Earbuds are a dime a dozen in today’s market, and there are some really good options for very little money. So why would anyone consider spending $230 on Samsung’s Galaxy Buds 2 Pro? lets take alook.
hardware
better comfort
In the hardware department, Samsung’s latest earbuds are very similar to the past few generations. It uses a matte version of the same round, square case that the Galaxy Buds Live, Buds Pro, and Buds 2 have used. And like those models, it’s a great case! It’s compact and easy to fit in your pocket, has a hard, easy-to-open cover, and a magnet that makes charging alignment a breeze.
The biggest changes, rather, are in the earbuds themselves.
These Galaxy Buds Pro replacements have been notorious for their convenience issues. In our review, we said that comfort was an improvement over the Galaxy Buds+, but that didn’t really last. In the 18 months that followed, the Galaxy Buds Pro were rarely my favorite earbuds because, frankly, I couldn’t wear them for long without ear strain.
The Galaxy Buds 2 Pro definitely addresses this complaint, with a new earpiece shape and earbud contour that fits the ear better. I can’t say these are the most comfortable earbuds on the market, but I can wear them for a few hours before feeling any real discomfort. The standard Pixel Buds Pro and Galaxy Buds 2 are better suited to my ears, as the former is the gold standard for earbud comfort right now.
When it comes to actually staying in my ears, these have also gone through with flying colors. During a round of disc golf, which required some quick head movements, the Buds 2 Pro didn’t budge at all.
sound quality
24 bit is overrated, but it looks cool
Samsung announces Galaxy Buds 2 Pro as the first earbuds to support 24-bit audio, providing a “studio-worthy” experience and “ultimate Hi-Fi sound” for users. Practically speaking, I feel a lot of exaggeration in my ears.
The Galaxy Buds 2 Pro look great, don’t get me wrong, but they aren’t who – which Much better than most other earbuds at this price point. It may pick up some background sounds that other earbuds can’t accurately replicate. When listening to “If It All Goes South” by Sammy Rae & The Friends via Spotify on the highest quality settings (320kbps), it definitely picked up some background sounds better than the Pixel Buds Pro. Tick Boom’s “Come to Your Senses” has been my go-to test for earphones this year, and the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro certainly pass with relative ease. I felt the highest pitches were getting close to “screaming” territory, but I was pleased to hear the Gross – one of the best models I’ve tested so far this year.
24-bit audio isn’t a complete gimmick, but it’s something missing bone People. Unless you’ve curated a bunch of local music files, you probably won’t be able to appreciate the boost these earbuds can offer. Even using Tidal, the difference in quality between it and Spotify on the Buds 2 Pro is slight, with only Tidal showing. Little More depth of sound.
As usual with Samsung earbuds, it required switching the EQ settings to the “Dynamic” preset to get the best sound balance. The Dynamic provides more depth to the sound, the “Standard” is a bit flat, and the “bass boost” is a little too heavy on the lower levels.
The biggest problem I have with the sound quality is that it only works in one place – with a Samsung device. If you carry a Galaxy Z Fold 4, S22, or even a Galaxy A-series device, you’ll get the best of these earbuds, but you won’t get the same level of quality anywhere else. The Samsung codec only works when the Samsung earbuds are paired with Samsung phones and tablets.
To some extent, that’s fine, but it also means that no one should ever buy these devices if they own a Google Pixel smartphone, OnePlus device, or any other smartphone. Get Pixel Buds Pro. Get the Sony LinkBuds S. By all means, get literally nothing else, because $230 would be wasted on the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro if you plan on using it without a Galaxy device.
Latency has proven to be excellent overall, whether when paired with a Samsung device or not. I tested Buds 2 Pro paired with Steam Deck, and response time wasn’t an issue while playing Spider-Man Remastered. Even during the dialogue scenes, the audio was in sync. The situation is clearly better on Samsung’s own devices.
ANC gets the job done
Active noise cancellation on the earbuds won’t be as good as on a pair of over-ear headphones, but it’s something that can really come in handy in many cases.
