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Microsoft Surface Headphones 2 & Earbuds are here: lower prices, release next week

By Joshua Swingle

Published: May 06, 2020, 9:38 AM

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Microsoft Surface Headphones 2 & Earbuds are here: lower prices, release next week

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Microsoft has announced several new Surface products today including the Surface Book 3 and Surface Go 2. It also unveiled the highly anticipated Surface Headphones 2 and revealed new Surface Earbuds availability details.

Microsoft Surface Headphones 2

The Surface Headphones 2 look very much like the original Surface Headphones, but Microsoft has made several improvements to the accessory both inside and out. Most notable is the introduction of new color options – Matte Black and Light Gray – that sit alongside the original Platinum finish.

To guarantee the best possible experience with Surface Headphones 2, Microsoft has also unveiled an updated ear cup design that rotates 180-degrees for greater comfort when wearing them around your neck.

Speaking of ear cups, the right one can be used to adjust the volume and the left one is for tweaking noise cancellation. Music pauses automatically when you take the headphones off and resumes when you put them back on

Microsoft says it has also improved the sound quality of the headphones while retaining the 13 levels of ambient noise control offered by the originals. That is coupled with support for active noise cancellation and passive noise cancellation, which work up to 30dB and 40dB respectively.

As for battery life, the company says a single charge will now grant up to 20 hours of use, up from the 15 hours offered by the original Surface Headphones. Charging via the USB-C port takes less than 2 hours and a 5-minute charge can offer almost an hour of music.

Final details include support for the Bluetooth 5 and aptX protocols that should allow stronger and quicker connections with other devices, as well as reduced latency and better sound quality.

Microsoft Surface Headphones 2 are available to pre-order today for $249 in the United States ahead of shipments on Tuesday, May 12. The original Surface Headphones were much more expensive at $349.

Microsoft Surface Earbuds are now cheaper

The Microsoft Surface Earbuds shown off today are identical to the version first unveiled back in October. They offer a unique design paired with “noise reduction” rather than true active noise cancellation and up to 24 hours of battery life with the included charging case.

The Surface Earbuds also support haptic gestures, such as swiping forward or back to navigate playlists and swiping up or down to adjust playback volume. Like the Surface Headphones 2, the Surface Earbuds are compatible with Windows 10 Mobile Android and iOS devices.

Those of you interested in the Surface Earbuds can pre-order them today for $249 in the United States, down $50 from the original $249 price that was announced in October. Shipments start next Tuesday, May 12.