High-quality earbuds that pair best with recent Galaxy phones
To date, Samsung’s lineup of noise-cancelling true wireless earphones hasn’t knocked our socks off, but the $229.99 Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro (available for $154.99 if you preorder) strive to reset our expectations. Notably, these earphones are one of the few true wireless pairs we’ve tested with dual drivers in each earpiece, the result of which is fantastic audio performance. Otherwise, the Buds 2 Pro offer competent active noise cancellation (ANC), a fully waterproof design, and support for 24-bit hi-res audio playback (on select source devices). The in-app EQ is a bit limited and we could do without some of the gimmicky 360 Audio features, but those drawbacks don’t seriously detract from the experience. Anyone with a recent Galaxy phone should consider the Buds 2 Pro, though we recommend the $279.99 Sony WF-1000XM4 earphones more highly to everyone else thanks to their class-leading noise cancellation.Dual Drivers and a Waterproof Build
Available in black, lavender, or white, the Buds 2 Pro earpieces are bulky but light, with a rounded contour that helps them fit snugly in the ear. The exterior surface uses a silicone material and sports an eggshell-like sheen—this grip-friendly surface ensures a secure fit. The pair doesn’t offer any additional fit accessories (like fins or hooks), but three pairs of silicone ear tips (small, medium, and large) are included.
Perhaps the most impressive aspect of the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro is their two-way drivers—nearly all comparable true wireless models use a single driver in each ear, but here you get a 10mm driver for bass and a 5.3mm driver for treble. That setup doesn’t guarantee great audio, but it’s an excellent platform from which to build.
The Galaxy Buds 2 Pro are compatible with Bluetooth 5.3, offer auto-switching between devices, and support the AAC and SBC codecs, but not AptX. But that’s only half the story. The pair also works with Samsung’s proprietary and hi-res Samsung Seamless codec. Whether you can listen to 24-bit audio depends on what phone you use, however. The fine print states that 24-bit audio support is only possible on Galaxy smartphones with at least Android 8.0, One UI 4.0, and 1.5GB RAM. That means if you have an Android device that doesn’t meet these specs, you have to make do with either the lowest-common-denominator SBC or the inefficient (on Android) AAC codecs. Aside from people who own the specific Galaxy phones mentioned above, that means that iPhone users will actually get better audio quality than Android users with these earbuds.
Sony’s WF-1000XM4 earphones, on the other hand, support the audiophile-friendly LDAC codec, which is built into the Android OS, making them a better choice for hi-res audio if you don’t own a Galaxy phone. We reached out to Samsung for more details about the technical specs of the Samsung Seamless codec (such as sampling rate and bitrate), but haven’t heard back as of press time, so we can’t directly compare the two codecs.
The on-ear capacitive touch controls are easy to operate and audible prompts provide useful feedback; I never once misfired with the controls. That said, the default control layout is a bit limited. You can only control playback (single tap), answer or end calls (double-tap), decline incoming calls (touch and hold), or switch noise controls (touch and hold). Head to the app to enable additional double-tap and triple-tap functionality, such as for track navigation. You can also set the touch-and-hold gesture to summon the Bixby voice assistant, adjust volume (left ear for down and right for up), or open Spotify. With a little bit of work, it’s possible to set up just about everything you need.
The IPX7 waterproof rating here is excellent, especially for a true wireless pair with ANC (the runner-friendly Jabra Elite 7 Pro ($199.99) and Elite 7 Active ($179.99) are two notable exceptions that boast both ANC and IP57 ratings). You can submerge the Buds 2 Pro at depths of up to one meter for 30 minutes, as well as expose them to a moderate amount of water pressure, such as from a faucet. Neither sweaty workouts nor rainy weather should pose a problem.
