Motorola has launched two new wireless headphones that offer Bose audio tuning and best-in-class active noise cancellation at very competitive prices. It's calling the new headphones: Moto Buds and Moto Buds Plus.
The Moto Buds Plus are the more attention-grabbing earbuds of the two, packing some impressive features that you'll find in the best wireless earbuds for a budget price of just £129 (about $160 and AU$250, but we still have than obtaining prices for other regions). There is high-resolution audio support along with active noise cancellation and Dolby Atmos with Head Tracking technology to provide dynamic directional audio when listening to compatible continents.
The headphones have two triple microphone systems, which help with noise cancellation and suppression of ambient noise when making and receiving phone calls. There's also what Motorola calls 'CrystalTalk AI' on board, which uses algorithms to mitigate noise caused by windy conditions.
The earbuds themselves offer eight hours of battery life, while the case holds up to 38 hours of playback. And three hours of playtime can be had from just 10 minutes of charging, which could be useful if you're the forgetful type who leaves your earbuds out of their case regularly. As a useful extra, the case offers wireless charging and the headphones are water resistant.
However, arguably the standout feature is the audio tuning done by Bose. Normally, you'd have to look for the best noise-canceling headphones to find Bose's audio capabilities, but with the Moto Buds Plus, you get EQ adjustment from the audio giant, plus its expertise on the ANC front.
Depending on your tastes in audio playback, the Bose tuning could be a real boon or a bust here. Having used Bose headphones before, I'm reasonably partial to how the lows and mids are tuned. And Bose's ANC lives up to Sony's ability to crush external sounds with its WH-1000XM5 series of headphones.
The caveat here is that implementing Bose tuning on the earbuds may end up being a marketing gimmick if the Moto Buds Plus' dual dynamic drivers can't deliver the powerful audio one expects from Bose. We'll know once we rigorously test the Moto Buds Plus.
Available to buy today (April 16), the Moto Buds Plus come in 'Forest Grey' (basically a smoky black) or 'Beach Sand' (a form of off-white).
Motorola Moto Buds: Key specifications
For people on a tight budget, Motorola has the £49 Moto Buds (around $61 and AU$95). These headphones don't have Bose tuning, but they still have Hi-Res Audio and ANC support, and that's not bad at all for the price.
Battery life is rated at nine hours, with two hours of listening time from just 10 minutes of charging. Combined with the power that the case can contain, the Moto Buds offer up to 42 hours of playback. And thanks to water resistance, these headphones could be good for sweaty workouts.
The Moto Buds come in a quartet of color options called 'Starlight Blue', 'Glacier Blue', 'Coral Peach' or 'Kiwi Green'. And they will be available from mid-May. Stay tuned for our reviews and other insights.
