Samsung Galaxy Buds2

The Galaxy Buds2 are the middle of Samsung's TWS lineup, standing between the Buds+ and Buds Pro. From the first they took the cost (about $ 130), and from the second a good half of the filling. The result was a very interesting model, in which the manufacturer managed to maintain the very notorious price / quality ratio.

Design

Buds2 received a matte teardrop-shaped case, the same as the Buds Pro, but slightly reduced and not as ergonomic. Headphones are offered in 4 colours: black, purple, white or olive.

The silicone tips and the interior of the case are colour-coded, which looks quite stylish. But on the outside, the case is only white, also glossy, as, indeed, the headphones themselves, and this is just a magnet for prints. Nevertheless, the case is pleasant to the touch, fits comfortably in the hand and in the jeans pocket. The lid opens with one hand, with a pleasant effort, and the closer makes opening and closing quiet and smooth.

User comfort

The fit of the earbuds is average. As soon as you turn your head a little, they begin to slowly fall out of your ears. Of course, they will withstand a light jog, warm-up or calm yoga classes, but less. In general, the model is not for active sports. But the Buds2 sit quite comfortably and do not irritate even when worn for a long time, the ears “breathe” in them.

Actually, the headphones themselves will tell you how to properly place them in the ear canal so that the use is as convenient as possible and the sound is natural. To do this, they have built-in wear sensors, and in the proprietary Galaxy Wearable application there is a special setting option. The chip is cool, unless you think that due to it you had to save on dust and water protection. For, unlike the Buds Pro, which are protected according to the IPX7 standard, the Buds2 only have IPX2 drop protection, so it’s better not to get into them in the rain and, moreover, not to drop them into the water.

Control

The model has multifunctional touch control, in particular, volume control, as well as support for the Bixby voice assistant, but it is not yet available in all countries. There are no false positives, but the high sensitivity of the touch zones sometimes becomes a minus — adjusting the headphones, it is almost impossible not to touch the sensor and pause the track. Infrared motion sensors also work correctly, but only if you remove both headphones at once. However, if you insert them back, playback will not resume.

Noise suppression

Passive noise isolation works well, external sounds are heard as if through cotton wool, and if you turn on active noise reduction, they will disappear altogether. At the same time, the “noise reduction” works quite aggressively, sometimes causing fatigue and a feeling of pressure in the head, but you cannot configure its operation, as in the Buds Pro. For those who want to be aware of what is happening "outside", there is a sound transparency mode with three intensity divisions. But it is worth remembering that in this case you will hear the sound with a slight delay.

Call quality

Voice quality in Buds2 is predictably high, as three microphones, a bone conduction sensor and a new speech purification technology based on machine learning algorithms are responsible for it. Gusts of wind, a busy office and even the sounds of the freeway practically do not interfere with talking, except that your voice may seem slightly unnatural, but these are trifles, you see.

battery life

On a single charge, the earphones work up to 5 hours with noise reduction turned on and up to 7.5 hours without it. Add here three charges from the case and we get an average day of battery life. Not bad, although not the best result. The same cheaper Huawei FreeBuds 4i last 3 hours longer on a single charge. But I was pleasantly impressed by the fast charging mode. In just 10 minutes, the headphones can be charged up to 40%. In addition, like the Buds Pro, the Buds2 support Qi wireless charging.

sound

The sound does not amaze with detail, but it is well balanced and does not have a pronounced "genre orientation". With the same pleasure, you can listen to dance music, and jazz, and classics ... Bass is a little highlighted, but at the same time devoid of boominess, the middle is even, and the treble is bright, but without "sand" and ringing.

Of the Buds2 codecs, they support standard SBC, a slightly more advanced AAC, and the proprietary Scalable Codec, which, according to Samsung, is better than aptX, and pulls the bitrate up to 512 Kbps, but it naturally works only with the manufacturer's smartphones.

In general, Samsung turned out to be very good headphones. The Galaxy Buds2 definitely has a lot to praise, and almost nothing to criticize. Is that for IPX2 and not a very confident fit. If these are stumbling blocks for you, consider the Galaxy Buds Pro, but keep in mind that you will have to pay a good extra for them.