Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 review: More affordable noise cancelling earbuds
Our Verdict
The $149 Samsung Milky way Buds 2 is a solid sequel that upholds most of the series' hallmarks, but ignores its biggest flaws.
For
- Lively, customizable audio
- Satisfying ANC
- Neat comfort and fit
- Extended functionality via Galaxy Wearable app
- Two wireless charging methods
Against
- Middling battery life
- Missing advanced features
- Junior phone call quality
- Design feels less premium than predecessors
Tom's Guide Verdict
The $149 Samsung Milky way Buds 2 is a solid sequel that upholds most of the series' hallmarks, but ignores its biggest flaws.
Pros
- +
Lively, customizable audio
- +
Satisfying ANC
- +
Peachy comfort and fit
- +
Extended functionality via Galaxy Wearable app
- +
Two wireless charging methods
Cons
- -
Middling battery life
- -
Missing advanced features
- -
Inferior phone call quality
- -
Blueprint feels less premium than predecessors
Samsung Milky way Buds 2 specs
Cost: $149
Colors:Graphite, Lavender, Olive, White
Bombardment life (rated): v hours with ANC on (twenty hours with charging example), vii.five hours with ANC off (29 hours with charging case)
Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.2
Processor: Not stated
Size: 0.7 10 0.8 10 0.8 (per bud), one.ix x 2.0 x 1.1 inches (charging example)
Weight: 0.2 ounces (per bud)
You've likely seen the rumors and leaks by now, but the Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 is now official. Samsung fabricated the announcement during its Unpacked August 2021 upshot, forth with several other product reveals, including the highly anticipated Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Galaxy Z Flip 3. The Galaxy Buds 2 adopts many of the same traits as its loftier-stop sibling, the Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro, and will launch at a much more attainable price point: $149.
That means you can look effective ANC, howdy-quality audio, intuitive controls and unique listening modes in a practical and inexpensive package. Information technology besides ways dealing with some of the series' existing flaws, including a restrictive feature set and subpar battery life, to name a few.
- The best wireless earbuds overall
- Notice a bargain with the all-time Apple AirPods alternatives
- Nothing Ear (1) vs. AirPods Pro: Which wireless earbuds win?
Does its overall functioning identify it amidst the best noise-cancelling earbuds? Read our total Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 review to observe out — and you might likewise want to check out our Samsung Galaxy Buds ii vs. AirPods Pro face off, to meet how it fares against one of its master competitors.
Samsung Milky way Buds 2 review: Price and availability
- $149 MSRP — $50 less than Milky way Buds Pro
- Choice of four colour options
Yous tin can pre-society the Samsung Milky way Buds 2 for $149 from Samsung, ahead of the release date on August 27. The pre-order page claims orders will ship "past August 25."
You have a choice of four colors: Graphite, Lavender, Olive, and White. You go a wireless charging example, USB-C charging cable, and 3 different sizes of ear tips with the purchase.
- Samsung Galaxy Buds ii — $ 149 at Samsung
The Milky way Buds ii shares the aforementioned MSRP as some other pair of popular entry-level wireless ANC earbuds, the Beats Studio Buds. It as well comes in at a lower price point than the Galaxy Buds Pro, which originally hit store shelves at $199, only is currently on sale for $169 at Best Buy. Furthermore, y'all tin score these buds for much less than category leaders like the $249 AirPods Pro and $279 Sony WH-1000XM4.
For all of the latest wireless earbuds sales, bookmark our all-time headphones deals folio.
Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 review: Design and comfort
- Similar shape to Milky way Buds Pro...
- ...but with a lower-quality feel
The naming convention would accept yous assertive this pair of buds share the same pattern as the original, just it doesn't. Instead of the oval shape with reflective, triangular touch pads, the Milky way Buds ii takes on the longer, low-contour appearance of the Galaxy Buds Pro, only with tinier mic holes, no minor speaker grille, and less premium adroitness. The Milky way Buds Pro is composed of rubberized plastic and a shiny metal fabric, whereas the Galaxy Buds two dons a plain plastic exterior with matte finish.
