Samsung Galaxy Buds2 review: TWS miniature headphones with active noise cancellation

Despite the fact that the TWS headphones market is now crowded, primarily due to Chinese manufacturers, Samsung Galaxy Buds2 turned out to be quite interesting. This is a good universal model for every day who doesn't want to take chances with Chinese novels, at the same time, is not ready to spend an impressive amount of money on a more advanced model. The headphones boast a well-balanced good sound, solid active noise cancellation and decent battery life. Samsung Galaxy Buds2 are very compact, lightweight and easy to use. The headphones are IPX2 rated for moisture protection. This should be enough for sports activities in the gym, but still I would like a more serious degree of protection so that the headphones will not die if accidentally hit in a downpour. 

5 reasons to buy Samsung Galaxy Buds2:

• balanced sound;
• effective system of active noise reduction;
• comfortable, lightweight design and nice appearance;
• protection under standard IPX2;
• good battery life.

2 reasons not to buy Samsung Galaxy Buds2:

• would like higher water protection;
• you are an audiophile and are looking for headphones with better sound quality.

Quick link:

1. What's in the box?
2. What does the Samsung Galaxy Buds2 look like?
3. How comfortable is the Samsung Galaxy Buds2?
4. What about sound quality, microphone and noise cancellation?
5. What about battery life?
6. In a nutshell

What's in the box?

Samsung Galaxy Buds2 come in a small white cardboard box, similar to past models. The polygraphy is the name and the picture of the model in the corresponding color. The package contains the headphones themselves in their charging case, three pairs of removable tips (the middle ones are already on the headphones), USB Type-C cable for charging and documentation.

What does the Samsung Galaxy Buds2 look like?

The appearance of the Samsung Galaxy Buds2 shows a kinship with the Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro. But the new headphones turned out to be even more compact and streamlined. They are drop-shaped and weigh just 5g each. They're made of a not-so-practical glossy plastic. In fact, though, the Olive Galaxy Buds2 specifically show almost no signs of use. There is a suspicion that the graphite ones are more stain-resistant. By the way, there are four colors: white, graphite, lavender, and olive.

The outer part of the earpiece has a streamlined shape. It has two microphone holes for voice and noise cancellation. It is touch-sensitive and is responsible for controlling the headphone on the go. The touchpad is not highlighted in any way, but as practice has shown it is not required.

The two halves of the headphones are well fitted to each other, but the seam is clearly visible.

The inside of each of the earbuds is labeled left-right, microphone, infrared wearable sensor, and charging contacts.

The Samsung Galaxy Buds2's earbuds are not too long. There is a bezel on the end for secure attachment of the nozzles. It perfectly copes with its task: it is almost impossible to accidentally blow the nozzle. The diameter of the sound tube is standard and the extraneous nozzles fit without any problems. The hole itself is closed with a metal mesh so that no dirt can get in.

Samsung Galaxy Buds2 are splash-proof and sweat-proof according to IPX2 standard. That means they will survive a workout, but don't get caught in the rain.

The charging case is white in any color of the headphones. And it's made of glossy plastic, which isn't a good thing. It will get scratched quickly. The case has a flat shape and relatively compact size: 50x50x28 mm, so it can be easily carried in a pocket. In the front of the case there is a charging indicator.

The lid opens with a little effort, in a vertical position triggered by a door closer, which keeps it open. To close it just need a little push. In the closed position it is firmly locked with a magnet and does not spontaneously open under any circumstances. The lid is well-locked and does not wobble. The interior of the case is the same color as the headphones. The inner part of the cover has a rubber insert. On the main part of the case - two places with contacts for charging, LED, which indicates the charging headphones. above the headphones - a mention that the sound work was done by AKG.

The Type-C connector for charging is located at the back of the case.

How comfortable is it to use the Samsung Galaxy Buds2?

Due to its small size and successful shape, Samsung Galaxy Buds2 fits well in your ears: nothing presses or bothers you. And thanks to their light weight you can hardly feel them even with constant use. They have excellent fit and will not fall out in any situation. The fit is not the deepest. I subjectively would like it to be deeper, but it is the matter of taste. Passive sound isolation is very good with correct ear cushions. Headphones do not stick out of your ears, no problem with the cap.

