Echo Buds vs AirPods vs Galaxy Buds Best Wireless Earbuds in 2024

The headphone industry has improved significantly over the past few years. While Bluetooth headphones were considered the next-best thing, today we have earbuds that come with smart features with compatible devices to enhance your life significantly. Three of the smart earbuds that come to mind are the Amazon Echo Buds, the Apple AirPods and the Samsung Galaxy Buds. While the AirPods have been around for quite some time, the Echo Buds and the Galaxy Buds are recent additions to the market.

Keeping this in mind, it makes sense to have a look at the three earbuds to understand which one really does better and if it’s all worth the hype and noise. So let’s take a look at these three stylish earbuds.

Echo Buds vs AirPods vs Galaxy Buds Best Wireless Earbuds in 2024

Amazon Echo Buds

Core Features

This is one of the most recent additions to Amazon’s smart-connected devices, and as you can imagine, it also comes with Alexa built-in. This can theoretically allow you to control your lights and home appliances using these earbuds, although you may need to pass the commands via the Alexa app on your phone or tablet. Moreover, the Echo Buds can also work with third-party voice assistants like Siri or Google Assistant, so the customer is free to choose any service they desire. Since these earbuds are paired with your phone, you can also choose to make calls handsfree or even pull up an audiobook from your collections.

The earbuds are powered by Bose Active Noise Reduction Technology which offers the best in class noise reduction to the Echo Buds. This device comes in a handy charging case as is the norm today. The case can allow the Echo Buds to run for around 20 hours. Amazon claims that the Echo Buds can last approximately 5 hours on a single charge. Further, a fifteen-minute charge can make the earbuds run for up to 2 hours. The Echo Buds are also designed for working out and running outdoors. It comes with a sweat-proof exterior and 3 sizes of ear tips to offer optimum comfort for every user. If having Alexa listen to you at all times is a bit of a privacy nightmare, the microphone on the Echo Buds can be muted via the Alexa app remotely. One of my favorite features of these earbuds is the ability to navigate to a nearby place with just a voice command to Alexa.

Compatibility

As we hinted at above, the Echo Buds work with a wide range of devices and are also compatible with iOS and Android voice assistants. This is necessary since Amazon doesn’t have its own smartphone. The official listing mentions that the Echo Buds require iOS 12+ or Android 6.0+ to work without any issues. It is recommended to check the list of devices that are not compatible with the Echo Buds before making the purchase.

Availability

As of now, the Echo Buds can only be purchased via Amazon. It goes on sale fairly soon, so you don’t have to wait much longer to get your hands on the product. Amazon doesn’t offer color choices with the Echo Buds so customers can only get the Black/Blue version. The Echo Buds are offered with a 1-year limited warranty by Amazon.

 

Apple AirPods

Core Features

Although the original AirPods arrived a couple of years ago, not much has changed with subsequent upgrades. However, this is not necessarily a bad thing. One of the biggest benefits of the AirPods is its seamless operation with iOS devices such as the iPhone, iPad or the iPod Touch. It comes in a nifty charging case that can offer juice of up to 24 hours combined with a talk-time of 18 hours mentioned by Apple. The company also introduced a wireless charging case which makes the entire device wireless. While older models required to be charged over a Lightning cable, this new variant can now be charged using any Qi-standard wireless charger you can find.

Thanks to the Apple H1 headphone chip, the AirPods are paired automatically with your devices when you pull them out of the case. The earbuds also support gestures like double-tap to play/skip tracks and so on. You can also talk to the new and improved voice assistant with easy access using a simple “Hey Siri” command. There’s a small charging indicator on the case which lets you know when the AirPods are full or still charging.

The AirPods doesn’t entirely cover your ears, which means there’s a significant amount of gap. This is done on purpose to make sure you’re always aware of what’s happening around you. Given that AirPods also come with dual beamforming microphones, it is ideally suited for undistracted phone calls while working out or running. Overall, this is a pretty well-designed product, and while it’s somewhat lacking in terms of audio performance, it’s definitely one of the most sought after earbuds by Apple users.

Compatibility

It can work with both Android and iOS devices, although it is recommended to be used with iOS since some of its features may not work on Android. You can also choose to pair it with your Mac or Windows 10 PC.

Availability

The AirPods can be purchased from practically any Apple Store or electronics retailer around you. While the charging case model is not cheap, you can choose to save a few bucks by getting the older standard wired charging case. Alternatively, you can check out both versions of the Apple AirPods on Amazon. Apple provides a 1-year warranty with the AirPods.

 

Samsung Galaxy Buds

Core Features

Samsung announced the Galaxy Buds as a companion accessory for the Galaxy S10 earlier this year. Launched in March, these headphones have managed to impress both in terms of sound quality as well as overall performance. It has a completely unique design that is somehow smaller than the Echo Buds as well as the AirPods. This is despite packing dual-microphones to provide high-quality audio during voice calls on your device. Further, the earbuds are tuned by AKG to provide substantial bass while there’s also a dedicated volume driver. Taking this into account, it’s quite evident that Samsung has put in a lot of time and effort into the Galaxy Buds.

If the user is particularly concerned about not being able to hear the traffic around them, all they have to do is quickly turn on Ambient Aware Mode that lets you hear your surroundings better. The company provides three adjustable ear tip and wingtip sizes to offer maximum flexibility with regards to how you use your earbuds. Samsung mentions that the earbuds come with water-resistant technology, which makes this an ideal companion for workouts or casual running in the park.

The Galaxy Buds can last for 6 hours on a single charge while the charging case can provide an additional 7 hours of juice. But thankfully, a 15-minute charge of the earbuds can offer 1.7 hours of runtime, which is fairly decent and on par with most earbuds in the market today.

Compatibility

The Galaxy Buds will work with both Android and iOS devices. However, Samsung mentions that some features like Ambient Aware Mode will only work on Android devices. You can continue listening to music as usual and access Siri voice assistant if you have an iPhone. Naturally, there are plenty of exclusive features available if you own a Galaxy smartphone, so this is definitely worth checking out for a number of reasons.

Availability

The Galaxy Buds can be purchased from Samsung’s retail outlets as well as the online store in the U.S. Customers can also find this on Amazon at a decent price. However, the retailer is only offering the Matte Black version of the tablet as of now. Samsung offers the Galaxy Buds in Black and White colors, making this the only earbuds on our list to offer color variants. This product is backed by 1-year manufacturer warranty.

Verdict

As far as hardware and performance are concerned, there’s no doubt that all three earbuds are excellent in their own right. However, if we have to rule out one product out of this list, it will certainly be the Apple AirPods. This is primarily because it has limited compatibility with Android phones while the Echo Buds and the Galaxy Buds offer extensive support for third-party operating systems as well.

The choice becomes somewhat tougher when we’re asked to pick between the Amazon and Samsung offerings. However, if there’s one aspect that every user looks for in wireless earbuds, it’s the battery life. In this area, it’s quite clear that Amazon has the upper hand while the Galaxy Buds diminishes pretty quickly lasting only 11 hours compared to 20 hours on the Echo Buds.

While the sound quality is expected to be better on the Galaxy Buds, the fact that you get extensive support for Alexa and its features further makes the Echo Buds an appealing choice. One feature we wish the Echo Buds had was the ability to offer an ambient aware mode similar to the Galaxy Buds. Ultimately, if you’re torn between the two earbuds, let’s just say you can’t go wrong with either product.