These buds also come with an IPX2 rating, a vast downgrade from the Galaxy Buds Pro's IPX7 certification. In short, they can resist small drops of h2o, but are not splash- or sweat-proof. Nosotros don't recommend taking these out on a run or into the jacuzzi.
Samsung decided to proceed the clamshell-like charging case. This was a smart call; it's one of the virtually portable designs in the category, and information technology feels incredibly light in your hands and pockets. The magnetic lid is potent to keep the buds secured, and the plastic frame is durable, though it scuffs and scratches easily.
I found the Galaxy Buds 2 provided a more secure fit than the original. The tips created a tight seal that kept the buds locked in when manoeuvring around the firm. There'south even an Earbud Fit Examination in the Galaxy Wearable app to aid y'all decide the best fit, though I questioned its validity. The program analyzed my ears a whole lot faster than other ear tip fit tests, which immediately raised a red flag in terms of accuracy, and it gave me the same results when trying on all three unlike-sized ear tips: Adept Fit.
Comfort is moderate. I wore the buds for several hours a twenty-four hour period, normally 2-3 hours straight before any soreness was felt effectually the concha.
Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 review: Touch controls and digital assistant
- Tap gestures don't always work
- Digital assistants are effective
The Galaxy Buds 2'south control scheme consists of tap/hold gestures, motility detection and digital assistance. Tap input works most seventy% of the time, but you tin use swipe gestures instead, which I plant more serviceable for playback. For some odd reason, you lot must plow on the multi-tap gestures in the app; other models make them accessible right out of the box.
On-ear detection operates differently on the Galaxy Buds ii. Instead of removing one bud from your ear to auto-pause, y'all're required to remove both. That was simply 1 problem I had with the characteristic. The other two were that it operates on a 2-second filibuster and doesn't auto-play when placing the buds back on your ears.
Siri, Google Assistant, and Bixby are all compatible with the Galaxy Buds ii and can be activated through the affect-and-hold gesture, which tin as well be assigned to enhance/lower book or enable Spotify. Wake-word activation is but available for Bixby ("Hi Bixby"), and while it's fun to use, I still prefer Google Assistant or Siri as my native digital assistant due to its much larger commands list. Luckily, Samsung's mics are powerful and choice upward vocals clearly and precisely, no affair which AI bot you utilise.
Samsung grants users the pick to access and control the Galaxy Buds 2 directly on any Galaxy Scout 4 smartwatch as well.
Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 review: Sound quality
- Powerful and customizable audio
- Low-latency gaming mode
- No Samsung 360 Audio back up
When it comes to audio, Samsung always hits a home run, and the Galaxy Buds 2 is no exception. AKG-tuned drivers power the sonics on these tiny in-ears and pump out energetic, detailed sound that can be customized through the Galaxy Wearable app via Equalizer. Vi presets are selectable: Normal (the default), Bass Boost, Soft, Dynamic, Clear, and Treble Boost. Each of these serves well when paired with the appropriate music genre.
Clear was perfect for harmonic records like Silk Sonic'south "Skate," emphasizing both Anderson .Paak and Bruno Mars' vocals, while treating percussive elements with delicacy to maintain the production'southward upbeat tempo. Switching to Bass Boost, the distorted guitar riff on the beginning of Kendrick Lamar's "Humble" was impactful, but it was the hard knocking 808 pulsate pattern that sumo-splashed my eardrums to stimulate rhythmic head-nodding. As awesome every bit this sounded, I preferred listening to the record in Normal since it offered better midrange; the rising synths were loud and striking.
