Echo Buds vs AirPods Pro Best Truly Wireless Earbuds in 2021

The Amazon Echo Buds are an excellent pair of truly wireless earbuds, but which are better as we compare Echo buds vs AirPods pro. However, it isn’t without its competition, particularly with Apple’s AirPods Pro currently in the market. It’s natural that several users have wondered what each brings to the table. This is also true given the similarity in form factor. Keeping this in mind, we’ve decided to talk about both earbuds to give you a very good idea of which one to pick.

We will carefully discuss some of the important features of both earbuds which will ultimately make your choice a whole lot easier.

While both earbuds are pretty good in their own right, there can only be one winner. So let’s take a look at our Echo Buds vs AirPods Pro comparison to ascertain the best truly wireless earbuds available in the marketplace today.

Echo Buds vs AirPods Pro Best Truly Wireless Earbuds

Echo Buds

Features

Amazon unveiled these handy earbuds back in October last year and has been available for sale since then. In terms of features on the Echo Buds, it has a pretty compact shape and design, which pretty much hides it from public view. This makes it ideal for workouts or jogging outdoors as the earbuds can stay firmly in place even with movement. Amazon mentions that these earbuds offer dynamic audio thanks to the premium audio drivers used underneath.

While these earbuds don’t offer noise cancellation, the listing talks about the presence of Bose Active Noise Reduction Technology which can significantly reduce background noise, but not completely cancel it. Given that it’s an Amazon product, one expects Alexa to be front and center here, and that is indeed the case. However, the Echo Buds also supports voice assistants like Google Assistant as well as Siri, thus making it compatible with a wide range of smart devices out there.

One downside to any set of wireless earbuds is battery life. But thankfully, the Echo Buds offers a remarkable battery life thanks to the supplied battery charging case. To charge up the Echo Buds, you simply have to place the earbuds back into the charging case, fairly similar to how the AirPods are charged. Amazon mentions that the Echo Buds can last for up to 5 hours on a single charge, while the battery case can offer up to 20 hours of usage when fully charged.

Similar to the privacy options offered with its other Echo products, Amazon gives the ability to mute the microphone via the Alexa app. This free app (Android and iOS) can help you check the status of your earbuds as well as any other connected smart device in your home. You can also toggle features like active noise reduction on the same app.

Amazon provides three sizes of ear cushions with the Echo Buds, which is standard for the industry. The company mentions that these earbuds are sweat-resistant, although we don’t think it can survive complete submersions.

Pros and Cons

As we’ve briefly touched on above, the design of the Echo Buds is definitely a plus. Unlike the AirPods Pro, it doesn’t pop out of your ear and stays firmly in place regardless of the activity. Moreover, Amazon also offers three sizes of ear tips to make sure you get the right fit.

What I also like about the Echo Buds is the fact that it has a range of smart sensors onboard that allow it to automatically stop playing music when you remove one of the earbuds. Further, the addition of three microphones means your voice is heard clearly even in relatively noisy environments.

While we know that the Echo Buds can last for up to 20 hours with the charging case, it’s also worth knowing that it also comes with fast charging capabilities built-in. A 15-minute charge can help you eke out up to 2 hours of playback time from these earbuds, making this a truly remarkable set of earbuds.

It’s also important to mention how crucial the addition of Alexa can be especially if you’re invested in Amazon’s ecosystem. This means you can change the temperature on the thermostat or quickly play your favorite podcast on a nearby connected Echo speaker using nothing but the Echo Buds and your voice.

But the Echo Buds also has its negatives. While it offers an advanced noise reduction technology in partnership with Bose, the Echo Buds lacks active noise cancellation, a feature that today is considered quite important for wireless earbuds. Another personal issue I have with the Echo Buds is the fact that it only comes in one color – Black. While this is a stark contrast to the AirPods Pro, we really feel manufacturers should offer more colors with their earbuds, including Apple.

Buy it Now: Amazon

AirPods Pro

Features

Apple unveiled the AirPods Pro in late October amidst much hype and anticipation. Much to the joy of fans, the AirPods Pro had everything they hoped for and more.

To start with, the AirPods Pro is unlike any other AirPods before it in that it has a completely new design including ear tips to maintain suction and offer noise cancellation naturally. In addition to the design changes, Apple has also crammed in active noise cancellation into the earbuds, which in tandem with the dual beamforming microphones can work wonders with regards to noise cancellation.

Also worth mentioning here is the use of software features that cleverly complement the hardware of the AirPods Pro. Apple mentions that it’s using a new custom H1 chip for these earbuds, which also means it can perform wide-ranging tasks, unlike some other noise-canceling earbuds in the market.

Apple mentions that the AirPods Pro can last for 24 hours using the supplied charging case. However, each charge can only provide up to 4.5 hours of runtime, which can be quite an annoyance for long-distance flights or other modes of travel. As is the norm, Apple offers three sizes of ear tips including small, medium, and large to make sure you find the perfect fit.

The beauty of the AirPods Pro is that Apple has also built-in a handful of features that can be activated with a simple squeeze gesture on the onboard force sensor. This gesture will quickly activate Transparency Mode, which is when you can quickly change from active noise cancellation to ambient noise mode, letting you hear your surroundings with pinpoint accuracy. The aforementioned microphones help with this as well.

Apple is also touting the addition of something known as Adaptive EQ which can tune music based on the shape of your ear. Naturally, you also get access to “Hey Siri” commands on the AirPods Pro.

Pros and Cons

The AirPods Pro is one of the best choices for truly wireless earbuds, especially if you’re an iPhone user. It also has active noise cancellation which the Echo Buds lacks. It is both sweat and water-resistant, while Amazon mentions that the Echo Buds are only sweat resistant.

What we also like is the fact that the AirPods Pro charging case can offer up to 24 hours of playtime while the Echo Buds runs out of juice at around 20 hours. However, the AirPods Pro lags behind slightly since the Echo Buds can last for up to 5 hours on a single charge which is a good thirty minutes more than the AirPods Pro. This can make quite a bit of difference in the real world.

Well, no device is without its negatives, and the AirPods Pro is no exception. Despite packing what many consider to be one of the best earbuds design, one feels that the battery life of these earbuds could have been better. It’s worth mentioning that the standard AirPods can offer battery backup of up to 5 hours before requiring to go into the charging case.

The AirPods Pro also falls behind with regard to device compatibility. Apple recommends using this only with its own devices, while technically, the AirPods Pro does support non-Apple devices as well. However, some of its features will be heavily limited if you’re using it on a platform like Android, for example.

Buy it Now: Amazon

Verdict

It goes without saying that the Echo Buds and the AirPods Pro are excellent earbuds in their own right, and it’s hard to go wrong with either of them. If you’re an Android user, it’s hard not to recommend the Echo Buds simply for the number of features it offers, including native voice assistants like Google Assistant or Siri for iPhone users. The Echo Buds can also last 5 hours on a single charge while the AirPods Pro will need a recharge at around the 4.5 hours mark.

If you’re an iPhone user, on the other hand, the AirPods Pro is an instant choice if you haven’t realized already. Apple has built this specifically for its products and the features it offers are unrivaled with any other platform. For additions like Transparency Mode alone, I would recommend the AirPods Pro for iPhone users. However, Android users are safer with the Echo Buds for the reasons we mentioned above.

It’s clear that in the Echo Buds vs AirPods Pro comparison, both truly wireless earbuds have come out victorious.