Even though last year’s Galaxy Buds were some of the best truly wireless earbuds available, there is still much space for development. Samsung is releasing the Galaxy Buds Pro in 2021, which have a fresh look, more functionality, and a higher price. They may be Samsung’s best earphones to date after everything.
NOTHING SPECIAL IN THE DESIGN OF THE HARDWARE, BUT IT WORKS There are really just two types of truly wireless earbuds. There are silicone-tipped designs and AirPod knockoffs, both of which these are not. Buds Pro are an evolution of the Buds design. The primary hardware has a glossy, nearly mirror surface that is divided by a microphone grill and transitions into a matte plastic finish that rests against your ear.
This layout is secure. It doesn’t accomplish anything really ground-breaking, yet it nonetheless performs admirably. The buds fit comfortably in my ears without sticking out much, and a fast twist secures them.
My biggest complaint is addressed by COMFORTABLE EARTIPS. Apart from the subpar sound quality, comfort was by far the largest issue I had with the Galaxy Buds . Despite having an 11-hour battery life, I was unable to wear them for longer than an hour without becoming extremely uncomfortable. In my opinion, Buds Pro are almost the complete opposite.
My ears are comfortably fit by the oval-shaped tips, which create a seal that is effective for ANC and overall sound quality without exerting pressure.
AUDIO QUALITY Let’s go right to the point: The sound quality of the Galaxy Buds Pro is one of their main benefits over previous Samsung TWEs. Samsung can provide crisp audio with good bass by using a two-way speaker design that divides the tweeter and woofer. I don’t feel at all inclined to use the equalizer with these Samsung earphones, unlike with earlier models. These headphones sound great even on their default setting. Dynamic somewhat improves the sound, while bass boost adds some potent lows.
I recently tested a lot of earphones, and the Buds Pro are unquestionably among the best. Although there is a little less emphasis on the bass, the sound quality is comparable to that of the Jabra Elite 75t/85t. The audio is undoubtedly clearer.
It should be noted that Samsung’s headphones and phones have historically worked best when used together. These buds sound their finest when connected to Galaxy smartphones, but they degrade slightly when connected to other devices due to the scalable codecs on those phones. the positive news They still have a really fantastic sound. The sound quality of the Buds Pro is still fantastic when linked to my Pixel 5, albeit they don’t sound nearly as dynamic as they do when connected to a Samsung phone. The mids suffered the biggest loss although the audio is still crisp and the lows are still good. The majority of consumers won’t be dissatisfied whether linked to Pixels, OnePlus, or other Android devices, but sound quality purists should still go elsewhere if they use non-Samsung smartphones.
NOT IMPRESSIVE, BUT EFFECTIVE ANC If we’re being really honest, Samsung’s attempt at active noise cancelling with the Galaxy Buds Live was fairly awful. The ANC was a feature that just increased cost and complexity without providing any actual value because there was virtually no ear seal. It’s a different story with Buds Pro.
But because I haven’t left my house since acquiring the Buds Pro, I can only speak so much about ANC. I’ve been in COVID quarantine owing to a potential exposure, in part because, if you haven’t noticed, we’ve been really busy here at 9to5Google lately. Although a private home isn’t the ideal setting for extensive ANC testing, I was nevertheless impressed with what I was able to accomplish. Only a few clicks, taps, and bangs can be heard through the background noise, which is largely muffled. The best illustration I could provide of the ANC’s efficiency was when I was raking leaves in my garden; between the ANC, the silicone tip seal, and the music playing, the sounds were largely muted.
LATENCY IS NOT IMPERFECT OR BAD. True wireless earbuds’ latency is something that is frequently overlooked, but with the Buds Pro, I’m delighted to say that I encountered no problems. While watching videos on a Galaxy Z Fold 2 or a Galaxy S21, there was no observable lag.
When switching to an iPad Pro, the outcomes stayed the same. When streaming via Disney , I saw no delay at all. To see whether there was anything noteworthy on my desktop Windows PC, I tried to connect to it, but for some reason I was unable to get the Buds Pro to pair with it. However, that is probably a localized problem.
