Samsung releases new wireless earphones every six months. We’ve waited a year. The Galaxy Buds 2 Pro are a significant upgrade over earlier models.
Launched alongside the Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Galaxy Z Flip 4, Do the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro deserve to be labelled the best Samsung earphones yet? This Galaxy Buds 2 Pro review addresses that.
Galaxy buds 2 Pro Price and availability
- $229 / £219 / AU$349
- Announced August 10, available in stores from August 26
Samsung debuted the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro on August 10 at its Unpacked event, where it also announced the Galaxy Z Fold 4, Z Flip 4, Galaxy Watch 5, and Watch 5 Pro.
Galaxy Buds 2 Pro cost $229/£219/AU$349 and come in Graphite, White, and Bora Purple.
It’s a medium ground between the Apple AirPods Pro, which cost $249/£249/AU$399, and the AirPods 3, which cost $179/£169/AU$279 – although the lesser ‘Pods don’t have active noise cancellation.
Pre-order the Samsung Buds 2 Pro before August 26.
Design and Features
- Small, comfortable earphones
- IPX7 waterproof earbuds
- 5 hours of playtime with ANC on; up to 18 hrs in the case
Samsung’s Buds 2 Pro are smaller and lighter than most competitors, and the company was right to do so. The elegant, minimalist, secure, and ergonomic fit makes it feel like you’re not wearing earphones.
Even with small ears and without switching from the medium eartips, we had no fall-out worry (although you also get small and large tip sets in the box). We observed the earpieces never moved, even when sprinting for the train to work.
The earbuds’ rounded upper surface made us worry about touch controls. On-ear capacitive touch controls on the Buds 2 Pro are excellent. We rarely needed to pull out our phone during our commute because to their ease of use.
Expected USB-C and wireless charging. The earphones have an IPX7 waterproof rating that keeps them safe even if submerged in waters for 30 minutes. However, the casing is not water resistant.
Everything works as advertised without fuss or dropouts: wearer recognition, voice detect, dual connectivity, Find My Earbuds, and ANC. It’s not always true that a product’s advertised features hold up under scrutiny.
This compact, pocketable case has powerful magnets to hold it tight, a single LED light, and a surface that resists fingerprint smudges.
We love the Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro’s look and features, except for the five-hour battery life with ANC.
Samsung buds 2 Pro Sound quality and noise cancellation
- 2-way speaker design (woofer and tweeter)
- Impressive and detailed 24-bit audio
- ANC is seriously good for the level
Each Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro earphone has a 10mm woofer and 5.4mm tweeter. YoDogg & Cardo’s NIP (streamed in 360 reality audio, on Tidal) sound ominous and foreboding while slithering from ear to ear in an immersive auditory presentation.
Head-tracked Dolby Atmos material is quieter than LG’s Tone Free T90, but it’s enjoyable and effective nonetheless. The sound is spacious and accurate throughout.
Sheryl Crow’s Soak Up the Sun has us bobbing our heads while we seek out pristine, spaced-out background vocals. Here, they’re presented against a background of keys and guitars.
Reggaeton by DJ Snake Taki Taki’s whirling synths and unabashed rhythms are zealous. The soundstage is large for in-ear headphones, and Daddy Yankee and Snow’s Con Calma sounds dynamic and agile thanks to the gripping bassline.
Samsung’s Galaxy Buds 2 Pro include Bluetooth 5.3 and high-quality 24-bit music support when used with compatible Samsung devices. Samsung’s older (but still very talented) Scalable Codec can handle 24-bit/96kHz audio streaming, with bitrates of up to 512kbps, so that’s likely the minimum support we’re talking about here – and regardless of the numbers, the resulting performance is impressive, with high-frequency treble instruments coming through with clarity and nuance, alongside a rock-solid midrange.
Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro nailed noise cancellation. When we first used the Buds 2 Pro with ANC, we had to make sure the AC was still working. Samsung claims the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro can track and eliminate more outside sound than previous models, even wind. We agree with the claim.
Sony WF-1000XM4 are beaten for ANC by the Galaxy offering, but these and the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds can still lay claim to being the finest noise-cancelling earbuds on the market due to their more personalised experience – albeit it’s a much closer fight now.