Samsung's New Galaxy Buds+ Compared to AirPods and AirPods Pro

[MacRumors]

Samsung at its Unpacked Event in San Francisco this week unveiled the new Galaxy Z Flip and the S20 smartphone lineup, and accompanying its new flagship devices, Samsung also launched its next-generation wire-free earbuds, the Galaxy Buds+.

In our latest YouTube video, we took a look at the new Galaxy Buds+ to test them out, and we did a quick comparison with the AirPods and the AirPods Pro.

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Design wise, the Galaxy Buds+ look pretty much identical to the original Galaxy Buds, but there's an extra microphone that's been added and the charging case now has a glossy finish instead of a matte finish. The size, fit, and comfort are unchanged.

The Galaxy Buds+ are closer in design to the AirPods Pro than the AirPods because of the soft silicone tips that fit into the ear canal to provide a tighter seal, but there is no noise canceling technology included in the Galaxy Buds+.

With the second-generation version of the Galaxy Buds, Samsung aimed to improve audio quality for music and phone calls along with battery life, both of which do seem to be better. The Galaxy Buds+ now last for 11 hours before needing to be recharged with the case, and the sound seems to be improved.

Though closer in design to the AirPods Pro, the price point and the functionality of the Galaxy Buds+ better matches the standard AirPods. The Galaxy Buds+ are $149, so $10 cheaper than the standard AirPods without charging case and $100 cheaper than the AirPods Pro.

There are touch controls on each Galaxy Bud+ earbud, which can be used to play/pause, skip tracks, and activate voice assistants. Those are the only three functions available when connecting the Galaxy Buds+ to the iPhone, but with an Android device, the long press function can be customized to auto-launch Spotify.

Samsung also offers tools for controlling ambient sound levels (though we didn't notice much of a difference with this enabled), and adjusting the sound profile. There are a few preset options for increasing bass or treble and there's an option for making audio more dynamic or soft. There's no true equalizer function, but it's better than what's available for AirPods, which is nothing.

Galaxy Buds+ on Android can read notifications to you, a function not available when using them with the iPhone. AirPods offer a similar function in iOS 13, allowing Siri to announce incoming messages.

Galaxy Buds+ can also be connected to multiple devices at the same time such as a TV and an Android phone so you can hear incoming notifications, but this is not a feature that works when using them with an iPhone.

Overall, the Galaxy Buds+ audio seems to be improved and they sound better than the AirPods, but there's not a huge difference. There is a major difference in sound quality compared to the AirPods Pro in favor of the AirPods Pro, but that's probably not a fair comparison given the Galaxy Buds+ are $100 cheaper and not meant to compete with Apple's noise canceling headphones.

Android users who have considered getting AirPods for their smartphones might want to consider the Galaxy Buds+ instead, but those who use both iOS and Android may still want to go for the regular AirPods because of the H1 chip functionality. The H1 chip in the AirPods and AirPods Pro powers hands-free "Hey Siri" requests, improves connectivity and improves range, and also enables fast switching between Apple devices connected to the same iCloud account.

What do you think of Samsung's improved Galaxy Buds+? Let us know in the comments.


Article Link: Samsung's New Galaxy Buds+ Compared to AirPods and AirPods Pro

 

[Aston441]

Extra microphone is intriguing. That may actually make them usable.

Can you do a spectrographic frequency response comparison (of the microphones) with the Airpods, for objective data?

Even the latest AirPods generation microphone is horrible compared to plain old cheap wired EarPods.
🎧

 

[kgelner]

"those who use both iOS and Android may still want to go for the regular AirPods because of the H1 chip functionality."

Not sure it's fair to drop a line like that at the end of a review, without at least a mention of what the H1 chip does for those not familiar... Not everyone follows the progression of chips from W1 to H1 and so on.

For those wondering, a really over-simplified description is that the H1 chips help improve bluetooth connections, support "Hey Siri" and improve power use.

 

[fmcshan]

I love how the Galaxy Buds+ are $100 cheaper than Apple’s AirPods Pro and have 11 hours of battery life — that’s more than double the 4.5 hour battery life of the AirPods Pro. I do favor audio quality, however, so I’d rather spend the extra $100 to get better sound quality and active noise cancellation.

