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Samsung has been making wireless earbuds for a long time, but the South Korean tech giant didn’t really make a great pair until the Galaxy Buds Pro came out last year. Before the Buds Pro, Samsung’s earbuds were not very well made. We liked the kidney bean-shaped Galaxy Buds Live, but their “active noise cancellation” was the worst in the world because the earbuds didn’t cover the wearer’s ear canals at all.
Launched last month with the Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Galaxy Z Flip 4, the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro keeps up this trend with a slimmer, lighter design that fits better in my ears during long listening sessions. It also has better active noise cancellation and support for end-to-end 24-bit audio, though this last feature has a lot of limitations.
We also like that Samsung didn’t copy Apple’s AirPods by making the stems longer. This is partly because the buds are less noticeable in my ear, but also because I think it’s tacky when brands copy Apple’s designs. Some people might think that the $230 price tag on the Buds 2 Pro is a bit high, since you can get perfectly good earbuds like the Nothing Ear 1 or the Google Pixel Buds Pro for less than half the price.
But the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro has better ANC and my favorite mode of all wireless earbuds, which is called “transparency.” Plus, the price is about the same as Apple’s new AirPods, which is the company Samsung wants to compete with as it creates an impressive ecosystem of its own products.
Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro review: Design
The Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro are nice because they are smaller and lighter than most of their competitors. Samsung did the right thing by taking a bit off the design. The result is an earbud fit that is stylish, simple, secure, and comfortable. It almost feels like you’re not wearing earbuds at all.
Even though we have small ears and didn’t change from the medium eartips that came with the headphones, we had no fall-out anxiety while listening (although you also get small and large tip sets in the box). Even when we ran to catch the train on the way to work, the earpieces didn’t move, which is unusual. Because the top of the earbuds is round, we were a little worried that the touch controls might not always work.
We were wrong to doubt them; the on-ear capacitive touch controls on the Buds 2 Pro are very good. They’re easy to tap and let you know when you’ve done so with little beeps. Because of how well they work, we rarely had to pull out our phones during our commutes. You can buy this earbuds from its official website.
Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro review: Comfort
Samsung’s best wireless earbuds to date are the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro. The company has found a good balance between sound quality, noise cancellation, and comfort. They work best with Samsung’s ecosystem, but they still work well enough with other Android phone.
Some people will find it annoying that only Samsung phones have hi-fi sound. But here’s a look at the likely future of the tech industry: It is said that Apple’s next AirPods Pro will let iPhones play Apple Lossless music wirelessly. Even though Sony, Sennheiser, Jabra, and others still make great earbuds that work on any platform.
The walls between the biggest tech companies are getting higher and higher. If you’re a big fan of multipoint, the Pixel Buds Pro are worth a close look, but the Buds 2 Pro are Samsung at its best.
Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro review: Connectivity
In some ways, Samsung is still behind the competition. Google built multipoint Bluetooth into the Pixel Buds Pro, so you can connect them to two devices at once. This is a huge benefit. Samsung can only switch between its own products automatically, whether they are laptops, phones, tablets, smartwatches, or even TVs. Maybe that’s helpful if you live and breathe Samsung, but I don’t know anyone who does, and it’s not as useful for multitasking as real multipoint.
Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro review: Noise canceling
When it came to blocking out noise, the Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro did more than what was asked of them. When we turned on ANC for the first time on the Buds 2 Pro, we had to make sure that the air conditioner we were sitting next to was still on.
Samsung says that the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro’s 3 high SNR (Signal-to-Noise Ratio) microphones can track and block out more outside sound than any Galaxy Buds before it, even soft sounds like wind. We agree with this claim. The Galaxy product beats the Sony WF-1000XM4 when it comes to ANC.
The Sony WF-1000XM4 and the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds can still claim to be the best noise-cancelling earbuds on the market because of how well they fit your ears. However, the race is now much closer.
Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro review: Audio performance
But Samsung beats Apple to the punch by supporting Hi-Res audio, which the AirPods haven’t had for a long time. Still, the Hi-Res on the Buds 2 Pro is not the same as what Sony gives you on its wireless earbuds. Samsung didn’t go with a more universal codec like LDAC.
Instead, it made its own, called Samsung Seamless Codec. While it’s easy to see the benefits, it also means that you have to have a Samsung phone, preferably a high-end one, to use what could be the Buds 2 Pro’s most popular feature. Samsung says its SSC codec is better than Sony’s LDAC, but it doesn’t say what the exact bitrate is. All it says is that it can stream 24-bit, 48kHz audio over Bluetooth (the buds support version 5.3).
LDAC’s top speed is around 990kbps, so Samsung’s should ideally be higher. Now, numbers are important, and it would be nice to get a little more clarity on how the Seamless Codec works (and, more importantly, how consistently it works across devices), but for what it’s worth, there is a difference when your device—which, we repeat, must be a Samsung—can actually use it.
Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro review: Call performance
At the top of the app is a graph showing how much power is left in both the earbuds and the charging case. Below that is a large section for switching between ANC and ambient sound modes. Voice detect, 360 audio, and touch controls are some other features that can be turned on and off and changed.
You can change things like the equalizer, Bixby, in-ear call detection, and firmware updates from a menu called “earbuds settings.” You can also add a widget to the home screen that lets you quickly switch between the ANC and transparency modes. Notably, there is no switch for playback in-ear detection.
If you take out both earpieces, the music stops, but if you only take out one, like with many other headsets, the music keeps playing. Even if you only take out one earpiece, ANC turns off automatically. This problem could be fixed with a software update, since the hardware is already there and works fine.
Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro review: Battery and charging
With ANC, the Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro can play music at 75dB for 4 hours and 50 minutes (SPL). The test results are pretty close to Samsung’s claim of 5 hours. This isn’t the best battery life, but let’s be honest and say that the very impressive ANC tech is probably draining the battery. Still, it could be a problem if you tend to listen for a long time without stopping.
The case has a standard USB-C port for charging and is compatible with wireless charging pads. Like the old Galaxy Buds, it has a feature called “Wireless PowerShare,” which lets you charge the buds by sending power from a Qi-compatible phone to them.
Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro review: Final words
If you have a Samsung phone or are planning to buy one soon and want high-quality true wireless earphones, the choice is easy: buy the Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro. Here, the benefits to the ecosystem are clear, and the improved 24-bit Hi-Fi codec makes the sound quality stand out.
When you add in the very good active noise cancellation and good design and comfort, these earphones are pretty complete. You should look elsewhere if you don’t have a Samsung smartphone. Even though Samsung’s latest true wireless earphones are great, they don’t work with as many devices as similar ones from Sony and Sennheiser.
Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro Ratings