AS USUAL FEATURES, BEST WITH SAMSUNG The Galaxy Buds Pro are similar to other earphones from Samsung in terms of specific features. They have customized touch shortcuts, a long-press shortcut that launches a Spotify playlist, an equalizer, compatibility for Hey Bixby’s auto-listen feature, among other features.
The Buds Pro only has an additional 360-degree audio function. It functions, but it’s not really noteworthy. Turning your head to the left or right while watching a video with the feature turned on will make it appear as though the audio is still in front of you. Although it’s neat, I don’t think it’s that practical. It appears to be more of a publicity stunt than anything else.
The ambient mode of the Buds Pro, which transmits outside sound through the microphones, is another important function. Although not amazing, the audio quality is still superior than most other earbuds with this capability that I have tried.
VOICE DETECT IS ACTUALLY AMAZING The Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro’s ability to instantly activate ambient mode and turn down music when you start chatting is by far my favorite feature. With this, you may hear what someone is saying to you as soon as you speak. I’ve been using this function for about a week and a half, and I’ve found it to be incredibly helpful. I could just say hello to my wife while working in the yard and strike up a discussion with her. Although I wish there was a way for the earphones to recognize when someone is trying to catch your attention, I feel like such feature would be too simple to accidentally activate.
However, as it stands, this feature is fairly dependable. Nine times out of ten, in my opinion, it would function well, with the remaining instance requiring only a few more words or a higher voice to effect the shift. False triggers also happen a little more frequently than I’d prefer. For instance, the loudness would drop when I coughed or cleared my throat. However, the feature is a big success overall.
ALMOST ANYONE CAN ACCEPTABLE BATTERY LIFE Battery life was one of the main reasons people choose Galaxy Buds above other models, but Buds Pro don’t meet the same standard. According to Samsung, the Buds Pro have a five- to six-hour battery life on their own, and 13 hours when active noise cancellation is used. Although I’ve only been using these for a short while, my testing supports that assertion. My longest session lasted about four hours straight, during which I depleted the Buds to 28%.
Though not substantially quicker than anything I’ve used previously, charging was speedy. Naturally, it’s also wonderful that the case supports both Qi and USB-C charging. I only had to charge the case once over the week and a half that I used these earbuds. I’d guess that most users would only require charging once or twice a week.
CASE MAYBE PERFECT One of the most crucial components in my opinion for genuinely wireless earbuds is the casing. Whether I have to carry a case the size of a baseball, it doesn’t matter if the sound quality is excellent. Fortunately, the Galaxy Buds Pro case is very much the ideal size. Although it isn’t especially slim, the total size is small. Its size is virtually identical to the Galaxy Buds Live case, which I really liked, but it has one significant edge.
The Buds Pro’s case is matte, as opposed to the Buds Live’s glossy look. Although it is much more comfortable to handle, it is not so much so that it will be too sticky in your pocket. As these cases frequently get scratched up really early, I am concerned about how it will hold up over time.
EVEN SO, THESE MAGNETS CAN BE A LITTLE TOO MUCH The only defect? I find the lid’s holding magnets to be a little bit too powerful. To be clear, having these magnets is a wonderful thing, but due to their intensity, it is difficult to open the case with with one hand. In actuality, it calls for two. Minor grievance? specific usage case Undoubtedly, but I’d want to see it better in the future. A spring might be able to remedy that.
What is one advantage of those magnets? Every single time, this example comes to a gratifying clunk.
LAST THOUGHTS A $200 pill is difficult to swallow, but it is worthwhile. Although Samsung has made good efforts to date, I’d say that every single set of genuinely wireless earphones had a glaring drawback. Galaxy Buds Live had useless ANC, while Buds had, at best, mediocre sound quality. The microphone on the early Buds was also pretty subpar. I believe Samsung has finally learned from its errors and nailed it with Galaxy Buds Pro. It’s difficult to identify real, significant issues with these headphones since they are awesome.
These are not cheap at $199. Numerous more earphones that are also fairly good quality are available for less than $100. But if you can afford them, these are well worth the money. I’m positive that your purchase will make you very delighted.
Samsung.com , Best Buy , and Amazon as well as other significant shops and carriers currently offer Galaxy Buds Pro.
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