When the wireless earbuds market boomed because of the Airpods, many brands scrambled to release their own version – or versions – to keep up with the competition. That was not the case with Microsoft though who took their own sweet time in releasing this pair; the Microsoft Surface Earbuds. Today, we are going to be reviewing this pair and ultimately deciding if they were worth the wait.
The Microsoft Surface Earbuds were announced back in October of last year and were made available around May of this year. With stiff competition, they released their buds at a price point of $199.99 which is a lower amount of what was initially planned for this pair. In saying that, many have great expectations for this pair and we’re going to be finding out if they were able to meet that. Read on for our full review of this model.
Starting off on a positive note, we’re going to be looking at the good things that we found out about this pair. Here are the Pros for the Microsoft Surface Earbuds.
Pros
IPX4 Water Resistant. One of the better things that we’ve seen in this pair is the IPX4-rating that it has. This means that it can withstand splashes from any direction; it has the potential to be a good pair for working out since it can handle sweat or a sudden drizzle while you’re out for a run. For a premium pair, this is definitely a good feature to have.
Very Portable. With the charging/carrying case measuring less than an inch tall and around 3 inches wide, this pair can easily fit in your pocket. It doesn’t take up much space at all so you can definitely bring this around even if you’re someone who prefers to carry mini or micro bags. This makes it very travel-friendly since you can literally take it wherever you go; perfect for those always on-the-go.
Now with those Pros unfortunately come some Cons. And spoiler alert, we found a number for this pair. To know what you should keep in mind before taking the plunge with the Microsoft Surface Earbuds, read on for the Cons that we have uncovered.
Cons
Strange Design. We’ve come across some unique pairs in the market but this pair takes that on a whole other level. At first glance, it looks kind of like a pop socket or a very large earring… if earrings were to go in ears. Now, it’s the kind of design that you either absolutely love or absolutely hate – and this time, we’re leaning on the “hate” part (though that’s kind of a strong word). With it’s pop socket-esque top, we can foresee many issues with its tap function – unless Microsoft is able to deliver an amazing just-the-right amount of sensitivity on this pair. But even with other pairs we’ve reviewed though, that’s usually not the case. Because of how it’s built, it also falls out easily which is a hassle especially for those who live more active lifestyles.
Buggy Touch Functions. Just as we feared, the tap functions on this pair are buggy and are more of a hassle rather than a convenience. There were issues specifically with the left bud which is annoying especially if you’re not in a position to keep taking out your phone to configure your music or podcast situation. To save yourself the stress, you’d be better off disabling this feature – or let’s be real, getting a different pair of earbuds.
Software Issues. This pair attempts to replicate the Airpods/Apple ecosystem to its products but it’s not quite there yet. There are a lot of things to be refined for it to be on par with its competitors. While on paper, what they’re trying to achieve makes them seem like the perfect Office accessory – in reality, there’s only a few things you can do with this such as using it as a mic to dictate what you want to say to a Word document. Other than that, this just falls flat on their promise.
Bad Value for Money. This pair costs roughly $200 which is on the high-end price point. For the features that it has, this insane price is simply not justifiable. With the Cons that we’ve outlined in this review, there are simply too many inconveniences for anyone to drop $200 on this pair.
All in all, while the Microsoft Surface Earbuds have some good qualities about them that make them a promising pair – being IPX4-rated and very portable, it’s not quite there yet. While it does have the potential to be a great pair for working out and for on-the-go in general with these features, there’s too many loose ends that Microsoft should tie up.
Overall, we hope to have helped you with this review and with your earbud hunting journey in general. To find out some good alternatives for this pair, feel free to check out our other articles in the True Wireless Earbuds and Reviews category. Happy listening!
