While most earbuds are relatively universal, more and more, we’re seeing earbuds that are tied into a specific ecosystem. Sure, you can use the Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro with any Android phone or even an iPhone, but you don’t get the full experience if you’re not using a supported Samsung device.
This isn’t new, as Apple and Google both offer similarly tightly integrated earbuds for their platforms. In the case of the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro, using them with a (newer) Samsung device gets you 24-bit high-res streaming, 360-degree audio, and tightly integrated voice assistant features.
The Galaxy Buds 2 Pro offer impressive sound, a great aesthetic that fits with other Samsung earbuds perfectly, and a lightweight design that makes for an excellent fit. If you have a Samsung phone, they might be a no-brainer, but what if you use another type of device for your music needs?
Candy-coated Colors and a Nice Feel
- Dimensions (earbuds): 0.85 x 0.78 x 0.73in (21.6 x 19.9 x 18.7 mm)
- Dimensions (case): 1.97 x 1.98 x 1.09in (50.2 x 50.4 x 27.7 mm)
- Weight (earbuds): 0.012lbs (5.5g)
- Weight (case): 0.95lbs (43.3g)
- Weather resistance: IPX7
The first thing you may notice about the look of the Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro is how, well, edible they look. Granted, this may be because our review unit came in the Bora Purple color, but the White and even Graphite color varieties still have a look that reminds you of candy-coated chocolate.
While the color is part of this, the rounded edges and new finish help complete the look. Unlike the glossy finish of the original Galaxy Buds Pro, the Buds 2 Pro use a textured matte finish that adds to the candy-like appearance. It’s not all aesthetics, though, as this finish makes both the earbuds and the case easier to hold on to.
Samsung says the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro are 15% smaller than the original version, so that extra grip on the case can be helpful. I never felt at risk of dropping it, something I’d done quite frequently with my 2nd-Gen AirPods Pro.
One thing that hasn’t changed from the original is the weather resistance, fortunately. As with the Buds Pro, the Buds 2 Pro feature IPX7 water resistance, which means you can safely submerge them in up to one meter of water for up to 30 minutes. Not that you should, but it’s nice to know if you want to go for a run in the rain.
Great Fit and Comfortable for Hours
While the case is smaller than the original, the Buds 2 Pro are similar in size to the originals. What has changed is they’re now lighter, so you feel them less in your ears. This is another area where the new matte finish helps, as they felt quite secure in my ears, even while moving around outside.
I often but not always find the best fit for me with medium tips. This proved to be the case for me with the Buds 2 Pro, though small and large tips are included as well to help find the perfect fit. To ensure you’ve got the right fit, the companion app features a fit detector, similar to the fit detector for the AirPods Pro in the Apple realm.
While active noise cancellation (ANC) is a great addition to earbuds, it can cause discomfort for some people, causing their ears to feel uncomfortably plugged up. To combat this, Samsung opted for a redesigned port on the Buds 2 Pro. This is larger, relieving more of the pressure certain people feel in their ears when using ANC.
The combination of lightweight fit and the port mean it’s easy to forget you’re wearing these, which is often ideal.
Connectivity Feels Slightly Lacking
- Bluetooth version: 5.3
- Bluetooth codecs: SBC, AAC, Samsung Seamless Hi-FI
- Bluetooth profiles: A2DP,AVRCP,HFP
- Bluetooth multipoint: No
One of the biggest features of the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro is the 24-bit high-res streaming, but this isn’t available unless you meet a few criteria. First, you need a supported Samsung device, then you need a subscription to a streaming service that offers compatible hi-res streaming like Tidal, Qobuz, Apple Music, or Amazon Music.
If you’re not using a compatible Samsung device or you’re using a different streaming service, you don’t get 24-bit audio. It’s a fairly major step down as well since this means you’re limited to either the standard SBC Bluetooth codec or Apple’s AAC, depending on which platform you’re listening on.
This is an issue that is far from exclusive to Samsung, but it would have been nice to see some additional codecs. Many earbuds support aptX Adaptive for higher-quality audio, while others use Sony’s LDAC codec. These headphones use Bluetooth 5.3, so there’s a slight possibility Samsung could add support for the LC3 codec, but it doesn’t seem likely.
The Buds 2 Pro also don’t feature multipoint Bluetooth, instead going for an Apple-style approach that allows for easy switching between Samsung devices. While this is less than ideal if you use other devices, this does let you switch not just between phones and tablets, but even smart TVs.
The first time you need to adjust the Buds 2 Pro in your ear, you’ll likely notice how sensitive the touch controls are on the outside of the buds. You can turn these off entirely, or you can customize them. Out of the box, you can tap to pause or resume playback, or press and hold to swap between noise cancellation and ambient sound modes.
To customize the controls, you’ll need Samsung’s Galaxy Wearable app, only available for Android. While this app is available for all compatible Android devices, Samsung devices get access to some other features that you won’t find on other phones or tablets.
Most of the key features are available for everyone (well, except iPhone owners). The fit test and built-in equalizer are here, as is Voice Detect, a feature very similar to the Speak to Chat feature in the Sony WH-1000XM5 that automatically lowers volume and enables ambient sound mode when you start speaking. There’s also a novel “neck stretch reminder” feature that will let you know if you’ve been looking downward for too long.
The main feature missing from the app on non-Samsung phones is 360 audio. You also don’t get access to Samsung’s Bixby voice assistant, but as this is only available on Samsung phones in the first place, this makes sense.