Galaxy Buds 2 Pro is Fine In that regard, they don’t win any prizes exactly. ANC couldn’t keep up with the dumping of an electric lawn mower, something many other earbuds have had less problem with. On the other hand, though, ANC saved my sanity on a trip to the auto dealer, where an hour-long wait in a room with an incredibly obnoxious HVAC unit was infuriating without the earbuds.
Transparency mode also works well, with a long press on the earpiece switching modes, and audio from the world around you being delivered through the microphone when transparency is activated. It’s not as normal as some of the other earbuds I’ve tested, like the latest Google earbuds, but it’s also not malfunctioning. I also still like that Samsung automatically activates this mode and pauses the music when it detects that you’re having a conversation.
Both modes held up well in some small tests with the wind. The transparency took a while to acclimate to block the breeze, but it worked in the end.
Battery life
The battery life on the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro is quite acceptable not to beat the bush. Samsung cites five hours of the same earbuds while using either ANC or Ambient modes, and I found that to be quite accurate in my testing.
Software and gestures
Great if you have a Samsung phone
Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro works best with a Samsung phone, not only for scalable codecs but also for software integration.
Easy Pair will detect nearby earbuds and automatically pop up a pairing dialog on your phone or tablet. A Samsung account also allows the earbuds to pair with your phone and tablet at the same time and smartly switch between the two devices, but only if they’re both Galaxy devices. This also works with Samsung TVs now. SmartThings Find can also easily locate lost earbuds.
It’s all great, but it breaks if you’re using a Pixel phone, Motorola, or something else. These features are built on the back of Samsung’s ecosystem, and it’s a pity that they can’t be used anywhere else. Especially when Samsung doesn’t really do anything that Google doesn’t. Fast Pair is available in many earbuds and works with every Android phone — and now it offers support for smart switching, too. Earbuds with Fast Pair also support “Find My” integration as well. Samsung is currently the Android leader by volume, but that’s no excuse to ignore the choice, which is what makes Android great in the first place.
It seems so could Support Google method along with Samsung method as well. After all, these support the Windows version of quick pairing along with Samsung’s “Easy Pair”. Why don’t we add a third one?
But at the same time, it’s hard to ignore the little bits of Samsung’s software that can only happen with this in mind. If you have a Galaxy Watch, you can control the ANC settings from your wrist. The same goes for the Galaxy Z Flip 4’s external display.
The Galaxy Wearable app is what makes all this easy, with options for an equalizer, read aloud notifications, and access to Bixby, too.
Useful gestures that still work anytime you adjust the fit
Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro features a touchpad on either earbud. Tapping pauses or plays the music and long press toggles ANC/Ambient modes. This is how it’s set up out of the box, but there are more options. You can double-tap or triple-tap to switch tracks back and forth. The long press gesture can also be customized to activate Bixby, change the volume, or play Spotify as well.
These gestures are pretty standard, and they work just fine. But my problem is the same with bone Headphones. You cannot adjust the fit of the earphone without accidentally triggering the gestures. Only Sony’s LinkBuds have actually addressed this issue, but the sensitivity of Samsung’s touchpads makes this particularly useful.
last thoughts
Don’t buy the hype, but pick up these excellent earbuds
Samsung’s Galaxy Buds 2 Pro are just like any other pair of expensive earbuds that have been sold over the past few years. They look good, prove their basic feature set, and integrate well with their company’s smartphones.
But as we mentioned at the beginning, you can get powerful sound quality and great features from the earbuds Many More affordable than this. So why buy over $230 for a special Samsung option? In my opinion, it comes down to two things. If you have a Samsung smartphone, you simply won’t find better integration or better sound quality to use with your device, at least at this price point.
The other is that Samsung offers some excellent deals. For example, Samsung.com is offering up to $75 if you’re replacing an older pair of earbuds to head for these. If you have 2021’s Buds Pro, or even an old Galaxy Buds+ from 2020, you’re looking at a huge discount. And you can trade in any “wireless audio,” including Apple’s AirPods, for $50 off, too. Priced between $150 and $175, this is a much better value and offers an excellent upgrade. Plus, if Samsung’s usual pattern holds true, this will be the running retail price in a matter of months.
Where to buy Galaxy Buds 2 Pro
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