Samsung Galaxy Buds2 review: No-frills wireless earbuds with joyful sound

Inspired by the company's flagship Galaxy Buds Pro, the earbuds boast a minimal design, dual audio drivers, active noise cancellation, and wireless charging

The Galaxy Buds2 is a pair of wireless earbuds from South Korean electronics maker Samsung. Inspired by the company’s flagship Galaxy Buds Pro (review), these earbuds boast a minimal design, dual audio drivers, active noise cancellation (ANC), and wireless charging. Starting with the design, these earphones are quite like the Buds Pro, only without fancy decorations. Though the earbuds look minimal yet premium, their glossy finish and neat contours make them handling-agnostic. Likewise, the earbuds’ square-shaped case with rounded edges requires caution while handling due to its glossy profile. On the positive side, it is lightweight and compact, and slides easily even in the most cramped spaces.

Coming on to the fit, the earbuds come with three pairs of silicone ear tips of different sizes. These ear tips are soft and comfortable. They provide snug fit and the earbuds latch well into the ears. The earbuds’ lightweight design and comfortable ear tips make them unnoticeable to users even after extended use. A caveat, the earbuds are IPX2-rated, meaning no protection against dust and limited protection (splash) against water.

In terms of features, the Galaxy Buds2 sticks to the fundamentals. Packed with dual audio drivers, the earbuds offer ANC as one of its core features. While the ANC intensity is rock solid, it is not adjustable. Thankfully, Samsung has retained the three-level ambient noise sound volume of the Galaxy Pro here. For the uninitiated, the active noise cancelling feature comes in handy when you want to isolate yourself from ambient noise by filtering the outside noise. The ambient sound volume feature is quite the opposite. It helps users stay connected with what is happening around while using the earbuds.

Besides features related to ANC and ambient sound, there also are other features like pre-set equalisers, read notifications aloud, and ambient sound during calls that improve the user experience. The value-added features are, however, managed through the Samsung Galaxy Wearable app, which is available only for Android smartphones.

As for the performance, the Galaxy Buds2 is good for listening to music, podcasts, and any other form of audio, but not so much for calls. The audio output is refined and the earbuds sound good, irrespective of what music genre you prefer. As for calls, the Galaxy Buds2 struggles to pick up voice in environments with heavy ambient noise. Even in calm environments, the voice call experience is anything but good.

As for the battery, the earbuds deliver a modest on-battery time of about four hours on a single charge. Charging time is decent, if not good. Thankfully, the case supports wireless charging, which is not quick but comes as a saviour, especially if you have a smartphone that supports reverse wireless charging.

Verdict

Priced at Rs 11,999, the Galaxy Buds2 is a pair of no-frills wireless earbuds with joyful sound. It, however, is not the best you get for the price. The company’s flagship Galaxy Buds Pro are miles ahead across parameters. Importantly, they are available on Samsung online store at 9,990. Outside the Samsung ecosystem, the OPPO Enco X (review), OnePlus Buds Pro (review), and Nothing ear (1) (review) are some of the good options you might like to consider.