Tiny little earbuds that sound great and have some of the best noise cancelation technology yet… that’s the promise from Samsung with the newest Galaxy Buds Pro. Can they really pack this much punch in such a small package? I took the new Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro for a test.
Hardware
The Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro come in a charging case that is almost exactly the same size and design as the charging case for the previous Galaxy Buds live. It’s rounded and slick. Open it up and the buds are nestled inside charging up and ready for you to use them. Just like previous buds as soon as you open the case your Samsung phone will recognize that you’re ready to use the buds and bring up a prompt showing the current battery level of each bud.
The buds look sleek but definitely have a bulkier appearance compared to the Buds Live. This makes sense when you realize how much tech they managed to pack inside! The Buds Pro literally have two speakers inside, an 11mm woofer and a 6.5mm tweeter. On top of that there are 3 microphones built-in that help to block out background noise. The Buds Pro are designed to fit snug into your ear and there are 3 sizes of rubber tips included.
The outside of the buds are touch sensitive buttons. You setup various taps and double taps to do different things. Personally, I found myself pausing my music by accident more than I actually used the touch buttons. I prefer controlling things on my phone but you might like the touch buttons. They are customizable and can be turned on/off in the app.
Battery life is pretty good and Samsung promises 8 hours on a single charge. You’ll get less as you start turning on those features like noise cancellation.
In my testing, I really like the case and I like the look of the Buds Pro. They fit into my ears but I wasn’t totally convinced they would stay in. I tried all 3 different sized rubber tips and I just couldn’t find that perfect fit. You sort of twist the buds when you put them in and it locks them in place but for some reason it never really felt snug. They didn’t fall out but they felt a touch lose to me. Compare this to the bean-shaped Buds Live that fit like a glove. Perhaps I’m doing something wrong. Perhaps I have weird ears! You may have a better fit but I want any expensive earbud to feel tight in my ear so I don’t lose them.
How does it sound?
Pretty dang amazing! Those two speakers pack some serious sound. There’s no way they can provide the deep tones you’ll get with over the ear “can” headphones but these are some of the best sounding earbuds I have ever tested. The bass is good, voices are crisp and it just sounds bright. You won’t be disappointed with the sound.
What the heck is ANC?
Active Noise Cancellation was previously something reserved for larger headphones but Samsung is proving that you can build this into earbuds and do it well. Samsung says it can block out 99% of ambient noise. In my testing, it works amazingly well!
Problem is, not everyone wants all of that sound blocked out. Samsung lets you adjust the ANC level. There’s even a feature that will automatically turn ANC off when it hears a voice. It’ll leave it off for 10 seconds and then turn it back on. This is a great idea! Block out the noise but turn it down when someone talks to me or I start talking. Well done!
Overall
Samsung packed an astonishing amount of tech into these tiny little earbuds. They sound good, look good and do a great job of blocking out ambient noise when you want them to. I never quite felt that perfect fit but you might have better luck with the included rubber tips. None the less, there’s no question that these are some of the best Bluetooth earbuds you’ll find and a great option at $200.
You can buy them at most major stores or directly from Samsung.