In fact, you're leap to stick with Normal for its potent overall sound. Records like Queen'southward "Another One Bites the Dust" showcased the buds prominent low end, producing excellent reverberation that had my hair continuing with every strum from the iconic bass riff. Highs are likewise well represented, something you'll notice near on jazz classics. I loved how well-baked and detailed the hullo-hats sounded on Kenny Burrell'due south "Midnight Blueish," though it wasn't until I played low-fi gems such as Joe Venuti & Eddie Lang's "Black and Blue Bottom" where the buds demonstrated their frequency range. Hearing the clean and bright violin play over a static-heavy background was remarkable.
The Galaxy Buds ii comes with a Gaming way to decrease latency for synchronized gaming sound. It's exclusive to Samsung smartphones, though I tested the mode on a few games and noticed very little divergence in quality compared to when it was switched off. The footsteps and shooting effects when playing Critical Ops lagged, merely the drifting and power-up furnishings in Mario Kart Bout sounded spot-on.
What near 360 Sound? You lot'll have to invest in the pricier Galaxy Buds Pro to utilise Samsung'south equivalent of spatial sound, as it's not supported on the Galaxy Buds two.
Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 review: Active noise cancellation
- Strong ANC consequence
- Ambient way works well likewise
Samsung claims that its ANC engineering "cuts external background noise past upwardly to 98%." I'm not sure how this was assessed, but my ears and several years of feel testing noise-cancelling headphones say this percentage is lower: more than like 85%. This is close to the AirPods Pro and lower than ANC giants similar the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds and Sony WF-1000XM4.
Nonetheless, the Milky way Buds 2 does a fairly expert job of reducing unwanted noises. I was able to work peacefully and block out common distractions like loud TVs and talkative relatives. The droning noises coming out of our centralized AC and laundry room went unnoticed as well. High-frequency sounds didn't fare so well, as my infant's babbles and hunger cries were audible from several feet away.
Using the buds outside was much of the same. Rambling joggers on their AirPods and speeding cars never grabbed my attention. Certain landscape tools (east.g., lawnmowers, electric hedge trimmers) went silent, though leaf-blowers were the exception. Sirens were another disturbance that broke my concentration when sitting peacefully on a park bench.
Those with selective hearing might observe the Accessibility setting in the companion app useful. You can assign ANC to one earbud to prevent discomfort. There's also a audio balance slider below it to emphasize sound on either bud or get out in the middle for equal results.
Ambient Sound is designed to give users greater awareness of their surroundings. There are 3 settings – Low, Medium, and High – each i gear up to increase the corporeality of sound that comes into the mics. Loftier should be your default because it'south the only setting where you can hear anything, granted you'll need to go on the book between thirty% and 50%. Doing this let me communicate conspicuously with my wife near baby duties during office hours, as well as hear incoming packages via doorbell and traffic on nightly walks.
Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 review: App and special features
- A few software tricks, but nothing very advanced
- Smartphone widget is handy, though
The Galaxy Habiliment app places several features at your fingertips. If you oasis't downloaded it already, you lot'll be required to, along with the Milky way Buds ii plug-in. Opening the app presents you with a battery level indicator for the buds, user manual, toggle controls, the Discover My Earbuds setting, and all the extra features in the Settings page. These include the aforementioned Bixby voice wake-up role, Equalizer, Earbuds Fit Test, Gaming Mode, and Accessibility.
This is a generous number of features here, merely other competitor apps like JBL Headphones and Sony Headphones Connect offer much more. The Labs section seems to have been abandoned with Gaming Mode beingness the only available characteristic. Luckily, the app supports firmware updates, so I hope that Samsung rolls out more than features in the coming months.
Outside of the app is where you'll detect the Galaxy Buds 2's most unique features. Samsung programmed a resizable widget that can be placed on your smartphone domicile screen to instantly enable the listening modes and bear on controls. This is a faster solution for toggling either function, though I wish Samsung let users customize the selections: Gaming Mode seems more ideal than touch controls.
Other notables include the aforementioned Galaxy Watch control access and wireless PowerShare to power upwardly the buds past placing the charging case on the back of a compatible Milky way smartphone.
Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 review: Bombardment life and charging instance
- Short ANC uptime, both from buds and example
- Much better fast-charging speeds
Samsung rates battery life at v hours with ANC and 7.5 hours with ANC off. When comparing ANC playtimes, this is only a marginal advantage over the AirPods Pro (four.5 hours) and much less than the WF-1000XM4 (eight hours). Even more disappointing is the 20-hour charging case, which falls brusque of the average industry fourth dimension set by the AirPods/AirPods Pro charging example: 24 hours. Not using ANC extends use to 29 hours, but allow's be honest: you're likely purchasing these to utilize ANC as much as possible.
Those who are not thrilled about the playtimes tin take solace knowing the Galaxy Buds 2 has some of the strongest quick charging available, netting you ane 60 minutes of use on a v-minute charge. Battery optimization has also been improved to squeeze every bit of juice out of the bombardment for optimal use.
On top of that, the charging case can be wirelessly charged in two ways: PowerShare, via supportive Galaxy smartphones, or any Qi-enabled wireless charging pad.
Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 review: Call quality and connectivity
- Decent, simply "car learning" feature doesn't practice much
- Susceptible to air current noise
As a calling headset, the Milky way Buds 2 is a disappointing step downward from the Galaxy Buds Pro. According to Samsung, the newer pair of buds uses a "machine learning-based solution" that filters out background noises for clearer calls. I don't know if this requires breaking in the Galaxy Buds two, but later four days of several voice and video calls, nil noticeably changed. The mics snag a lot of ambient sound, especially wind, which my wife said sounded harsh on her ears. The buds didn't perform whatsoever meliorate in quieter outdoor settings; complaints of muffling were mutual.
Stepping within, the missus plant call quality to be steadier, but not a vast improvement. The Galaxy Buds 2 performed much better on video chats with several friends mentioning how loud and clear I sounded.
Wireless functioning is still a hallmark of the Galaxy Buds series. Opening the case automatically enables Pairing way and shows the product on the available devices lists. Samsung also developed an Easy Pairing Style for hassle-free manually pairing.
Range is adequate with the buds achieving close to forty feet of wireless listening. Connection forcefulness is also improve than older Samsung models, letting you jump from room to room without stuttering, if you stay within range.
Multipoint technology is absent, but the Galaxy Buds two has impressively robust motorcar-connect capabilities. You can unpair from ane device and the buds volition immediately pair to your final recognized device if Bluetooth is enabled. This makes swapping between devices seamless.
Samsung Milky way Buds 2 review: Verdict
The Samsung Milky way Buds two offers plenty of functionality at an accessible cost. Audio is both versatile and vibrant, ranking just below the Milky way Buds Pro, which is impressive. Despite falling short of its claims, Samsung's ANC engineering science is still a viable option for blocking out unwanted noises. The different audio settings allow for unique personalization when indulging in music and videos. You lot'll bask great all-day comfort likewise.
However, with a lower cost comes compromises, and the Galaxy Buds 2 makes quite a few. Battery life, call quality, and pattern all take major steps dorsum from the Galaxy Buds Pro, which also keeps 360 Audio to itself. Not-Galaxy smartphone owners besides lose out on special features tied to the Galaxy ecosystem, such as Gaming Mode and PowerShare.
If you're on a budget and remain a loyal Milky way smartphone user, then the Galaxy Buds 2 volition provide a pleasant mobile listening experience without breaking the bank. Even so, you may desire to wait for the Milky way Buds Pro to go on sale; for potentially simply a few dollars more than, you could secure yourself a significantly better ready of earbuds.
Those who don't own a Galaxy device should await at competitors in the same price range that offer slightly better performance; the Beats Studio Buds is a prime case.
- More than: The all-time headphones with a mic for voice and video calls
Source: https://www.tomsguide.com/reviews/samsung-galaxy-buds-2
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