Amazon's first noise-canceling earbuds, the Amazon Echo Buds, launched two years ago and were praised for their fidelity and active noise cancellation (ANC) However, the Buds and Case were each criticized for their large size and lack of USB-C charging

Amazon appears to have made a few more improvements to remedy that with the upcoming Echo Buds 2, which is available for pre-order today Here is what we know about the new Buds and when they can be worn in the ear

Amazon Echo Buds 2 is available for pre-order today and will ship on May 13

For a limited time, the Echo Buds 2 will be available for $99 for USB-C charging and $119 for wireless charging After shipping, the price will increase to $119 for USB-C charging and $139 for wireless charging

The Echo Buds 2 will be available in white in addition to the traditional black It will also offer 6 months of free access to Amazon Music Unlimited and Audible Plus

The Echo Buds were not the most attractive true wireless earbuds, but they were not overly conspicuous; the Echo Buds 2 appear to conceal itself even more, as each bud is 20% smaller than the original Additionally, the outside of Buds 2 is smaller and flush with the outer ear, and the nozzle is no longer inserted as deeply as before The Buds come with four ear-tip sizes and two wing-tip sizes, and an ear-tip fit test can be performed during setup to make sure you're getting the right one

The small vents should also relieve pressure and prevent your ears from getting waterlogged Speaking of which, the Buds 2 are IPX4 rated, so they should be able to withstand sweaty exercise

One noticeable change is a large Amazon smile logo on the outside of each bud If you can't mimic the design of Apple's dangling earbuds, you have to do something to let others know who is wearing your tech

Even more welcome is the 40% reduction in size of the Buds 2 charging case, making it easier to carry The case supports USB-C and wireless charging (depending on the model selected), and a small external light lets you know when Buds is ready

Each Bud has three built-in microphones (two external and one internal) optimized to detect lower frequency sounds As a result, Amazon says the active noise canceling capability is about 6 dB better than the original Echo Buds

As before, the pass-through mode allows ambient sounds to pass through, so if you use these while running outside, you can better sense the surrounding traffic The intensity of the pass-through mode can also be adjusted

Like most wireless earbuds, the Amazon Echo Buds 2 will feature touch controls A single tap pauses or plays music, a double tap forwards a song, and a triple tap back A long press activates ANC or pass-through mode Gestures can be remapped with either ear to the function of your choice, such as calling Siri or Google Assistant, but you must ask Alexa to change the volume

The Echo Buds 2 adds two somewhat new features: if you ask Alexa to look for the Buds, they will chime in case you lose them, for example, in the sofa cushions

Also coming later this year is VIP Filter, a feature first introduced on Amazon Echo Frames that automatically filters calls and messages from people not on the VIP contact list This is likely to appear soon

Amazon says the Echo Buds 2 will last up to 5 hours on a charge when listening to music with ANC enabled It's not at the top of the list of best noise-canceling headphones, but it's not terrible For example, the Jabra Elite Active 75t lasts up to 75 hours, while the AirPods Pro lasts just 45 hours

The Echo Buds' charging case allows for an additional 10 hours of playback, and just 15 minutes in the case is enough to charge the battery for 2 hours A full charge takes approximately 1 hour

With a pre-order price of only $99, it is hard not to be tempted by the Amazon Echo Buds 2 If they are identical to the originals in terms of sound quality and noise cancellation, this set of ANC earbuds seems like a good deal

We'll reserve final judgment until we get a chance to try the Echo Buds 2 in person