In the quest to be the best it’s the Apple AirPods vs Samsung Galaxy Buds Live. Which headset will emerge as the true wireless buds to beat?
Whether you like them or not, Apple’s AirPods have played a key role in changing the wireless earbud game forever. It’s nearly impossible to walk down the street without spotting little white stalks sticking out of ears left and right. As a result, Samsung has launched a new set of beans — or rather buds — that go by the name Galaxy Buds Live. Our latest head-to-head pits the Apple AirPods vs the Samsung Galaxy Buds Live to see which emerges victorious. Both pairs offer comparable specs and a similar starting price of less than $200, but how do they stack up? We’ll break them both down in this battle of the buds and hopefully help you to make an informed decision. AirPods have inspired many a copycat since they launched just a few years back. The white plastic construction paired with long stems has become one of the most popular designs for truly wireless earbuds at just about any price point. The Apple AirPods (2019) include two tiers: one with a standard Lightning charging case, and another with an identical charging case that also supports wireless charging. The latter costs an additional $35, whereas Samsung includes this to boot with its Galaxy Buds Live for $169. The AirPods are cheaper now, but when released in 2019, the wireless charging variant ran $199. If the AirPods are the trendsetter then the bean-like design of the Galaxy Buds Live is catching the eyes of the industry for just how unique it is. Available as kidney beans, black beans, or cannellini beans — sorry — black, bronze, or white, the Galaxy Buds Live sit snug inside your ears with no protruding stem. The Galaxy Buds Live buds do have wing tips, if you can even call them that. A small silicone ring sits on the interior of either earbud and keeps the fit secure to the outer ear. Lily found this surprisingly comfortable, and was even able to exercise while wearing them. There’s one thing that AirPods and Galaxy Buds Live have in common, and that’s the fact that both skip the soft ear tip design. Instead, both pairs of earbuds take a one-size-fits-all approach, which means that a good seal can be hard to find. You might notice some ambient noise making it difficult to hear your music as a result. Another problem with the lack of a seal is that it’s pretty easy to knock either pair out of your ears. The Galaxy Buds Live fare a bit better, but only because there’s no stem to snag when you’re working out or walking around the house. Like most high-end wireless earbuds, both the AirPods and Galaxy Buds Live feature some form of interactive touch controls. You can control playback on either pair, though you’ll have to ask Siri for some help if you want to change the volume on your AirPods. On the other hand, the Galaxy Buds Live allows you to adjust volume and even toggle active noise-cancelling right from the buds themselves. See also: Headphones are collecting too much personal data (Sound Guys) Automatic ear detection is another point of contention between the two — the AirPods automatically pause when one is removed and restart when it’s back in your ear. Both Galaxy Buds, however, have to be out of your ears for playback to pause, and you have to tap a bud to restart your music after a pause. The charging cases that house each pair are comparable in terms of function and quality. Apple has retained the classic tall and thin design while Samsung opted for a more open ring box layout. Both are made of heavy-duty plastic, so you should feel nice and safe when you tuck your earbuds in to charge. Each case secures using magnets, though the AirPods have an advantage in terms of security.
