Did you miss out on the Amazon Prime Day deals? Best Buy is giving you a second chance to get an Amazon Echo speaker at the same super-low prices we saw earlier in July. The Amazon Acho Popt, Echo Dot, and Echo are all on sale from the popular brick-and-mortar retailer!

You can pick up an Amazon Echo Pop for just $18, down $22 from its regular $40 price. You can also get the Amazon Echo Dot half off, bringing the price tag down to $25. Meanwhile, the larger Amazon Echo is going for $55, which is a $45 discount.

Buy the Amazon Echo Pop for $18

Buy the Amazon Echo Dot for $25

Buy the Amazon Echo for $55

These deals are available from Best Buy, and they apply to all the color versions available for all the listed speakers. There’s no sign of how long the offers will last, though.

Which Amazon Echo speaker should you get?

Figuring out which Amazon Echo speaker to get can be a bit confusing. Should you go for the cheapest, the Echo Pop, or are you better off investing in one of the higher-end versions? Of course, all can handle Alexa questions and commands and control your smart home. So, why would you pay more? Let’s go over which users should get each speaker.

The Echo Pop is obviously the most basic speaker, but it isn’t bad. It is very small and good-looking. There’s still has a small notification light, and the 1.95-inch speaker will sound great if you’re close enough to it. It will find a great home in a small room, a desk, or a small kitchen corner. And if you use an eero router, it can even turn into Wi-Fi mesh extender, just like all the other speakers here.

If you want a bit of an upgrade, the Amazon Echo Dot has a smaller 1.73-inch speaker, but it still sounds great in a small room or desk. The notification light goes all around the bottom of the device, and the look is a bit more unique, as it’s nearly a full sphere. You’ll also get some extra features, such as a motion detector and a temperature sensor. This will allow you to do things like automate lights to turn on when you walk into a room, or program the thermostat when the device detects certain temperatures.

If you want to go all out and get good sound, there’s the Amazon Echo. It has a larger 3-inch neodymium woofer and two 0.8-inch tweeters. This speaker also comes with all the features you get from the Echo Dot, including the temperature and motion detection sensors. It even looks like it, with the only difference being that it’s significantly more prominent. There is one upgrade, though: it comes with a 3.5mm jack, which can work as an input or output.

By the way, if you’re looking for a good smart display, you might also want to consider the Amazon Echo Show 5 and Amazon Echo Show 8. They are also discounted at Best Buy.

Are you getting yourself one of these? Go ahead and get it as soon as possible, as we don’t know how long these offers will stick around. If you miss this second chance, you might have to wait a bit until the prices drop again. Likely around Black Friday.

Today’s Amazon Echo Spot announcement and release were totally unexpected, but even more exciting is the fact that the online retailer launched this product with an amazing deal. You can get the brand-new Amazon Echo Spot 2024 for just $45! That is a 44% discount on the original $80 price point.

Get the Amazon Echo Spot for just $45!

The most important caveat here is that this deal is only available to Prime subscribers. That said, we know many of you already pay for this, and if you don’t, new members can get a 30-day free trial. There’s no better time to sign up for Amazon Prime, considering all the deals that will be available during Amazon Prime Day.

This offer applies to all color versions of the Amazon Echo Spot: Black, Glacier White, and Ocean Blue. If you want in on the offer, it will be available through July 17, 2024. The price will go back to $80 after this.

The 2024 Amazon Echo Spot is looking pretty awesome. The design has been modernized, reminiscent of the newer Echo Pop, featuring a spherical back and flat front. Half of this flat side has become the screen. This means the speaker is slightly smaller at 1.73 inches, as it had to make room for the display. For comparison, the Amazon Echo Pop has a 1.95-inch speaker. You don’t really get these devices for audio quality, though. Functionality matters most, and the Echo Spot excels in this department.

The screen makes it easy to glance at the time, weather, music info, alarms, etc. It’s also quite customizable, as you can change the clock face, as well as the general UI color. This makes it easier to have the Echo Spot match your room’s colors, allowing you to pick between orange, violet, magenta, lime, teal, and blue.

Of course, you’ll get all the other benefits that come with owning an Alexa-powered speaker. Alexa commands, smart home controls, timers, alarms, and other information are only some of the features available with all these Echo speakers and smart displays.

Again, this offer will conclude after July 17, so make sure to get yours sooner rather than later. Remember, this is a brand-new device at a highly discounted price. These will likely be selling like pancakes, and there is a chance Amazon will run out of stock.

Editor’s note: this is the first version of the article. Updates will follow as the market changes.

What’s it like to use the Amazon Echo Buds (2023)?

