Customer Ratings & Reviews

At first they were ok the update made them great i used them everyday now

3 weeks of service. kind of love it so far: easy to connect, easy to use, sound well.

Just as described works great. Would recommend to a friend.

The concept is great, having the ear buds that do everything. But the buds will not fit in my ear properly and I'm afraid they will fall out! They cost too much to lose one.

For full disclosure, I am a member of the Best Buy Tech Insider Program and am providing a review of this product after receiving the items prior to their release date. Reviewers in this invitation-only program are provided products for the purpose of writing honest, unbiased reviews. The Surface Earbuds are wireless headphones that seamlessly pair with your Windows-based PC or tablet, but will certainly work with any cell phone or other device. They feature a silicone-covered molded earbud, shrouded on the outside by a large touch surface disk that enables touch features such as FF/REW, volume control, answering calls, etc. The headphones store in a small case which also recharges the earbuds when stored, and the case is charged with a standard USB-C cable (included). The headphones are decent, but certainly miss in a number of areas including out-of-the-box sound, use with certain music services, and the app itself. Details below. Setup: Setup was easy. As soon as I removed the first headphone from the case (which will recharge the headphones when stored), Windows 10 picked up on the new headphones & offered to add them. For pairing with any other devices, a button on the bottom of the case initiates the Bluetooth pairing, which was also just as easy. Comfort & Fit: The headphones are hard-molded, but covered with a silicone snap-on cover which comes in 3 sizes. I did find it took a little more to get the buds properly seated in my ear work than a round, non-shaped earbud would. It takes me maybe 4 or 5 seconds of wiggling to get it seated properly, all due to the shape and not the cover size. Once in, they are comfortable, lightweight, and barely noticeable. I will say the round disk on the outside of the buds are large, almost too much so. They give you the appearance of having large “gauges” in your ears, and definitely catch some attention. Sound: Sound quality is pretty good. Out of the box I found the sound felt very muffled, and only with the use of the downloaded Surface Audio app on my computer was I able to adjust the sound with the equalizer to reduce some of that muffling, which appeared to be a little excessive bass which was overriding the clarity. When the assistant voice prompts come over the headphones it is often out-of-sync by a few milliseconds, which is more of a nuisance than anything. So far, I haven’t noticed a lag on music. Touch Features: This is a MAJOR swing & miss for me. The disks on the outside of the buds have a large surface for touch control volume, music control, etc. The disks have a very definitive edge to them, so in trying to drag your finger across the left bud to fast forward music you often catch your finger on the edge of that disk, so you don’t get a proper gesture & have to try again. Same with the right bud where you swipe up & down for volume. I think if the edges were a bit more rounded it would have guided your finger onto the touch surface better. Otherwise, you kind of have to make that extra half-second pause to properly target your finger toward the disk. Not intuitive. Also critical to me is that this will NOT control music played via a web browser. I use Google Play Music and listen to that thru Chrome on my desktop. It has no ability to fast forward, rewind, or pause the music in the browser. The buds do control music played in an app like Spotify (again, only if you’re using the Spotify app on Windows, not listening to Spotify via the browser), but being a Google Play Music guy, this is a MAJOR setback. If I pair with my phone and use the Google Play Music app on the phone, it works fine, it’s just the lack of browser integration that’s big to me. Integration with Office 365: One of the big features that they tout is integration with Office 365 apps (with a valid subscription). That was mostly inaccurate. While yes, it will allow you to do dictation in Microsoft Word, that’s not something specific to the earbuds, that’s been built-in to Word since about 2000. This just serves as a microphone for that dictation, which isn’t different from any other headphones on the market. They tout the ability to have your Outlook 365 e-mails read to you, but this is ONLY if you’re using Outlook on Apple iOS. Why they would limit this feature to SOLELY to Apple users, and not allow it for Windows or Android users is beyond me. They don’t even make much mention of it on their own website. Perhaps these are features looking to be included later, but I would have thought integration like this would have started with Microsoft users, seeing that most iOS users are probably NOT looking at Microsoft headphones; they’re likely to go with AirPods or other non-MS option. Huge miss, Microsoft. Tutorial Videos: The Surface Audio app you download to your desktop or phone includes tutorial videos embedded in the app. Those videos ALL show you how to operate the full-sized headphones, not the earbuds. So in trying to figure out things like the Office 365 integration I found myself having to look to non-Microsoft websites for help. While I understand these are new, it’s critical because of that “newness” to have some sort of “help” available, especially when it comes to learning the features touted as a reason to purchase them. Charge: At a full charge, these will last for a full day. But I did find that the right headphone discharged at a rate much faster than the left. I am assuming the right is the “primary” and doing more, thus faster discharge? But at one point with both starting at 100%, the right ended up at 57% and the left was sitting at 68% when solely being used for music and a couple of quick phone calls. Summary: While I was excited about the integration with Office 365, one of the biggest draws to this set of earbuds in an ever-increasing sea of wireless headphones and earbuds, the fact that they just ignored Android and even Microsoft users with Outlook integration is unforgiveable. Paired with fit issues, issues with controlling web browser music, I think Microsoft had a real opportunity to make their headphones stand out and missed the boat on it. As a lifelong Microsoft guy (I was probably 1 of about 12 people that had a Microsoft Windows phone at one time), I really wish they would have tried just a little more on these.

