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Samsung is no stranger to wireless headphones, but the predecessors of Galaxy Buds have never done as much experience as this new model. Arriving alongside the Samsung Galaxy S10, the Galaxy Buds promise the comfort of the AirPods but with the type of customization that Android fans love. With a price of $ 129, though, is it too good to be true?
Design and comfort
After last year's Samsung Gear IconX, the design of the Galaxy Buds is hardly surprising. Unlike AirPods, Samsung's headphones nestle in your ear. They are made of matt white plastic for my magazine set, but Samsung is also available in black and yellow versions – with a silicone tip and a rubber fin that conspires to hold each button in place. An IPX2 index means that drops of water and perspiration will not be a problem, but it will rain less.
The outer panel is finished with a pearlescent panel that is also the main control interface. Pressing toggles between play and pause, while you double-tap a track if you are listening to music, answering or ending a call. Three taps brings you back a track.
What happens when you tap and hold is customizable. You can turn it on in the Galaxy Buds ambient sound mode, playing outside audio if you need to hear an announcement, speak briefly with someone, or have the volume adjusted. Alternatively, a long press may call your digital assistant of choice.
Then there is the case of charge. It is significantly smaller than the case provided by Samsung with the Gear IconX, although the shape of the oversized pill is the same. However, it is still bigger and heavier than the case of Apple for AirPods. The lid is closed by a magnet powerful enough, which is welcome: I do not think it might open accidentally in my bag, while I saw AirPod vibrate inadvertently before. The fact that the casing has an external charging LED also gives it bonus points.
Samsung offers three different ear buds and three sets of wings in the box. I found it a lot easier to get the right fit for my ear; On the other hand, the AirPods never feel quite like they would stay in place if I do something more energetic than walking casually. Meanwhile, the Galaxy Buds remained in place even while jogging and did not feel uncomfortable.
Configuration and control
The process of coupling Apple between AirPods and iPhone is a thing of beauty, as the experience between the Samsung Galaxy Buds and an Android phone. As soon as I opened the headset case near a Galaxy S10 +, a dialog box appeared on the screen and offered you to pair them. Four boxes of permissions then followed – making sure I knew the Galaxy Buds would be able to control the phone, among other things – and then they were connected.
Subsequently, every time I opened the case and threw a Galaxy Bud in my ear, the connection was reestablished. The experience with an iPhone was less elegant: I had to enter the iOS settings and connect via the Bluetooth menu. Nevertheless, once paired, they worked as expected.
Samsung however offers a Galaxy Wearable application for Android, which escapes you with an iPhone. This is where you set up the touch control functions, set the surround sound mode, adjust the equalizer, and view the battery status.
There is a surprising amount of customization possible. You can have different actions at the long press for the left and right earbuds, or completely disable the touch keys. The equalizer has five modes: Bass boost; Soft; Dynamic; Clear; and Treble Boost. For notifications, you can choose the applications whose alerts are reported through the Galaxy Buds and whether they will still be read even if you are actively using your phone.
Something I missed was the automatic pause of the music when you released a Galaxy Bud. It's something the AirPods offer, and that I really appreciated. Instead, I had to think about typing first to pause before removing the listener.
The other important feature is Find My Earbuds. As you can imagine, it is designed to help you when you inadvertently lose a Galaxy Bud between the cushions of the sofa or in the depths of your bag. This causes them to emit a powerful sound that makes tracking easier.
Audio quality and ambient sound
For me, wireless headsets have always been a matter of convenience and then audio quality. The speed with which AirPods connect means that I am more likely to place them quickly for a call or to listen to a song. I had the pleasure of discovering that Galaxy Buds tick the same boxes.
Samsung's snugger-fit is paying off when it comes to removing external noise and emphasizing bass. When the equalizer is off, the overall response of Galaxy Buds is relatively flat. I found myself wanting a bit more low-end, something that the Dynamic setting solved by adding the thud that I was looking for.
Similarly, although Galaxy Buds do not compete with audiophile headphones with their treble, AirPods often have a glare that is often missing. Again, it depends largely on the best seal with your ears provided by the ear tips of Samsung. Given the price of $ 129, I was always a little surprised that I much prefer the sound of Galaxy Buds to that of Apple's headphones.
Of course, the advantage of the AirPod cut is that you are not completely isolated, even when you wear them. Ambient Sound mode attempts to solve this problem for the Galaxy Buds by mixing some of the external noise with what you are listening to. You may not want to turn it on if you want to block the world in flight, but if you do exercise while listening to music, having some ambient sound in the Galaxy Buds can help you avoid putting yourself in front. a car.
An optional focus of the voice focuses on frequencies common to the human voice, transforming Galaxy Galaxy into a hearing aid. For calls, the earpieces automatically switch between the two microphones of each, depending on the ambient noise level. The callers said that I could sometimes seem a little distant, but I had no problem hearing them.
Samsung uses Bluetooth 5.0, with support for A2DP, AVRCP, and HFP profiles. Galaxy Buds can deal with AAC, SBC and Samsung's proprietary evolutionary codec. I was able to leave the Galaxy S10 in a room and still have uninterrupted music next to it, even with a wall.
Battery and wireless charging
Samsung cites up to six hours of music playback with the Galaxy Buds, or five hours of talk in communication. With mainly music, interspersed with a short phone call, I spent more than 5 and a half hours, which is impressive. To recharge them, you have to put them back in the holster.
Unfortunately, the small box comes with a smaller battery. Samsung thinks it's good for seven more hours of listening, but it's your turn. In comparison, the AirPods case contains several full charges for Apple's headphones.
Where Samsung stands out, it's easy to recharge. There is a USB-C port on the back, but also a built-in Qi wireless charging function. The Galaxy Buds case sits on a wireless charger or on the back of a Galaxy S10 in Wireless PowerShare mode, and you will no longer need cables.
Verdict
Ecosystems are important. If you are an iPhone user, the Apple AirPods offer a better overall experience. Galaxy Buds will work with your iOS device, but you will miss all the customizable settings. The downside is that for most Android users, Samsung has just made the best wireless headphones available.
It sounds a little ironic, since Samsung is one of the few conservatives to offer a 3.5mm headphone jack on its phone, but the Galaxy Buds are more than enough to lose the cord. From comfort, battery life and user-friendliness to clever features such as Ambient Sound mode (not to mention the fact that they handle most types of music perfectly), they are very easy to use. versatile.
Could you find better audio quality while avoiding cords? Of course, but not for the $ 129 requested by Samsung. The wireless headset market may have been cluttered in the last twelve months, but Samsung has just given Android users a smart choice.
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