Microsoft Surface Earbuds availability, price details announced

The earbuds were launched alongside Microsoft Surface Go 2 and th Surface Book 3 on May 6

Microsoft Surface earbuds are expected to take on Google’s Pixel Buds, Apple’s AirPods, Amazon’s Echo Buds and Samsung’s Galaxy Buds. (Microsoft)

After launching the Microsoft Surface Earbuds just a day before, the company has finally announced the prices. Announced last year at the Surface event, the Surface Earbuds will be available for $199.99 (₹15,200 approx) in the US from May 12. India dates and prices have not been announced yet.

The earbuds were supposed to launch on May 6, But Microsoft is taking a little more time before they start shipping. These earbuds are expected to take on Google's Pixel Buds, Apple's AirPods, Amazon's Echo Buds and Samsung's Galaxy Buds.

In case you are keen on getting your hands on a pair of Surface Earbuds, we would like to point out that these do not have active noise cancellation (ANC) which might be an issue for some people. Microsoft dropped off ANC on the Surface Earbuds since the company had doubts about the product and wanted to get all the details right.

"Featuring an ultra-comfortable and stable fit, Surface Earbuds offer intuitive touch controls so you can start a phone call or change the song without taking out your phone," said Robin Seiler, corporate vice president for devices at Microsoft.

Much like the Surface Headphones 3 (also launched on the same day) the Surface Earbuds also deliver what Microsoft called an "omnisonic sound". The truly wireless earbuds support finger touches for various functionalities, driven by gestures. There is a 3.6mm driver inside the earbuds, along with two microphones.

Microsoft Surface Earbuds come with Microsoft 365 integration for voice dictation in Word, Outlook, or PowerPoint, in addition to the "Play My Emails" service that gives an audio output for Outlook emails on iOS.

Microsoft is also providing users a seamless integration with Spotify on Android phones, wherein a triple tap on either earbud triggers the music playback. The Surface Earbuds support aptX and SBC audio codecs and are also IPX4 rated for dust and water resistance.

Microsoft says its Surface Earbuds can provide a battery life of up to 24 hours with the charging case included. This further includes eight hours of "continuous listening time on a single charge, plus another two 8-hour cycles with the charging case" and the user should be able to listen to music for about an hour on a 10-minute charge.