Samsung Galaxy Buds2 Review: Compact But Packed With Features
October 16, 2021Affordable and packed with features, but how does it stack up against the competition?
Type: Wireless
Functionally: Bluetooth 5.2, Wireless Charging
Colour: Graphite, White, Olive, Lavender
Battery Life: 4.5h Talk-Time 20 (ANC ON) / 7h Talk-Time 29h (ANC OFF)
Active Noise Cancelling: Yes
Rating: 9/10
Weight: 5.0g Each Buds (41.2g case)
Price: RM499.00
Samsung has faithfully released a new pair of Galaxy Buds each year. It’s become an annual affair, and one we look forward to out of curiosity. Since the Galaxy Buds Live, the Buds family has morphed into something far more elaborate than a family of humdrum wireless earbuds. They’re fashionable accessories, a narrative that is present across the Galaxy line.
It’s the same story with the Buds2. At RM499 they are within the means of most consumers looking to ditch the cord and join the wireless revolution. The carrying case is coated with a glossy finish, which gives off a premium shine. It’s smooth to the touch, offering a sense of contentment when shuffled about in one’s hand.
They are of a similar shape and size as their predecessors. One notable difference is the exterior colour. Regardless of which of the four different coloured earbuds you choose, their carrying case’s exterior only comes in white. It’s the internal compartment that’s coloured to reflect that of the actual earbuds. They are available in graphite (black), white, Olive and Lavender.
The Case
The case’s chin rises more prominently towards the back compared to the Galaxy Buds Pro. At the edge, are the words “Sound by AKG” emblazoned in white. Despite what some people might think, those words do matter. Samsung’s AKG tuned earbuds do have a slightly better sound delivery than the regular ones.
A small LED on the front of the case and the inner compartment, indicate the remaining battery capacity. Samsung says that it should be able to provide 20 hours of extra power to the Buds2. To pair the earbuds with your phone, open the case and place your index fingers on the surface of each earbud till the Wearable app recognizes them and begins the pairing process.
Like the carrying case, the egg shaped Buds2 themselves are also coated with a glossy top layer, which gives them a playful, premium feel when touched. The price isn’t indicative of how good they look and feel in person. Compared to the Buds Pro, they are nicer to hold, are far more compact and with less pronounced stems.
While the Buds Pro is targeted at the more “premium” crowd, the Buds2 is meant to cater to the average Joe. Though it lacks some of the wizardry that made the Buds Pro a compelling prospect for aspiring audiophiles, it retains the same basic recipe. For instance, there’s active noise canceling, and it’s good too.
The Sound Quality
ANC can be enabled via the Samsung Wearable app. It’s through this app that you manage and control and set your desired preferences concerning its features. For instance, you can set your preferred equalizer settings based on the 6 available preset options: Normal, Bass Boost, Soft, Dynamic, Clear and Treble Boost.
Dynamic and Bass Boost tend to yield the best result. This is a similar story with previous generation Galaxy Buds devices. Though the other presets have value too, they tend to cater to a specific genre of music, but aren’t unsuitable for people whose Spotify albums consist of multiple different types of music genres.
When the right EQ preset is chosen, the sound drivers deliver audio with a decent amount of depth and clarity. The magnitude and amplitude of delivery aren’t on par with the Buds Pro or similarly sophisticated earbuds, but they are more than good enough for RM499. The tangible difference is noticeable to listeners who are sticklers for accurate sound modulation.
That said, the Buds2 shouldn’t be confused with premium wireless earbuds that cost twice or triple their MSRP. Its target demographic is people who want decent sound quality, adept ANC, and a no-frills user experience. These are areas where Buds2 excels the most. The soundscape is on point and when coupled with the ANC, delivers a more than satisfactory experience.
Though the drivers are adequate at distinguishing the lows, mids and highs, the delivery is “good” at best. The same is true of their ability to portray the differences between various instruments’ pitches, which lowers one’s ability to distinguish them accurately. This is only true of instrumental music. For everything else, it’s a non-issue.
To get the best music quality out of any pair of earbuds, they have to form a good seal between your ears and the outside world. Only when this is achieved, will a listener truly experience the best experience possible. For Buds2, Samsung has included the fitment test within the Wearables app.
