Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro

Samsung’s focus on sound quality was one of its primary marketing messages when it first released the Galaxy Buds Pro noise-canceling headphones. They did deliver on that front, in fact, but several users—including myself—thought they weren’t the best match for their ears. I had to replace the provided ear tips with a larger set from a competing pair of earbuds because none of them were able to provide a secure seal.

Naturally, I was interested to see what Samsung’s engineers had developed for the second-generation Galaxy Buds 2 Pro ($230, £219, AU$349) because I thought they might solve that fit problem.

Indeed, they did. The Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro, which are being released alongside the new Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 and Galaxy Z Fold 4, are immediately noticeable for having a superior overall design than its predecessor.

Not only are they 15% smaller, according to Samsung, but they weigh significantly less (5.5 grams each bud against 6.3 grams) and have a matte surface on both the buds and casing that gives them a smoother feel and makes them a bit more gripping.

Because of this, the small case is less likely to fall out of your hand, and more significantly, it keeps the earbuds in your ears a little more firmly. Additionally, I was able to obtain a tight seal with the largest set of provided ear tips and avoided having to supply my own because of their improved form and reduced size.

The earbuds also appear more discrete and don’t protrude from your ears as much as the original Galaxy Buds Pro did. They come in three different colors: graphite, white, and Bora purple. Although I can’t guarantee that they will fit every ear perfectly, they should fit more ears than the original Galaxy Buds Pro.

Proprietary high-res audio and other Galaxy-exclusive features

Samsung is promoting the buds’ enhanced noise cancellation and 24-bit high-resolution audio in addition to their updated look. The hitch is that you’ll need a Galaxy device with Samsung’s One UI 4.0 and a high-resolution music streaming service like Qobuz, Tidal, or Amazon Music in order to get that 24-bit audio. The AAC audio codec is the default on all other devices, including iPhones and Android phones. Bluetooth 5.3 is what they utilize.

Unfortunately, the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro only support the new Samsung Seamless Hi-Fi codec, which Samsung claims provides 256x more sound data than 16-bit (CD quality) audio. This codec is not compatible with the more popular AptX Adaptive audio codec for Android devices. In my experience, you won’t really feel a difference while streaming higher bit-rate tracks, so figures like that are a little misleading. But after I finish the remaining features, I’ll go into greater detail.

Similar to their predecessor, these have touch controls that allow you to turn on or off specific features or turn them altogether off. Additionally, you may choose to engage Samsung’s voice assistant, Bixby, hands-free. Furthermore, the “Enhanced” version of Samsung’s 360 Audio virtual surround function (which includes head tracking) is back and now works with a number of Galaxy smartphones right out of the box; nevertheless, it is incompatible with other Android devices.

Although it doesn’t seem to be as noticeable as Apple’s spatial audio, which I believe is somewhat superior overall, it can improve your movie and TV watching experience and functions similarly to Apple’s spatial audio functionality for AirPods. Additionally, it functions with any audio you’re listening to, including music.

Because the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro are IPX7 water-resistant, they can survive for up to half an hour completely submerged in water that is one meter deep. They didn’t slip out of my ears, and I had no trouble jogging with them.

Similar to its predecessors, the case provides around three extra charges (it charges wirelessly and via USB-C). The battery life is advertised at five hours with noise cancellation turned on and eight hours with it off at moderate volume settings.

You may argue that the battery life hasn’t improved and that five hours is really mediocre, but it’s challenging to reduce buds while extending battery life. Additionally, there is a quick charge option that allows you to use the buds for an hour with a five-minute charge and double that with a ten-minute charge after dropping them in the case.

Sensors recognize when the buds are in your ears and will pause music when you remove both of them. However, if you put the buds back in without tapping on one of them, the music won’t start again (you can use one bud while keeping the other in the case).

In order to hear the outside world and have a conversation with someone, you can also choose to activate a “voice detect” option in the Galaxy Wearable companion app, which automatically turns off noise canceling and changes to “ambient sound” mode when you talk. Sony’s WF-1000XM4 and LinkBuds S earbuds provide a comparable feature.

There’s another noteworthy new function that has nothing to do with audio. The “neck stretch reminders” feature, which tracks your head position and notifies you after ten minutes of bending your head downward, is toggled on. I’ve received multiple reminders to stretch my neck while writing this review.

Similar to the AirPods and other earphones, these contain a feature called SmartThings Find that allows users to locate their buds. It does not provide the more accurate tracking features of Apple’s improved Find My in its most recent AirPods, but it can tell you where you were when the buds were last linked to your iPhone.

Last but not least, the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro lack genuine multipoint Bluetooth connection, which enables you to pair them with two devices simultaneously, such a computer and a phone, much like their predecessor and the less expensive Galaxy Buds 2. Samsung, however, claims that they pair easily with all of the Samsung products linked to your Samsung account, including Samsung Galaxy Books laptops manufactured after 2020 and TVs manufactured in 2022 or after.

