Amazon may take on Apple with AirPods-like earbuds

Amazon may release an AirPods competitor as early as the second half of this year.

Amazon is working on an AirPods competitor with purportedly better audio quality and Alexa integration, according to Bloomberg. Unlike the Beats Powerbeats Pro, however, it seems Amazon’s true wireless earbuds will not feature an ear hook design.

As with Amazon Alexa integrated speakers, the earbuds will facilitate voice commands for music playback, smart home routines, and more. Like both AirPods iterations, users can use a repertoire of touch controls for media and call control.

The rumored earbuds will include a charging case and it’s said that gray and black colorways are in the works. While there’s no word of further specifications like aptX Bluetooth codec support or water-resistance, we hope to see both included.

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Although the production seems rather cloak and dagger, we expect that the earbuds will be more affordable than Apple’s seeing as the Seattle-based company has a knack for undercutting major brands’ pricing. That said, there are plenty of affordable true wireless earbuds available, so Amazon will need more than aggressive pricing to make its product standout from the true wireless crowd.

The earbuds are said to be released during the second half of this year, according to anonymous sources. As always, we’ll be sure to keep you in the loop.

NEXT: Apple unplugs long-awaited AirPower wireless charger

from Android Authority http://bit.ly/2UjOnc6
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