Skip to main content Tom's Guide Tom's Guide Search Tom's Guide View Profile Newsletters Best Picks Entertainment Switch 2 Pre-Orders Computex 2025 Best laptops Best Mattress Wordle Today Recommended reading Apple AirPods reportedly getting live translation feature this year as part of iOS 19 Computex 2025: Acer announces new Aspire 14 and 16 AI Copilot+ PCs — student laptops that pack a punch I'm a big open-ear skeptic — but these new wireless earbuds just changed my mind These magnetic planar earbuds I tested could've rivaled Bose — but the tariffs destroyed my rating WiFi earbuds are real and they're coming — but they won't replace your AirPods just yet Exclusive: Qualcomm exec says AI is going to 'completely transform' laptops as we know them Smart Glasses I just tried Google’s smart glasses built on Android XR — and Gemini is the killer feature I wore Acer's AI translation earbuds to chat in different languages — and I was blown away Darragh Murphy 21 May 2025 Acer's AI TransBuds make multilingual chat easy When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works. (Image credit: Future / Tom's Guide) Acer's been pulling out all the stops at Computex 2025, and not just with its sweep of all-new laptops. It revealed an all-new pair of earbuds, but these aren't the kind you listen to music on. Instead, they break down language barriers — and I got to have a full-blown conversation in a different language. The Acer AI TransBuds offer real-time translation through earbuds, using AI-based speech recognition and semantic analysis, so you can have a two-way conversation in two completely different languages and know what the other is saying. And there's no overly long, awkward delay, either. That's a key reason why I tend to shy away from other translating platforms, as the stall in conversation can turn into a, well, buzzkill. After trying Acer's AI TransBuds, though, it was more of a helpful, natural flow. You may like Apple AirPods reportedly getting live translation feature this year as part of iOS 19 Computex 2025: Acer announces new Aspire 14 and 16 AI Copilot+ PCs — student laptops that pack a punch I'm a big open-ear skeptic — but these new wireless earbuds just changed my mind Translations in languages have been a way for AI to show off its smarts, with everything from the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra being a live interpreter, the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses offering its own Live Translation feature and, of course, the ol' reliable Google Translate. It's not like there aren't other earbuds offering translation, with the Viaim RecDot and Timekettle X1 AI Interpreter Hub offering up to 40 languages to translate and 93 accents. But this doesn't quite reach real-time translation, and it suffers from some inaccuracies. With the Acer AI TransBuds? Those don't seem to be issues. Acer AI TransBuds specs Swipe to scroll horizontally Row 0 - Cell 0 Acer AI TransBuds Connectivity Bluetooth 5.4 / USB-C receiver 50mAh (earbuds) / 400mAh (Charging Box) Supported languages DE/ EN/ES/FR/FIL/IT/ID/JA/KO/MS/PT/RU/TH/VI/ZH 0.64 x 1.4 x 1.6 inches 2.2 ounces Smooth chats (Image credit: Future / Tom's Guide) Acer's TransBuds support 15 major languages spoken across Asia, the Americas and Europe. That includes French, German, Italian, Spanish, Japanese and others, but during the brief demo, it's English and Mandarin that came in handy. I'm in a unique position of having learnt Mandarin growing up (a lot of it is lost on me now, sadly), meaning I can pick up on a few phrases and understand how they translate to English — the simple stuff, keep in mind. That very much came in handy when testing these earbuds out. They work via a plug-in USB-C receiver that can be used in a smartphone or tablet, where an app will give you the option of translating your languages of choice. I wore the earbuds to have a chat with an Acer representative, who could speak English and Mandarin fluently. The TransBuds sit comfortably on my ears thanks to the earhooks, rather than being fitted in-ears. In a crowded space, outside noise can be a tad distracting, but they were plenty loud enough for me to still hear translations. (Image credit: Future / Tom's Guide) Anyway, the representative tested out its translation ability by giving me a call on his phone, walking off, but still being in earshot so I could hear what he was saying in Mandarin. Admittedly, there were some connection issues due to the signal in the room being atrocious at first. But once it fired up, I could hear full translations in English of everything he said. This is done through an AI voice, which sounded natural enough. More importantly, I found that the translation was accurate. I could hear the representative ask, "today's weather is very good" in Mandarin, and that's exactly the translation I got in English through the earbuds. I could also hear him say "Can you hear me?" and "I thought you said you studied Korean, but you don't, so we won't try that," in Mandarin, and again, that's what I heard in English. Even when speaking in English at the other end of the line, he could fully understand what I said when it got back to him in Mandarin. And it was a pretty smooth conversation that didn't require all that much stalling to come