Bluetooth 5.2 is used for connection, there is support for SBC, AAC and proprietary Samsung Scalable codecs. The manufacturer assures that it supports bitrates up to 512 kbps. But it works, of course, only with Samsung smartphones. In general, enough, although aptX HD, for example, would not be superfluous. The headphones go into pairing mode when you open the case. Samsung smartphones "see" them immediately and a quick connection window pops up on the screen. With other smartphones - the traditional method. There are no problems with the stability of the connection: no stuttering or breakdowns. The only thing that someone may lack is Multipoint support. The headphones do not know how to connect to two devices simultaneously.

To control Samsung Galaxy Buds2 "on the go" are used touch pads on the outside of the headphones. There were no problems with them during use, and it took a day to get used to them. As standard, a single tap on either headphone is responsible for play/pause, a double tap for the next track, a triple tap for the previous track. And a long tap - switching noise cancelling modes. Unfortunately, you can reassign only long touches separately for each earphone.

The Samsung Wearable proprietary application is used to fully configure the headphones. It is common for all Samsung wearable devices. In it you can switch the noise cancellation modes: active, off and "sound background" (transparency mode). Enable or disable touch control, as well as configure long tap actions for each earpiece. Available features include switching noise cancellation mode, Bixby, turning volume down and up, and launching Spotify. Overall, enough, but the ability to launch another application would not be superfluous: after all, not everyone uses Spotify. There is an equalizer with a number of presets, you can not manually adjust your own. There is also a function to read aloud notification of the calendar, missed calls, messages and alarm clock. There is a function to check the correct fit of the headphones in the ears. And in the Labs section, there are two items. Volume control with double taps on the headphones, as well as game mode with minimal delay. All in all, the extra features and functions are sufficient. Although in an ideal case I would also like an auto-pause and automatic switching to transparency mode at the beginning of the conversation. Who knows, maybe they will add in the new firmware.

What about the sound quality, microphone and noise suppression?

Two dynamic drivers are responsible for the sound in the Samsung Galaxy Buds2: 11mm for bass and 6.5mm for treble. On the whole, the sound is pleasantly surprising: it's quite balanced without any significant dips or peaks in certain parts of the range. Of course, low and high frequencies are emphasized, but it's done very neatly. The treble is enough to make the sound a little lighter and more spacious, but it's not bright and doesn't cut off your ears. Low frequencies are quite dense and driving, though you should not wait for a very deep sub bass. The middle frequencies sound absolutely neutral. The overall level of detail and sound accuracy in headphones, of course, is far from Hi-Fi and an experienced audiophile should look at more expensive models. But Samsung Galaxy Buds2 and are not positioned as "audiophile" headphones, but a model for everyone for every day. Thanks to the balanced sound, the headphones are absolutely omnivorous in terms of musical genres. You can listen to everything from electronics to all sorts of heavy music on them.

Samsung claims that the headphones' active noise cancellation system can cut off up to 98% of external noise. In actual use, you can tell that the noise canceller works very convincingly and effectively cuts off low-frequency hum. Although it doesn't cope so well with high-frequency bursts. But, in general, combined with passive noise isolation with the right selection of nozzles, you can comfortably listen to music on the street and in the subway without having to crank the volume to maximum.

Two external microphones, one internal microphone and a bone conduction sensor are responsible for the voice transmission in Samsung Galaxy Buds2. In addition to this, machine learning-based speech-cleaning algorithms are used. As a result, the headphones deliver voice really well, especially considering the form factor. Even on a noisy and windy street in the windy weather the interlocutor hears all the words well, do not have to interrupt.

What about battery life?

The headphones are powered by 61 mAh batteries, and the case has a 472 mAh battery. From the case, the headphones can be charged 4 times. The case supports fast and wireless charging. The manufacturer promises up to 5 hours of operation with active noise cancellation and up to 7.5 hours without ANC. In real life, the battery life is approximately as claimed. I got about 4 hours and 30 minutes with noise cancelling. But at high volume.

Bottom line: three things to know about Samsung Galaxy Buds2:

• Samsung Galaxy Buds2 are compact, lightweight and comfortable TWS headphones.
• Long lasting on a single charge and support wireless charging.
• They are dust and water resistant to IPX2 standard.

For those who want to know more:

• Noble Audio Falcon Pro Review
• Sony WH-1000XM4 review: Still the best full-size noise-canceling headphones