foreign language. More than 60 languages are supported. Other than that, these earbuds can read out your emails and inform you about your appointments.
The Microsoft Surface Buds will compete with similar products from Amazon, Apple, Bose, and other vendors. The design might prove to be a deterrent, but consumers might ignore it for the baked-in Office integration.