Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 launch: impressively cheap, but is it enough?
Date:
Wed, 11 Aug 2021 14:01:20 +0000
Description:
The new Samsung Galaxy Buds true wireless earbuds are here to take the fight (again) to Apple's AirPods Pro.
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The Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 are finally here, following months of high profile leaks and speculation.
The latest true wireless earbuds in the Galaxy range, the Buds 2 have been announced alongside the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 smartphone at the company's Unpacked event . Read our Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 hands on review The best true wireless earbuds you can buy Check out our Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro
review
They're the follow-up to the original Galaxy Buds , which were released in 2019 as an Android-friendly alternative to Apple's AirPods .
Since then, we've seen multiple models in the range, including the Galaxy
Buds Plus , Galaxy Buds Live , and Galaxy Buds Pro but this is the first
time we've seen a true successor to the entry level, original Galaxy Buds.
As we expected, the Galaxy Buds 2 come with a cheaper price compared to the rest of the range.
Available to buy from August 27 in four stylish colors (graphite, white,
olive and lavender), they'll cost you $149.99 / AU$219 that works out at about 100, but we're still waiting for confirmation on the UK price.
Compared to the originals, the new Galaxy Buds 2 come with a range of upgrades, including active noise cancellation, an ambient mode for when you want to hear your surroundings, and a "machine learning-based" technology
that should help to filter out annoying background sounds when you're making phone calls.
Audio-wise, the Buds 2 should sound better than their predecessors thanks to dynamic two-way drivers these are similar to the drivers seen in the Galaxy Buds Pro, which we found to be the best-sounding Samsung earbuds you can buy today.
According to Samsung, the Galaxy Buds 2 are its lightest and smallest earbuds yet at just 5g. You should be able to find a comfy fit too, thanks to an earbud test within the Galaxy Wearable app. (Image credit: Samsung) Analysis: a(nother) new rival for the Apple AirPods Pro?
The fact that the Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 offer active noise cancellation and what looks like a really stylish design in a range of cool colors for a much lower price than the AirPods Pro could give Apple something to worry about.
However, the new Galaxy Buds do come with some drawbacks. For starters, they only have an IPX2 water resistance rating, while the AirPods Pro boast an
IPX4 rating. That means the Galaxy Buds 2 probably won't be suitable for use in heavy rain, or while working out if you're prone to sweat.
The battery life leaves something to be desired, too. If you have ANC
switched on, you can expect 5 hours of playback from the buds themselves, and a further 15 hours from the charging case.
That's less than the AirPods Pro, as well as class-leading models like the Sony WF-1000XM4 . (Image credit: Samsung)
Those are minor setbacks when you consider the relatively low price of the Galaxy Buds 2. But, we don't think they'll pose any real threat to the
AirPods Pro, and that's partly down to the sheer number of wireless earbuds models Samsung has released over the last two years.
Releasing so many new models in quick succession could mean that people start to lose interest after all, why would you buy a pair of Galaxy Buds if you can be fairly certain a new and better version will launch in around six months?
Perhaps Samsung will slow down now that it's released a follow up to the original Galaxy Buds and so it should if it wants to build up the kind of hype we've seen around rumored AirPods models like the AirPods 3 and AirPods Pro 2 . Apple AirPods 3 price, release date, and rumors
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Link to news story:
https://www.techradar.com/news/samsung-galaxy-buds-2-launch-impressively-cheap -but-is-it-enough/
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