technology
Reviews
Reasonable sound in premium design: We tested the Galaxy Buds 2
Alongside the pair of folding smartphones, Samsung has also announced new wireless headphones.
The new version comes with a new design line, an active noise filtering mechanism (ANC), but still suffers from a notable drawback we encountered in the previous generation - the sound.
We took them for a review to find out if the price was really worth it
Tags
Samsung
Yinon Ben Shoshan
Thursday, 02 September 2021, 22:10
Share on Facebook
Share on WhatsApp
Share on general
Share on general
Share on Twitter
Share on Email
0 comments
(Photo: Walla! Technology, Yinon Ben-Shoshan)
After quite a few leaks in the past year, Samsung announced about a month ago the Galaxy Buds 2 - the second generation of its wireless headphones that were first introduced in 2019, and were supposed to be its answer to Apple's Airfoods.
Spoiler: It failed.
The new headphones come with a new and relevant design, similar to the Pro version, alongside improved battery life and active noise filtering (ANC).
However, although it is a suitable competitor, even in the new version we have found some minuses that may cause quite a few customers to choose Chinese alternatives.
The full review
More on Walla!
NEWS
This is crazy: the method that will make your child eat everything
To the full article
Design
The headphones we received from the importer, Sunny Communications, came in black with a small and easy-to-carry charging case (white case).
They are extremely light, sit wonderfully in the ear and are 15 percent smaller than the previous generation.
However, they are still not small enough.
Since the launch of Airfoods about 5 years ago, almost all Chinese manufacturers have copied the design from Apple, in an attempt to recreate their charm.
And only Samsung, as always, wants to show that it does not need to "draw inspiration" from anyone - and has chosen a design that is very far from what we probably really want and need.
15 percent smaller than the previous generation (Photo: Walla! Technology, Yinon Ben-Shoshan)
So yes, the design of the Galaxy Buds 2 looks premium level and is being significantly upgraded in the current generation compared to the previous version, but these are still slightly awkward button headphones that look like we are walking around with a very strange circle in the ear.
Plus, to me as a little person they look very big when they are in the ears.
Sound, resolved and comfort
Once you put the headphones in your ears (it takes a few seconds until you practice) you will hear that they are connected.
The touchpad on the headset responds more accurately than the previous generation, and a light touch on the headset itself stops the music - it works great too.
To turn on the noise filtering - and vice versa - you just have to press a single button on one of the headphones for a little about 2 seconds.
At the same time, the background noise cancellation mechanism does not completely filter out the noise, but is very impressive in its capabilities and approaches premium headphones - including even the AirPods Pro.
How's the sound?
Without a big change from the previous generation, the Galaxy Buds 2 does have some good aces, but the sound is flat, lacks depth, and a squeaky drop in the high notes.
The feeling is that these are not headphones designed for a pleasurable listening to music, but for those who are looking for comfort over quality.
That is, a practical product for light use - such as handling calls or watching video.
The feeling is that these are not headphones designed for enjoyable listening to music (Photo: Walla! Technology, Yinon Ben-Shoshan)
By comparison, Samsung's bean 'headphones, the Galaxy Live Buds, provide better audio quality.
Also, unlike the other versions, Samsung does not allow you to connect the headphones to the app and control the equalizer.
In addition, the Galaxy Buds 2 come with four silicone adapters in two sizes for better sealing.
In practice, during a workout in the gym the headphones did not fall off even once, although occasionally I felt a slight need to fix their seating in the ears.
battery
According to Samsung, a full charge will be enough for up to 20 hours of listening to music, yet the noise filtering mechanism bites significantly into the battery life - and what we get is about 5-6 hours of listening.
In practice, the battery time is very impressive and from the moment I took them out of the package until the first charge, more than a day has passed.
Charging is done via a USB-C cable that you will receive in the package (yes, Samsung from France has a cable for the case, unlike the smartphones).
On top of that, the headphones support wireless charging.
Up to 20 hours of listening to music (Photo: Walla! Technology, Yinon Ben-Shoshan)
Bottom line
Looking for music headphones?
The Galaxy Buds 2 is less for you.
Need comfortable headphones that will not fall out of your ear for watching movies or a day at the office?
They may well suit you.
By the way, it is important to remember that most models from Chinese manufacturers that come with a lower price tag may provide a slightly better value.
Share on Facebook
Share on WhatsApp
Share on general
Share on general
Share on Twitter
Share on Email
0 comments