Tech
Samsung’s Galaxy Buds 2 Pro leapfrog AirPods Pro with 24-bit audio
The newest Galaxy Buds 2 Pro have better ANC, improved Dolby Atmos support,
Forgive me if you’ve heard this before, but Samsung has a new pair of beans to sell you. The Galaxy Buds 2 Pro are the company’s latest revision of its wireless earbuds, this time in a smaller, more ergonomic package with an updated suite of audio features for $229.99.
Shape up — The Galaxy Buds 2 were already pretty great as Samsung’s entry-level earbuds, so it seems best to see the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro as Samsung creating some space between its Pro-line and its normal Buds.
Samsung says the new Galaxy Buds 2 Pro are 15 percent smaller than the previous Galaxy Buds Pro and have a more ergonomic design to keep the earbuds from rotating in your ears when you’re out and about. The company claims the new design of the buds — which still look like a misshapen bean to me — also reduces the uncomfortable pressure you can feel with earbuds that offer active noise cancellation (ANC). As for working out, the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro are IPX7 rated for water and sweat-resistant.
Audio quality — In terms of how things actually sound, Samsung is updating the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro with support for 24-bit audio, Dolby Atmos, and 40 percent more noise reduction when using ANC. That puts the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro handily in line with other popular wireless earbuds like the AirPods Pro, and even lets them go a step further with higher quality audio.
Battery life — Samsung is advertising the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro with up to 5 hours of ANC playback and 8 hours with ANC off. The wireless charging case holds up to 20 hours of battery life with ANC and 30 hours with ANC off.
Connectivity — Samsung’s SmartThings Find and an expanded auto-switching feature (now your Galaxy Buds can automatically switch to your Samsung TV when you start playing content) mean the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro behave a lot more like Apple’s wireless earbuds, too.
Availability — The Galaxy Buds 2 Pro will come in either White, Graphite, or Bora Purple for $299.99 starting August 26.
Read our hands-on with the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro for even more.