Using the Amazon Echo Buds (2023) is a mixed bag, but I’ve used worse earbuds. For example, many AirPods imitators using an unsealed design released in the ten years the TWS category has existed were easily a more miserable experience. However, the Amazon Echo Buds (2023) are a bit different. Amazon calls them “semi-in-ear,” meaning they attempt to seal to your ear canal, but they don’t go in it far enough to guarantee the fit an insert earphone should provide. It’s an interesting concept, but one that sounds better in theory than it ends up being in practice.

In my time with the earbuds, I had the same fit issues as with any unsealed buds — even when using the included silicone rubber bits intended to make the fit better. Because of this, I found the “seal” to the ear canal to be pretty fragile. We expect many of you will have extreme difficulty with these staying in your ear.

The nature of unsealed earbuds lends to some comfort and performance issues.

The Amazon Echo Buds (2023) case charges using USB-C. The pairing button on the front is prominent and easy to find — since you’ll likely need to use it every so often. The product doesn’t include a USB-C cable for charging — Amazon claims it’s to support their climate pledge — but it does mean you will have to find a cable when it’s time to charge.

The Echo Buds are small and bear a resemblance to an older product.

The earbuds have sensors built into the body to determine if you’re wearing them, so they can automatically pause should one be taken out of your ear. There’s also a capacitive touch interface on the back of the stem.

The earbuds are not very resistant to the elements. An IPx2 rating means that these can only handle incidental moisture at an angle of 15 degrees. Waterproof, these are not.

How do you control the Amazon Echo Buds (2023)?

Like many earbuds with capacitive controls on the housing, the Amazon Echo Buds (2023) can be controlled via a series of taps or long presses.

Additionally, you can customize the long press action in the Alexa app to replace the default voice assistant toggle. You can replace it with:

1. Toggle Google / Siri
2. Volume up / down
3. Mute microphones

Should you use the Alexa app for the Amazon Echo Buds (2023)?

If you’d like to take advantage of Amazon integrations like the Alexa assistant, you’ll need to install the Alexa app on your smartphone. However, if you’d like to listen to audio from your source device or computer, an app isn’t going to be necessary. I didn’t find much utility for it, but if you’re in deep with the Amazon product family it may help you to share information or functionality across your smart home devices. If you’re not already in the Amazon ecosystem, you’ll probably not have much benefit from sharing your data with the company.

How do the Amazon Echo Buds (2023) connect?

The Amazon Echo Buds (2023) use Bluetooth 5.2 and connect to your devices via the SBC, AAC, or aptX codecs. Though the inclusion of aptX is a nice touch, you won’t be getting a high-end listening experience out of these earbuds.

To the Amazon Echo Buds (2023)’s credit, they support multipoint. So, if you often swap between devices, it’s nice to have the process as streamlined as possible.

How long do the Amazon Echo Buds (2023) battery last?

The Amazon Echo Buds (2023) have a decent battery life, but are overshadowed by close competition.

The Amazon Echo Buds (2023) lasted 6 hours and 22 minutes on a single charge in our standardized test. Of course, depending on how you use them, your results will vary.

How well do the Amazon Echo Buds (2023) block out noise?

The Amazon Echo Buds (2023) are unsealed earbuds with no active noise canceling (ANC), so don’t expect them to block out much outside noise. Though the earbuds can block up to 20dB in the high frequencies, it’s inconsistent and unreliable in practice, and you won’t enjoy much isolation from low-end noise either.

How do the Amazon Echo Buds (2023) sound?

Like most unsealed earbuds, sound quality is not the Amazon Echo Buds (2023)’s strong suit. However, the news isn’t all bad.

Multi-Dimensional Audio Quality Scores (MDAQS)

The chart below shows how the sound of the Amazon Echo Buds (2023) was assessed by the Multi-Dimensional Audio Quality Score (MDAQS) algorithm from HEAD acoustics.

The Multi-Dimensional Audio Quality Score for Timbre is relatively low, though distortion and immersiveness are fine.

Because the bass is so weak with unsealed earbuds like these, most people will find the experience lacking. It’s no surprise that the timbre score is so low because a lack of bass is just one of those things that can break the experience for most people, and the Amazon Echo Buds (2023) decidedly fall flat here. What’s worse is that you can tell that the Amazon Echo Buds (2023) try to boost it quite a bit, as the earbuds will sound extremely bassy if you attempt to push them into your ears, making all of the lower-frequency content and even mids sound off. Though the earbuds do okay with the presentation of space, it’s not enough to buoy the overall score.

These are poor results, richly earned.

Reviewer’s notes

The semi-in-ear design leaves much to be desired, as fit issues abound.

