HMD, known for some of its affordable smartphones, just announced a neat set of wireless earbuds with a case that doubles as a magnetic power bank. With the HMD Amped Buds, you can enjoy nearly 100 hours of music playback or use the case to quickly recharge your phone, and I want a pair.
At MWC 2025 in Barcelona, the Finnish company showcased the HMD Amped Buds, which are much more than your average earbuds. While they still deliver all the specs and features we want, like good sound, ANC, and ENC (environmental noise cancelation), the case packs a massive 1,600mAh internal battery capable of wired or reverse wireless charging for other devices.
Many earbuds on the market feature wireless charging in the case. That’s nothing new. However, I don’t want to spare my precious phone battery to reverse wireless charge some earbuds. I’d rather have a functioning phone. With the Amped Buds, it’s the opposite, and you can use the case to recharge your phone. Yes, please!
HMD’s new earbuds have a sleek aluminum enclosure and a built-in 1,600mAh battery—about 300% larger than most other earbuds. The company promises up to 95 hours of music playback using the included battery case. During daily use, you’ll get around 8 hours of playback, or up to 4 hours with ANC. Then, toss them back into the charging case once things get low.
“With sleek styling, thin and light design, and three color options, Amped Buds looks as good as it sounds.”
The earbud case supports Qi2 wireless charging or wired charging, making it easy to snap on the back of a MagSafe or Qi2 phone or cable charge a smartwatch with the included USB-C cable. You can choose between Pink, Cyan, or Black color options. According to HMD, the earbuds will retail for €199 (around $206) when they arrive in April. However, we’re unsure if they’ll come to the United States.
Small magnetic battery packs for recharging phones are an increasingly popular mobile accessory, like some of Anker’s options. Naturally, it makes sense for a brand to offer something similar inside an earbuds case. With the HMD Amped Buds, that’s exactly what we’re getting.
Amped Buds’ charging case weighs just 80g and measures an ultra-sleek 14mm, which is much smaller than most of the competition. That way, it’ll easily fit in pockets without a big bulge or safely in a backpack.
The buds themselves have a few tricks up their sleeve, too. Once you slide out the earbuds, you’ll enjoy quality sound with ANC, ENC, IP54 protection, and more. Each stem has three microphones to isolate outside noise, which delivers exceptional ENC. However, what caught our attention is the unique hinge design, which ensures a perfect fit for any ear style and shape.
The unique hinge design allows for such a small carry case, but it’ll also help fine-tune the fit in your ear. It’s a fairly tight hinge, so once you get the flexible bud tips positioned how you like, it’ll be all set, resting comfortably in your ear. The buds feature precision-tuned 10mm drivers, and each ear tip has integrated vents to improve audio fidelity and bass. The company also offers plenty of customization with EQ controls in the Amped Buds app.
Considering most people already carry around a set of AirPods (or similar) with a charging case, nothing changes for daily users here. You still have the same experience as other earbuds, only this one can top off your phone’s battery when you’re in a pinch. It’s a pretty neat idea that I’m surprised no one has thought of yet.
Source: HMD