through. Interestingly, he didn't need a pair of the TransBuds himself to get my translations, as you only need the one pair for it to work in a two-way conversation. Handy, right? Next-gen communication? (Image credit: Future / Tom's Guide) The speediness of the AI being used in Acer's earbuds is impressive, and I can see why the company is aiming for buyers to use these for business meetings, livestreams or online study sessions. The AI TransBuds present many use cases for multilingual conversations, and from what I could tell, real-time translation with these on is fairly snappy and accurate. But they also offer live captioning and transcription that can be seen on the connected smartphone or tablet, meaning you can record conversations and check them out later on. While I didn't get any word on pricing (many products at Computex 2025 only have estimated costs right now due to the current state of trade) or availability, the Acer AI TransBuds are sure to be useful earbuds for education, work or simply traveling. Depending on how much these will cost, the Acer AI TransBuds could be a handy set of earbuds to have in your pocket while going abroad (but for listening to music, probably stick with one of the best wireless earbuds instead). More from Tom's Guide I wish I’d known about these Google Translate features before I went on vacation These AI powered earbuds pack a secret — you can record and translate speech I just went hands-on with the Acer Predator Triton 14 AI — this gaming laptop was made for me Back to Gaming Laptops Storage Size Screen Size Showing 10 of 26 deals Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 (2025) $1,799.99View Deal MSI Cyborg 15 (15.6-inch 512GB) $889View Deal Alienware x14 R2 Gaming Laptop $1,499View Deal Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 (2025) $2,099.99View Deal MSI Cyborg 15 $1,169.99View Deal Alienware x14 R2 Gaming Laptop (14-inch 1TB) $1,383.53View Deal Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 (2025) $3,169.99View Deal MSI Cyborg 15 $1,499.99View Deal Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 (2025) $2,499.99View Deal MSI Cyborg 15 $1,179View Deal Sign up to get the BEST of Tom's Guide direct to your inbox. Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsorsBy submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. Darragh Murphy Computing Editor Darragh is Tom’s Guide’s Computing Editor and is fascinated by all things bizarre in tech. His work can be seen in Laptop Mag, Mashable, Android Police, Shortlist Dubai, Proton, theBit.nz, ReviewsFire and more. When he's not checking out the latest devices and all things computing, he can be found going for dreaded long runs, watching terrible shark movies and trying to find time to game You must confirm your public display name before commenting Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name. Apple AirPods reportedly getting live translation feature this year as part of iOS 19 Computex 2025: Acer announces new Aspire 14 and 16 AI Copilot+ PCs — student laptops that pack a punch I'm a big open-ear skeptic — but these new wireless earbuds just changed my mind These magnetic planar earbuds I tested could've rivaled Bose — but the tariffs destroyed my rating WiFi earbuds are real and they're coming — but they won't replace your AirPods just yet Exclusive: Qualcomm exec says AI is going to 'completely transform' laptops as we know them Latest in Earbuds Your next AirPods could coach your workouts with pose detection — here's why it matters I swapped my AirPods Pro 2 for these AKG earbuds… and I don’t think I’ll be going back Beats Powerbeats Pro 2 vs. Jabra Elite 8 Active (Gen 2): Which sports buds are best? LG xboom Buds review I just tried the new Swarovski-encrusted Moto Buds Loop with Bose audio, and can't stop thinking about them I tested these budget open-ear earbuds for a week — they sound fine, but there’s a big problem Latest in Hands-On I exercised with the Meta Quest 3 and FitXR for two weeks — 3 things I learned AllTrails just announced a massive summer update with six new tools to help you plan and prepare for your next big day outdoors. Should you upgrade to the Nectar Ultra Hybrid mattress? I did — here's why I regret it Can a golf bag help you improve? The MNML MR2 has a handy trick to do just that I just went hands-on with the Bark Smartwatch for kids — and it's refreshingly straightforward to set up and use I just went hands-on with this new smart ring — and it beats the Oura Ring in 3 big ways LATEST ARTICLES Gardeners urged not to use this invasive plant that could seriously damage homes and yards Samsung OLED TVs are set to get even thinner — here’s how Home Depot's Memorial Day sale is here — here's 21 deals I'd shop from $12 on patio furniture, grills and more This luxury cooling mattress from Brooklyn Bedding helped me sleep cool during a heatwave — and it's back down to its lowest price in the Memorial Day sales Fortnite is back on iPhones in the US — here's what we know Tom's Guide is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site. Terms and conditions Contact Future's experts Privacy policy Cookies policy Accessibility Statement Advertise with us Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, Please login or signup to comment Please wait...