I’m not going to sugarcoat it: I hate these earphones. Not only is the unsealed design the most frustrating to get to fit into my ears, but the sound is dreadful. I honestly can’t think of a good example to highlight this because everything I listened to sounded like it was coming out of a set of lousy car speakers with a crappy sub in the trunk. You might have luck with the three-band equalizer or the sound personalization in the Alexa app, but I sure didn’t.

While I usually can see what manufacturers were going for, even in odd earphone concepts, it’s less obvious here. I wound up pulling these out to ensure no seal was made, but by then, they were so loose in my ears that they would fall out at the slightest twitch.

Objective Measurements

Despite the impression of bass, the unsealed design leads to poor response in this segment of the spectrum due to a compromised fit. The mids and highs might look a little less problematic than the bass does, but the issue is that depending on how your earbuds fit, the bass can be absolutely ridiculously loud or almost nonexistent.

If we were to judge these earphones purely on their measurements, I would point out that there is huge underemphasis in the upper mids, where normal headphone responses and our preference curve typically swing upward. This range is essential to get right, and the Amazon Echo Buds (2023) utterly eat dirt when put to the test. This underemphasis leads to unclear music, voices and instruments having a muffled quality, and an overall poor-quality sound.

Can you use the Amazon Echo Buds (2023) for phone calls?

Like any mass-market wireless earbud, you can take phone calls with the Amazon Echo Buds (2023). They perform acceptably well for voice calls and meetings, but you’ll want to check out the sample recordings below to see how different environmental conditions affect the call quality.

Amazon Echo Buds (2023) microphone demo (Ideal conditions):

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Should you buy the Amazon Echo Buds (2023)?

You should probably skip these unless there aren’t many other good options for you at this price point.

Maybe leave these on the shelf.

Just skip these. They sound awful, and if you want Amazon integrations, plenty of other devices on the market support Alexa as a voice assistant. Additionally, plenty of other earbuds run circles around the Amazon Echo Buds (2023) in terms of sound quality, battery life, and features. So there’s no reason to give these earbuds the time of day. I understand that $50 might be an attractive price point for many, but if you’re seriously considering the Amazon Echo Buds (2023): do some poking around online to find something better. I assure you, there’s plenty out there.

What should you get instead of the Amazon Echo Buds (2023)?

If you’re reading this because you were considering the Amazon Echo Buds (2023), you should probably check out the JLab JBuds Mini () instead. They are the same price as the Amazon Echo Buds (2023) and offer far better sound quality and isolation. They can also be attached to your keyring and are much lighter. If you’re not wild about the mini form factor, JLab also makes the Go AIR Pop (), which are very similar to the mini buds — just larger.

Attaching earbuds to your keys can make them easier to find and more of a pain to charge.

Alternatively, you could also seek out the Tozo NC2 () for a set of ANC earbuds that come in at about the same price. However, we’re bigger fans of the Anker Soundcore Life A1 (). Not only are they about the same price as the Amazon Echo Buds, but they’re also much better performers.

Frequently asked questions

What I like about the Amazon Echo Pop

The top of the speaker has 3 buttons and a lightbar.

The first thing you’ll notice about the Amazon Echo Pop is its design. It kind of looks like Amazon just took the Echo Dot (5th gen), and sliced a chunk off the front of it. I’m a big fan of this sleeker and more modern design, but beauty is in the eye of the beholder. It also comes in a few fun and modern color options including Lavender Bloom, Charcoal, Glacier White, and Midnight Teal. Measuring only a few inches in every direction, the Echo Pop sits discreetly on any desk, table, or shelf.

There are buttons on top of the speaker to control the volume and disable the microphone. There is also a lightbar on top of the speaker that shines blue when Alexa is listening. Aside from that, you’ll be interacting with the Amazon Echo Pop using your voice.

The speaker easily fits in one hand.

The Alexa integration makes it easy to control other smart home devices, play music, ask questions, and more. If you’ve never used a smart speaker before, you’ll be amazed. If you have used a smart speaker before, you’ll find the Echo Pop is an easy addition to your setup. The Echo Pop uses the Amazon AZ2 Neural Edge processor found on the more premium Echo devices for quicker local processing of voice commands. Typically, you get a response from Alexa within only one or two seconds. A few other bonus smart home perks that come with the Echo Pop are that it functions as an Eero mesh Wi-Fi extender, and is compatible with the Matter smart device standard.

Considering how cheap and tiny the Amazon Echo Pop is, I was impressed by the sound quality. The front-firing speaker is angled slightly upward, which in most setups directs the sound at your ears. The speaker has a neutral sound, without any over-emphasis on bass, mids, or highs. If you just need a speaker for casual listening to music or podcasts at your desk or in your bedroom, the Echo Dot works great.

What I don’t like about the Amazon Echo Dot

While the speaker works well as part of a desk setup, it’s not super loud.

