the basics with a taste of Buds Pro [análise/vídeo]

The Galaxy Buds 2 were loaned by Samsung and will be returned to the company after testing. For more information, visit site.net/etica.

Design, comfort and case

Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 ()

Galaxy Buds 2 doesn’t have the iconic bean shape of Buds Live or the sophistication of Buds Pro. Samsung has invested in a simple design without providing fancy details on the body, but that’s not a negative fact. The material used seems to be of good quality and the ball shape makes me happy to leave the devices discreet in the ear. Samsung sent us the white version, which I thought was pretty, and you can still find it in black, green and purple.

Buds 2 was very present in my routine. On the street and in the gym, headphones do not cause any discomfort. Both sit well in the ear canal, don’t generate pressure or weigh down the ear during the long hours I’ve spent listening to music. It’s worth pointing out that when they’re not fitted properly there’s a great risk of them popping out of the ear – it happened to me, it was scary, but they survived.

Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 ()

Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 ()

I enjoyed working out with the Galaxy Buds 2, but they’re not the best headphones for those who exercise regularly. While many companies offer IPX4 or IPX7, Samsung only offers IPX2, which means the product can only withstand splashing water and heavy rain can be fatal.

Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 ()

The case is inspired by that of the Galaxy Buds Pro. The manufacturer is still relying on the design of the ring box, which has worked very well. It is compact, slips easily into a trouser pocket and Samsung is to be congratulated for the finish: everything is white on the outside and the interior takes the color of the headphones. This box has an LED to control the autonomy and the USB connection for the power supply. Another highlight is wireless charging, which it already supports.

Features and Connectivity

Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 ()

Buds 2 is true wireless designed for the Galaxy ecosystem, but that doesn’t mean it won’t work on other Android and iOS devices. On its smartphones, like Apple, Samsung displays a bubble when opening the headset case and already offers pairing. Galaxy Wearable is the application that the company makes available with a set of features. You can turn noise canceling and ambient sound mode on and off, locate headphones, check battery level, and set ringtones.

It is possible to play and pause tracks, skip and rewind and adjust the volume. In general, all the controls work without problems, but only the volume control which could be more agile after the touch. The Galaxy Wearable still offers an equalizer, but it’s something simple, with preset modes, without the possibility of adjusting frequencies. If you are on iOS, I was able to use Korean devices on the iPhone, but unfortunately you are missing some features that are limited to the Samsung ecosystem.

Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 ()

Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 ()

Bluetooth 5.2 is part of the phone specifications. I like this technology to ensure energy efficiency and improve sound quality, which is our next topic. Also in terms of connectivity, the latency is practically non-existent, the wearables have an excellent behavior and do not easily lose the connection, even when the mobile phone is far away.

Sound quality and microphone

Fones Bluetooth Beats Studio Buds, Redmi Buds 3 Pro, Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 et Huawei FreeBuds 4i ()

The sound quality of the Galaxy Buds 2 won me over from the first minutes of use. It lacks the neutrality of the AirPods and Beats Studio Buds, but it offers the same power as the Huawei FreeBuds 4i and Redmi Buds 3 Pro, which I really appreciate. There’s plenty of room for bass and sub-bass, so pop, electronica and hip-hop play enthusiastically. It was also possible to identify a luminosity in the treble, a feature that we had already identified in the Galaxy Buds Pro and which does not always work well.

Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 ()

In Women, by Doja Cat, the vocal sounds get accentuated, but it’s the beats that steal the show and stand out across the range without disrupting other frequencies. This profile appeals to my full-bodied sound-loving ears, but at high volumes all that force wears out. Now his weak point is rock and MPB. It’s almost impossible to hear Tropicaliaby Caetano Veloso, due to the bubble and excessive brightness on the mids and highs.