One final aspect of the controls worth mentioning is how strangely the ear detection works. With many earbuds, removing one pauses the music. In the case of the Buds 2 Pro, you need to remove both earbuds, and the music only pauses after a moment or two. When you put the earbuds back in your ears, playback doesn’t automatically resume, so you need to tap to restart what you were listening to.
Great Sound, Platform-Specific Features
- Drivers: 10mm woofer, 5.3mm tweeter
Take a peek inside the case, and you’ll notice a logo that reads “Sound by AKG,” meaning Samsung took the reins on the smart features and let the well-known audio company handle the sound. This turned out to be a great idea, as the sound is the biggest strength of the Buds 2 Pro, once you get the right fit at least.
When I began testing the Buds 2 Pro, I was surprised at the boxy, midrange-heavy sound. It turned out that I hadn’t quite got the proper fit. Once I adjusted the earbuds in my ears with a slight twist, the sound came alive.
Brant Bjork’s instrumental “Mexico City Blues” shows the impressive soundstage of the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro. This is a roomy sounding recording that often sounds squashed and small on earbuds. Here, the impact of the bass drum is intact, as is the panning of the various pieces of added percussion.
When the filter rolls off at the beginning of “Bringo!” By Bad Snacks, the earbuds get a chance to show off their bass response, adding a weighty thump to the kick drum and bass line. The bubbling percussive synths that come later in the song sound more up-front than they do on some other earbuds, but here that isn’t a bad thing at all.
“Traffic Patterns” by Soccer Team is a song with a raw, stripped down production style, and this type of style isn’t always well represented on earbuds. Instead of the thin, lifeless sound that this style can have on other earbuds, the Buds 2 Pro treat this song well. That same ample low end comes through for the bass and drums, while the stereo effect adds heft to the guitars.
Unfortunately, while I had an Android phone handy to test the Samsung Wearable app, it isn’t a Samsung model. This means that not only couldn’t I test the 24-bit sound, but I was also unable to test the 360-audio that serves as an answer to Apple’s Spatial Audio.
Solid Noise Cancellation, So-So Voice and Calls
- Microphone: 3 High-SNR Mics + VPU
Samsung says it has improved the noise cancellation on the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro by 40 percent over the originals. I can’t compare directly as I haven’t tried the originals, but the ANC is fairly good on its own. That said, you’ll notice a bit more background sound than some other models, and this is somewhat by design.
Good noise cancellation requires a tight seal in your ear. This is what causes discomfort for some when it comes to ANC. While the larger port Samsung added in the Buds 2 Pro helps in terms of comfort, this does somewhat defeat the noise cancellation at lower volumes or if you’re not listening to anything. Still, the cancellation is effective as long as you’re listening to music or any other audio.
The ambient sound mode is a must-have in wireless earbuds these days, ever since the AirPods Pro’s Transparency Mode popularized it. This works well enough, and it sounds much more natural than many other manufacturers’ attempts, but it appears that Apple is sitting on some sort of secret here, as its Transparency mode is still the benchmark.
Looking at the microphone, it seems to do a decent job of canceling out background noise, at least in the conditions I tested, but it isn’t the best-sounding microphone. The overall voice quality is fine enough for calls and voice chats, but you don’t want to use these to record a podcast.
Microphone Audio Sample: Indoors
Microphone Audio Sample: Outdoors
Average Battery Life, But Very Quick Charging
- Battery capacity (earbuds): 61 mAh
- Battery capacity (case): 515 mAh
- Battery playtime: 5/20Hr (ANC On), 8/30Hr (ANC Off)
Most people don’t expect all-day battery life from wireless earbuds without at least a quick midday charge, and you get mostly what you would expect here. The Buds 2 Pro offer up to five hours of listening time with ANC enabled, or eight hours with no ANC. That means you can get up to 30 hours between the earbuds and the case.
This isn’t the most battery life we’ve seen in true wireless in-ears, but it’s close enough. It seems that, at least temporarily, we’ve reached a point of diminishing returns when it comes to batteries for earbuds. You can only shrink them so much before they start to lose capacity.
The good news is that whether you charge the case via the USB-C port on the bottom or on a wireless charger, they charge fairly quickly. Even better, a quick charge feature means that a quick five-minute nap in the case gives the earbuds another hour of playtime, while 10 minutes gets you up to 2.5 hours of playback time.
In one of the more useful Samsung-only features, you can charge the Buds 2 Pro from your compatible Galaxy smartphone via Samsung’s Wireless PowerShare feature.
Should You Buy the Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro?
The sound of the Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro seems to be the main focus of the earbuds, as it should be. Even better, they sound great regardless of which device you’re using for playback. I came away impressed, and that was without the ability to test the 24-bit high-res streaming.
Samsung saving some of the best features for its own phones makes sense, and it isn’t anything we haven’t seen other companies do before. That said, it would have been nice if Samsung included a higher-quality codec like aptX Adaptive or LDAC to add a higher-quality listening mode for other platforms. Features like 360-degree and easy switching between devices make more sense to reserve for Samsung’s own products.
If you’re fully in the Samsung ecosystem, you probably don’t need a recommendation to go buy these, but we’ll give one anyway, even if you’re upgrading from the original Galaxy Buds Pro. It’s a tougher decision if you use other devices, but even if you are missing out on a few features, you’re getting a solid set of earbuds for a good price. If you’re an Android user looking for your next earbuds, these are a great choice.
Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro
- Excellent sound quality
- Snug but lightweight fit
- Effective ANC
- Great look
- IPX7 waterproof
- Extra features for Samsung device owners
- 24-bit audio is only for Samsung phones
- Microphones aren’t the best
- Average battery life