At first glance, they look pretty dang similar to the Galaxy Buds Pro I reviewed in January.
If you listen for it, the Buds Pro can push out just slightly clearer bass and more pronounced highs, but let’s be real, sound quality is pretty darn close across the board in the $150-$250 range now. You will not be picking out the subtle differences walking down the street or working out at the gym.
Simply put: The Buds 2 sound rock solid. Certainly better than regular AirPods and Pixel Buds Series-A, which cost $160 and $100, respectively.
Comfort is paramount when you want to wear the Buds 2 for hours on end. Battery life is an average 5 hours with ANC and 7.5 hours with ANC off. With the case, you get 20 hours of total ANC music playback and 29 hours without ANC. With ANC, Buds 2 last 30 minutes longer than AirPods Pro and on par with Buds Pro and Echo Buds 2. But Sony’s WF-1000XM4’s 8 hours of ANC is untouchable (for now).
Standard controls
Each bud has a touch pad for controls. Single tap to play/pause. Double-tap to go to the next track. Triple-tap to return to previous song. Long press on each bud to switch between ANC and ambient mode. You can also use the Wear app to customize the long-press if, say, you want it to control the volume, activate Bixby (oof), or launch and play Spotify.
If you’ve got an Android phone and want ANC wireless earbuds, the Buds 2 hit all the right notes. Echo Buds 2 regularly sell for $90, but Buds 2 look better IMO. If you’re on iPhone: Nothing beats AirPods unless you hate the stems. In which case, get the Buds 2 unless you desire longer battery life.