first off I would like to start off by saying that these earbuds are the most comfortable. They feel just right in my ear , they also come with extra pairs of rubber cushions to fit in my ear just right. The sound is smooth and crisp even on high is doesn't seem to hurt my ears they feel just right. I did have a little problem getting the hang of the touch control,because as if I swipe to change a song or change the volume it wouldn't do it. It kept activating siri. So that was a little annnoying other than that it was fine. The design of the earbuds kinda threw me off, I wish they were a little bit smaller they look like "Gauge", but also if they were smaller they would fall out of my ear so its a win win situation. The voice control was on point didn't have a problem with that. As for the Surface audio app, I think its an optional to have it downloaded on your phone unless you would like to change the settings or if you have a problem with the earbuds you can easily get the help there. The charging was super fast and last a long time too. They are definitely worth it. I love the charging case too, once you are done using them, you snap them back into the case. The case is nice and small it will fit anywhere. I honestly love them and was super excited to get them. "Reviewers in this invitation-only program are provided products for the purpose of writing honest ,unbiased reviews."

As long as you can find proper fit with earbuds included you are good to go

Great pair of headphones they work great and don’t fall out

They look pretty funny in your ears and have no noise cancelling. For the price and what you get, NOT worth it

Overview: Great sound. Not a comfortable fit for me, but mileage may vary. Frustrating gesture controls. I was really impressed with the surround sound effect the Surface Earbuds provide. After some tweaking the EQ in the Surface Audio app to match the music I was playing, I was very happy with the sound quality of the earbuds. As for the fit, my ears are fairly sensitive, and although multiple tips were provided, I couldn’t one that provided a great fit. The earbuds also always felt loose, like they were one quick head turn from falling out, though to their credit, even moving my head side to side didn’t dislodge them. I typically prefer earbuds with the soft silicon tips, which to me are more comfortable but also help block out surrounding noise better, even if the earbuds aren’t specifically noise cancelling. I had mixed results trying to use the Surface Earbuds swipe features. My hair has grown a bit unruly during quarantine so that may have contributed some to the frustration, but after a couple days of trying to use gestures to control volume and skipping tracks, I found myself pulling out my phone and doing those things manually instead. I like the concept of swipe gestures on the earbuds, and perhaps the sensitivity and accuracy is something that can be enhanced in future updates, but as it sits now it felt like more of a frustration than a feature. I loved the Surface Pro and Surface Pro folding mouse, and I had high hopes for the Surface Pro earbuds. If the swipe control accuracy is improved in future updates, my only real complaint is the fit, which is going to be user-specific so wouldn’t prevent me recommending this product. Until swipe controls are improved however, I can’t recommend the product in its current state. I’m definitely interested in giving the next generation another try though as I think swipe controls have a lot of potential. Note: I received these earbuds to review as part of Best Buy’s Tech Insider program. Reviewers in this invitation-only program are provided products for the purpose of writing honest, unbiased reviews.

