Microsoft Surface Headphones 2 Review | 93 Data compared

The Microsoft Surface Headphones 2 offer a comfortable, sleek design with 180-degree earcups and upgraded Bluetooth 5.0 at an aggressive $250 price point. Key strengths include intuitive on-ear dials for adjusting 13 levels of active noise cancellation (ANC) and volume, combined with improved Omnisonic sound and seamless Office 365 integration. However, the headset has limitations, including noticeable audio distortion at high volumes (above 13/15). Furthermore, while the battery life improved to 20 hours, it remains less competitive than the 30-hour standard set by rivals like Bose and Sony.

Overview The Microsoft Surface Headphones 2 deliver exceptional performance and supreme comfort, earning a "Mashable Choice Award" despite their bulky, unappealing aesthetic. Priced at a competitive $249.99—a $100 price drop from the original model—these headphones provide 40mm drivers and 13 adjustable levels of active noise cancelation (ANC) managed through physical ear cup dials. The review highlights a robust battery life of up to 20 hours with ANC enabled, quick USB-C charging that provides 14 to 16 hours of playback from a one-hour charge, stable Bluetooth connectivity, and highly accurate voice dictation capabilities specifically optimized for Microsoft Office software. Pros & Cons Pros Supreme Comfort: Features deep cushioning on the ear cups and headband, weighing just over half a pound for a light, nonintrusive fit. Intuitive Controls: Employs highly responsive physical rotatable dials for volume and ANC adjustments, alongside a well-defined touch panel for playback and call management. Excellent Performance: Delivers deep, high-quality audio depth and exceptional noise cancelation capable of easily drowning out loud background appliances. Smart Features: Integrates automatic wear-detection sensors to pause/resume playback and stable Bluetooth connectivity. Cons...

The Microsoft Surface Headphones 2 offer a compelling blend of design tweaks, enhanced performance, and a significantly lower price tag of $250—a $100 price drop from the original model. A standout feature is the intuitive control scheme, which utilizes touch pads and unique on-ear rotating dials to seamlessly adjust volume and cycle through 13 levels of ambient noise cancellation. Built with remote workers in mind, they feature multipoint Bluetooth 5.0 pairing to connect to a phone and a PC simultaneously, rotate 180 degrees to rest comfortably around the neck, and offer a dedicated microphone mute button alongside an adjustable sidetone feature for voice calls. Additionally, battery life is improved to a respectable 20 hours with active noise-canceling, and a quick 5-minute USB-C charge yields an hour of playback.

The Microsoft Surface Headphones 2 receive a highly positive review from T3, earning their "Recommends Award" for successfully fixing the shortcomings of the original model while dropping the price to a more competitive $249 / £239. The core strengths highlighted in the review include excellent active noise cancellation (ANC), which is seamlessly managed by a unique, highly tactile 13-step physical dial on the left earcup to completely shut out external environments. Additionally, the sound quality sees a major upgrade from the previous generation, offering a much better-balanced presentation with punchier, well-controlled bass and great vocal detail, even when using standard audio streams like Spotify. The build quality is also praised for its comfort, featuring plush memory foam ear-pads, a lightweight 290g frame, and new 180-degree swiveling earcups that fold flat for better portability, all bundled in a new sleek matte black finish option.

The Microsoft Surface Headphones 2 are described as a high-performing, comfortable option for professionals, offering enhanced 20-hour battery life and a $100 price reduction over the previous generation. Key pros include the comfort and responsive auto-pause sensors, though cons involve overly sensitive touch controls and a less premium, plastic-heavy aesthetic. The Surface Earbuds are noted for their stable, four-anchor-point design that offers supreme comfort, though their large, "gauge-like" appearance and lack of an acoustic seal limit both style appeal and bass performance.

The Microsoft Surface Headphones 2Go are recognized for their ergonomic, comfortable design and highly intuitive, physical rotating dial controls for volume and active noise cancellation (ANC). They feature a smooth, warm audio profile with strong, textured mids supported by Bluetooth 5.0 and aptX for high-quality streaming. YouTube· However, the headphones face limitations, including a faster-than-expected battery drain despite a 20-hour rating and a lack of folding hinges for compact storage. Sound performance is held back by soft, "tubby" bass and high frequencies that lack crispness, while the ANC, though capable, is outmatched by top-tier competitors.

The Microsoft Surface Headphones 2 are described as a high-value, comfortable alternative to premium ANC headsets, featuring intuitive,, ear-cup dials for volume and ANC control. They are highly recommended for productivity due to excellent microphone performance and seamless Bluetooth 5.0 multi-point connectivity. However, drawbacks include overly sensitive touch controls and the inability to completely turn off ANC without triggering ambient passthrough mode. Additionally, iOS users are limited to the SBC codec due to a lack of aptX support, and actual battery life with ANC on is closer to 17 hours and 47 minutes.

The Microsoft Surface Headphones 2 mark a triumphant return to personal audio for the tech giant, delivering notable improvements over the original model at a significantly lower launch price of $249.99 / £239.99. The design retains its standout, highly intuitive mechanical dials on each earcup to seamlessly control volume and its 13 distinct levels of active noise cancellation (ANC). This ANC system is specifically tuned to block out human speech, making them an excellent tool for remote work or busy office environments. Additional physical upgrades include earcups that now rotate a full 180 degrees for better comfort around the neck, a modern USB-C charging port, and an improved battery life that stretches to 20 hours of playback. When evaluating performance, the headphones boast major pros including a warm, wide soundstage that provides ample separation and space for instruments to swell without inducing a closed-off feeling. The exceptional noise cancellation and tactile earcup dials also stand out as defining strengths. However, the cons highlight that the audio lacks absolute crispness and fine detail in the treble and mid frequencies, making them...

The Microsoft Surface Headphones 2Go are comfortable, well-built over-ear headphones featuring an intuitive, dial-based control system and low audio leakage, according to RTINGS. Upgraded with Bluetooth 5.0 and aptX codec support, they offer a solid, though bass-heavy, sound profile that can be adjusted via a companion app. Performance drawbacks include a boomy default sound with underemphasized treble, alongside inconsistent frequency response affected by user fit (e.g., glasses). Furthermore, the Active Noise Cancelling (ANC) underperforms compared to the first-generation model, and the 16-hour battery life lags behind some competitors.

The Microsoft Surface Headphones 2 are a significant improvement over their predecessors, offering a more comfortable fit, better battery life, and enhanced active noise cancellation at a lower price point of £239.99. Retaining their distinct aesthetic with large, plush circular ear cups, these headphones feature a unique, highly tactile control scheme that includes rotary dials on the ear cups to adjust volume and noise cancellation. They deliver a warm, relaxed sound profile suitable for everyday listening, provide up to 20 hours of battery life with active noise cancelling enabled, and support quick charging via USB-C. Additionally, they support Bluetooth 5.0 with multi-device connectivity, alongside Swift Pair for Windows and Fast Pair for Android. The primary pros of the Surface Headphones 2 include their exceptional comfort, robust build quality, and innovative physical dial controls. They also offer solid Bluetooth connectivity, aptX audio codec support, a 3.5mm audio socket, and helpful integration with Microsoft Office for features like dictation. On the downside, the cons highlight a disappointing lack of AAC support, which limits higher quality audio on Apple devices. Furthermore, they only...