There are some key drawbacks to making a smart speaker this cheap and tiny. First of all, there are obvious limitations with loudness and bass response. You simply can’t expect a driver this small to deliver enough volume to provide music for a large room or a party of people. Similarly, you aren’t going to get a chest-pounding bass response (or any sub-bass at all) with the Amazon Echo Pop. If you need more oomph from your music, check out the slightly larger Amazon Echo Dot (5th Gen), or take a look at the best Bluetooth speakers.

This design doesn’t include any sort of display. For only a bit more money, you can get the Echo Dot with a clock display, or the Echo Show 5 with a full five-inch color display. There’s also no water resistance on the Echo Pop, which means you should probably look elsewhere for a bathroom speaker.

The Echo Pop doesn’t provide much for connectivity options. There’s no Bluetooth connectivity or 3.5mm audio input. This means the only way to connect to the speaker and play music is over Wi-Fi. The speaker also doesn’t carry a battery charge, so it has to be plugged into the charger all the time. Speaking of charging, the Echo Pop uses a proprietary power cable rather than something more universal like USB-C.

Finally, as with all smart speakers, there is reason to be wary about your privacy with the Echo Spot. Amazon’s ecosystem depends on data collection to deliver personalized content, product recommendations, and advertisements. You can view all of your voice recordings from within your Amazon account, and delete some or all if you wish.

Amazon Echo Pop specs

Should you buy the Amazon Echo Pop?

The Amazon Echo Pop is a great budget smart speaker.

While the Amazon Echo Pop has a starting price of $39.99, you can usually find it on sale for less than half of that. As of writing, there are multiple bundle offers for the Echo Pop plus a bonus smart light for only $17.99. At that price, the Echo Pop is a no-brainer.

With full Alexa integration, a sleek modern design, and decent sound, the Amazon Echo Pop packs a ton of bang for your buck. There’s no display and limited volume, but as an affordable smart speaker, the Echo Pop is definitely worth the money.

Amazon Echo Pop review: FAQs

How to connect Spotify to Alexa

To connect Spotify to Alexa, you must have Amazon-enabled speakers, a Spotify account, and an Alexa account. This works on Spotify Premium and the Basic version, but note that you will not get an ad-free experience with Spotify Basic.

Also, you cannot listen to on-demand songs like with Spotify Premium. With that said, here are the Alexa-enabled devices that support Spotify:

• Amazon Tap
• Amazon FireTV cube
• Amazon Echo
• Amazon Echo Dot
• Amazon Echo Spot
• Amazon Echo Show
• Sonos Players

Here’s how to connect Spotify to Alexa on one of these devices.

1. Open the Amazon Alexa app on your Android or iOS device and tap More in the bottom right corner.
2. Select Settings from the menu.
3. Scroll down and select Music & Podcasts under Alexa Preferences.

1. Under Services, find Spotify. If it isn’t there, tap Link New Service to link it.
2. Select Spotify.
3. Tap ENABLE TO USE.
4. It will take you to accounts.spotify.com. Log in with your account and tap AGREE.

That’s all! Your Spotify account will be linked to Alexa. Now, you can give voice commands to Alexa to play music, podcasts, and playlists. If you want to disconnect Spotify from Amazon Alexa, follow steps 1-6 and tap DISABLE SKILL.

Furthermore, you can also set Spotify as your default music player. To do so, open the Alexa app > More > Settings > Music & Podcasts > Your Default Services. Tap the default music service, e.g., Amazon Music, and select Spotify.

Can you connect multiple Spotify accounts to Alexa

Yes, you can connect multiple Spotify accounts to Alexa. For that, you must log into multiple Amazon accounts in Amazon Household, and then each person in the home can connect Spotify with Alexa using individual accounts. However, you must ask Alexa to “Switch Profiles” when accessing your Spotify library.

How to use Spotify with Alexa

When your Spotify and Alexa apps are linked, you can easily play music by giving voice commands to Alexa-enabled speakers. Here are some quick commands to try:

• “Alexa, play ‘Shape of You’ by Ed Sheeran on Spotify.”
• “Alexa, play some ‘Classic Rock’ music on Spotify.”
• “Alexa, repeat ‘Stairway to Heaven’.”
• “Alexa, what’s playing right now?”
• “Alexa, shuffle my ‘Chill Vibes’ Spotify playlist.”
• “Alexa, pause ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’.”
• “Alexa, resume ‘Billie Jean’ by Michael Jackson.”
• “Alexa, skip ‘Yellow Submarine’.”
• “Alexa, go back to ‘Hotel California’.”

Editor’s note: this versus article was updated on January 17, 2022, with information about the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II. 

Does the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds have a better design than the Amazon Echo Buds (2nd Gen)?

