Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro review

Finest Costs Right now: Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Professional

Samsung’s Galaxy Buds 2 are a superb pair of comparatively inexpensive true wi-fi buds, full with lively noise cancellation (ANC), wi-fi charging, and nice sound. That left Samsung with an issue, although: what to do to make this 12 months’s Professional improve stand out. 

The Galaxy Buds 2 Professional reply that query with area of interest niceties like 24-bit and 360-degree audio – options that look good on the field, however aren’t prone to see a lot use from mainstream customers.  

The Buds 2 Professional nonetheless pack nice audio high quality and a snug match – the latter particularly a lot improved from the first-gen Professionals – however for most individuals the common Buds 2 will make the higher purchase. 

Design and construct 

• Compact, snug match 
• Delicate contact controls 
• IPX7 water-resistance 

The Buds 2 Professional look comfortably of a chunk with the remainder of the Galaxy Buds vary. Obtainable in graphite, white, or purple, these are easy rounded earbuds with a matt plastic end – an unlimited enchancment on the shiny materials Samsung has used on most of its different earbuds. 

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These are light-weight and compact, designed to nestle inside your ear with a low profile. That makes them delicate once you’re out and about, and likewise saves from the danger of knocking an earbud out or catching it on a bag strap. 

The draw back of that compact design is that it’s near-impossible to regulate these with out hitting the contact controls, which cowl the entire periphery of every bud. This has been the case for mainly all the Galaxy Buds thus far, and Samsung is but to discover a repair, however the result’s that any try to regulate the match finally ends up pausing your music or skipping a observe – and even simply fiddling together with your hair can do the identical. 

The excellent news is that not like the earlier Buds Professional, these do match fairly comfortably. The Buds 2 Professional are lighter and a contact smaller than their predecessors, and between the three selections of silicon tip I used to be capable of finding a match that works for me.

The free Galaxy Wearable app handily features a ‘match check’ too, which makes use of the buds’ microphones to examine for sound leaks and allow you to know whether or not you’re carrying the buds proper or not. Get the match proper first time, and the over-sensitive contact controls must be much less of a problem. 

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One particular constructive is that the Buds 2 Professional have an IPX7 score, which signifies good water-resistance (however no safety from mud). That’s not the hardest round – the likes of the Jabra Elite 7 Professional shield from mud too, with IP57 – nevertheless it’s nonetheless on the higher finish for earbuds. Notice that that is for the earbuds solely although, and the carry case is not protected from splashes. 

Talking of the case, it’s within the acquainted Samsung sq. form. It’s slim, compact, and the magnetic hinge feels safe, so there’s probably not a lot to complain about right here. 

Specs and sound 

• Heat, well-rounded sound 
• Highly effective ANC 
• 24-bit audio, however with limits 

Thanks to assist from its in-house audio model AKG, Samsung has by no means struggled in relation to ensuring the Galaxy Buds sound good, and the Buds 2 Professional aren’t any exception. 

Let’s begin with the core audio expertise earlier than we get onto the bells and whistles. These are the most effective sounding Galaxy Buds but, with a heat, balanced sonic profile that fits nearly all the things I’ve thrown at it. 

There’s sufficient bass to drive home or hip hop like the brand new Beyoncé album, however with out shedding the readability and openness wanted at greater registers for poppier fare like Carly Rae Jepsen’s Seashore Home. After all this doesn’t provide the type of broad, expansive sound stage that over-ear cans ship, however for buds you may’t do significantly better. 

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The flagship new characteristic this 12 months is the introduction of help for 24-bit audio – a better bitrate than the business commonplace 16-bit. There are caveats although: for now at the least this solely works with a suitable Samsung Galaxy cellphone working One UI 4 or later, and also you’ll additionally want a supply of 24-bit audio – for streaming meaning the likes of Tidal or Apple Music, however not Spotify. 

Samsung’s 24-bit help is courtesy of its personal proprietary Samsung Seamless Hello-Fi Codec (SSC), although AAC and SBC are supported alongside it – although there’s no aptX HD, LDAC, or LHDC help. 

I went in sceptical, not anticipating buds this measurement to be able to capitalising on the additional decision and element anyway. Switching from my common Spotify to high-res streaming service Qobuz, I’ve to confess I used to be shocked: there’s a marked distinction intimately and depth, a degree of readability missing from 16-bit sources. 

It’s nonetheless delicate although, and I believe most individuals received’t discover sufficient of a distinction right here make the additional value worthwhile. Audiophiles who already personal a Samsung cellphone ought to see some profit, however the audio enchancment isn’t sufficient to justify most individuals grabbing new headphones, a brand new cellphone, and swapping their streaming service. 

Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry

There are fewer hoops to leap by way of for the buds’ 360 audio, which creates a digital encompass sound stage, together with help for Dolby Atmos content material. 

The default setting right here sounds nice, including depth and a way of house to tracks, although for music you’ll most likely need to disable the non-obligatory head monitoring characteristic, which cuts the music out and in of every ear as you progress your head round – advantageous once you’re watching a film, distracting once you’re simply turning your head on the bus and your tunes maintain shifting about. 

