After a long wait for Microsoft’s Surface Earbuds, it looks like we’ll be seeing it in the next few days. Recall that the device was supposed to launch at the end of last year, but couldn’t because of one reason or another. Now, Microsoft has announced that it’s launching the wireless device on May 12, with a starting price of $199. That makes the giant tech company the latest to launch a wireless earbuds device, following that of Apple’s AirPods Pro. In this article, we’ll be looking at everything you need to know by doing a Surface Earbuds vs AirPods Pro comparison.
Surface Earbuds vs AirPods Pro (Design)
To start with, the fast-approaching Microsoft’s Surface Earbuds has a polarizing look. Its large Glacier Gray discs look more like some milquetoast ear gauges, with its buds covering a large part of the outer ear. Although the design doesn’t look dope, its large surface area works as a landing strip for gesture control. With that, it means a swipe up or down will help to increase or decrease the volume of the device, respectively. Also, a forward or backward swipe will help to skip or rewind tracks. The Surface Earbuds is sweat and water-resistant device, as it’ll come with an IPX4 rating. Furthermore, the Surface Earbuds have four anchor points that help the buds to sit comfortably within the ear.
On the other hand, the design of Apple’s AirPods Pro is way different from that of the Surface Earbuds. It has flexible silicone tips, helping the device to fit tightly within the ear, and allowing for noise cancellation technology. Also, Apple’s AirPods Pro measures in at 0.86 inches wide, 1.22 inches tall, with a weight of 0.19 ounces. That’s different from that of Surface Earbuds, which measure in at 1 x 8 inches and weigh 0.3 ounces. Furthermore, the charging case of Surface Earbuds, measuring in at 1.4 ounces and 3 x 1.3 x 1 inch, is much lighter than that of AirPods Pro, with a measurement of 1.6 ounces and 2.4 x 1.7 x 0.9 inches
So, with the above Surface Earbuds vs AirPods Pro comparison, the one thing that’s missing out of Microsoft’s new wireless device is the noise cancellation technology.
Surface Earbuds vs AirPods Pro (Features)
Microsoft’s Surface Earbuds will come with a lot of interesting features, including the integrated touch panels. Apart from that, it also has a Swift Pair which will allow near and quick pairing with Surface PCs and Android Smartphones. Also, with the Surface Earbuds, you can easily launch Spotify on your Android phones with just a triple tap. Apart from that, you can also use your digital assistant with a long tap on the wireless device.
Furthermore, the Surface Earbuds comes with a lot of Microsoft-related features as well. One of them is the dictation features which allow users to speak their articles in words, instead of the long typing. Another one is that the buds can help to translate up to 60 languages on Windows 10.
On the other hand, the features of Apple’s AirPods Pro include an active noise cancellation technology, which we’ve already talked about. Apart from that, it also has the IPX4 feature, which makes it water and sweat resistant. Apple’s AirPods Pro also has support for the H1 chip with “Hey Siri”.
As for the Surface Earbuds vs AirPods Pro battery life comparison, the AirPods Pro will last up to five hours. However, that’ll only happen when the noise cancelation feature is disabled. If the feature is enabled, it’ll have up to 4.5 hours of listening time, and 3.5 hours of talk time on a single charge. On the other hand, Microsoft’s Surface Earbuds will last up to 8 hours on a single charge.
Price Comparison
The starting price of Microsoft’s new Surface Earbuds is $199. That’s way lesser than that of the current price of Apple’s AirPods Pro which is at $249.
Why is Apple AirPods Pro better than Microsoft Surface Earbuds?
- Has passive noise reduction
- 0.8 newer Bluetooth version – 5 vs 4.2
- 3.4g lighter – 10.8g vs 14.2g
- Has an accelerometer
- Has an in-ear form
Why is Microsoft Surface Earbuds better than Apple AirPods Pro?
- 3h longer battery life – 8h vs 5h
- Has a battery level indicator
- Control panel placed on a device
- Has USB Type-C