You can quickly switch between devices if you download the Bose Music app.

Upon first glance, you’ll notice that the Bose earbuds are bigger than the Amazon earbuds. The Bose QuietComfort Earbuds definitely draws a bit of attention, but the StayHear Max wing tips stabilize the fit very well. If the earbuds happen to get whacked out of your ears and splash into a puddle, they might just be alright, thanks to their IPX4 rating. The charging case is equally bulky, but at least it has LED battery indicators and a button for initiating Bluetooth pairing.

The design of the Amazon Echo Buds (2nd Gen) is much less obtrusive. The buds themselves are circular and relatively plain, and also have an IPX4 rating. It comes with three ear tip options and three rubber ear stays that press against the inside of your outer ear to help with stability. Amazon also claims to be doing its best to mitigate the environmental impacts of production. The Echo Buds’ black case is made of 21% post-consumer recycled plastics. Both the Echo Buds and QuietComfort Earbuds are operated via on-ear touch controls.

Which Bluetooth codecs does each pair of earbuds support?

Be sure to download the Alexa app before connecting your buds to your phone if you want all the features to work.

The Bose QuietComfort Earbuds and Amazon Echo Buds (2nd Gen) both support the SBC and AAC Bluetooth codecs. This is great for iPhone users, but the lack of aptX support means Android users may not have as pristine a listening experience as they’d desire. These two buds differ by the Bluetooth version they support—the Bose earbuds support Bluetooth 5.1 and the Echo Buds support Bluetooth 5.0. This just makes the QuietComfort Earbuds a little more energy-efficient and improves location tracking.

Connecting the Amazon Echo Buds (2nd Gen) is best done through the Alexa app. While some people may balk at the idea of letting Alexa into their lives, the smart assistant integration is certainly the best offering of the Echo Buds. If you don’t see yourself joining the Alexa lifestyle, we’d definitely recommend going with the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds instead. Otherwise, download the app and it will prompt you to connect the Echo Buds.

The Bose buds also have an app for streamlined connectivity, and you can use it to seamlessly switch between your source devices (this is as close as you’ll get to Bluetooth multipoint). The connection of the QuietComfort Earbuds’ Bluetooth is strong across its 9-meter range regardless of if you’re inside or outside. The Amazon Echo Buds (2nd Gen) has a much shorter wireless range of about 6.1 meters. Amazon’s earbuds also lack easy device switching, and you’ll have to disconnect it from each device before pairing it with another.

Does the Amazon Echo Buds (2nd Gen) have more features than the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds?

The Bose QC Earbuds are quite a bit larger than the competition.

With the Amazon Echo Buds (2nd Gen) you get all the Alexa functionality of an Amazon Echo speaker, and additional software features as well. You can control your smart home devices, call your friends and family with other Alexa devices, and shop on Amazon with just your voice. In addition, the Alexa app has tools like a custom equalizer, a device locator, and an ear tip fit test to make sure you’re getting the most out of your earbuds. You’ll also be able to customize your buds’ wake word, touch controls, and ANC settings. The Echo Buds support mono listening and automatic ear detection with either earbud.

With the Bose Music app, you can also personalize the QuietComfort Earbuds a bit, though not to the extent of the Echo Buds. The app lets you reconfigure touch controls, and adjust ANC and transparency mode settings. Only the right earpiece supports mono listening, but both earbuds have auto-pause and auto-resume functionality. The QuietComfort Buds also has sidetone audio during phone calls which allows you to adjust your monitoring volume to make sure you don’t end up screaming through the mic. The Bose earbuds also can connect you with your smartphone’s assistant.

Which pair of earbuds has better battery life?

Though nondescript, the Amazon Echo Buds (Gen. 2) are unmistakably an Amazon product at a glance.

When we tested the battery life of the Amazon Echo Buds (Gen. 2), we found that it lasted 4 hours, 42 minutes, which is pretty average for true wireless earbuds. Its case also holds an additional 10 hours of juice. The Bose QuietComfort Earbuds has a bit of a leg up on the Echo Buds, with battery life clocking in at 5 hours, 29 minutes. It’s not common, however, for anyone to listen to their earbuds for more than two hours at a time, so you probably won’t notice this difference much. The Bose case also holds an additional 12 hours of charge.

If your battery does run out, both the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds and the Amazon Echo Buds (2nd Gen) can give you 120 minutes of listening time with a 15-minute quick charge. Both earphone cases charge via USB-C or a Qi-wireless charging mat, though wireless charging functionality will add $20 to the Amazon Echo Buds (2nd Gen) price.

Bose QuietComfort Earbuds vs Amazon Echo Buds (2nd Gen): Active noise canceling

This is among the best ANC from true wireless earbuds.

