Amazon has announced a drop-stem design for its all-new Echo Buds, which launched today (May 17, 2023). The price has been slashed to just $49, offering hands-free access to Alexa, a lightweight, compact design, and significantly less expensive than previous products.

Given that many of us are now experiencing a squeeze on our household budgets, it is refreshing to see some technology becoming more affordable. The original active noise-canceling Echo Buds and Echo Buds 2 were available for $129 and $99, respectively, but the new $49 Echo Buds do not have the noise-canceling features of the previous model.

Nevertheless, we didn't expect the e-commerce and electronics giant to launch this product. Discounts aside, the earbuds appear to make a strong case for being one of the cheapest wireless earbuds on the market.

I haven't tried them yet, but the semi-in-ear design is said to offer rich audio thanks to the 12mm dynamic drivers in each earpiece, and the sound from the new Echo Buds is described as balanced and bass-rich.

Like their predecessors, the new Echo Buds include customizable tap controls for playback navigation, but no mention is made of on-ear detection, which automatically pauses playback when one or both earphones are removed from the ear.

Calls are handled by two microphones, and a voice-detecting accelerometer distinguishes between the person on the call and those around them to improve call quality. It also has multipoint pairing, which allows two devices to be paired simultaneously and switch audio.

In the images I have seen, the new charging case is square and appears to have similar proportions to the charging case for Samsung's Galaxy Buds 2 Pro.

The battery life of the earbuds is said to allow up to 5 hours of music playback and access to Alexa on a single charge. In addition, up to three additional charges from a fully charged case can provide a total of 20 hours of listening.

Again, the Amazon Echo Buds are currently available directly from retailers for $49. The charging case is finished in white. Pricing in the UK and Australia has not yet been determined.

Stay tuned for a review of the Amazon Echo Buds coming soon.