Samsung Galaxy Buds+ Review: Boom Battery!

Nearly every smartphone manufacturer has created its own line of earphones, usually true wireless earbuds, an indispensable accessory that complements the mobile experience as it does with the Galaxy S20. If we continue at this rate, we will soon find them inside the package rather than classic earphones with cable (almost Type-C), but it is clear that their strength remains even if they were taken as standalone since they work perfectly on any other smartphone, even with Apple devices.

Galaxy Buds were one of our favorites last year, we almost always carried them with us and in the backpack along with the rest of the most essential things. But it was not just our love towards him; rather than applaud them for their lightness and comfort, we also removed them and put them in its case for alternate moments, due to the bad response from our interlocutors on the other side. A very nice limitation that Samsung has finally embodied: the new generation of Galaxy Buds+ has indeed bridged the flaw and further improved the experience.

Something is still missing, they are not perfect earbuds, but they are easily recommended for those who want true all-round wireless and are still at a permanent price for the category. Let’s see what the pros and cons are, clarifying that for this review we used Galaxy Buds+ in White color.

Identical to its brother, but a Change in-call Audio

At first glance, they could be Identical to previous models. In fact, it is not wrong to think so, but under the lines, we already know well there is technically more advanced heart. The case is a bit different, with the letters “L” and “R” placed inside a small delimited area that is now more readable and the status LED placed immediately above (not in the middle as before). A minimal detail, such as a second small hole that can be seen around the touchpad that anticipates the actual novelty of these Buds+: one internal and two external microphones.

The first two microphones work to sample and exclude surrounding noises, focusing on the voice and thus making it clearer and more pleasant on the call. The third microphone finishes the job and thus closes the circle, increasing the quality compared to last year. This system allows you to activate a function that until now was not present on Galaxy Buds, or “Ambient Noise”: you can listen to the outside world without removing the earbuds, either through the app or with a combination of touches (customizable), amplifying the noises with zero lag.

The sound during the call is definitely narrower but easily understandable in the oddest of situations, even in those we found ourselves in crowded or in public places. If we were to compare them to the most famous in this context, we would put them below the AirPods Pro (review) or the Sony WH-1000XM3, but it is equally true that these costs on average more than $150. Recall that they have surpassed Huawei’s FreeBuds 3 (we reviewed them last month), which however boasts a different design and microphones that come closest to the mouth.

The listening quality is further improved, everything is clearly taken into account by AKG, but any kind of background noise cancellation technology is missing. To give a boost to the new two-way speakers, this means that every single earbud boasts a tweeter, which thinks about high tones, and a woofer that points instead of bass. The latter is more complete, the impact is evident especially when listening to Pop or Hip Hop songs, the only drawback is that they can cover high and mid-on on some occasions.

Accurate Touch Controls and App Support

One of the things that we have always appreciated on Galaxy Buds+ is the touch controls, precise and quick as on a few earbuds of the category. You can see the difference on the move or while playing sports. We take AirPods Pro as an example, which we praised earlier: Apple’s solution really excellent in calls, but in our opinion, it loses control with the new Force Touch (especially if you play sports), which imposes pressure. On the Galaxy Buds+ just the touch on the pads, from one to three for the usual play/pause (one-touch) / forward (two touches) / back (three touches) and the customizable long touch.

The latter now allows you to start Spotify in a few seconds (once you have set the command on the App) without the need to take the smartphone, the long-press simply starts the last track in memory. Also very interesting is the possibility of controlling the volume thanks to the personalization of the touches, for example, you can set “volume down” with a touch on the left and “volume up” on the right.

We liked the ease of Bluetooth (5.0) connection with smartphones and other devices such as the laptop; although it is unfortunately not possible to remain connected with both at the same time, the transition between one and the other is immediate, after a first association. For example, if I’m listening to music from my smartphone, and I want to switch to my laptop, I just need to turn off Bluetooth so that it can connect to the laptop in a few moments.

The application is the one we already know well, for Buds+ it’s more complete with the ambient sound widgets at the top just at the opening and the possibility to set the quick-start button for Spotify from the “Touchpad” item. Samsung has done an excellent job in this regard and created software that, to date, is the absolute best in the management of this type of accessories. Galaxy Wearable allows you to associate numerous devices (we’ve connected up to three pairs of Buds / Buds+ and a Watch Active 2) and quickly switch between them.

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But it also makes a difference that the app has its own simplicity, easy to use for any user and easy-to-find customizations. Nice and useful also the animation that on Samsung smartphones, once you open the case to wear headphones, shows the charge level of the individual headphones and houses.

More than satisfied with the battery life, we said in surprise. We’ve been testing them for several weeks now and we’ve never found out of juice because they simply have the best battery in the class. The house declares 11 hours of continuous use, thanks to the fact that there is no integrated noise cancellation and they consume less than the competition. The case then doubles the duration thanks to an internal battery that recharges them every time they are placed inside, it can be recharged via USB Type-C or wirelessly (Qi standard), even quicker if you have a Galaxy S10 / S20 / Note 10 via Powershare.

Final line

Samsung has done a great job and refined a product that was already excellent in itself, but crippled, the Galaxy Buds+ didn’t change the design and that’s good news because of the convenience, size, and lightness of truly wireless earbuds remains one of the main prerogatives for success. They are excellent for sports, excellent on-call and for listening to music without too many pretensions, in fact, since the noise cancellation is missing, you can get a little distracted by the surrounding noise.

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So they are not the best true wireless earbuds for travel so far, but it is equally true that they are more comfortable than many others and over long distances, it also matters. A list price is $149 on both Amazon.com and Bhphotovideo.com online stores, and it won’t take much time for the online price to drop. Don’t forget the first generation that is now around $99.99 only, if you want a complete product difference that pays head directly to the Galaxy Buds+, which is now among the best in truly wireless earbuds category in circulation. There is little to discuss.

Pros:

• Comfortable to wear
• Super battery
• Qi Wireless Charging (Case)
• Accurate Touch Controls
• Samsung Galaxy Wear App support

Cons:

• No Noise Cancellation
• No aptX