Microsoft Surface Earbuds Launched, the Company's First Truly Wireless Earphones

A growing number of companies are getting into the audio space, with premium noise cancellation headphones and truly wireless earphones being the focus for the future of personal audio. Following in the footsteps of Apple, Samsung, and Google, Microsoft has now announced its first truly wireless earphones, the Surface Earbuds. Slated to go on sale later this year, the Surface Earbuds will be priced at $249 (roughly Rs. 17,700). Interestingly, the Surface Earbuds feature integration with Microsoft Office to aid user productivity, and work with various voice assistants - not just Microsoft's own Cortana.

The Microsoft Surface Earbuds were launched at a recent Surface event where various other hardware products were also unveiled. The earphones join the $350 Microsoft Surface Headphones in the flagship audio range from the company, and are claimed to offer up to 24 hours of battery life - 8 hours per charge of the earphones, plus an additional two full charges in the case. Pairing and connectivity will also be easier thanks to Swift Pair, according to Microsoft.

The Microsoft Office integration on the Surface Earbuds lets users dictate text for Word and Outlook, swipe to advance slides, and enable captions and subtitles live translation into one of 60 languages on PowerPoint, interact with emails and check schedules on the go, and more. There is also Spotify integration with Android smartphones, to quickly and easily start playing music through taps on the earpiece itself, without having to use your smartphone.

Microsoft also unveiled a bunch of new products, including the unique Surface Duo smartphone. This Android-powered device features two 5.6-inch screen and a foldable form factor, along with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 processor. The device is expected to launch in 2020.