16 PCWorld JUNE 2020NEWS MICROSOFT UNVEILS NEW SURFACE LINEUP
SURFACE HEADPHONES 2
AND SURFACE EARBUDS
Our hands-on with the Surface Headphones
(go.pcworld.com/hosh) proved they
worked extremely well to filter out the
cacophony of a busy product launch. From
all accounts, the noise filtration ranked
extremely high among competing devices.
Now Microsoft’s unexpectedly
updated the Surface Headphones
to give us the Surface
Headphones 2, priced $100 less
than the original Surface
Headphones at $249.
That sounds like a solid deal,
given that Microsoft appears to
have left what was good about
the Headphones intact—the
ability to dial the ambient noise
control up and down, across 13
different levels. Microsoft said it’sworked specifically on
identifying human voices,
and either blocking or
amplifying them.
Three things are new for
this generation: rated battery
life that’s increased from 15
to 20 hours, an ear cup that
now rotates 180 degrees for
greater comfort, and a new
black option to complement
the classic platinum look.
Microsoft started
shipping its Surface Headphones 2 on
May 12.
Meanwhile, Microsoft showed off the
Surface Earbuds last October (go.pcworld.
com/sebd), which seems like a lifetime ago.
Originally set to challenge Amazon’s own
$130+ Echo Buds, the Surface Earbuds have
now been marked down from $250 to theirThis image of Microsoft’s USB-C Travel Hub appears to show ethernet,
HDMI, VGA, USB-A, and a USB-C power connection.Microsoft’s original Surface Headphones were well-received.
Now they ship in black, with upgraded battery life.