Tuesday, February 11, 2025

REVIEW | Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro wireless noise-canceling earbuds

Released late in 2022, the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro is Samsung’s flagship noise-cancelling wireless earbuds, the predecessor to the recently announced Galaxy Buds 3 Pro.

They serve as the ideal companion for their smartphones, many of which do not have a headphone jack. So, let’s pair them with the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra and see how they fare. 

Design 

The Galaxy Buds 2 Pro are small and oval-shaped, available in three colors – white, black, and purple. There are no physical buttons and the surface has a smooth matte finish. The buds are light and fit into the ear comfortably. 

Looking at the case, it’s a tiny plastic square; it’s cute and fits into the pocket nicely given its rounded edges. It has a USB type-C connector for charging but is also wireless charging capable.

There is a tiny non-descript indicator for charging – red when charging and green when complete. When not charging, it isn’t very noticeable. Open the case and there is a similar indicator inside for the charging status of the buds. The color of the case matches the buds. 

The surface can be used for tap-type touch controls. Touches are mostly accurate and work well. The triple touch for the previous track is difficult to get correctly. I also had situations when I was adjusting the fit and accidentally paused or switched the ANC mode. 

Spec Sheet

  • Speaker: Custom Coaxial 2-way (Tweeter + Woofer)
  • Sound Quality: 24-bit
  • ANC: Yes, with 3 high SNR microphones
  • Battery Life: 5 hours (ANC on), 8 hours (ANC off)
  • Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.3
  • Water Resistance: IPX7 rated
  • Weight (Case with Buds): 43 grams

Battery 

Each bud has a battery capacity of 58 mAh, while the case has a capacity of 500 mAh. Compared to competing earbuds from Sony, these are lower but in most day-to-day use cases you won’t have a problem. Additionally, a smaller battery means smaller lighter earbuds. 

For example, I wore it while going out, using it to listen to music while in transit on the metro, walking around, and getting some chores done. Then I met with a friend for about an hour during which time I had them back in the case, where they recharged.

So, for my commute back home and a bit of a walk in the park, they were juiced up again. Eventually, when I got home, I plugged the case into the charger and essentially had a seamless use day. 

On days with minimal transit, the drain will be even less. So, in my opinion, you’ll feel the pinch only during long transit like say an 8-hour plane journey, where you might want to use the ANC. 

Audio Quality 

Long story short, AKG had done a fine job in tuning these earbuds – they have a clear lively presentation that sounds really nice. Highs are crisp without being too bright and mid’s fill the soundstage well.

Bass is mostly sufficient, but I sometimes felt more would be nice. Stereo separation is superb and basic sound isolation is also very good. The sound signature is pleasing and will suit most audiences. 

The caveat is that to access the full suite of features you need a Samsung phone and the Galaxy Wearable app. When connected to my Windows PC, some settings are not available.

I played my usual test suite which includes a good mix of female vocals, male vocals, multi-instrument compositions, and something high energy. (All testing was done keeping the EQ flat). 

  • Runaway – The Coors
  • The Sound of Silence – Disturbed
  • Sultans of Swing – Dire Straits
  • Nothing Else Matters – Metallica (S&M Live Version)
  • Born To Be Yours – Imagine Dragons with Kygo

The combination of full-bodied mid’s and detailed highs made songs like Runaway come alive, with an active soundstage accentuated by nice highlights. Instrument separation and details were noticeable in Sultans of Swing. 

In songs with inherently more pronounced bass like Born To Be Yours and Nothing Else Matters, the bass sounded perfect. But I’d have liked the more subtle bass notes in Runaway and The Sound of Silence to have more depth.  

To wrap things up I fired up Kygo’s new self-titled album released in June 2024. In music like this, the Buds 2 Pro were in their element. The piano notes were prominent, the bass was ample, and the energy was amazing with superior fidelity. Probably the ideal genre for these earbuds. 

Features

While there are a plethora of features including 360 Audio, Bixby voice wake-up, control customization, Earbud fit test, Equalizer, Gaming Mode, Neck Stretch, and Voice Detect, I will just touch on a few key picks.

  • ANC

Features three modes: Active Noise Cancelling On, Off, and Ambient. The ANC is great at filtering out constant sounds like the general noise in a tram. Some other sounds did come through. 

  • Bluetooth Pairing

With a Samsung Galaxy phone this was seamless; just opening the case resulted in an onscreen popup asking permission to connect. For other devices, it’s simple enough to pair, with a touch combo to put the earbuds into pairing mode. 

Price 

The original release price was around P13,000, but it is now available for P9,093. You can buy it on Lazada or other online retailers for even less, at around P8,270. Considering the quality of the device and all the features it packs, it’s good value. Especially considering that competing products cost considerably more — Sony’s WF-XM5 is P16,999, and Apple’s AirPods Pro 2 is P14,990.

Also, note that if you’re buying a Samsung mobile phone you may be eligible for discounts and other promos on these wireless earbuds. 

Conclusion 

The Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro is a jack of all trades. It does everything well and leaves little to be desired. Add to that if you have a Samsung phone, it has some custom integration and features that make it an ideal companion. While it’s not the absolute best in each of its categories, unless you’re a discerning enthusiast, you won’t find anything amiss. 

  • Model – SM-R510  
  • Price – P9,093 
  • Verdict – The perfect wireless noise-cancelling earbuds for Samsung mobile users.

Subscribe

- Advertisement -spot_img

RELEVANT STORIES

spot_img

LATEST

- Advertisement -spot_img