While playing Aerosmith, the performance of To cry makes this negative point of the Galaxy Buds 2 even more obvious: the mids, highs and vocals mix and generate an annoying shrillness. Using the Galaxy Wearable’s EQ, only Smooth mode improved the sound a bit, but it was still annoying in some areas. Does all of this mean the Buds 2 sound bad? Do not. I’ve heard a lot about this generation and enjoyed performances across many tracks and genres, but there’s a limit we can’t ignore.

Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 ()

In terms of voice capture, the Galaxy Buds 2 are equipped with three microphones and the performance is as follows: there is no way to escape the compression of Bluetooth and it shows very well when communicating. With noises around, the person on the other end of the line can hear you undisturbed. They’re not best-in-class components, but they get the job done.

Noise and battery cancellation

The active noise cancellation (ANC) of the Galaxy Buds 2 positively surprised me. I found the performance to be on par with the Huawei FreeBuds 4i and it’s far superior to the Beats Studio Buds. The headphone maker explains that two microphones pick up external noise and the noise canceling technology blocks out this intrusive noise. It’s no exaggeration to say that this is one of the best ANC on a TWS headset in 2022. I tested the tech in the office, on the street, on the subway, in train stations, and in the gym. sport – it performed well in all of these environments.

Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 ()

Two things caught my attention: the feature present in the Galaxy Buds 2 does not change the pitch of the music when activated and, unlike the Redmi Buds 3 Pro, it does not generate pressure. During training, he was able to cut through the loud gym music; on the street, I had to be careful not to run the risk of being run over, as the ANC handles the sounds of cars, motorbikes and other everyday noises well. In the São Paulo metro, it managed to drastically reduce the noise of the locomotive, but it did not protect the loud voices of some people close to me in the same way.

Ambient mode, which lets you hear what’s going on around you without having to remove the headset, is a bit overdone and aggressive. Depending on the location, the noise that enters the microphones can be annoying due to the intensity. It might be more natural, at least you won’t have to rely on this feature all the time and it can be disabled easily.

Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 ()

Starting with autonomy, Samsung specifies the following: the Galaxy Buds 2 can play for 5 consecutive hours with ANC and, accompanied by the case, it advances to 20 hours. If we analyze well, these are numbers that are not impressive, given that there are headphones that deliver six, seven and even eight hours of sound. During a test day, we had this result: the right Buds rang for 7h14min and the left Buds went off 16 minutes later. They were playing with the ANC on and the volume at 50%, so a very good result.

Samsung Galaxy Buds 2: is it worth it?

Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 ()

The Galaxy Buds 2 aren’t Samsung’s best TWS headphones at the moment, but they’re definitely a good choice for those looking for an affordable gadget with active noise cancellation. For those already in the Galaxy ecosystem, you’ll benefit from the smooth integration between devices and exclusive features and experiences. This does not mean, however, that users of other systems have been forgotten at the barbecue. Buds 2 works well on iPhone and other Android smartphones even without offering Galaxy Wearable features.

Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 ()

The headphones are still a good upgrade from the Galaxy Buds+. You have excellent active noise cancellation here, the sound quality has been improved, with good bass and sub-bass. There is, yes, a problem in the mids and highs with more complex songs, but only discerning ears should complain about that. Samsung has always made a big deal of connectivity, but it was coy about IP protection, sidelining physical users.

With the Redmi Buds 3 Pro on the market, the Buds 2 arrive to annoy Xiaomi’s newest popular noise canceling TWS. And, today, the Buds 3 Pro would be my preference for three reasons: the design, the exceptional sound and the IPX4. Both models are great, but the Galaxy has more negatives and will better serve those already inside Samsung. Despite this, those who choose Buds 2 because they like and trust the South Korean manufacturer more will hardly regret it.

Samsung Galaxy Buds 2

benefits

• The phone has excellent bass and sub-bass
• Minimalist and comfortable design
• Exciting features, even more so for those in the brand ecosystem
• Effective active noise cancellation
• Microphones are good for video calls

The inconvenients

• Mids and highs can get tangled up easily
• Water protection is shy
• Ambient sound is too exaggerated

–