What you need to know
- Motorola has unveiled the Moto Buds 2 Plus, priced at $150 in North America.
- The buds stand out with Bose-tuned audio and a dual-driver setup (11mm dynamic + Knowles armatures) for better bass and clearer highs.
- Bluetooth 6.0 enables dual-device switching, but its real benefits are limited until more devices support it.
The wireless earbud market is crowded with similar designs and big promises that often fall short. To stand out, companies need to offer more than decent sound and a familiar brand. Motorola is aiming for the high-end market with its new Moto Buds 2 Plus.
Available on the Motorola website in North America starting April 30 for $150, these earbuds aim to address hardware limitations by combining advanced audio technology with robust on-device AI.
Looking at the acoustic hardware, standard single drivers often have trouble separating deep bass from clear highs. These earbuds feature an audio profile developed with Bose. Inside, they use dual 11mm dynamic drivers for strong bass and balanced armatures from Knowles for precise, clear high notes.
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This dual-driver setup is key for delivering clear, high-resolution audio without distortion. Motorola also supports LHDC (both LHDC4 and LHDC5), as well as the usual AAC and SBC codecs. With Spatial Audio included, these specs are impressive for the price.
Advanced noise control
To help keep you aware of your surroundings, the earbuds offer Dynamic Active Noise Cancellation and a regular Transparency Mode. If you need to take a call in a noisy place, six built-in microphones use Environmental Noise Cancellation and a high signal-to-noise ratio to reduce background noise. The Moto Buds app also includes a CrystalTalk AI feature that uses advanced noise reduction to make your voice clearer.
In terms of specs, the earbuds are listed as having Bluetooth 6.0, which allows for smooth Dual Connection auto-switching. This means you can quickly move from a call on your laptop back to your phone.
There is also an Audio Share feature, letting two pairs of Moto Buds 2 Plus connect to the same device at once. The earbuds last up to 9 hours on a single charge, and the case extends total battery life to 40 hours. If the battery runs out, a 10-minute charge gives you two more hours of listening.
The earbuds have an IP54 rating for dust and splashes, but the charging case is only rated IPX2.
The main difference, though, is in the software. When you pair the earbuds with a compatible Motorola phone, holding down on the earbuds activates “Moto AI.” This does more than just start a digital assistant. Features include “Catch me up” for notification summaries, “Pay attention” to record, transcribe, or summarize meetings hands-free, and “Remember this” to save and recall details later. You can also use AI-powered translation right in your ear.
Android Central’s Take
Motorola’s new earbuds offer a lot of useful features and come in a Pantone Silhouette finish, putting pressure on competitors with higher prices. Still, Motorola has to persuade buyers to pay for Bluetooth 6.0 before it becomes widely useful. The new standard should lower power use and work better with other wireless signals, but you won’t see these benefits until more phones support it. For now, the earbuds’ success depends on their sound quality and noise cancellation. With Bose and Knowles involved, that could be enough.