Microsoft’s $200 Surface Earbuds are killing themselves — make sure you charge yours regularly to keep them going

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If you’re still relying on your Surface Earbuds from 2020, given they’ve been around for five years now, it’d be wise to keep them charged regularly. Interestingly, I have three sets of these earbuds myself that haven’t been used in over a year, and none of them function anymore.

During their prolonged rest, the three sets of headphones have seemingly lost their ability to function as such. Two of them are now unresponsive to charging, rendering the earbuds powerless and preventing the case from establishing pairing and synchronization with a device. One set remains chargeable, but unfortunately, the left earbud within it has stopped working for an unknown reason.

It appears that I’m not alone in encountering these problems with my Surface Earbuds. Numerous users have reported online that their earbuds are unresponsive, or they only blink red intermittently, which seems to indicate a problem during the charging process.

If you’ve been regularly using your Surface Earbuds for driving and exercise, they should continue working well. However, if you’ve left them unused in a drawer for several months or years, there’s a good chance they won’t turn on again. So, give them a try to see if they’re still functional.

It’s been more than a year since I last used my Surface Earbuds as I switched to superior earbuds. Unfortunately, my Galaxy Buds Pro 3 got stolen and I needed a temporary replacement pair of headphones. I assumed that the $200 earbuds I purchased a few years back would work fine in the meantime, but it seems they’re not up to the task.

In order to fully examine the issue, I purchased a third set of refurbished Surface Earbuds from eBay for $70. These devices were said to shut down during deep sleep mode. Upon receiving the product and opening its packaging, I found that even the case wouldn’t charge. This incident supports the claim that leaving these earbuds without charging for an extended time will eventually prevent them from turning back on again.

It’s unfortunate that despite the Surface Earbuds having an intriguing design, they never gained much popularity. I was looking forward to using them again since my Galaxy Buds were stolen, but it seems that won’t be possible anymore.

If you believe it’s typical for battery-powered devices to stop functioning after prolonged discharge, you might be surprised by my first-generation Apple AirPods. Even though I haven’t used them for years, they can still charge and maintain a charge surprisingly well. While their battery life is quite short, they still turn on and operate smoothly.

Reflecting on my previous reviews of the Surface Earbuds, it’s worth noting that if left drained for an extended period, these earbuds eventually stop charging – a problem that was already reported as early as 2022. Some users, upon unboxing their new pair, have found they couldn’t charge them right away.

In various online posts, I’ve noticed complaints about left earbuds not charging or connecting to devices, regardless of their charge state. This seems to be the issue I’m experiencing with my set as well. The case turns on and I can connect it to a device, but only the right earbud receives the audio signal. The left one appears to be non-functional.

It’s not surprising that Microsoft has stopped providing support for the Surface Earbuds for quite some time now. In fact, they only released two software updates for these earbuds in the same year they were launched (2020). Since then, Microsoft hasn’t given them any further attention and effectively abandoned them by 2022.

As an observer, I’ve noticed something intriguing about the Surface Headphones. Despite not being charged for over a year, several sets of these over-ear headphones continue to power up and function flawlessly. Interestingly, it seems to be only the Surface Earbuds that encounter issues holding a charge after prolonged depletion.

If you’re among the few still using Surface Earbuds daily or occasionally, be aware that if they run out of battery for an extended period, they might stop working altogether. And if you were considering purchasing a new pair, I would advise against it.

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2025-07-04 14:39