Mighty good sound, affordable price

The Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 look unassuming. Their rounded form is inviting and a bit playful, however these true wi-fi earbuds take sound high quality and noise canceling critically. A few years after their launch, these earbuds are a cut price for Android customers. Discover out extra in our Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 evaluation.

• Samsung Galaxy Buds 2: $149 / £139 / €149

The Galaxy Buds 2 have been first made obtainable on August 27, 2021. On the time, this solely confused an present lineup of Galaxy Buds filled with Professionals, Lives, and Pluses, however since their launch, Samsung has pared its Galaxy Buds line and unveiled the Galaxy Buds 2 Professional. Now the Galaxy Buds 2 are distinguished from the Galaxy Buds 2 Professional as a extra reasonably priced however equally succesful possibility.

The Galaxy Buds 2 are totally different from the at present obtainable Galaxy Buds Dwell and Buds 2 Professional. Solely the Buds Dwell embody a kidney bean form. In the meantime, the Buds 2 Professional share the identical form because the Buds 2 however with a matte end as an alternative of a shiny one. Just like the Galaxy Buds Dwell, the Buds 2 have an IPX2 ranking to withstand minimal water publicity. As with all Galaxy Buds, you get built-in “Hey, Bixby” voice help when paired with a Samsung telephone.

Energetic noise canceling is healthier with the Galaxy Buds 2 than even the unique Galaxy Buds Professional. This leapfrogging efficiency made the Galaxy Buds 2 stand out as a result of its ANC competed with different flagship earbuds on the time regardless of ostensibly being the “entry” mannequin in Samsung’s buds household. You get 5 hours of standalone battery life with ANC and an additional 15 hours from the case. Like older Galaxy Buds, the Buds 2 sound nice, as we’ll see on this evaluation.

Following their predecessors, the Galaxy Buds 2 require a Samsung smartphone for unbridled characteristic entry. This pairing unlocks Samsung 360 Audio for superior encompass sound from appropriate streaming providers like Disney Plus or Amazon Music (although notably not Spotify). Samsung added 360 Audio to the Buds 2 a yr after their debut. This was a big replace however don’t anticipate head monitoring capabilities: the Buds 2 lack the correct sensors. Our Galaxy Buds 2 are pre-production items, so I couldn’t take a look at this characteristic.

Likewise, solely Samsung telephone homeowners can stream over the Samsung Seamless Codec (SSC) for 16bit/44.1kHz audio that scales from 88-512kbps for secure connectivity. Sure, the Samsung Galaxy Buds have a powerful characteristic set when linked to an identical smartphone, however Android telephones with the Galaxy Wearable app get a feature-packed expertise too. There’s no equal app for iOS, so in case you have an iPhone we don’t advocate these buds.

There are a couple of colorways to select from with the Samsung Galaxy Buds 2: Graphite, Lavender, Olive, Phantom Black, and White. These earbuds value $149, however you’ll be able to typically discover them for round $100.

The Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 are brimming with high-tech options, most notably, energetic noise canceling. Upon their launch, Samsung’s ANC knocked our socks off. These buds blocked out extra noise than the Galaxy Buds Professional and AirPods Professional (1st technology), which have been flagships on the time. Even right this moment, the Buds 2 ANC efficiency surpasses most equally priced earbuds. After accruing tens of hours with the Galaxy Buds 2, I can share that the ANC makes a distinction. With ANC on, my dishwasher’s tumble and whoosh noises turned quieter, as did my neighbor’s barking canine. Whereas that is good, I solely ask that you just mood expectations as a result of the Galaxy Buds 2 ANC doesn’t outperform present flagships.

AKG tuned the sound, so the buds’ 11mm driver and 6.3mm tweeter pump out sufficient bass with out getting out of hand. I beloved listening to Samia’s music Pool with these earbuds. Whether or not reproducing Samia’s vocals or the regular bass line that enters midway by means of the music, the Galaxy Buds 2 sounded nice. Likewise, extra energetic music by Bob Vylan, Amyl and the Sniffers, and Peggy Gou benefited from Samsung’s modest bass bump. Educated ears could even distinguish that the Galaxy Buds 2 sound just a little higher than the Buds 2 Professional.

When watching motion pictures and movies over the Samsung Seamless Codec, all content material was lag free. As a personality spoke, the earbuds relayed audio at precisely the correct time. Players will respect SSC mixed with the Galaxy Wearable’s Sport mode. Enjoying PUBG Cellular, I might inform a marked distinction in audio timing with Sport mode on and off. This mixture drained the battery sooner, however the tradeoff made me extra engrossed within the sport.

If that you must recharge the earbuds and case after an hours-long gaming session, achieve this with Wi-fi PowerShare. Inserting the Galaxy Buds case on high of a Galaxy machine with Wi-fi PowerShare reverse charging help initiates a recharge. The mixed battery lifetime of the case and earbuds is eighteen hours, so I solely recharged the case a couple of occasions throughout this Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 evaluation interval. With ANC on, I squeezed about 5 hours out of the Galaxy Buds 2. 5 hours is a mean battery determine for wi-fi earbuds, and the Buds 2 truly outlasted the Buds 2 Professional by 13 minutes in our official testing.

I discovered the Galaxy Buds 2 to suit properly. Aided by their minimal weight, I by no means eliminated them to alleviate ache factors, solely to air my ears out. That stated, the match did loosen once I wiggled my ears. I readjusted the match to get a correct seal once more when this occurred. Shaking my head or strolling round by no means brought on the buds to loosen.

