Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 review | Light, compact, and great value

Samsung has outdone themselves with the Galaxy Buds 2. From the price to the features, they’re a versatile and comfortable pair of wireless earbuds that are affordable and smart. They sounds fantastic, they work well, and they have features that I loved.

First off, and most importantly, let’s talk about sound. The Galaxy Buds 2 are clear, they offer rich bass, with balanced mid-range and treble.

Trying out the earbuds with music, one of the best examples of how well they performed was Lorde’s “Solar Power”. The song starts out quiet, with just a bit of bass, and Lorde’s vocals then soar over the top during the bridge, and then it kicks into full-gear at the 3-minute mark. All the while, the bass grows, and these affordable earbuds hit every note just right.

Testing out the earbuds on streaming movies, watching Spider-Man: Far From Home, or Edge of Tomorrow, the Buds 2 offer a great overall experience with clear voices, good bass, and they last well over hours of use. It’s like sitting in your own private movie theatre.

And most importantly, the Buds 2 are incredibly comfortable, light, and stay in-place without having to adjust them, even during a two hour movie.

The Buds 2 design have been improved a lot compared to older versions of the Buds family. The Buds 2 are closer to the Galaxy Buds Pro, rather than the original Galaxy Buds, which were bulkier, and Buds 2 have very similar specs and features to the Buds Pro.

The Buds 2 have also have two-way dynamic speakers with three microphones, but they weigh just 5 grams each, and have comfortable silicon tips to fit into your ears. The case remains the same as the Buds Pro, which is the perfect size for storing in a pocket, and overall, while I generally prefer the Buds Pro for 360 Audio and a couple of other features, I love that the Buds 2 are smaller and lighter.

Active Noise Cancelling on the Galaxy Buds 2 is obviously one of the big features for the earbuds, and they deliver by cutting noise up to 98%.

I’ve used the Buds 2 on flights, outdoors, at home, and they work very well to help you focus on music, calls, or whatever you’re working on.

And on top of everything else, the Buds 2 are IPX2 water resistant, which means they can withstand small amounts of water in some conditions, but we’re really talking about droplets, so you still need to be a bit more careful.

Last of all, the earbuds have a few key features that I appreciated.

Touch controls can be adjusted, so you can enable and disable controls like tap or double tap, and you can choose what touch and hold does–either enabling voice commands, change noise controls, or launch Spotify. You can also now use SmartThings to find your earbuds if they get lost.

And Galaxy Auto Switch means that you can switch between Galaxy devices while using the Buds 2, and the earbuds will switch audio with you, from your phone to your tablet, for example, so you don’t have to manually change devices.

Battery life with the Buds 2 is great too. You’ll get up to 20 hours including charging with the case, and up to 5 hours in one sitting with ANC turned on. Turning ANC off will offer longer battery life, up to around 29 total hours of use.

Wired quick charging takes just 10 minutes to get 150 minutes of play, and they will charge up fully in about 1 hour.

The Galaxy Buds 2 work very well, they have a good battery life even compared against more expensive earbuds, and ANC provides a great experience in loud spaces. For Android users, and especially Samsung Galaxy owners, these are the ideal earbuds for daily use, and especially in these days of Zoom calls and remote work, a good pair of earbuds makes a big difference.

Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 are $189.99 and come in Graphite, White, Olive Green, and Lavender. Visit Samsung.ca for more information.