Do the Beans Fall Out of the Ears? Samsung Galaxy Buds Live Review

Samsung Galaxy Buds Live Against Their Competitors in 2021

But how are they compared to other earbuds available on the market? Let’s see what makes them so different.

5 Competing Earbuds

Samsung Galaxy Buds Live Detailed Overview

So what makes the Samsung Galaxy Buds Live different in the abundance of features that come directly on the earbuds.

What is it?

Samsung Galaxy Buds Live are supplied in a tiny square white cardboard box with the image of headphones and basic information. In the box we can find: headphones in the charging case, additional interchangeable attachment caps, Type-C cable for charging and documentation.

What do Samsung Galaxy Buds Live look like?

Samsung Galaxy Buds Live looks really like beans, which the company was inspired by. On a pair of internal details you can even find the inscription "Bean". The earbuds are fully plastic, their outer part is glossy and repeats the color concepts of the new Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra smartphones: mystic black, mystic white and mystic bronze. The headphones turned out to be more compact and lighter than they might seem. The Samsung Galaxy Buds Live have a variety of functional elements.

The above scheme shows some important interiors of the buds. From the outside you can see two additional holes. You can easily guess these are two microphones. In the upper area there is a sensor responsible for controlling the earbuds.

The inside part of the Samsung Galaxy Buds Live is made of darker matte plastic and looks equally unusual. At the top a ledge with contacts for charging is placed with removable fixation around it. This helps the headphones to fit snug into the ears. Below there is a speaker, one more microphone, a touch sensor (headphones automatically pause when pulled out of the ears) and Left-Right symbols.

The design of the headphones turned out to be original. Due to their compact size, they are almost invisible in the ears. There is IPX2 water protection index: you can do sports and not be afraid of sweat. But definitely - no putting them under water flow.

The charging case has a familiar, but more compact design. It feels smaller than an average TWS. The flip cover is fixed well in all positions.

Inside the case there are places with contacts for Galaxy Buds Live, the signs L and R, and the headphone charging indicator. The front of the case has a battery charge indicator. It may glow green, yellow, and red depending on the battery level. And it flashes red if the charge is less than 10%.

At the rear - Type-C for wired charging.

So, do They Fall Out or Not?

It’s easy to make friends with Galaxy Buds Live, even if you are not an earbuds fan, and quite quickly. They are surprisingly well fixed in the ears, do not press or stick out of the ears. Due to their light weight, they are practically not felt, and additional fixers add reliability of the fit in the ears. The headphones are comfortable for sports, they do not fly out of the ears when running.

The connection is the same as for other TWS models. You open the case and the earbuds switch to pairing mode immediately. With Samsung smartphones this is as simple as possible and is accompanied by the appropriate animation on the smartphone display; charge level of each bud and the case itself. They support SBC, AAC and Samsung Scalable Codecs. No problems occurred with the connection quality, at least up to 10 meters if there are no interruptions or connection losses in direct line of sight. With obstacles like walls, of course, the range will be significantly reduced. Buds Together is a fan bonus. You can connect two pairs of Buds Live to one source and listen to music together with a friend. 

Headphones control is performed by means of touch pads on each of the ears. It takes some time to accurately hit the pads. One touch - play/pause, double - switch to the next track, answer/end a call. Triple - switch to the previous track (or to the beginning of the track). Long Touch - customizable function. By default it switches on and off ANC. You can change it to start voice assistant, start Spotify or adjust volume. Left - reduce volume, right - increase volume. And thanks to the sensors on the inside, the buds are able to automatically pause if you pull them out of your ears. And resume playback if you insert them back. To adjust the headphones, the application Galaxy Wearable is used. It is common to all current wearable Samsung Devices. It turns on / off ANC, there is a choice of equalizer and also additional features. In particular, the sound of notifications, search for headphones (they will start to make the loudest sound possible), software updates and the so-called experimental functions. Gaming mode with reduced delay and lower ear pressure by means of external noise. In addition, there are a couple of widgets: the first has buttons to turn off the Active Noise Cancellation and touch control. The second shows the charge level of the case and earbuds.

What about Sound, ANC and Mic?

Samsung Galaxy Buds Live sound very good, looking at the segment and potential audience. Thanks to the large dynamic speaker, they turned out to be very bassworthy. And thanks to the semi-open design, this abundance of bass does not block the rest of the spectrum. And the imaginary scene feels quite wide and uncompressed. The overall performance is quite expected: a fashionable V-shaped sound with a noticeable rise at low frequencies and very accurate at high frequencies. The bass is dense, powerful and massive, but the detail and speed are mediocre. The upper frequencies are stressed a little bit, so they do not stick to the ears, but add a little clarity to the sound. The average frequencies are slightly "drowned" in the background of the bass and treble. This is absolutely not critical if you listen mostly to electronics, pop or hip-hop music. But on instrumental compositions the sound starts to give off in a plane, some instruments sound a little mushy and are lost in the background of everything else. This is especially true for heavy, fast songs: familiar guitar parts become obscure. The sound of Samsung Galaxy Buds Live was tuned clearly with a glance at modern musical trends, where the engineers became quite successful.