Automatic switching between those devices is a feature of the Buds 2 Pro. For example, if you are viewing a movie on your Tab S8 tablet and a call comes in on your phone, the audio will immediately transition to your phone when you answer it. The way Apple AirPods automatically link with any Apple device that is connected to your iCloud account is comparable to that.

Because I only possess a small number of Samsung devices, I haven’t tested the auto-switching feature extensively, therefore I can’t say with certainty how dependable it is. I spent more time manually moving between non-Samsung smartphones and a Galaxy Flip 3.

Impressive all-around performer

Samsung claims that their “Intelligent ANC” noise cancellation technology has enhanced the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro by 40%. I thought it was better than the original Galaxy Buds Pro, although the degree of improvement may vary depending on how well the ear tips seal, as both sound quality and noise-canceling ability are influenced by this.

In comparison to the Sony WF-1000XM4’s noise cancellation, I felt this one was near but not quite there. Nevertheless, it effectively muffled a range of noises in the subway and on the streets of New York. You have the option to disable noise cancellation or switch on ambient mode, which is comparable to Apple’s transparency mode and felt natural to me. However, the noise cancellation automatically adjusts to your surroundings; there is no setting to change the volume.

The Galaxy Buds 2 Pro have three microphones, two of which are beam-forming for voice calls, and two-way drivers (10mm woofer, 5.3mm tweeter), which is nice. I used Qobuz to stream music while pairing them with a Google Pixel 4 XL, iPhone 13 Pro, and Galaxy Z Flip 3. Additionally, I streamed a few movies from Netflix and Google Play.

If your audio setup satisfies the requirements listed, which include a Galaxy phone with Android 8.0 or higher, One UI 4.0 or higher, and at least 1.5GB of RAM, you will be using the Samsung Seamless Codec, which transmits in 24-bit, assuming your audio files support it. However, Samsung claims that there is no way to determine whether you are receiving 24-bit audio (nothing indicates whether you are — or aren’t).

(Qobuz files work.) The fact that you can’t know what bit rate you’re streaming at irritates me, but I’ll have to believe Samsung when they say I was receiving 24-bit audio.

When using the Galaxy Z Flip 3 for streaming, I did observe a minor variation. The iPhone 13 Pro, on the other hand, had a very wide soundstage and excellent sound quality. I alternated between a few other tunes and Spoon’s Knock Knock Knock track. The Flip 3’s sound had a little more depth and definition and sounded a little more precise (clear).

At higher volumes, I didn’t notice any distortion, and the bass is clear and strong. To put it briefly, they sound great, but I’m not sure if they’re better than other high-end earbuds in their price range, such as the Beats Fit Pro, Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 3, and Pixel Buds Pro.

Although you may adjust the trademark profile in the Galaxy Wearable app with certain preset equalizer settings, including a bass boost setting, I mainly chose the default sound setting. In actuality, many of these high-end earbuds are beginning to sound rather alike, and what will ultimately determine whether you prefer one over the other is how well it fits your unique ears.

I’ll conclude by stating that Samsung has once again produced a pair of Galaxy buds that function admirably as a phone headset. They reduce background noise well and have good voice pickup with the beam-forming microphones.

Callers reported that the buds performed a respectable job of cutting down on wind noise and that they could hear me rather clearly amid the cacophonous streets of New York. Regarding voice-calling performance, they are among the best.

Galaxy Buds 2 Pro final thoughts

For better or worse, Galaxy Buds are more suited for Galaxy smartphone owners because they are an attachment for Galaxy smartphones. This also applies to the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro. These are great earphones, however if you don’t own a Galaxy handset, you miss some of its main capabilities.

Because of this, it’s simple to think of them as the Samsung counterpart of the AirPods Pro, which might acquire a high-resolution wireless streaming feature when the AirPods Pro 2—which is probably going to use exclusive Apple technology that only works with Apple devices—arrives.

In contrast, the Pixel Buds Pro have less capabilities designed just for Pixel owners (virtual surround), and all Android devices can use features like hands-free Google Assistant and real multipoint Bluetooth pairing.

The Pixel Buds lack improved audio codec support, though, which can be crucial if you think it makes a significant difference. In my opinion, it doesn’t really matter for this particular type of earphones, which aren’t high-end even though they may have a premium price tag.

If you currently have a pair of Galaxy Buds, especially the original Galaxy Buds Pro, the more important question will be whether it’s worth upgrading to the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro. That, in my opinion, will mostly rely on the cost of the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro. Samsung is presently giving trade-in deals on any Galaxy Buds in any condition, bringing their list price of $230 down to about $155. You can also frequently get prices on them when you buy a new Galaxy phone.

In my opinion, the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro’s design is the greatest improvement over their predecessor, even though they have a few minor performance enhancements. They are therefore the greatest Galaxy Buds to date.