Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro Review: The best pair of true wireless earbuds under Rs 20,000

Samsung launched a new pair of premium true wireless earbuds alongside the Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Galaxy Z Flip 4 back in August. The Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro succeed last year’s Buds Pro and after spending three weeks with Samsung’s new TWS earbuds; here’s what we think about them.

But before diving into the review, let’s look at pricing of the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro. The Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro price in India is set at Rs 17,999. Moreover, the earbuds are available in Graphite, White and Bora Purple colours. Now, back to the review!

Design and Build

First off, our Galaxy Buds 2 Pro unit came in Bora Purple. The earbuds and case are both lighter than their predecessor. The buds weigh 5.5 grams each, around 15 percent smaller than the Galaxy Buds Pro. Both the case and buds have a smooth, matte finish and the case appears to be made of rubberized plastic with a box shaped rounded case. We’ve had the buds for almost a month now and the case appears to be quite rigid but prone to scratches.

Samsung has also placed magnets in the case to ease the opening and closing mechanism. The magnets also pull the earbuds into the pogo pins, allowing you to place the buds more conveniently into the case. There is an LED indicator on the inside and outside of the case, while the Samsung branding sits on the lid, while a USB-C port lies on the back. The earbuds sit rather comfortably on the ear and doesn’t cause fatigue, even after several hours of using the buds. The earbuds are also IPX7 rated, making them water-resistant, ideal for any activity.

Touch Controls

When it comes to touch controls, the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro’s controls can be customised through the Galaxy Wearables app, although the levels of customisations are limited. You can switch all the touch controls off or each of them off individually through the app. The touch controls are fairly responsive and easy to master, they can be used from everything to switching tracks to adjusting noise control. Lastly, Samsung has added a Lab feature in the app that allows you to adjust volume levels by taping the edges of the buds.

Software and Features

Speaking of the app, the Galaxy Wearables app gives you access to a myriad of settings on the Buds 2 Pro. First off is the voice detection feature on the Buds 2 Pro, which switches to ambient mode when you’re speaking and turns noise cancelling back on after 10 seconds when you are done with the conversation. You can also activate 360 Audio using the app and test the fit of the earbuds to see if they are secured in your ears. Additionally, there’s an EQ in the app that has six presets to choose from, although no manual customisation is available.

The app also has other settings like in-ear detection, read notifications aloud, Find my Earbuds, and more. Overall, Galaxy Wearables is a solid companion app, although we would have like greater levels of customisations. In terms of features, the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro is a mixed bag. Even though the earbuds come with a ton of features, they aren’t quite as accessible. The full set of features are only available on Galaxy devices, while other Android phones lose out on some features and iOS users getting nada as the app isn’t available on the Apple App Store.

Active Nosie Cancellation

Samsung has improved the active noise cancellation on the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro, by 40 percent over the previous generation if Samsung is to be believed. When there’s no audio playing, ambient sounds do tend to pour in, but we found the earbuds to be quite effective at cancelling ambient noise when listening to music. In our experience, the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro managed to cancel people talking, appliances rattling, and even the rumpus from some electronics. Additionally, the buds also dramatically decreased the incoming sound from traffic, allowing you to fully immerse yourself in the music.

During flight, Galaxy Buds 2 Pro also cordoned off most ambient noise when the plane took-off and landed. Now, this is nowhere close to something like the Sony WH-1000XM5s (Review). But comparing these to over-the-ear headphones is a high bar to set. For their price and the form factor, the active noise cancellation exceeded expectations. Apart from ANC, the Buds 2 Pro also have a Transparency mode and a mode to turn ANC off with the earbuds relying solely on passive noise cancellation. We found that what the transparency mode lacked in quality, it more than made up for in intellect, in large part thanks to the Voice Detect feature.

Audio Quality

The sound quality on the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro come courtesy of its 10mm driver and 5mm tweeter each earbud and sound tuning by AKG. One of the major upgrades to audio quality is 24-bit/48kHz Hi-Fi sound processing, although to use it, you’ll need a Galaxy smartphone running One UI 4.0 and a streaming service with high-res/lossless 24-bit audio. Samsung has also made improvements to its 360 Audio feature, but it is also limited to Galaxy devices running One UI 4.0. 360 Audio is Samsung’s take on Spatial Audio and works surprisingly well on the Buds 2 Pro as Samsung has created a surround sound experience with Direct Multi-Channel arrangements. We did find the 360 Audio feature more noticeable when watching movies and shows.

We tested the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro with the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 to access all its features, including Samsung’s new Seamless Codec, which the company claims is a major upgrade over AAC or SBC Bluetooth codecs. According to reports, Samsung’s Seamless codec is capable of up to 2,304kbps as compared to the 990kbps set by Sony’s LDAC codec. This results in improved audio quality with little-to-no effect on latency. Samsung has several EQ settings, including Normal, Bass Boost, Dynamic, Soft, Clear, Treble Boost.

The Dynamic mode adds more depth to the audio, while offering a more balanced output. Bass Boost served to ramp-up the bass and adds some punch to bass-heavy tunes. The bass on these tiny earbuds did tend to stand out without really overshadowing the higher end. The Buds 2 Pro clearly favoured Metal, Rock, and Hip Hop tracks. The Buds 2 Pro also featured excellent instrument separation, resulting in detailed sound across genres. The Clear mode allows vocals to shine as well and works best for videos, podcasts, and shows.

Speaking of which, Dolby Atmos support offers a nice surround sound experience for those streaming titles on OTT platforms. Call quality on the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro was on point for the most part with the earbuds cutting out ambient noise. You can also automatically switch to the Ambient mode when you are on a call by toggling it in the Wearables app. Overall, the Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro deliver on their promise of audio quality and call quality if you own a Galaxy device.

Battery Life

Samsung claims that the Buds 2 Pro can deliver up to fives hours of playback on a single charge with noise cancellation turned on. Additionally, the case brings that total up to 18 hours or 21 hours with ANC turned off. In our experience, the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro lasted well over four and a half hours with ANC turned on and the volume set to around 60 to 70 percent. This does suggest Samsung’s claims to be accurate.

However, these figures are just about average and far from the best in the segment. The Galaxy Buds 2 Pro do support standard USB-C as well as wireless charging. Samsung did mention any quick charge support, but the Buds 2 Pro did go from zero to a 100 percent pretty quickly. The buds also support Wireless PowerShare to top them up with devices that have capable reverse wireless charging.

Verdict

Samsung’s Galaxy Buds 2 Pro solid pair of true wireless earbuds in the sub-20K space. They offer an excellent overall package by offering a good balance of features, while delivering good sound quality and even better active noise cancellation. Moreover, the Buds 2 Pro are extremely comfortable and are considerably smarter than most of its counterparts. Apart from the battery life, there was little-to-nothing to complain about on the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro, particularly considering its price.

However, the feature-rich Galaxy Buds 2 Pro aren’t that rick when using them on non-Galaxy devices. The Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro are good pair of true wireless earbuds for Android smartphones but get even better if you own a Galaxy device and are quite in-effective on iOS. So if you’re a Galaxy smartphone owner, Samsung makes a pretty compelling case to opt for the Buds 2 Pro.