Microsoft announced its Surface Earbuds at its hardware event last October, but then everything went quiet. Not long after, chief product officer Panos Panay announced that they would be pushed back to spring 2020.
We’ve yet to find out the details of the headphones’ delay, but reports at least indicate that the devices will be in consumers’ hands (or ears) soon. According to WinFuture, who cites information from “European retailers”, the Surface Earbuds will debut on May 6, less than two weeks from now.
It also says they’ll launch at €199 in the continent, which would be a very reasonable exchange rate from the $250 listed on the U.S. Microsoft Store. This could indicate the company is planning to knock the price down in the U.S., but we’ll just have to wait and see.
The Surface Earbuds are a follow up to Microsoft’s surprisingly successful over-ear headphones. They feature a fully wireless design and leaving a strange circular pad sticking out of your ear which can be used to touch gestures.
There are promises of all-day battery life, an ‘ultra-comfortable’ design, and the ability to control and type in Office 365 with your voice. As for audio, Microsoft is billing a 13.6mm driver with support for SBC and aptX for reduced Bluetooth latency. This is combined with an ‘Omnisonic’ sound experience and two microphones per bud.
Though one report isn’t enough to say definitely that the buds will launch next month, it’s worth noting that ZDNet confirmed a spring release is still on the book for the earbuds earlier in the week. We also saw an FCC filing last week, so an imminent release is a good bet. Naturally, though, there’s still a chance that the European release date will differ from the American one.
