Review: Samsung Galaxy Buds2

Samsung has a lot of practice making wireless earbuds. Over the past two years, we’ve reviewed (and largely enjoyed) the Galaxy Buds, Galaxy Buds Plus, Galaxy Buds Pro, and Galaxy Buds Live. This raises a question: Why is its latest pair called the Galaxy Buds2?

Perhaps it's that the Buds2 mix the best parts of the above models in a blender. You get the comfortable fit and affordable price of the Buds Plus, the dual-driver array and noise-canceling technology of the Buds Pro, and the clean lines and fun colorways of the bean-shaped Buds Live.

This smoothie of sound and design doesn’t come off as haphazard. Open the rounded rectangular case and you'll feel an evolution in what we should expect from earbuds at this price. They make Apple's earbud technology look ancient. Seriously, these are as good if not better than the aging AirPods Pro. If you’re paying more, you should seriously consider what you’re getting for the cash.

Photograph: Samsung

Pull the egg-shaped buds out of their magnetic enclosure to reveal trunks that lead to soft silicone eartips, with sensors to tell them when they’re in your ears. They feel light and secure, even without earfins attached to them. Unlike the latest model from Sony, these should easily fit smaller ears as well as they fit my very average ear holes. 

They have an IPX2 water-resistance rating and have held up perfectly fine on sweaty runs and my recent bout of indoor kettlebell workouts. The active noise-canceling (ANC) tech isn’t as good as I’ve heard from Sony or Bose, but it's as good as any I’ve heard from Samsung, aided by a great seal from the long-trunked buds. 

In Samsung's Wear app, you can dial up or down Ambient Sound (when you want to hear surrounding noises outdoors, like cars passing), or turn ANC off or on. There aren’t a ton of controls in there, but I really love that you can turn off the touch controls on the buds—perfect on runs when my sweaty hair has a tendency to play and pause music.

I have increasingly become a fan of wireless charging pads, so it’s nice that these Buds come with a wireless charging case. No need to fuss with a cable! You’ll get an AirPods Pro–beating five hours of playtime with noise canceling on and 7.5 hours with it off. The charging case itself comes with about four additional charges. You can plug into a USB-C port on the case for quicker charging, but I never used it, since plopping it on a pad is so much more convenient, especially since the case almost always has some charge.

Pairing is near-instant with modern Android phones, and they pair the same way other non-Apple Bluetooth devices pair in iOS. That said, if you are on iOS, you won’t get the same app-based controls, as there is no app support. You can control ambient mode and ANC on the earbuds themselves (a long press toggles between them), so you're missing only the EQ controls, the ability to ping the location of each earbud via the app, a fit test, and Samsung's voice assistant Bixby (no loss). 

Dual-driver arrays, where you get one for treble and one for bass, are still relatively rare in wireless earbuds. Samsung debuted its first pair with dual drivers in the still-awesome Buds Pro, and it's nice to see it in the Buds2.

They don’t have the same clarity and openness as on the more expensive older sibling, but the bass response is heads and shoulders better than other earbuds at this price. I’ve been on a ’90s singer-songwriter binge lately, and everyone from Alanis Morissette to Sheryl Crow plays with signature major-label sheen. The drums sound perfectly punchy, with acoustic guitars and background vocals layering perfectly in the mid and high range.

The onboard noise-canceling does well to create a blank sonic canvas to enjoy your tunes, but even with it off, or with ambient mode turned on so you can hear friends, car horns, and coworkers, you still get a pretty accurate representation of your music.

You can spend more for better sound with the Buds Pro, but to be honest, the Buds2 offer some of the best all-around audio performance I’ve heard. In fact, they’re a bit more closed off than the Buds Pro, so you get less sound leaking in before noise-canceling takes over.

The onboard microphones work fine for calls and Zoom meetings, but they’re not quite as good as the AirPods Pro, Buds Pro, or Sony WF-1000XM4. You’ll still sound better than if you were using your phone’s mic.

Photograph: Samsung

We’ve had more than two generations of wireless earbuds from Samsung, Apple, and others, but it really does feel like we’ve rounded a corner when it comes to performance.

A few years ago, we’d clamor for a pair that didn’t disconnect when our phones were in our back pockets. Now, we can get dual drivers, noise canceling, wireless charging, an ergonomic design, and great app-based functionality for less than $150.

The Buds2 usher in a new period in wireless earbuds, one in which there is no reason to settle for less. If my closet wasn’t full of dozens of pairs of headphones waiting for ear time, these would be my daily pair.