Forgetful listeners can use Samsung Discover, as long as they’ve the Galaxy Wearable and SmartThings app put in on a Samsung telephone. Collectively, you get fleshed-out location monitoring that may route you to the final recognized location of the Buds 2. Alternatively, you’ll be able to ring one or each of the earbuds in order that they emit a sound. This characteristic got here in useful as generally I couldn’t keep in mind the place I left the buds in my room or the kitchen. For those who by no means need to go away your buds behind, your telephone can notify you while you’re leaving a location with out the buds.

Whilst you can’t entry Samsung Discover with out a Samsung telephone, you’ll be able to discover options within the Android-friendly Galaxy Wearable app. I discovered the aforementioned Sport mode and contact management toggles most helpful, however there’s additionally an ear tip match take a look at. I additionally used the app to customise the tap-and-hold command, so it adjusted the amount slightly than change between ANC and ambient conscious mode. You can even change the sound with six EQ presets (Regular, Bass increase, Delicate, Dynamic, Clear, and Treble increase).

Maybe most vital is that you just’ll want the Wearable app to entry firmware updates for the Galaxy Buds 2. Like Google and Apple, Samsung usually rolls out one or two vital options to its earbuds all through their lifecycles. Figuring out this, you’ll need to get the app so that you don’t miss out on extra options.

Though Samsung’s earbuds look nice and match comfortably, the Galaxy Buds 2 are slippery. I’ve fumbled the buds onto the bottom extra occasions than I care to confess. The upshot of that is that the earbuds are fairly scratch resistant. You should definitely keep away from water when dropping the earbuds: the IPX2 ranking received’t defend them from a drop right into a puddle.

Not everybody must tweak the sound, however I sorely missed the choice to create a customized EQ within the app. At full retail value, these value $149, which isn’t simply chump change. For that a lot cash, we’d like corporations to offer shoppers extra management over how their earbuds sound. It will be good for Samsung to go the way in which of Google, Bose, and Sony and add a customized EQ to its app.

In an identical vein, help for the aptX Bluetooth codec would have made the Galaxy Buds 2 a fair stronger contender for Android telephones. You don’t want to know the ins and outs of Bluetooth audio codecs to see the advantages of aptX on Android. AAC was one of the best codec my Google Pixel 6 and the Galaxy Buds 2 shared. Streaming over AAC produced a half-second lag when watching movies. Whereas this primarily impacts frequent video streamers, it was one thing I couldn’t unsee.

Then we now have the microphone high quality, which didn’t sound nice when taking calls exterior or from my native grocer. The microphones picked up surrounding noise and relayed that to my dialog companions. When it was notably windy, I switched again to talking with my telephone.

	Galaxy Buds 2
Dimensions	Earbud: 21.1. x 20.9 x 17mm Case: 50.2 x 50 x 27.8mm
Weight (earbud)	5g
Bluetooth connectivity and codecs	Bluetooth 5.2 SBC AAC Samsung Scalable Codec (Samsung units operating Android 7.0+)
Water resistance	IPX2
Match kind	Sealed
Battery life	Earbuds, ANC on: 5 hours
Charging	USB-C Qi wi-fi Wi-fi PowerShare
Audio {hardware}	11mm driver 6.3mm tweeter
Sensors	Accelerometer Gyro Corridor Proximity Contact Voice Pickup Unit
Samsung 360 Audio	Sure
Energetic noise cancelation	Sure
Ambient conscious	Sure
Colours	Graphite Lavender Olive Phantom Black White
Authentic value (USD)	$149

Samsung captures price-conscious folks with its Galaxy Buds 2. These buds present extra bang to your buck than different corporations’ mid-tier earphones. Not like the competitors, Samsung focuses on software program growth whereas remembering that earbuds are, at the beginning, for music listening. Out of the gate, the Galaxy Buds 2 sound superb, which isn’t the case with different earphones from its rivals.

That stated, I’m not bought on the absence of a customized EQ. I consider that if you happen to’re paying upwards of $100 for earbuds, it’s best to be capable of customise the sound. Additional, the addition of Samsung 360 Audio is neat, but when the Galaxy Buds 2 Professional’s 360 Audio efficiency is any indication, this isn’t a promoting characteristic of the Buds 2, and it received’t work except you might have a Samsung telephone anyway. For the Samsung Galaxy Buds 3, we’d warmly welcome much less delicate contact panels and a customized EQ within the Wearable app. That stated, you’ll be able to all the time disable the contact controls on the Buds 2 if it turns into a difficulty and obtain a third-party EQ app if the default tuning isn’t passable.

On the finish of the day, are the Galaxy Buds 2 value shopping for? Sure, the Galaxy Buds 2 are standout earphones for Android customers (and particularly Samsung Galaxy homeowners) that always go on promotion for $100. At that value, you’re taking a look at options just like the Jabra Elite 4 ($99.99 at Amazon) and the Google Pixel Buds A-Sequence ($93.02 at Amazon). The Jabra Elite 4 have ANC, but it surely’s not so good as the Galaxy Buds 2. Jabra’s earbuds do have aptX for lag-free video streaming on any Android machine. The Google Pixel Buds A-Sequence aren’t too shabby and work with “Hey, Google” on most Android telephones. You don’t get ANC, however you do get a safer match with wing suggestions. Even nonetheless, Samsung’s earbuds are a minimize above each options resulting from their superior sound and ANC.

You might additionally examine the Galaxy Buds 2 to the Galaxy Buds 2 Professional ($154.99 at Samsung) and Google Pixel Buds Professional ($192.5 at Amazon). Samsung’s flagship earbuds aren’t the discount that the Buds 2 are (as you’ll be able to inform from the image above with each units of buds), however they’ve a extra superior characteristic set. Equally, the Google Pixel Buds Professional typically go on promotion for round $150 and have superb ANC. You get a customized EQ by means of the Google Pixel Buds app, too.