Last week I received the new Microsoft Surface Earbuds from Best Buy. The first thing that noticed, that I found a little funny was that the design (shape & size) of the box was very similar to Apple’s Air Pods/Air Pod Pro’s. I wasn’t expecting that since the design of the charging case and the actual earbuds is so different. Upon open the box, you get the standard contents: charging case, earbuds, charging cable (USB to USB-C wire), 3 sized ear tips, and pamphlets with quick set up instructions. I typically live in the Apple ecosystem for mobile devices and in the Microsoft OS for my computers, but I do not currently have a Surface tablet/PC, so I decided to do my testing with my iPhone. Setting these up on the iPhone was so much simpler than I imagined that it would be but Microsoft and Apple do play nice here. The first thing I did after pairing the Surface Earbuds to my iPhone via Bluetooth was downloading the Surface Audio App from the app store. From there I did have to wait about 45 minutes for an update to install before I could use the Earbuds. Besides firmware updates, the Surface Audio App allows you see devices you’ve paired the Earbuds to, set up the equalizer, some other personalization options, as well view tutorial videos, other tips/help, & the factory reset if ever needed. After the update completed, next I started to work with the fit. First I tried the small tips and determined they were too small. I should have just started with the medium ear tips that were already on the Earbuds, because they are the best fit for me. The fit is really interesting, the Earbuds kind of twist into your ear to lock into place. While I’m sure they can be ripped out of your ear, a gentle or moderate tug won’t pull them out. I have 0 concern that these will ever fall out of my ear. Apple Air Pods/Air Pod Pro’s have never fallen out of my ear, but I am not 100% confident that it will never happen. A+ on this part of the design of the Surface Earbuds. Now that I settled on the right ear tip, it was time to start to use the Earbuds for what they are for, a headset. Again, I was pleasantly surprised by how seamlessly they worked with my iPhone. I was able to listen to music, take phone calls and zoom calls, and switch back to the music I was listening to without any issues. The Surface Earbuds never disconnected or dropped from my iPhone. While on phone calls, I had no issues hearing other people and I received no feedback that others could not hear me clearly. I was also able to connect the Earbuds to my work PC just as easily, but I don’t have office 365 products to test that integration (which seems very cool). The touch controls on the Earbuds are very easy to learn to use. On the right ear, simply swipe up or down to adjust the volume. On the left ear, swipe left and right to change the track on music that you are listening to. On either ear, you can double tap to pause/play music or answer/hang up a phone call. A press and hold can activate Siri or your digital assistant of choice. All of these controls work very well and are quite natural to use. There is some integration with Spotify if you have an android device, but I was unable to test this specifically. One last thing to note is that there is no noise cancelation on the Earbuds, so while you are listening to music or are on phone calls, you will hear what’s going on around you. I envisioned that the Surface Earbuds would be quite obnoxious, due to their circular design. Actually, they are quite invisible when looking straight on but from the side they look very unique. When I first open them up, my wife asked if she could try them but when she saw them from the side, she said no thanks. Everyone thought that Air Pods would look weird in people’s ears when they were first unveiled but now they are just normal. I suspect this will be same for these Earbuds too. After some time listening to music and taking phone calls, of course it was time for a recharge. Charging was very fast in the included charging case, I think I got about 50% charge in about 15 mins. Overall battery life is as described, about 8 hours of use per charge and the charging case has about 2 full charges, so total of 24 hours of use. I do feel like the charging has been more consistent for these Earbuds than my Air Pod Pro's. I haven't noticed an instance where the right bud charged to 100% while the left bud only charged to 70%. I do sometimes notice that on my Air Pod's. While these were charging, I switched back to my Air Pod Pro’s. Now while I was using the Surface Earbuds, I was enjoying the sound quality. Once I switched to my Air Pod Pro’s, I quickly could tell the difference and the Air Pod sound is superior to what the Surface Earbuds offers. They are not a bad option, but music sounds a little flat when directly compared to Air Pods. Overall, the Surface Earbuds are a quality wireless headset that play very well with Apple devices that are intuitive to use. If you are someone in the Apple ecosystem already, the loss of some sound quality is probably enough to prevent a switch to this offering from Microsoft. If you are looking for something non-Apple, you couldn’t go wrong with the Surface Earbuds. I am a member of Best Buy’s Tech Insider Network Program and reviewers in this invitation-only program are provided products for the purpose of writing honest, unbiased reviews.

