Optus Mobile Review ALDI Mobile Review Amaysim Mobile Review Belong Mobile Review Circles.Life Review Vodafone Mobile Review Woolworths Mobile Review Felix Mobile Review Best iPhone Plans Best Family Mobile Plans Best Budget Smartphones Best Prepaid Plans Best SIM-Only Plans Best Plans For Kids And Teens Best Cheap Mobile Plans Telstra vs Optus Mobile Optus NBN Review Belong NBN Review Vodafone NBN Review Superloop NBN Review Aussie BB NBN Review iiNet NBN Review MyRepublic NBN Review TPG NBN Review Best NBN Satellite Plans Best NBN Alternatives Best NBN Providers Best Home Wireless Plans What is a Good NBN Speed? Test NBN Speed How to speed up your internet Optus vs Telstra Broadband ExpressVPN Review CyberGhost VPN Review NordVPN Review PureVPN Review Norton Secure VPN Review IPVanish VPN Review Windscribe VPN Review Hotspot Shield VPN Review Best cheap VPN services Best VPN for streaming Best VPNs for gaming What is a VPN? VPNs for ad-blocking The pair do however have an ever-so-slightly heightened high-end. While not sibilant, it made the treble-heavy “Humming” by Portishead a little too sharp. It was the same case with the brass in Radiohead’s “The National Anthem”. Despite these quirks, the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro are some of the best-sounding earbuds we’ve tested, rivalling the Sony WF-1000XM4s. Noise cancelling is paired with a transparency mode that lets you filter in the world around you. It works well enough, but doesn’t quite sound as natural as what Apple’s achieved in its earbuds and headphones. If you own a Samsung phone or tablet, you also get a couple of exclusive features. Those with a Galaxy device running One UI 4 or higher can listen to music in 24-bit high resolution using the Buds 2 Pro. Streaming services including Apple Music and TIDAL offer this to their customers, but it’s not exactly widely available. In my test, I honestly couldn’t hear much of a difference going back and forth between 24-bit versions of tracks and the standard quality option in Apple Music. I’m sure some can, but any improvement in sound is hard to perceive on the Buds 2 Pro. It’s not like jumping between standard definition and high definition. The Buds 2 Pro also support 360-degree spatial audio in apps that support Dolby Atmos. This can be neat in movies, but a bit gimmick when it comes to music. I have heard some damn good Atmos mixes, however - A-Ha’s “Take On Me”, for example. Both of these are nice to have, just unlikely to be the features that define the Galaxy Buds 2. From a design perspective, the Galaxy Buds Pro 2 are 15% smaller than their predecessors and weigh in at just 5.5g. It’s hard to call them subtle - especially if you opt for the white or purple colourways - but they’re very comfortable, even with extended usage. Samsung has also moved to a matte aesthetic, which is a welcome change. It makes them fairly fingerprint resistant. The Galaxy Buds 2 Pro fall down when it comes to the on-bud controls. Every action is activated by a series of taps, which can sometimes press the earbud further into your ear - especially on a triple tap. They’re also a little too easy to trigger if you’re just trying to adjust an earbud. You can’t customise the gestures used for touch controls, but you can disable them entirely - on Android, at the least. Unlike some previous Samsung earbuds, the Buds 2 Pro don’t have an iOS companion app. One key omission is multi-point. While you can easily swap the Buds 2 Pro between other Samsung devices, there’s no true multi-point support here. Of course, there are plenty of those available these days. The Galaxy Buds 2 Pro aren’t quite the default for Samsung owners, but they should definitely be in the mix. They’re a no-brainer if you have multiple Galaxy devices, whether they’re phones, tablets, or watches. Similarly, the Buds 2 Pro are excellent if you can get them as a bonus or discounted when you’re buying another Samsung product, as often tends to be the case. You’re not going to feel like you’re compromising by picking the Buds 2 Pro over any other pair of earbuds. If you’re less wedded to Samsung, you might want to think about the Sony WF-1000XM4s or the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II if you want better noise-cancelling. The Buds 2 Pro do however edge the XM4s for comfort, and they look a lot sleeker than Bose’s alternative (and the case is far less intrusive). The Pixel Buds Pro are also a solid option if you want true multi-point, a longer battery, and a slightly more affordable price tag. But if you decide to pick the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro, you’re not going to be disappointed.
Sound: Obviously. Do they sound good? Comfort & Design: Are they nice to wear? Features: Is the battery good? Is the connectivity reliable? What’s the noise-cancelling like? Vibe: What’s the overall experience like? Value: Are they good for the money?
While audio products can be quite subjective for many reasons, we have standardised testing procedures across the team designed to help us look at the category in a consistent way. You can read more about how we review wireless earbuds here.
