Samsung’s Galaxy Buds 2 Set New Standard for Affordable Earbuds

To a sure extent, all new devices are an evolution of the units that got here earlier than them, bettering on present know-how whereas additionally including model new options for much less. With the Galaxy Buds 2’s energetic noise cancellation, stable audio and voice high quality, and $150 price ticket, Samsung is setting a brand new commonplace for what we must always anticipate from reasonably priced wi-fi earbuds.

In years previous, prioritizing ANC in a pair of wi-fi earbuds meant dropping $200-$300 or extra. But with the ANC-equipped Galaxy Buds 2, which joins different reasonably priced newcomers like Nothing’s $99 Ear (1), ANC feels much less like a luxurious inclusion and extra like a regular characteristic that ought to be obtainable on all however the most cost-effective headphones. And by utilizing the Galaxy Buds Pro as a template, Samsung has created reasonably priced earbuds that ship virtually the identical expertise as Samsung’s premium earbuds, however for $50 much less.

Sleek Design

As with earlier Galaxy Buds, the Galaxy Buds 2 are available a compact wi-fi charging case, with the one distinguishing characteristic on the skin being a USB-C port for wired charging. The most important distinction on this mannequin is that the case contains a shiny end as a substitute of the extra matte texture Samsung has favored earlier than, with the case’s inside sporting the identical colour (olive, white, lavender, and black) because the buds for just a little matchy-matchy goodness.

Samsung appears to have totally leaned into operate over type for the earbud design itself, with the Buds 2 virtually fully devoid of any distinguishing traits or branding. All you get is 2 plastic shells with just a few holes for microphones and silicone ear tips about the tip. The entire setup is tremendous minimalistic, virtually just like the form of generic earbuds you may see in a sci-fi film.

You received’t see any markings, however the Galaxy Buds 2 nonetheless include built-in contact controls, so you possibly can pause your present observe with a single faucet, skip ahead with a double faucet, or return to a earlier observe with three faucets on the perimeters of the buds. And by default, if you wish to flip ANC on or off, all you have to do is faucet and maintain. The one draw back to that is that whilst you can customise among the contact controls, if you wish to reserve the contact and maintain command for one thing like quantity, there’s no solution to set the ANC toggle to a unique gesture.

The Galaxy Buds 2 lack the extra in-depth ANC settings discovered on the Galaxy Buds Pro, so there’s no setting to regulate the energy of ANC—it’s both on or off. The Galaxy Buds 2 case comes with a pair small indicator lights that permit you know the way a lot further juice it has left (which fits from inexperienced to yellow to purple relying on cost ranges). Samsung tossed in a complete of three units of silicone ear suggestions (small, medium, and huge) and a spare USB-C cable (however no energy brick).

Simple Setup

Setting the Galaxy Buds 2 up couldn’t be a lot less complicated. Those with Samsung telephones ought to get a popup notification the primary time you open the case, which is able to shortly information you thru the pairing course of. And for these on different Android telephones and even iOS, you possibly can merely obtain the Galaxy Wearable app and go from there. It’s vital to notice that a few of Samsung’s extra experimental options just like the diminished latency gaming mode in Samsung Labs are solely obtainable on Samsung units.

Once paired, Samsung has created a brand new earbud match check that will help you determine which dimension eartips you ought to be utilizing, which for me had me improve to the massive suggestions regardless that each the medium and huge suggestions felt equally comfy. If you ever must pair your buds with one other system, all it’s important to do is open the case, and earlier than taking the buds out, faucet and maintain on the buds for about three seconds till the lights within the case begin flashing.

All instructed, every thing is extraordinarily easy and works as anticipated, which is all I’m actually in search of from reasonably priced headphones.

Sound and ANC

When it involves sound high quality, the Galaxy Buds 2 come actually near matching the audio you get with Samsung’s extra premium buds, which in all probability says extra in regards to the Buds Pro than the Galaxy Buds 2. In sure conditions like on “Modjo’s Lady,” the Galaxy Buds Pro makes the highs come via brighter and clearer whereas sustaining a barely rounder tone on the bass line in comparison with the Galaxy Buds 2. But it’s extraordinarily shut, and for a lot of the lossy music you get from main streaming companies, until you might be doing direct side-by-side comps, the distinction sounds fairly negligible.

The actual eye opener is if you examine the Galaxy Buds 2 to the usual Apple AirPods, additionally $150, which not solely don’t have the identical acoustic vary because the Galaxy Buds 2, however the lack of actual ear suggestions to assist seal away exterior noise means you’re extra more likely to undergo from distractions. The Galaxy Buds 2 merely make Apple’s AirPods look and sound a bit dated, and whereas there are rumors that Apple is already is engaged on a follow-up within the close to future, the Galaxy Buds 2 make me really feel like new AirPods can’t come quickly sufficient.

The ANC on the Galaxy Buds 2 isn’t dangerous, although the Galaxy Buds Pro have a transparent benefit. On the Galaxy Buds 2, high-pitched sounds just like the screeching of brakes on the subway or police sirens come via extra, as do low rumbles just like the tires of an 18-wheeler. For $150, I don’t assume it’s a dealbreaker, however for folks in search of the form of ANC that delivers a cocoon of silence, you’ll in all probability wish to improve to costlier headphones just like the Buds Pro or Sony’s WF-1000XM4. 

The Buds 2 characteristic three onboard mics, which use beamforming and a brand new machine learning-based algorithm to filter out distracting sounds. And whereas nobody is ever going to get the Buds 2’s mics confused with a desktop mic, voice high quality is greater than serviceable. If you want some further assist listening to issues (or simply don’t wish to take the buds off when ordering espresso or no matter), the Galaxy Buds 2 additionally helps Samsung’s Ambient Sound characteristic, which could be set to 3 completely different ranges of sound amplification.

Underwhelming Battery Life

The complete runtime of the Galaxy Buds 2 could be the weakest a part of its package, not as a result of it’s dangerous, however as a result of earlier Samsung headphones just like the Galaxy Buds+ boasted a whopping 11 hours of battery life on a single cost. The Galaxy Buds 2 have virtually the identical battery life because the Galaxy Buds Pro, with the Buds 2 lasting round 5 hours with ANC turned on (7.5 hours with ANC turned off), or round three hours of discuss time for those who’re on a name. That’s not fairly sufficient to remain powered up throughout a whole workday, however as all the time, you possibly can shortly recharge the buds by tossing them of their case, which holds round three to 4 extra full expenses.

Bottom Line

Time for some actual discuss: There’s nothing on the Galaxy Buds 2 that we haven’t seen earlier than. They have just about the identical wi-fi charging case Samsung has been utilizing for years, and their design is extra of an train in minimalism than one thing meant to catch your eye (although that’s not essentially a foul factor). And ANC has been a recognized amount for years on each high-end headphones and pricier earbuds.

Where the Galaxy Buds 2 excels is in combining all of these issues together with stable audio high quality and easy-to-use controls in a pair of wi-fi earbuds that price simply $150, which makes the Galaxy Buds 2 one of many first earbuds to actually convey ANC into the mainstream. Sure, battery life could possibly be a bit longer, and I’d like just a little extra customizability over ANC energy or quantity changes. But for $150, the Galaxy Buds 2 are simply good little earbuds, and that’s the form of simplicity I can recognize.