I had several connections issues with these on my surface book 2 as well as my phone. I couldn't deal with the constant poor connection and ended up returning the ear buds the next day.

The earbuds contain several fitment options so if it doesn't fit your ear immediately, you can easily change it to your liking. I do think it looks pretty futuristic with the circle look. It also reminds me of gauges for the ears. The sound is pretty good. I wouldn't expect super punchy bass, but overall music listening doesn't sound cheap. The Bluetooth connection is especially good and doesn't drop on me while mowing the lawn or running. The built-in Google Assistant or Siri is integrated well. I have other earbuds that when you activate the assistant, the sound quality degrades. These earphones keep the same high-quality in the assistant and in phone calls. So taking phone calls with this is nice. The touch controls could use some work. I found that after sweating a bit, it starts to mess with the controls. This could be just because I was wearing a mask that was touching the earbuds while being wet. I do not think that you can properly operate the earbuds without both Left and Right earbuds. Overall, I think the headset is nice but it does fall short with the controls and the design. “Reviewers in this invitation-only program are provided products for the purpose of writing honest, unbiased reviews.” *The product was provided by Best Buy for review.

Left earbud does not work. Recommend opening your product at the store to avoid the hassle of returning

I am very impressed by these seeing as they come from a company that primarily makes laptops and tablets. The custom EQ makes these sound amazing depending on the type of music you listen to. The touch controls are a wonder especially while on runs. Speaking of these are snug and secure, I have been on two runs now without a worry of them falling out. As mentioned in other reviews I can wear these while carrying out a conversation so do not expect any sort of noise cancellation unless you turn them all the way up. If you want noise cancellation go with the over-the-ears they make. My only two complaints is the same that other people have; no wireless charging and no customizable controls. I won't knock off stars for that though because I believe that can add the customizable controls in a feature drop. I highly recommend these earbuds though.

Nowadays, just about everyone who likes to use a "hands-free" audio with a phone, computer, or bluetooth audio capable device is looking for the next best product to use. When it comes this particular market, it seems that every tech company is trying to out-do each other and it can be pretty difficult to choose which item will fit most, if not all your wants and needs, as well as have good quality, and last a long time, among other things. Just about everyone with knowledge of computers and technology knows the name Microsoft. For years, they have provided quality products and continue to be one of the top tech companies on this planet. However, when it comes to earbuds particularly, this is brand new territory that only a few companies have succeeded in providing a quality product in. Now, I did receive this product to review, and reviewers in this invitation-only program are provided products for the purpose of writing honest, unbiased reviews. With that said, as a regular user and consumer of technology, and with products similar to these, Microsoft did not disappoint me in my experience of using this product. These earbuds sport a unique design, are comfortable for my ears, and provide the best sound I've heard from bluetooth earbuds that I've ever used. With this product, you get the earbuds, the charging case, a USB charging cable, and three sizes of earbud "tips" (small, medium, and large) to best fit most ears. While they may be a little heavy compared to other wireless bluetooth earbuds I've used before, to me it isn't noticeable, but it might be for others. Additionally, these earbuds are very responsive to the touch controls and the quality of the microphone used when making calls is exceptional. They are also very easy to connect to devices, and I've been able to use them with my mobile phone and PC. One other cool feature is that the charging case can charge these earbuds without being plugged into a USB charging port, granted the charging case is charged. As a really big bonus which I've found to be an issue with other brands of earbuds, there is no "lag" with sound, nor with controls. One thing that may be a "con" is the battery life, though this may not be an issue for the average consumer. I was able to go about 7 hours straight of listening to audio and use before needing a charge. While the average person would not use earbuds for hours at a time, those that may want to may find themselves needing to plug in for a charge. Overall, I'm very impressed by these wireless bluetooth earbuds and look forward to continue using them!

Great quality fit, sound, and easy to monitor battery life with the app

Mainly giving it 2 stars as it overpriced and it keeps falling out of my ear during my walks.

Excellent sound quality with extra sound. Touch is very smooth.

With the work from home requirements I have been doing a lot of teams meetings and was looking for an easy connection and sound quality. When on the phone people say it sounds like I am very far from it, extremely uncomfortable compared to other options, touch controls if you have larger fingers don't work well and overall not a good ticket item. Tried to exchange but I missed the return policy and trying to sell them on marketplace.