For the second year in a row, Samsung introduced TWS headphones alongside its foldable smartphones. The August 10 event saw the launch of the Galaxy Buds2 Pro, the successor to last year’s Galaxy Buds Pro.
We’ve spent a fair amount of time testing these, and here’s our review. The first thing you’ll notice is that Samsung has managed to drop the weight and get rid of the glossy finish, making the Buds2 Pro both more comfortable and attractive.
The case for the earphones is square and unlike previous versions, the color of the outside matches the color of the inside. There are three color options – Bora Purple, Black, and White, and we have the third that looks elegant, if not particularly impressive.
Both the body and the buds feel lighter in the hand, the numbers don’t lie. The slots for the individual butts are rotated slightly, which is why strong magnets ensure that they are aligned. There are two pogo pins for each bud in its nest.
Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro
The battery capacity of each bud is 58mAh while the case is 500mAh. The overall increase is tiny – under 3%. However, due to superior optimizations, the Galaxy Buds2 Pro can offer a whopping 8 hours of listening experience on one charge.
Switching on the ANC cuts that down to five hours according to official figures, but our testing has shown it can last close to 6 hours in this case. We also tested the earbuds with Ambient Sound turned on and returned a strong 5 hour result, but we can’t see anyone using this mode for any length of time – it’s just too overwhelming.
Battery life is definitely better, but what about charging time? The entire 616mAh package charges from 0 to 100% in 75 minutes using a proprietary USB-C cable. There’s also wireless charging with any Qi-certified charger, but it takes over two hours to charge the battery – we made several attempts but our best result was 125 minutes.
Samsung knows you can’t have long battery life and a massive woofer or tweeter, so they went with the former. Music on the Buds2 Pro sounds flat without much bass. On the plus side, the music is clearer and individual instruments are well defined, but the missing bit of range detracts a bit from the sonic experience.
Active noise cancellation has also been improved and is the best Samsung has ever delivered. There are still three modes – ANC, Off, and Ambient Sound, but the 3-mic array picks up external noise better and cancels it out. And with call suppression, the conversation on the Buds2 Pro sounds a lot better than the phone itself.
Samsung Galaxy Buds2 Pro vs Samsung Galaxy Buds2
We also liked the voice recognition feature, which turns off ANC and turns on ambient sounds when you start speaking. A long press on either bud can also turn on the ambient sound for the time of the press if there is an announcement you want to hear at the airport or train station.
The touch operation works perfectly. We know some users don’t use them, but those who do will be happy with the simplicity. There are multiple options including one tap for play/pause, two or three taps to control music and podcasts, and tap and hold for calls, and all are customizable.
The earbuds themselves have an equalizer that can help you customize the audio experience but can’t really do much to fix the lack of bass. The Galaxy Wearable app also provides controls for features like neck stretch reminders, notifications read aloud, and ambient sounds during calls so the speaker can hear themselves.
The Buds2 Pro is 15% smaller in size compared to the Buds Pro. Each bud weighs only 5.5 grams and it is easy to put in your ear. The accompanying app also has an eartip fit test option that plays test tunes to determine if the fit is correct. We also appreciate the IPX7 rating for submersion in up to 1 meter of fresh water, which gives us extra peace of mind during sweaty workouts.
Samsung is offering the Galaxy Buds2 Pro for €229/£219/$229 with some discounts and freebies depending on the market. The price is slightly higher than the Galaxy Buds Pro and much higher than the regular Galaxy Buds2.
In return, you get extremely comfortable TWS earphones with long battery life and stylish looks. It’s definitely worth the extra money for people who value it and would appreciate a well-functioning ANC.
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