Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Pros:__________ • Walking or running, I felt these buds would not leave my ear as you get an overall tight seal. This is very good because any lose in-ear buds will lose not only volume, but the bass quality of a song. • Very plain looking. No branding as they look like just any regular earbuds. Big fan of this because; One, less likely to get stolen, and two, they’re discrete looking. I’m not a fan of being a walking billboard on tech that I already paid money for. This is why I respect that Amazon isn’t following that system with these buds (except for the case, but nobody is perfect). • If you’re indoors, these little guys are just the same as if you have an Amazon Echo in your ear. You don’t need to press anything but just say “Alexa,” and Alexa will be ready to go. • It didn’t take long for me to go get used to the touch controllers. Amazon also went a step further to allow you to customize the function of them. (I just stuck to what was already programmed because the layout they provided is very easy to master.) • No issues when I got sweaty while I was running with them. As Amazon requests, you need to clean them after you take them off. I just used my shirt and it was fine, nothing fancy. • The earbuds know when you take them out of your ear and will pause your music the moment it leaves your ear. I try to trick this feature, but the earbuds weren’t fooled. You can restart your music either asking Alexa or just tap the earbud. • The sound is good but not Air Pods or Bose level. The sound isn’t bloated, has decent bass, and overall has decent balance tones. The best music for this is in the middle that doesn’t rely on a strong bass or deeper sound levels (will explain more later on). • I did hear a decent amount of reduction of sound thanks to Amazon's/Bose's noise-reduction software. Note, this isn't a noise-canceling but it blocks out smaller sounds like the humming sound when your refrigerator turns on, or the sound of cars going by if you’re inside. These types of small sounds are blocked by this software and it does a decent job. • You can use one earbud independently. I found this feature the best when you’re driving. Taking phone calls and even asking directions by using Alexa is definitely a useful tool to use when driving. • If you have an Amazon Echo at home, these earbuds will allow you to make an audio call right to the Echo. Tested this out and it works fine. The response and the receiving end didn’t have any issues. I believe you can also do this feature with any of your friends who have an Echo, but I have to assume they’re some restrictors so you don’t call them in the middle of the night. • With three built-in microphones in each earbud, I felt the call quality to be excellent. • Amazon has added a “sidetone” feature which allows you to hear your voice inside the earbuds. I believe with this you can modulate your voice so Alexa can be able to recognize your voice better when you’re in a loud environment. It’s an interesting tool to have, but you need the app for this. • A built-in quick charge feature on the case will allow the battery to gain a 50% increase in battery life around 20 minutes. What I like about the battery layout specifically is it will show you when you have a lot (green light), an all right (yellow light), or a poor battery life (red light). You can also just check the app, or ask Alexa, but this way is quicker to know right away. • The wingtips that come with these earbuds are useful if you want to feel a little more comfortable that your buds won’t fall out. Even with the soft silicone cover, I honestly didn’t feel the need to wear them as the earbuds stick pretty well in your ear (or at least in my ear). This will probably be different for you, given different ear sizes. • Amazon makes the earbuds visually identifiable for which ear it goes in to. A small feature but very useful in any day to day lifestyle. • The case is small enough to put it in your pocket, with your phone. • You can still use Siri if you want as well as Apple Music and Spotify. • I have an iPhone and so far there have been no disconnections between the earbuds and the phone. Cons and Oks:__________ • Micro USB instead of USB-C for charging. Amazon is not letting this go and I have no idea why. • I had no issue with my fit, but they're pretty bulky for earbud size. Depending on your ear size, some may find the fit uncomfortable. My advice is to read what others have to say to get an accurate level. As stated they fit me fine, but I will update you if it changes. • Alexa will not work in loud environments. Just walking on the streets, with average traffic noises, Alexa wasn’t able to hear my voice. I had to put a lot of effort into getting Alexa to work when facing the outside world. Inside is fine but for loud areas, be warned. • No volume controls on the buds. You have to either ask Alexa or use the app. If you’re in a loud environment Alexa will not be helpful, as they basically become wired headphones (without the wire). • As I mention before, these are not “noise-canceling” but just reduces the noises around you. From my experience, this feature will not help you when you’re on a plane. It’s still an upgrade from not having anything, but it will not block all medium/loud sounds. • No wireless charging for the case. You’re stuck with Micro USB. • Without connected to your phone, and no Wi-Fi, Alexa will not work. I wish they created an offline Alexa so simple tasks such as increasing the volume can be performed. You can’t use any features without Wi-Fi. • I notice the case scratches the same day I got it. In your pocket with your keys, this case will show the scratches. • Battery life isn’t great. Around 4.30 hours of use before charging them back in the case. It’s cool that there is a quick charge on the case, but if you forget to charge the case then you’re pretty limited with time. This battery life isn’t horrible, but it sure isn’t great enough to be a pro. • Remember, as with any Alexa, Amazon may potentially review your Alexa voice recording. This is why Alexa needs to be connected online to be used. All interactions go to the cloud because, like the Echo, Alexa is always listening. You can manually delete your Alexa interactions, but that itself is going to be time-consuming, and most of us will forget to keep doing that. • If you disable Alexa then you’re restricted to just basic Bluetooth headphones. • When you adjust the volume, with having the noise reduction active, the music changes in the tune. It only happens for a couple of seconds, but I notice it enough to make a note and see if anyone else has the same issue. Note, it does go away quickly. • It took me a couple of tries to connect it with my iPhone. I had to manually pair them first on the iPhone before using the Alexa app. • You can customize the action touch layout of the earbuds, but you’re very limited in customization. • You also need to install the Alexa app if you want to use these earbuds fully. Amazon is pretty strict about the environment you need to be in. • I’m not a fan of the volume. At a low volume level, the quality of any sound becomes muddy while at high levels weren’t impressive at all. They’re still respected headphones, but I wish the volume levels performed better in the hardware. • Make sure you place the earbuds properly in the case. A couple of times the charging contacts didn’t sit properly against the case. • The phone calls are very clear with your voice but I could still hear background noises when I gave the earbuds to a friend. He was in a room with a football game on TV, at a reasonable volume level. • Around 5-6 mandatory agreements, you need to agree to if you want to use Alexa or configure with Amazon’s Alexa’s app. Bottom Line:__________ Amazon always tries to find the middle ground in the quality of a product and the price you’re paying. To summarize, these earbuds fit without any wobble, all of Alexa is right in your ear, the noise reduction software does its job well, and it has a great microphone setup. I respect that there are no logos on the buds themselves and to be able to have a case to keep your earbuds charged on the go is right on point. But to compete with Apple or Samsung, sadly I don’t think so. You have to allow Alexa to be on all the time, which reduces an already weak battery system. And if you disable Alexa then most features are limited, such as not being able to increase/decrease the volume (you will have to go on your phone)/ Also, I’m not a fan of the battery life and of course Micro USB (Amazon, please kill this) is still there, which means no wireless charging. To be honest I felt these earbuds could be worth a little less than what they're asking. Still good earbuds, but I felt the sound isn’t anything to brag about. If you don’t want to afford the pricing of Apple, Google, or Bose earbuds, and you hate the reviews of Samsung earbuds, then this is worth it. I will say the best part of Amazon is they always have sale discounts so if these hit the $99 range you better pick them up. Just be aware you must enjoy the earbuds with the use of Alexa. If you don’t want that, then these are not worth the price. Overall: Not the best in overall quality but the best in establishing Amazon’s Echo in earbud form. Hope I was a help to you. Love, Honest Reviewer