When earbuds are named QuietComfort, you’d expect them to cancel noise extremely well, and luckily they do. The Bose Music app brings 10 levels of noise canceling to the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds, which increase in intensity the higher you go. Turning the earbuds onto level one will activate maximum transparency mode, so you’ll be able to hear the world around you. This is a nice safety feature since you’ll be able to hear your music but also won’t miss it if someone is trying to talk to you. If you bring the ANC level up to 10, you won’t be able to hear much of anything from your surroundings—Lily found that the buds all but silenced her stationary bike equipment.

Isolation and noise cancellation are quite good with these earphones, and among the best at the sub-$200 price point.

However, the excellence of the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds’ active noise canceling is not to say that the Amazon Echo Buds (2nd Gen)’s ANC is bad—quite the contrary. These earbuds do a great job of quieting low-frequency sounds like airplane or car engines. Thanks to the selection of ear tips and ear stays, it’s easy to get superb passive isolation from these buds, which will mitigate higher frequency sounds too. No active noise canceling is going to be great at dulling unexpected noises like people speaking, but passive isolation created by a sealed ear canal does a decent job at that.

Ultimately, noise canceling performance is highly variable when it comes to in-ears, and to get the most out of it, you need to find the best fit for you. This is where the Echo Buds (2nd Gen) really shines with its ear tip fit test. Bose’s earphones may prove more comfortable, but the Alexa app gives you immediate feedback regarding the fit and passive isolation. Something that you don’t get with the Bose Music app.

Does the Amazon Echo Buds (2nd Gen) sound better than the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds?

To most listeners, the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds (cyan) will sound very, very good.

If you’ve performed the fit test to find the right ear sleeve sizes, these earphones aren’t going anywhere you don’t want them to. Sound quality depends pretty directly on how well earbuds isolate and cancel out environmental noise, but let’s assume you’re listening with each pair of buds in a quiet place.

The sound signature of the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds is just what we’d hope for pair of consumer headphones, measuring very close to our in-house target curve, shown in pink on the chart above. It amplifies bass frequencies a bit and gives a little boost to upper-midrange frequencies too. Where the bass emphasis on its own might drown out vocals, the boost in the higher tones helps balance things out. Unfortunately, the Bose Music app does not include a customizable equalizer, but its Active EQ feature automatically boosts the lows and highs of your media so it sounds good at any volume setting. However, you can’t actually turn it off.

The Amazon Echo Buds (2nd Gen, cyan) has an interesting sound, but you may want to tweak it a bit if you can.

The frequency responses of these two products appear pretty different. Amazon’s buds have a more dramatic dip in the midrange frequencies from 200Hz-400Hz, which detracts somewhat from overall clarity. It’s okay if you don’t love this because the Alexa app affords a decent amount of control over the equalizer.

Are the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds or Amazon Echo Buds (2nd Gen) better for phone calls?

Even cats are fans of the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds.

The microphone system on the Bose earbuds is better than average but doesn’t handle ambient noise particularly well.  The Amazon Echo Buds (2nd Gen) microphone array will get you through your phone calls and you shouldn’t have major issues with it, but we wouldn’t recommend it for important business calls. You don’t need to take my word for it, though: check out these mic demos and let us know which one you think sounds better.

Bose QuietComfort Earbuds microphone demo:

Amazon Echo Buds (2nd Gen) microphone demo:

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Should you buy the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds or the Amazon Echo Buds (Gen 2)?

The Bose earbuds are considerably more expensive than the Echo Buds—more than double the price, in fact. This alone is reason enough to pick the Amazon Echo Buds (2nd Gen), but there’s more to it. The Alexa app brings a seemingly endless list of software features, and the earbuds specs either line up with the QuietComfort Earbuds or come very close. Anyone will appreciate the attention Amazon paid to the Echo Buds (Gen 2)’s fit since it helps its ANC and sound quality shine.

The Bose QuietComfort Earbuds is still a good pair of earbuds, if you’re willing to foot the hefty bill. It has a lovely sound signature and its ANC performs well. If you’re not a fan of Alexa but still want some cool software features, the Bose buds can serve as a happy medium. The microphone is pretty decent for a pair of true wireless earbuds, and the battery life is also a bit better than the Echo Buds.

What about the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II?

The Bose QC Earbuds II looks completely different from the first-gen model.

The Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II offers a complete redesign from the original QC buds, with a more thoughtfully laid out design alleviating some of the size and comfort concerns of the original earbuds. In our testing, these newer earbuds lasted over 7 hours on a single charge, providing a decent battery boost compared to the previous generation. You also get improved ANC, but with a strange sound that over-emphasizes sub-bass. For most people, these earbuds aren’t worth the higher price tag.

