Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 wireless earbuds arrive to take on Apple AirPods

By Becky Scarrott
last updated

Our first official look at Samsung's entry-level in-ears

Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 various colourways
(Image credit: Samsung)

The rumour mill for Samsung's new true wireless earbuds has been going into overdrive of late, but now we can finally talk facts. The Galaxy Buds 2 have landed.

At 5g per bud, they are Samsung's smallest and lightest wireless earbuds to date. They boast a two-way woofer/tweeter system, active noise cancelling (which promises to nix external noise by up to 98 per cent) and an enhanced Ambient Sound mode offering three adjustable sound levels.

They also harbour three microphones per earbud (one inner with voice pickup unit for clear calls, two external beamforming) and offer a 'significantly reduced latency'.

Samsung Galaxy Buds 2

(Image credit: Samsung)

There's an auto-switch feature, for easy switching between Galaxy devices – so you could go from streaming music on your Galaxy Tab to picking up a phone call on your Flip 3, say, in an instant. Plus, with a version of the Galaxy Wearable app on your PC, you can change the Buds' settings, including noise controls and EQ tweaks. The Galaxy Wearable app also features an 'earbud fit test', to see which of the Buds 2's three eartip sizes is the best fit for you.

Although the outside of the little case is white, the buds themselves and the inside of the case come in a choice of four colours: graphite, white, olive or lavender. Battery life is claimed to be up to five hours per charge with noise cancelling turned on, with an additional 15 hours provided by the USB-C charging case. 

Bluetooth 5.2 is onboard, and Samsung's propriety codec, promising stronger signal strength and better audio quality, will be used when the buds are connected to a Galaxy smartphone or tablet. The Buds 2 also boast wearer detection, Qi wireless charging, IPX2 and USB-C quick charging. 

Galaxy Buds 2 will be available from 27th August, from £139 / €149 / AU$219 which is the same launch price as the inaugural 2019 Samsung Galaxy Buds, and you can pre-order them now. Samsung has also confirmed that, going forward, its headphone lineup will comprise the new Galaxy Buds 2, the August 2020 launched Galaxy Buds Live, and the most recent Galaxy Buds Pro; so the Galaxy Buds+, launched in early 2020, are effectively being discontinued.

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Becky Scarrott

Becky has been a full-time staff writer at What Hi-Fi? since March 2019. Prior to gaining her MA in Journalism in 2018, she freelanced as an arts critic alongside a 20-year career as a professional dancer and aerialist – any love of dance is of course tethered to a love of music. Becky has previously contributed to Stuff, FourFourTwo, This is Cabaret and The Stage. When not writing, she dances, spins in the air, drinks coffee, watches football or surfs in Cornwall with her other half – a football writer whose talent knows no bounds.