Technologies

These Affordable Amazon Echo Buds Are a Steal at 30% Off

You can grab yourself a pair for just $35 right now, which is the same price we saw during Amazon’s last major sale.

Amazon’s 2023 Echo Buds are already some of our favorite budget-friendly earbuds of 2025, and right now, you can grab yourself a pair for 30% off. That drops the price down to just $35, which is the same price we saw during Amazon’s recent Big Spring Sale. Both the black and white color variants are on sale at the moment, and there’s no telling how long this offer will last, so we suggest you get your order in sooner rather than later.

These affordable Amazon earbuds impressed our reviewer with the features that they offer at a budget price point. They support hands-free Alexa access, as well as multipoint Bluetooth pairing and in-ear detection that will automatically pause your music when you remove them.

They’re equipped with 12mm drivers, which provide decent audio quality, and the semi-open design makes them a great choice if you find eartips uncomfortable. The buds themselves boast a five-hour battery life, which jumps up to 20 hours total with the charging case. Just note that they only have an IPX2 water resistance rating, so you should be wary about using them in the rain or for intense workouts.

Why this deal matters

With a spot on our list of the best budget earbuds for 2025, these 2023 Echo Buds are already an impressive value at full price. Now that you can grab them for 30% off — a discount that matches the deal we saw during Amazon’s last major shopping event — they’re a pretty serious bargain. If you’re after a decent pair of earbuds that boast well-rounded features and solid audio at a budget price, this is one of the best offers out there right now.

That being said, there are plenty of other discounts to be found, so check out our full list of all the best earbud and headphone deals for even more bargains.

Technologies

Amazon Rocket Launch for Its Starlink Satellite Service Rival: How to Watch Tonight

Project Kuiper is planning to take a major step forward tonight with its first full-scale satellite launch.

Amazon is planning to launch 27 low-Earth orbit satellites this evening as part of Project Kuiper. The launch window is set for Wednesday, April 9, between 7 and 9 p.m. ET (4 to 6 p.m. PT), depending on weather and other factors. As of 5 p.m., it now has a launch time of 8:39 p.m. ET.

The launch mission, «KA-01» or Kuiper Atlas 1, will be on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket and will take place at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. There’s a mission page for updates on the launch and plans to livestream the takeoff.

You can watch the rocket launch live on the mission page or on YouTube.

It’ll be a big step forward for the project, which Amazon announced in 2019 with promises of a $10 billion investment. Now the company is poised to enter the race to provide satellite internet service, a space currently dominated by SpaceX’s Starlink, which has about 7,000 satellites. Amazon’s plans call for 3,200 satellites to be deployed over 80 launches. The company intends to provide internet service with this technology later this year.

More competition will improve internet services

The literal space race, which includes Starlink, Amazon and other companies such as Viasat, Hughesnet, Eutelsat and China’s SpaceSail, could mean more availability of internet service in far-flung and rural areas that have limited broadband options. Though Starlink is the leader in the space, some of these other companies are continuing to launch satellites and working to deploy high-speed internet in more markets such as Brazil. With more players in the market, that could mean faster and cheaper internet in more areas, although whether that actually bears out for consumers remains to be seen.

Mahdi Eslamimehr, executive vice president at Quandary Peak Research and adjunct professor at the Department of Computer Science at USC, said Amazon is well poised to go up against Starlink. «Amazon has made extensive launch agreements with major providers such as United Launch Alliance (ULA), Arianespace, Blue Origin, and even SpaceX itself, positioning Kuiper as a major challenger due to its expansive infrastructure and significant resources.»

He said, «While Starlink currently enjoys clear market leadership, it faces increasing competition from well-capitalized and strategically agile competitors, specifically from China, suggesting the market will become considerably more competitive in the near future.»

Amazon’s satellite efforts so far, Eslamimehr said, have been promising and successful, at least in the prototype stages. The company has also been testing Amazon Web Services in space. «These developments collectively underscore Amazon’s robust entry into the satellite internet market and reflect positive early momentum in its overall space strategy.»

Beyond how it fares against Starlink and other companies, the Amazon satellite launches are significant in other ways. Eslamimehr said, «Project Kuiper isn’t just about competition; it’s positioned as a critical step toward closing the global digital divide, promising to deliver high-speed internet to underserved communities worldwide.»

Correction, April 4: An earlier version of this story misspelled the name of the USC professor and Quandary Peak Research executive vice president. His name is Mahdi Eslamimehr.