 

[Ankaa]

And still not waterproof nor internal storage :-/ the first iteration of Samsung's earbuds at least had internal storage...

I still feel ALL of them are missing the mark of active use. And it's not even exactly rocket science to come to that conclusion....the friggin Apple Watch has internal storage for music...

 

[bpeeps]

"those who use both iOS and Android may still want to go for the regular AirPods because of the H1 chip functionality."

Not sure it's fair to drop a line like that at the end of a review, without at least a mention of what the H1 chip does for those not familiar... Not everyone follows the progression of chips from W1 to H1 and so on.

For those wondering, a really over-simplified description is that the H1 chips help improve bluetooth connections, support "Hey Siri" and improve power use.

Chances are, if you're here, you know what it is or can easily find the answer.

 

[4492865]

"those who use both iOS and Android may still want to go for the regular AirPods because of the H1 chip functionality."

Not sure it's fair to drop a line like that at the end of a review, without at least a mention of what the H1 chip does for those not familiar... Not everyone follows the progression of chips from W1 to H1 and so on.

For those wondering, a really over-simplified description is that the H1 chips help improve bluetooth connections, support "Hey Siri" and improve power use.

And Bose has been able to switch between 2 devices seamlessly without requiring H1, whereas Apple still can't figure out automatically which device I'm using and requires me to manually switch. Other than the initial pairing, I see no benefits in these chips.

 

[Rocko99991]

Looks like they could have foam tips on them as well.

 

[jclo]

"those who use both iOS and Android may still want to go for the regular AirPods because of the H1 chip functionality."

Not sure it's fair to drop a line like that at the end of a review, without at least a mention of what the H1 chip does for those not familiar... Not everyone follows the progression of chips from W1 to H1 and so on.

For those wondering, a really over-simplified description is that the H1 chips help improve bluetooth connections, support "Hey Siri" and improve power use.

Fair enough. I've added a mention of what the H1 chip does for anyone who is not already familiar with AirPods functionality.

 

[metalsiren]

I ordered a pair to try out.....(kind of a headset junkie) in the video he is wrong about not getting the multipoint connection... this is straight form Samsung website

Multi-point connection is available with devices using Bluetooth 5.0.

it doesn't say Android only

 

[Brian Riccio]

Oh for Christ's Sake. Why do they bother?

 

[dannyyankou]

I love how the Galaxy Buds+ are $100 cheaper than Apple’s AirPods Pro and have 11 hours of battery life — that’s more than double the 4.5 hour battery life of the AirPods Pro. I do favor audio quality, however, so I’d rather spend the extra $100 to get better sound quality and active noise cancellation.

Yeah AirPods were best in class on battery life for a while, but Samsung has stepped it up big time. Hopefully AirPods Pro 2 have improved battery.

 

[nortonandreev]

“sound better than the ‌AirPods‌, but there's not a huge difference. There is a major difference in sound quality compared to the ‌AirPods Pro‌ in favor of the ‌AirPods Pro”

How is this true as I have both AirPods (Gen 2) and AirPods Pro and they sound exactly the same.

 

[oceptis]

So what would “super drastic” look/sound/feel like. I don’t really have a reference for that. 😂 I’m just funnin’ yah.

 

[Cycom]

And Bose has been able to switch between 2 devices seamlessly without requiring H1, whereas Apple still can't figure out automatically which device I'm using and requires me to manually switch. Other than the initial pairing, I see no benefits in these chips.

This essentially mirrors my experience with them.

 

[FightTheFuture]

And Bose has been able to switch between 2 devices seamlessly without requiring H1, whereas Apple still can't figure out automatically which device I'm using and requires me to manually switch. Other than the initial pairing, I see no benefits in these chips.

How does that work? How do Bose (you don’t specify which headset) know the difference between my MacBook Pro and Apple Watch and just start working with it?

 

[4492865]

How does that work? How do Bose (you don’t specify which headset) know the difference between my MacBook Pro and Apple Watch and just start working with it?

it has two simultaneous connections to the last two devices you paired with, and picks up the sound from whatever device is broadcasting sound when you the headphones on. It's the QuietComfort 35. I don't know how they do it, but I can switch between iPad and iPhone instantly.

