Amazon is taking on Apple's AirPods with its very own $130 'Echo Buds' that come with Bose noise-cancelling technology

• Amazon's new $130 Echo Buds with Bose noise cancelling technology are direct competitors to Apple's $160 AirPods wireless earphones.
• The Echo Buds have a five-hour battery life and a charging case that can hold up to 20 hours of charge.
• They'll also support the three most common voice assistants, including Amazon's own Alexa, Google Assistant, and Apple's Siri.
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Amazon announced its new Echo Buds wireless earphones on Wednesday, and they are direct competitors to Apple's AirPods and other wireless earbuds.

Amazon's Echo Buds have audio drivers inspired by those used by professional artists, and they'll have Bose's active noise-cancelling technology built-in, the company said during a product launch event on Wednesday. You'll be able to double-tap the buds to turn the noise cancellation on and off.

The Echo Buds have a five-hour battery life and come with a charging case that can hold up to 20 hours of charge.

As you'd expect, the Echo Buds are compatible with Amazon's smart voice assistant Alexa, but they're also compatible with whichever smart voice assistant you have set up on your smartphone, whether Google Assistant or Apple's Siri.

An interesting use-case that Amazon announced was using Alexa with the Echo Buds in stores. One example given was asking Alexa with Echo Buds whether Whole Foods had canned tomatoes in stock and where to find them in the store.

The Echo Buds cost $129 compared to Apple's minimum of $160 for its AirPods, and they're up for pre-order starting Wednesday for a shipping time expected in October.