What you need to know
- Motorola officially launched the Moto Buds 2 and Moto Buds 2 Plus at MWC 2026, which target the sub-$100 and sub-$200 price points, respectively.
- The Moto Buds 2 Plus have Sound by Bose tuning and exclusive features like CrystalTalk AI and Audio Share.
- The Moto Buds 2 have long battery life, up to 11 hours on the earbuds alone, and support all the basics — including ANC and hi-res audio.
Motorola’s two new earbud models, the Moto Buds 2 and Moto Buds 2 Plus, are official following a launch at MWC 2026. Both variants get hi-res audio quality and exclusive PANTONE colorways, but only the premium Moto Buds 2 Plus version has Bose tuning. The Moto Buds Plus are currently available in the U.S., so there’s a good chance the upgraded models could arrive stateside in the future.
The regular Moto Buds 2 lack the “Sound by Bose” collaboration, presumably to help the earbuds hit a lower price point. Instead, the Moto Buds 2 have longer battery life, with Motorola touting up to 48 hours of total playback time including the charging case. Just the earbuds will get you up to 11 hours of battery life. Crucially, the Moto Buds 2 still have the Dynamic ANC feature, which lets you block out unwanted sounds.
AC’s Take
The Moto Buds 2 might not have Bose audio tuning, but it’s hard to argue with everything else they offer at a sub-$100 price point. You get LHDC support (though we wish Motorola chose a more compatible hi-res audio codec), ANC, spatial audio, and a gaming mode. Makes you wonder whether you really need those $250 flagship earbuds.
Motorola’s Moto Buds 2 use a dual-driver system with 11mm dynamic drivers and 6mm micro-planar magnetic drivers. They have hi-res audio and Bluetooth 6 support, enabling the LHDC codec and dual device connection. There’s also spatial audio for more immersive listening, and six microphones to power your calls and ANC features. Finally, there’s a gaming mode that limits audio latency.
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The Moto Buds 2 will retail for €79, which is about $92.
(Image credit: Brady Snyder / Android Central)
Then, there’s the Moto Buds 2 Plus for premium buyers — these earbuds retail for €149, or about $173. They have quite a bit in common with the Moto Buds 2, including LHDC support, 11mm dynamic drivers, and Dynamic ANC for noise canceling. There’s also shorter battery life on the Moto Buds 2 Plus, as the earbuds offer nine hours and the case brings the grand total to 40 hours.
Motorola notes that the Moto Buds 2 Plus have a high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and a CrystalTalk AI mode that cuts down background noise and focuses in on the speaker’s voice during calls.
AC’s Take
The big upgrade is “Sound by Bose” tuning. We’ve seen Bose audio appear on products from brands like Motorola and Baseus in the past, and it tends to represent a significant sound quality advantage. Plus, you get the Bose sound experience without paying Bose money for earbuds.
There is also an AI live translation feature for the Moto Buds 2 Plus and automatic play/pause when you’re wearing the earbuds. Rounding out the upgrades is an Audio Share feature that lets you connect two of these earbuds to the same phone, but it has to be the same model.
Keep in mind that many of the Moto Buds 2 Plus’ AI tools require downloading the Moto Buds app separately.
The Moto Buds 2 and Moto Buds 2 Plus will launch in Europe, the Middle East, Latin America and Asia-Pacific regions in the coming weeks. There’s no word on U.S. availability yet.