What are some alternatives to the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds and the Amazon Echo Buds (Gen 2)?

If you don’t have the money to spend on AirPods Pro, the Nothing Ear 1 makes for a fine substitute.

Apple device owners should definitely consider the AirPods Pro or newer AirPods Pro (2nd Gen). The H1 chip provides simple pairing to all your iCloud devices, and provides some cool bonus features like spatial audio. Now that the earbuds have been out for a couple of years, you can frequently find them on sale for much less than their original retail price, .

You don’t need to spend a lot to get good true wireless earbuds; we’ve compiled a full list of the best true wireless earbuds under $100. On that list you’ll find the Nothing Ear 1, which looks and performs similarly to the AirPods Pro for less than half the price, .

What are some frequently asked questions about the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds and the Amazon Echo Buds (Gen 2)?

Editor’s note: this article was updated on May 30, 2022, to include updated frequency response charts, noise canceling comparison charts, and add standardized mic demos of the Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro.

What’s the difference between the Amazon Echo Buds (2nd Gen) and Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro?

Though they lack an interesting design, the Amazon Echo Buds (2nd Gen)’s unobtrusive build won’t distract from your earrings or get in the way of your glasses. Not only do they include a selection of ear tips, but they also come with three sets of replaceable wing tips. These secure to part of your outer ear to ensure stability even as you exercise with them. (Click the images below to expand.)

The Echo Buds touchpads make it easy to adjust media playback, take calls, and toggle between ANC and transparency modes. You can remap the controls or enable direct voice access once you download the Alexa app, which we’ll get into in a bit. The Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro also features touch controls, and while they are hypersensitive, you can disable them in the Android Samsung Galaxy Wearable app.

Anyone who wants to avoid fashion statement earbuds will appreciate the Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro and Echo Buds (Gen 2), though Samsung’s buds do sport a reflective finish. The Galaxy Buds Pro earbuds have tiny protrusions built into the earbuds to stabilize them. The Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro comes with plenty of ear tip options and has an IPX7 water-resistance rating. While we don’t recommend you take them swimming, you should be able to submerge them in shallow water for up to 30 minutes.

What voice assistants do the Echo Buds and Galaxy Buds Pro support?

Be sure to download the Alexa app before connecting your buds to your phone if you want all the features to work.

First thing’s first: if the prospect of Alexa (or Bixby) listening to your conversations gives you the heebie-jeebies, don’t get either of these headsets. While neither company may blatantly spy on you, people have varying thresholds of comfort when it comes to privacy. There’s no reason to push those boundaries for yourself when plenty of non-smart true wireless earbuds exist.

For everyone else, download the Alexa app before you connect the Amazon Echo Buds (Gen 2) to your smartphone. While you don’t need the Alexa app to use the basic functions like media playback, it lets you access a bevy of software features that make the Echo Buds really shine. You’ll have access to all the best Alexa skills, as well as tools like equalizer control, find my device, ANC adjustments, Alexa wake word settings, and touch control customization. The ear tip fit test is the holy grail of features and makes it easy to ensure that earbuds are isolating sound as well as they can. The app also brings access to workout data, live battery data for each earbud and the case, and the ability to enable power-saving mode.

iPhone owners can't access software features for the Galaxy Buds Pro, while anyone can download and use the Alexa app.

With the Samsung Galaxy Wearable app, you can adjust the Galaxy Buds Pro’s ANC and ambient sound mode, change the touch controls, select from preset EQ settings, and enable automatic voice detection. These buds also have 360 Audio that works with Dolby Atmos content for an immersive viewing experience (limited to Samsung Galaxy devices). The Echo Buds and Galaxy Buds Pro both support mono playback.

What Bluetooth codecs do each headset support?

The Galaxy Wearables app is pretty neatly laid out, and it’s responsive.

The Amazon Echo Buds (2nd Gen) supports the SBC and AAC Bluetooth codecs, and using SBC the earbuds’ response time is a little slow, with about 360ms of delay. You’ll only notice this in instances when you press play on your device, as there will be a slight delay from the press to when audio streams through your earbuds.

The Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro offers one additional codec on top of SBC and AAC: the Samsung Scalable Codec. This codec constantly adjusts the transfer rate for optimal audio quality and connection stability, but it only works for Samsung devices. Another trick up Samsung’s sleeve is automatic device switching, which operates akin to Apple’s device switching across linked hardware, but it only works on Samsung Galaxy devices hooked up to your Samsung account.

Do the Galaxy Buds Pro or Echo Buds have better battery life?

These fit pretty securely, provided you don’t jostle things too much.

