Microsoft has finally launched a competitor to Apple’s AirPods and Samsung’s Galaxy Buds+ with its Surface Earbuds – and they are just a little bit different from the rest. The Surface Earbuds cost £199.99 and only come in grey. Their distinctive design certainly stands out. Instead of having stalks that hang down or looking like traditional earbuds, the Surface Earbuds are large circular discs with an earbud on one side. The outside world just sees a big, grey circle that resembles a large earring. The fit of the earbuds is also different. They sit in your ear without entering your ear canal, similar to Apple’s AirPods, but with a silicone tip that wedges against the inside of your concha with a small wing. Like the AirPods they do not block out any background noise. But are much more stable in the ear once twisted into place: no matter how hard I danced around, ran or shook my head they stayed in place. The earbuds feel light and are among the more comfortable options, despite being large and weighing a comparatively heavy 7.2 grams each. I could wear them for more than two hours without taking a break. Specifications Water resistance: IPX4 Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.0, SBC, aptX Battery life: 11 hours listening, up to 22 hours with case Earbud weight: 7.2 grams Earbud size: 25 x 19.9mm Driver size: 13.6mm Charging case dimensions: 33.2 x 75 x 25mm Charging case weight: 40 grams Case charging: USB-C Fast pairing The Surface Earbuds support Bluetooth 5 connectivity and the basic SBC and higher quality aptX audio standards, which is great for Windows PCs and Android smartphones, but lack of support for the higher quality AAC used with all Apple devices is a shame. Their connection to various Windows 10 PCs with either Bluetooth 4.2 or 5, a OnePlus 8 Pro, Samsung Galaxy Z Flip and an iPad Pro was strong and reliable. I could not, however, test their performance in congested areas because of government restrictions to stem the coronavirus pandemic in the UK. The Surface Earbuds support Microsoft’s Swift Pair for Windows 10 and Google’s Fast Pair for Android for one-tap pairing that works brilliantly. Pairing them to an iPhone or iPad requires the traditional manual process using the Settings app. The earbuds connect to only one device at a time, but you can switch devices by simply hitting connect on your phone or PC without having to first disconnect a previous device. The earbuds announce whether they are connected to a phone or a PC. Unlike most true wireless earbuds, you can only use the right Surface Earbud on its own, not the left. Controls The large grey discs are giant touch panels for a great set of tap-and-swipe gesture controls. On either bud, double tap for pause/play, triple tap to start playing music from Spotify on Android or tap and hold to activate your smartphone’s voice assistant. Double tap to answer or hang up on a call. Swipe up or down on the right earbud to change volume and forwards or backwards on the left earbud to skip a track. Sound The Surface Earbuds sound surprisingly good considering their open fit. They offer a fairly wide soundstage, reasonable separation of tones and producing crisp highs, well-rounded mids and enough bass to make most tracks sound good. Those seeking really deep bass will have to look elsewhere as it is just not possible with an open earbud design. They lack a little sparkle and detail for expansive orchestral pieces, but they sound good with most other genres out of the box, including rock, rap, pop and high-intensity electronica, and there is also an equaliser to tweak things to your liking. Overall they sound slightly better than the standard AirPods, but will not come close to the best-sounding true wireless earbuds such as Sony’s WF-1000XM3 and Sennheiser’s Momentum True Wireless 2. Call quality was pretty good too, with the other end saying I sounded clear but a little distant. My end was loud, clear and crisp in stereo, but background noise is an issue as they do not isolate. Case and battery life The earbuds slot into place inside a small, flip-top hard-plastic case for charging and storage, where they are held in place by magnets. The case is larger than that for the Galaxy Buds+ or AirPods, but is still easily pocketable and just about fits into the money pocket in a pair of jeans. The Surface Earbuds last for just under eight hours of constant playback. The case can charge the earbuds fully twice, for up to 24 hours of combined battery life. A 10-minute trip in the case is enough to add up to one hour of playback to the earbuds. The case charges via USB-C in an hour. Sustainability and faults Microsoft rates the batteries to maintain at least 80% capacity for 500 full charge cycles, but they are not replaceable and the earbuds are not repairable, ultimately making them disposable, like most true wireless earbuds. The earbuds and case, as well as other accessories, can be replaced separately or as a bundle costing £170.40 out of warranty. The earbuds are not made of any recycled materials but Microsoft offers various recycling schemes. In the process of conducting this review I received two sets of faulty earbuds. Each time the left earbud suffered from a bug that drained the battery in less than 90 minutes, caused it to heat up, not play audio and not switch off when placed in the case, and eventually refuse to charge. At least two users on Microsoft’s community forums appear to be affected by the same issue. A Microsoft spokesperson said: “All of our products undergo extensive quality testing to ensure that they provide customers with the best possible experience, and so we’re sorry to hear of this particular occurrence. We are currently investigating the issue that affected performance in the case of these earbuds.” A third set worked as intended for the last several weeks of the review period. Observations The earbuds turn off after 10 minutes of being motionless on a table. On first listen the earbuds play a short welcome message and audio user guide, which is a nice touch. The earbuds have a few Microsoft 365/Office specific features, such as dictation in Word and live captions in PowerPoint. I noticed a few latency (lip sync) issues with video on Windows 10, but not with major video apps on Android – they will not be any good for gaming. Occasionally the earbuds needed a bit of a wiggle to make proper contact with the charging pins in the case, which flashes red when there’s a problem. Price The Microsoft Surface Earbuds cost £199.99 in the UK or $199.99 in the US. For comparison, Apple AirPods have an RRP of £159, the AirPods Pro cost £249, the Samsung Galaxy Buds+ cost £159, the Jabra Elite 75t cost £169.99, the Libratone Track Air+ cost £167, the Sony WF-1000XM3 cost £169 and the Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 2 cost £279. Verdict The Microsoft Surface Earbuds are a bit different from the rest of the true wireless earbuds. They are one of very few good earbuds that offer an open-ear design alongside the AirPods. If you do not like having your ear canal blocked and are not keen on AirPods, the Surface Earbuds are great. But they suffer the same problem as the AirPods: they don’t block out any noise. That’s great for awareness of your surroundings, but if you’re trying to concentrate in a busy office or hear your music on a commute, when those things are allowed again, they will be no good. Despite being comfortable and secure in your ear – with good sound, long battery life and a pocketable case – they are big and attention-grabbing. People will look at you wearing these on the street. Two faulty sets is also a worry, and the lack of AAC support is disappointing to Apple users. They are certainly not cheap nor the best or feature-rich true wireless earbuds out there, but the Surface Earbuds are a decent alternative to the AirPods if you like design. Not bad for a first try. Pros: open fit that doesn’t enter your ear canal, secure fit, good sound, long battery life, good case, great controls, USB-C, good calling, apps for Windows 10, Android and iOS, apt X Cons: no AAC for Apple, no isolation, no noise cancelling, can’t connect to two devices at the same time, no pause on remove, expensive