Once activated, each earbud propagates low-frequency tones that aim to gauge how well the Buds2 fit on your beards. Presumably, it’s to let you know how good of a seal has been formed with the opening of your ear canal. If the software isn’t satisfied with the results, it will tell you which earbud isn’t seated properly.
Based on this information, you’ll need to change the silicone tips to ones that fit better. Mind, this isn’t a gimmick meant to inflate your expectations, but it actually works. In my case, I could feel the difference in fitment between the left and right earbud. The Wearable app knew this as well and told me that I had to either reseat the left earbud to change the silicone tip.
Once I swapped the left ear tip with one that was a little smaller and less concave, the left earbud fit snugly, which reassured me that it wouldn’t fall out with swift head tilt or incessant grinding of my teeth. I believe that moving forward, this feature should be available on all Samsung earbuds. It will help wearers get the best experience possible from their purchase.
The Voice Activation Feature
Bixby Voice Wake-Up allows you to call out to activate Samsung’s voice assistant instead of having to press the power button. Once activated, you could just say, “Hi Bixby” then utter the relevant command. Despite the strides the company has made to its competence, Bixby still lacks the aptitude and engagement of Google’s own voice assistant, but I digress.
The Buds2 also has a gaming mode feature, where it does its best to offer the best acoustic experience possible for a more immersive experience. Now, your mileage may vary because its effectiveness depends on personal preference. But the general idea is to lower the latency level between what you hear and what is being displayed on screen.
What amplifies the appeal of the Buds2 the most is the noise cancelling (ANC) functionality. For relatively affordable earbuds, the ANC is very good at blocking ambient noises. It doesn’t matter if it’s the intrusive drilling noise from the construction work taking place next door or the continuous clattering of keyboard keys around the office.
This experience hinges on the notion that you’ve achieved a perfect seal between the Buds2 and your ear canal. Anything less will degrade the ANC’s effectiveness by varying degrees. Get a good fit, then use ANC. Overall, it should prevent most ambient noises from reaching your ears. The more high-pitched ones will manage to seep through, but only by a smidgen.
In retrospect, the Buds2 helped to keep me focused on my tasks by centering my attention around the calming aspect of my jazz tracks instead of the incoherent murmuring of colleagues or other patrons of establishments I frequent. The ANC isn’t on par with that of the Buds Pro, but is shockingly close to it.
However, when circumstances require your attention, the Buds2 can be switched from ANC to ambient mode. This lets a certain amount of ambient sounds in to keep you aware of what’s going on, which is especially useful if you’re eagerly waiting for a flight announcement. The performance is similar to that of previous-generation Buds, good but not perfect.
Though I’ve dispensed several superlatives throughout this article to describe the appeal of the Buds2, there is one area where it seems to fall short of the mark. This has to do with its ability to block ambient noises for calls. It does a decent job, but sometimes my voice sounds a little muddled to a caller. This happens when too much is going on around me.
Admittedly, I’m asking too much of the Buds2 because of the bar that the Buds Pro has set. If you’re in a relatively quiet environment, call quality remains good and your voice comes across as coherent and balanced. All things considered, the performance is what I’d expect from a “budget’ friendly pair of earbuds, good but not spectacularly so.
On a single charge, the Buds2 delivered close to 4.5 hours (ANC ON), a little less when the volume is cranked up. This is especially true when I chose to indulge in Latin dance mixes. Throughout my tests, the results didn’t deviate too far from said battery life. However, for others, this may vary depending on a variety of factors including whether ANC is On or Off.
Should I Buy This?
If you’re looking for a decent pair of wireless earbuds with ANC functionality, then the Buds2 should be on your shortlist. They work well with any Android phone but perform the best with Samsung Galaxy smartphones. The underlying software works seamlessly between the devices to give you a trouble-free user experience.
They are not meant for audiophiles or people looking for punchy bass or pin-sharp clarity. You’ll need to look at more professional acoustic equipment from the likes of Sony, Bose and Sennheiser. But said devices will cost close to triple or quadruple the price of a pair of Buds2. The Buds2 are one of the nicest sounding earbuds for the money.
For More Related Articles;
Samsung Galaxy Buds Review: Decent Sound Quality, Just Not For Enthusiasts
Samsung’s Buds Live Offer Unrivaled Ear Comfort
Use Samsung’s Wearable App To Control Your Watch and Earbuds
Galaxy Buds Pro Can Aid Those With Hearing Loss
