Last year, Amazon announced its first wireless earbuds dubbed the Echo Buds. The Alexa-powered $130 earbuds have active noise cancellation and a case that supports wired charging via a MicroUSB port. Now, a successor is on the way and it will support wireless charging.
The info comes from listings of an Anker wireless charger at the FCC and Wireless Power Consortium that reveals the second-gen Echo Buds will have support for wireless charging.
A report by The Verge states the FCC listing is for an Anker wireless charging pad whose official name is PowerWave Pad for Amazon Echo Buds (2nd Gen with Wireless Charging)”.
We decided to check the database of the Wireless Power Consortium (WPC) and found that the Anker wireless charger has also been certified there. The listing even includes a render of the charger that gives us an early look at the final product.
The image shows the Anker PowerWave Pad for Amazon Echo Buds (2nd Gen with Wireless Charging) is shaped like a round pebble and will come in black with a matte finish. While we are not sure, we want to believe the port at the back where the cable goes into the charger is a USB-C port. The top of the charger has a recess shaped like a pill, and it is speculated that the 2nd Gen Echo Buds may have a similar shape.
There are a total of 9 LEDs on the charger – four are placed beside an inscription that reads “BUDS“, another set of four LEDs are next to an inscription that says “CASE”, and the last is next to an inscription that says “PHONE”. Our theory is that the wireless charger will be able to indicate the battery level of not just the case but also the buds when charging which is why there are LEDs labeled “BUDS” and “CASE”. The LED labeled ”PHONE” should light up when you place a phone on the charger.
The original Echo Buds launched more than a year ago and the timing of these listings may be a hint a new model isn’t far off.
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