At the beginning of 2021, Samsung released the Galaxy Buds Pro headphones — and now, six months later, the Galaxy Buds2 are presented. The novelty is slightly cheaper than the previous model, but not much inferior to it. We figure out how the new headset can surprise and whether it is worth buying it instead of the Pro version.
Design
It would seem that what else you can think of in the design of TWS headphones. But Samsung managed to surprise us: unlike all previous Galaxy Buds models, the novelty received a two-color case. In all variants, its outer part remains white, and the inner part is colored. Available in 4 colors: black, olive, purple and white. We had a black model on the test, that is, a black and white model.
Inside the case there are magnetic contacts, thanks to which the headphones quickly “fly” into their places for charging. The case itself is square, compact and lightweight: it weighs only 41 g, and with headphones — 51 g. It is also interesting that the Sound by AKG logo is now hidden inside the case, and not on the lid, as in the previous model.
The new Buds2 are vacuum headphones. We believe that this is the most comfortable design in terms of fit: you can choose the size of the «plugs» to fit your ear from additional silicone ear cushions. The headset comes with three pairs of eartips.
Compared to the previous model, the buds have become smaller and lighter. The earphones are also now completely glossy, which is supposed to make them more slippery — but during testing we did not have such a problem.
Controls and functions
All headphone functions are controlled by the Galaxy Wearable app. On Samsung smartphones, all the necessary plug-ins and updates are installed automatically, while on models from other brands, you will have to manually download the utility for Buds2. Not very convenient, but this is how manufacturers motivate users to use gadgets from the same ecosystem.
In the application, you can set up gesture control: the outer part of each earbud is equipped with a touch button. By default, one-tap is to stop and start a track, double-tap to play the next song, and long-tap to turn on active noise cancellation or ambient sounds mode.
Speaking of noise reduction — here we talked about how it works. Each earphone has two external microphones that pick up all unnecessary sounds, and the built-in processor processes them and sends “anti-sound” to the speakers for neutralization.
Also, the microphone system is activated in the background sound mode (Ambient sound). The function works on the opposite principle — and as a result, the headphones transmit all the noise around, making them louder. I must say, with the Buds2, the sounds are amplified so much that if you accidentally turn on the Ambient mode in the subway, you can get scared of how noisy it is. Although according to the declared characteristics, the amplification is almost twice that of the Buds Pro model.
An internal microphone and bone conduction sensor are also used for clear voice transmission. The headset clearly picks up the vibrations of the voice to broadcast it to the interlocutor.
Sound
Like the previous model, Buds2 received two-way speakers: a tweeter and a woofer. Samsung does not indicate the specific size of the drivers, but they are definitely smaller than the Pro version. The sound is rich, balanced across the entire frequency spectrum. We note good bass — very worthy, given the miniature size of the headphones.
Since the perception of sound is always very individual, the manufacturer leaves the opportunity to adjust it in the equalizer in the Galaxy Wearable application. In it, you can also change the stereo sound parameters by changing the left/right sound balance.
When testing with a Galaxy smartphone, the headphones were automatically connected to it when the case was opened. They also determine their position in the ear. This is very convenient: if you take out the earphone, the music will stop.
In the application, you can turn off active noise cancellation when using one earphone (usually it is turned off so as not to waste energy). And if you like to play on your smartphone, then the game mode will work with Samsung models, which reduces the delay in sound output.
autonomy
Although the new Buds2 are smaller, they last a little longer on a single charge than the previous Buds Pro model, especially if you do not use noise cancellation. Without ANC, they will last about 7 hours in playback mode at medium volume and up to 29 hours when charging from a case. With noise reduction — 5 and 20 hours, respectively.
A full charge over the wire takes about an hour and a half — you can follow the process of replenishing the battery of the case and headphones in the Galaxy Wearable app. The model also supports wireless charging. From Samsung Galaxy flagships, they can be charged by simply placing the case on the back of the smartphone and turning on reverse charging.
The first minutes the headphones charge super fast. So, after 5 minutes at the outlet, the charge will be replenished for a whole hour of music playback without ANC. And 10 minutes of charging is enough for 150 minutes of work.
Should I buy Galaxy Buds2
If you’re using a Samsung smartphone, the Galaxy Buds2 are a great choice. They last a little longer without ANC than the previous model, and have a more comfortable shape. The novelty differs from the Pro version in that it did not receive water protection (IPX2 instead of IPX7) and is equipped with more compact speakers. At the same time, the sound quality and performance remained at their best, and the voice transmission during conversations is as clear as that of the “firmware” — so you can safely take the Buds2. Moreover, at the moment they cost about 10,000 rubles, which is 3,000 cheaper than the Buds Pro.
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