Active Noise Cancellation system, according to Samsung, is able to cut off up to 97% of low-frequency background noise. That is, the manufacturer does not promise complete silence, which is quite logical with such a design. Really full sound insulation and noise reduction can be physically implemented only in the intra channel and full-size models, but not in the earbuds. Galaxy Buds Live ANC slightly reduces the monotonous hum in a not too busy street, but no more, which is not bad. In public transport (especially Subway) it is not so helpful though.

Samsung Galaxy Buds Live uses a system of three mics (two external and one internal), and the technology to sense the movement of the jaw - Voice Pickup Unit to improve the quality of voice transfer. In practice, no miracles have happened. The voice in the headset is still quite deaf and squeezed in the dynamic range. But, what is more important, it turns out to be legible, even in a rather noisy street. So the conversation partner will not have to ask you again several times.

What about Battery Life?

Samsung promises that Galaxy Buds Live live on one charge for 6 hours, and together with the charging case - 21 hours. In fact, with Active Noise Cancellation, the earbuds live really about 6 hours. It is more difficult to determine the total time of work with the case. In general, one charge is enough for a week if you use the set 2-3 hours a day. As a matter of fact, for trips to/from the office, plus three training sessions per week, they will last. Quick charge is among useful bonuses: 5 minutes in a charging case will be enough for 1 hour of work. Wireless charging is supported, and the headphones can be charged both from wireless chargers and from Samsung devices with reverse wireless charging function.

How Do They Stack Up Against Competitors?

People's Choice - Apple AirPods Pro

This is the first fully wireless Apple headset with ANC function. AirPods Pro effectively blocks background noise, and Adaptive EQ continuously adjusts the sound to the geometry of the ear. If you want to hear surrounding sounds, holding down the force sensor activates transparency mode. Apple AirPods Pro provide excellent speech quality during calls. Vents equalize internal and external pressure, so the headphones do not cause discomfort and are hardly felt in the ears. Without active noise cancellation they work up to 5 hours. With recharging in the case, you get more than 24 hours of listening time. The headphones support wireless charging. They also have protection against sweat and water (IPX4).

Samsung Galaxy Buds Live VS Apple AirPods Pro

Premium Choice - Sony WF-1000XM3

Sony WF-1000XM3 offer good sound and the ability to customize the equalizer in the original application. They are large enough for in-ear headphones, but they work long. Sony promises up to 6 hours with ANC enabled or 8 hours without it. The case provides three extra charges for the headphones. Sony has probably the best ANC technology on the market. You can set the noise reduction level in the application to hear some of the surrounding sounds or just people's voices (there is a focus on voice function). The headphones do not have any moisture protection, and therefore are not designed for use in the gym. The good news is that the Sony WF-1000XM3 can be purchased regularly for a reduced price.

Samsung Galaxy Buds Live VS Sony WF-1000XM3

Best Budget - TOZO NC9

These are one of the cheapest true wireless headphones with ANC technology. And although TOZO NC9 cannot compete with top models, they are good at cutting off constant low-frequency noise such as engines, air-conditioning, and aircraft sounds. They also have Transparent Mode. The headphones sound nice and good for making calls. You can switch tracks with a double tap, the volume is adjusted by holding the touch button on the right and left headphones. TOZO NC9 are also a good option for your sports and training with their IPX6 index. The battery life is 8 hours or 24 hours with recharging in the case.

Samsung Galaxy Buds Live VS TOZO NC9

Best for Sports - Jabra Elite Active 75t

Despite the lack of ANC functionality, Jabra Elite Active 75t provides good passive noise proof. The producer even added an optional HearThrough mode, which lets ambient noise in. Four built-in microphones provide clean voice transmission for calls. Compared to the previous version, the headphones are 20% more compact. Battery life is also increased from 5 to 7.5 hours. Case with USB Type-C charging adds more than 20 hours of listening. In the accompanying MySound app, you can customize the sound of the headphones. The headphones are rubber coated for a more secure fit. Elite Active 75t is designed for sports and has IPX7 protection against water and sweat.

Samsung Galaxy Buds Live VS Jabra Elite Active 75t

The Verdict

Samsung Galaxy Buds Live have a very good for their category "fashionable" bass sound, interesting look, convenient design, a lot of additional features and a handy, clear application to manage this all. They live a long time on a single charge and have IPX2 water protection, which allows to do sports with no fear of sweat. Samsung Galaxy Buds Live are equipped with Active Noise Cancellation, but it is worth remembering that the design does not allow to get good ambient sound proof, like in public transport or a very noisy street. It is also worth noting that if you are an experienced music lover, the sound quality will most likely not satisfy you and thus you can consider Samsung competitors.