If you are a general user, it may be better to purchase "Galaxy Buds2" instead of "Galaxy Buds2 Pro". The Galaxy Buds2 Pro is a good product regardless of whether it supports 24-bit, but the Galaxy Buds Pro series is now turning into a device for customers who prefer Samsung's products. In fact, the high-end functions of the Galaxy Buds2 Pro are difficult to use on iOS devices, and the 24-bit sound source itself can only be heard on Samsung devices.
design and perfection
Galaxy Buds2 Pro offers a comfortable wearing experience like other Galaxy Buds series. The colors are graphite, white, and Bora purple, and the earphones are made of round plastic material with no gloss. It's a noticeable change considering that previous Samsung mostly applied glossy materials to other wireless earbuds. Galaxy Buds2 Pro is light and small, and the earphones are designed to stay in your ears because they do not fly out of your ears. There is almost no danger that the earphones will fall off on something when you go out with the earphones on.
Of course, there are also drawbacks that occur due to the small size of wireless earphones. The touch controls that wrap around the earbuds are said to be often pressed. For example, there are situations where a gentle touch on the earphone simply to adjust the position of the earphone will pause the music or jump to the next music. Moreover, even when touching the hair, the button may be pressed suddenly. Of course, this is a problem that appears in all Galaxy Buds series, but it looks like Samsung hasn't found a solution yet. Instead, the Galaxy Buds2 Pro offers a more comfortable wearing experience. It is also lighter and smaller than its predecessor.
The free-to-download Galaxy Wearable app offers a feature called a "pit test," which uses the Buds' microphone to check for sound leakage to make sure you're wearing the earphones properly. Give me Once you get the hang of it for the first time, you'll feel a little less sensitive to the touch controls.
The Galaxy Buds2 Pro's definite advantage this time around is its impressive water resistance. The waterproof rating of Galaxy Buds2 Pro is IPX7. Products like the Jabra Elite 7 Pro with an IP57 rating that supports both waterproofing and dustproofing look good these days, but unfortunately the Galaxy Buds2 Pro doesn't offer dustproofing. Nonetheless, the Galaxy Buds2 Pro are high-end wireless earbuds. Only the earbuds are waterproof, and the case is square, as we've seen before. The case is thin and small, and the magnetic hinge is solid, so I don't see any other issues.
specs and sound
Since taking over Harman, Samsung has always supported excellent sound performance in the Galaxy Buds series thanks to AKG's own technology. The Galaxy Buds2 Pro this time is the same. Before examining the technical details, it is necessary to confirm from the core audio experience. Galaxy Buds2 Pro supports the best sound quality among the Galaxy Buds series. All the music I listened to in my tests sounded good, warm and balanced.
For example, the bass sound was sufficiently embodied to make it more enjoyable for house and hip-hop, and the high range of pop music could be heard clearly. Of course, they don't offer the wide, sweeping soundstage that headphones do, but it's hard to find any wireless earbuds that support better sound quality than this.
This year's Galaxy Buds2 Pro made headlines by introducing 24-bit audio support, which is a higher bitrate than the standard 16-bit. However, there is a caveat. Under the current standards, 24-bit can only be supported by Samsung's Galaxy smartphones that use "One UI 4" or higher or are compatible. A sound source optimized for 24-bit is required. In the case of streaming distribution, the only places where you can listen to 24-bit sound sources are "Tidal" and "Apple Music". Spotify does not offer 24-bit audio. Samsung has created 'Samsung Seamless Hi-Fi Codec' for 24-bit and supports AAC and SBC, but does not provide aptX HD, LDAC, LHDC.
Should I buy the Galaxy Buds2 Pro for sound quality and minor changes? I am skeptical. Of course, after listening to Spotify, I was surprised when I switched to "Qobuz", a streaming service dedicated to high-quality sound. There was a definite difference in the depth of sound quality, and there was a beauty that I couldn't hear with a 12-bit sound source.
But such a difference in sound quality doesn't translate into greater satisfaction, so most people wouldn't consider it a difference worth paying extra for. I think it will be a great advantage for Samsung smartphones and audio enthusiasts, but not many users will buy new earphones or smartphones and switch to streaming services to listen to good sound quality. It's hard to buy new earbuds for this kind of "Dolby Atmos" content and Buds' "360 audio" that creates a virtual surround soundstage.
The basic settings of the Galaxy Buds2 Pro are excellent. It's set to add depth and a sense of space to the sound source, but the "head tracking" feature should be deactivated. The function cuts off the music when you move your head, which may be good when watching movies, but it was inconvenient that the sound moves in the same direction when you turn your head toward the bus.
Like other premium wireless earbuds, Galaxy Buds2 Pro also supports noise canceling (ANC) function. This is a very useful feature and, when worn properly, blocks most outside noise. We have updated the noise canceling function in the form of "Intelligent ANC", which is similar to Sony's "Speak-to-Chat". Intelligent ANC uses a sensor that detects the movement of the jaw and a microphone to detect the conversation situation and automatically lowers the music volume to switch to a situation where external noise can be heard, helping you to have a comfortable conversation. Give me
Such features complement Samsung's unique wear detection capabilities. Normally, music pauses when you remove the earphones from other companies' products, but Samsung's Galaxy Buds2 Pro does not pause unless you remove both earphones, and you can manually tap the earphones even if you put them back on. Otherwise, music cannot be played. Of course, some people may like this feature, but I personally would like to see an option to automatically pause when one earbud is unplugged. This is because when talking to someone, it is often the case that only one side is removed.
connection with the battery
Battery life is the Galaxy Buds2 Pro's weakest weakness. At a level that is neither good nor bad, it lags behind competing products. Samsung claims that it can be used for 5 hours with the noise canceling function activated, but I tested it directly and it lasted about 4 hours. In other words, you will find it difficult and inconvenient to use it for a day or a long flight on a single charge.
Of course, the case offers up to 18 hours of battery, so you can use it for a long time through case charging. That's pretty good, but some of the competition can last up to 40 hours or more, including case battery capacity. Personally, I want the battery performance to improve even if the charging case is a little bigger. Charging performance is good and supports both USB-C and wireless charging.
Galaxy Buds2 Pro connects to your smartphone via the latest Bluetooth 5.3 standard. Thanks to that, some audio functions have been improved. Connecting the Galaxy Buds2 Pro to your device is easy. Samsung phones and Windows laptops display pop-up messages on their own. Other devices must be set manually.
summary
Price aside, the Galaxy Buds2 Pro are Samsung's best wireless earbuds ever. It has a nice design, small size and great audio. The battery usage time, which is neither long nor short, is the only real drawback.
24-bit audio may not appeal to all users, as it can only be used with a Samsung smartphone or a dedicated sound source. Above all, the general Galaxy Buds2 is sold at a low price, so if high sound quality is not important, there is no reason to pay twice the price to choose the Galaxy Buds2 Pro.
specification
wireless earphones
coaxial two-way speaker
Active noise-cancellation
touch control
Accelerometer, Gyro sensor, Hall sensor, Touch sensor, Proximity sensor, Ear ON/OFF sensor
Bluetooth 5.3
IPX7 waterproof rating
USB-C and wireless charging assistance
Can be used for 5 hours on a single charge (charging case can be used for 18 hours)
Graphite, White, Bora Purple