In our testing, the Amazon Echo Buds (2nd Gen) lasts 4 hours, 42 minutes with ANC enabled, which is pretty average, and nearly identical to the Galaxy Buds Pro’s 4-hour, 48-minute playtime with ANC on.

The Echo Buds charging case displays red, yellow, and green LED lights that represent different levels of battery life so you won’t be worried about them unexpectedly running out of fuel. The case also quickly charges the earbuds: 15 minutes yields 120 minutes of playtime, which is slightly less efficient than the Galaxy Buds Pro case, which provides 85 minutes of playback after 10 minutes of charging.

Which pair of earbuds have better active noise canceling?

The Amazon Echo Buds (2nd Generation) are a solid set of true wireless earphones, if nothing Earth-shattering.

Though it’s nothing too exceptional, the active noise canceling on the Amazon Echo Buds (Gen 2) works pretty well to cancel out the sounds of a daily commute. Sounds like plane engines and road noise will be dulled to anywhere between one-half and one-eighth as loud as they’d sound without any ANC. Using the Ear Tip Fit Test unique to the Echo Buds in the accompanying app ensures a proper fit. It helps that the different ear tip and rubber ear stay options improve passive isolation—thanks to this, the ANC doesn’t need to work quite as hard.

Combined ANC and isolation performances tend to be better on the Echo Buds (2nd Gen).

The Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro noise canceling is also pretty good, and aided by the passive isolation performance. The Samsung Galaxy Wearable app also lets you select between two ANC settings, one of which does more to attenuate bass frequencies, while the other prioritizes midrange frequencies. Neither setting does a particularly great job at canceling out unexpected sounds like speech, but this is pretty typical for any noise canceling headsets and especially in-ear ANC.

Do the Amazon Echo Buds (2nd Gen) or Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro sound better?

If you’re looking for something solely for exercising, there are probably better options, but the Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro is still a good switch-hitter.

The Amazon Echo Buds (Gen 2) has a consumer-friendly frequency response that emphasizes treble notes and emphasizes bass notes relative to quieter mids. However, the bass isn’t boosted nearly as much as it is on some consumer earbuds like the Beats Powerbeats Pro, but the Echo Buds still struggle a bit with vocal clarity. The loudness disparity between bass and midrange frequencies can cause auditory masking, making it hard to hear quieter sounds and instrumental detail. Though rudimentary, you can adjust this to some extent in the limited Alexa app which offers EQ sliders for bass, mids, and treble.

Do you want too much mids, and bass, or too little? Neither set perfectly matches our target, but they both have EQ.

The Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro’s frequency response is more consistent across the frequency range, though there remains a slight boost in bass and treble notes. This can cause a bit of auditory masking to vocals as well, but it’s nothing too noticeable. Plus, if you don’t like the frequency response, you can always go into the Galaxy Wearable app and play with the EQ presets.

Is the Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro or Amazon Echo Buds (2nd Gen) better for phone calls?

The rubber ear stays and fit test ensure the best possible performance of the Amazon Echo Buds (Gen. 2).

Neither of these earbuds will be winning a microphone award anytime soon, but both of them get the job done. The Echo Buds’ microphone is a little hollow-sounding, but should be just fine for any casual phone calls and even the occasional business call.

The mic on the Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro is pretty good too and doesn’t sound as compressed as the Echo Buds. It does a pretty good job at rejecting ambient noise, so it can work for phone calls outdoors or in public.

Amazon Echo Buds (2nd Gen) microphone demo (Old):

Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro microphone demo (Ideal):

Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro microphone demo (Office):

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Which is better, the Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro or the Amazon Echo Buds (2nd Gen)?

We still have to address a key difference: price. It isn’t the flashiest or best set of earbuds you can buy, but the Amazon Echo Buds (2nd Gen) undercuts the competition quite aggressively. While Amazon and its earphones have their flaws, there’s no denying that these wireless earbuds are an exceptional value at just $119.99 USD (non-wireless charging variant). The wireless charging bundle costs an extra $20. Meanwhile, the Galaxy Buds Pro currently runs for $149 USD after a tidy price drop.

What’s more, the biggest selling point for the Echo Buds (2nd Gen) is its Alexa compatibility. Anyone fond of seamless smart assistant compatibility will love the Echo Buds. If you’re not keen on giving your information to headphone apps, you’re probably better off with the Galaxy Buds Pro (even if just slightly). Of course, that’s not the only reason to pony up for Samsung’s earphones: they sound better, have a better IP rating, and offer the Samsung Scalable Codec (if you have a Samsung device).

All in all, both of these earbuds satisfy similar consumer desires, and the major differences just come down to price and whether you prefer Alexa or Bixby integration.

Frequently asked questions about the Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro and the Amazon Echo Buds (2nd Gen)