I would have expected Apple's approach to be smarter than that and somehow magically figure out that if start the music app on my phone and have my AirPods in that that's where I want the sound to go.

 

[69Mustang]

Galaxy Buds+ can also be connected to multiple devices at the same time such as a TV and an Android phone so you can hear incoming notifications, but this is not a feature that works when using them with an iPhone.

Are you guys sure about this? As @metalsiren mentioned, multi-point connection isn't OS or OEM (Dan's Samsung TV example) dependent. It works for devices with BT 5.0 capability so iPhones 8 and above should be compatible with the feature.

 

[niho]

And Bose has been able to switch between 2 devices seamlessly without requiring H1, whereas Apple still can't figure out automatically which device I'm using and requires me to manually switch. Other than the initial pairing, I see no benefits in these chips.

Yes, exactly. My Bose auto switch , is far more superior than Airpods Pro. It can connect to 2 devices at the same time. If i'm watching something on my iMac and receive a call on my phone, it automatically picks the iPhone connection.
To be fair, most of the latest bluetooth devices can do that. I'm not sure why Apple doesn't support such simple feature and still brag about superiority of the h1-w1 chips. I guess Airpods were designed by someone who doesn't use Bluetooth headphones regularly, and doesn't understand basic needs.

 

[nylonsteel]

good video review
aapl-sung earpods all are getting better
waiting for smaller footprint or ear print...ugh

 

[code-m]

“sound better than the ‌AirPods‌, but there's not a huge difference. There is a major difference in sound quality compared to the ‌AirPods Pro‌ in favor of the ‌AirPods Pro”

How is this true as I have both AirPods (Gen 2) and AirPods Pro and they sound exactly the same.

Confirmation Bias plus something cost more thus it should be better or just user opinion. That is why I don't bother with these types of reviews, people have a range of sound, colour, etc that they can perceive we are all unique in this way. Just because something sounds good to a given reviewer does not mean I have the same experience.

Come now, I have had my AirPods Pro connect easily and at times would not even be recognized by my iPhone. I would not call any wireless standard bullet proof, though it has gotten better over the years.

 

[Syk]

And Bose has been able to switch between 2 devices seamlessly without requiring H1, whereas Apple still can't figure out automatically which device I'm using and requires me to manually switch. Other than the initial pairing, I see no benefits in these chips.

Same. I'm disappointed that I can't watch my AppleTV and not get notifications from my phone or even better yet when I leave the house they auto connect to my phone instead of me having to manually do it.

 

[somethingelsefl]

remember when the forum was LIT UP with people saying AirPods were a failure. “The design is garbage” “people will lose them” “too expensive”

and now AirPods seem to be a benchmark for other competition

 

[nvmls]

“sound better than the ‌AirPods‌, but there's not a huge difference. There is a major difference in sound quality compared to the ‌AirPods Pro‌ in favor of the ‌AirPods Pro”

How is this true as I have both AirPods (Gen 2) and AirPods Pro and they sound exactly the same.

Heh Apple's marketing effect?

 

[DeepIn2U]

And still not waterproof nor internal storage :-/ the first iteration of Samsung's earbuds at least had internal storage...

I still feel ALL of them are missing the mark of active use. And it's not even exactly rocket science to come to that conclusion....the friggin Apple Watch has internal storage for music...

you've pretty much answered why no internal storage on the earbuds are needed or useful for marketing.
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remember when the forum was LIT UP with people saying AirPods were a failure. “The design is garbage” “people will lose them” “too expensive”

and now AirPods seem to be a benchmark for other competition

Yup include me in that former camp! I'm making my second trip back to AirPods Pro ... but this time they just may get a colorware matte-black paint job. My XM3's still may have better sound quality and not get pulled out my ears as easily as the APP's would (when taking off my shirt, hoodie or tuke this winter BUT they're a LOT smaller and the left earbud will not fall out over 1hour of use like the XM3's nor when I'm chewing gum. Most importantly is the IP rating for sweat resistance I can rely on now that I'm back in the gym.