After all, as with every high-end earbuds lately, the Buds 2 Professional embody ANC too. This too is great, blocking out most exterior noise as long as you could have the match proper.  

Samsung calls this ‘Clever ANC’, nevertheless it’s the identical factor that Sony calls ‘speak-to-chat’. That implies that if the buds detect you speaking – utilizing a combo of microphones and sensors for jaw actions – they routinely swap to the clear ambient mode, amplifying exterior noise and turning down your music quantity so to maintain a dialog comfortably.  

That useful characteristic considerably makes up for the truth that Samsung’s implementation of in-ear detection remains to be odd. Whereas most equal earbuds will pause music once you take away an earbud, these solely pause as soon as you are taking each out, and require a handbook faucet to renew playback as soon as they’re again in. Some will little question desire that in fact, however I want there was an choice to pause playback after I take one bud out – nonetheless my intuition after I want to speak to somebody. 

Battery and charging 

• 4-5 hours of battery on the buds 
• As much as 18 hours with the case 
• Wi-fi or USB-C charging 

Battery life might be the massive weak spot for the Buds 2 Professional. It’s not unhealthy, nevertheless it’s definitely not nice, and rival buds do significantly better. 

Samsung guarantees 5 hours of listening time with the ANC lively, however I discovered they lasted slightly over 4 hours earlier than packing it in. That’s nowhere close to sufficient to final a full day or an extended flight on a single cost, which shall be limiting for some. 

Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry

After all, you get extra life when you issue within the case, which along with the buds ought to ship as much as 18 hours of battery. That’s respectable, however some buds provide 40 hours or extra, and I’d personally fortunately take a barely bigger charging case in change for higher battery. 

Charging is respectable although, with each USB-C and wi-fi charging obtainable.  

Connectivity and good options 

• Newest Bluetooth commonplace 
• Customisation within the Galaxy Wearable app 
• Restricted iOS help 

The Buds 2 Professional pair together with your cellphone over the most recent Bluetooth 5.3 commonplace, which is a part of what drives the improved audio options. 

It’s additionally a doddle to get these related, with near-instant pop-ups providing to pair the buds to a Samsung cellphone or Home windows laptop computer, although different gadgets shall be a bit extra handbook. 

Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry

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All Android customers can set up the Galaxy Wearable app, which helps you to customise some controls, flip settings on and off, and handles firmware updates for the earbuds. 

That is the place you may flip 360 audio and head monitoring on or off, tweak the EQ, set-up (or disable) Bixby, and extra. You’ll be able to even toggle on a setting to get reminders to stretch your neck if the buds detect unhealthy posture, however I discovered this about as irritating as you’d count on. 

One draw back is that this app isn’t obtainable on iOS, so Apple homeowners will miss out on a variety of the headphones’ performance. You’ll be able to nonetheless pair the Buds 2 Professional to an iPhone over Bluetooth and use them advantageous, you simply can’t entry their extra superior options. After all, the identical can be true within the different path with the AirPods Professional, so it’s onerous to fault Samsung an excessive amount of right here. 

Worth and availability 

The Galaxy Buds 2 Professional can be found to pre-order now, forward of going formally on sale from Friday 26 August. 

They’ll set you again $229/£219/€229, very barely undercutting the AirPods Professional, however definitely in the identical ballpark. 

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That’s costly for true wi-fi buds although, particularly with units just like the Nothing Ear (1) now obtainable with ANC and wi-fi charging from simply $99/£99/€99. Even the broadly comparable Galaxy Buds 2, formally priced at $149/£139/€149, usually drop beneath the hundred line lately. 

Most can be completely pleased with a kind of cheaper pairs, and now greater than ever the Buds 2 Professional ought to actually solely be a consideration for audiophiles eager to benefit from 24-bit sound on the go – although if that’s your intention, it’s not unhealthy worth in any respect.  

Take a look at our rating of the most effective true wi-fi earbuds for extra choices, or the most effective finances wi-fi buds for those who’d slightly spend much less.

Verdict 

Setting apart the worth, the Galaxy Buds 2 Professional are Samsung’s finest earbuds but. A cushty design, compact measurement, and glorious audio make these a winner, and the middling battery life is the one actual letdown. 

With 24-bit audio restricted to customers of Samsung telephones and suitable audio sources, the worth proposition right here might not make sense except you’re already on the hook for these.  

That’s very true with Samsung’s competitively priced Galaxy Buds 2 out already – for those who’re not fussed on high-res sound, the opposite upgrades most likely aren’t sufficient to justify paying twice as a lot to go Professional. 

Specs 

• Wi-fi earbuds 
• Dynamic 2-way speaker 
• Lively noise-cancellation 
• Contact controls 
• Accelerometer, Proximity, Corridor, Contact, Ear on/off detection 
• Bluetooth 5.3 
• IPX7 water-resistance 
• Charging case with USB-C and wi-fi charging 
• Earbud: 5-hour battery / Charging case: 18-hour battery 
• Graphite, White, Bora Purple