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Antonio Villas-Boas / Business Insider
- These three pairs of wireless earbuds from three of the biggest tech companies in the world all look completely different from each other, but at the end of the day, they are all pretty much the same.
- They all offer similar sound quality, so you’ll probably enjoy your music with one pair as much as you do with the other.
- The Google Pixel Buds edge out a higher recommendation because of their sweat and water resistance – a feature that Samsung’s Galaxy Buds Live and Apple AirPods do not have. It’s an appealing feature if you plan on working out with your wireless earbuds.
- However, if you value battery life, Samsung’s Galaxy Buds Live offers three hours more than the other two.
- Apple AirPods are good, but a bit basic for the features up front, and they may not even be the best choice for all iPhone users.
It turns out that Google, Apple and Samsung are very different about what wireless earbuds should look like, but at the end of the day, they’re all designed to produce music in your ears, and they all do that well, considering their wireless , small designs.
In fact, you would be happy with the Google Pixel Buds, Apple AirPods, like Samsung’s Galaxy Buds Live, and although they are more or less equal in sound, they are not equal in other features such as sweat and water resistance, reduction of environmental noise , and the way they actually fit in your ear.
Price
Samsung Galaxy Buds Live: $ 170 full retail price.
Google Pixel Buds: $ 179 full retail price.
Apple AirPods: $ 159 for standard AirPods. $ 199 for AirPods with wireless charging case. Deal for AirPods with wireless charging case for $ 140 from Microcenter.
Design, fit, and comfort
Samsung Galaxy Buds Live: The buds themselves look like beans, kidneys, like kidney beans, and have the most unique design of the bundle. In addition to their shiny metallic exterior, they are discreet and do not jump out of the ears. Fit can be polarizing – they do not fit me so well, at least in the way Samsung says they should fit. Recorded “wing tips” designed to help with fit do absolutely nothing.
Google Pixel Buds: Neutral, safe design that is discreet and does not completely jump out of the ears. Most secure and likely a wider range of people with smart in-ear fit with adjustable rubber tips. Comfortable, but not everyone likes the smart in-ear design.
Apple AirPods: Iconic design, but sticks out the most because of those tribes. Polarizing fit – they fit you or they do not. If they do not fit, then do not buy them. They fall out very easily. Otherwise they are comfortable and light in the ears.
Antonio Villas-Boas / Business Insider
Sound quality
Sound quality is all comparable under these earbuds. They all sound pretty full for their small size, wireless convenience and price tags.
One thing to note is that some reviewers, myself included, experience weak sissies with the Google Pixel Buds, which can only be noticed in quiet room and / or while playing quiet music. Otherwise, it is not perceived as distracting.
Rauseling for noise and battery life
Samsung Galaxy Buds Live: Includes active noise canceling, but it is not particularly good. Helps remove some ambient noise, especially at lower frequencies. Eight hours of listening time. Charging axle holds up to 29 hours charge. A charge of five minutes provides about an hour of listening time.
Google Pixel Buds: No active sound canceling, but in-ear design and tips of rubber act a bit like earplugs and offer some decent reduction of ambient noise. Five hours of listening time. Charging case keeps 24 hours of charge. 10-minute charging provides a maximum of two hours of listening time.
Apple AirPods: No sound cancellation of any kind – let all sound in. Five hours of listening time on one charge. Charging case keeps 24 hours of charge. 15-minute charge provides up to three hours of listening time.
Antonio Villas-Boas / Business Insider
Other features and things to consider
Samsung Galaxy Buds Live: Wireless charging case. Extra rubber “wing tips” to help with fit (that do nothing). Works with Google Assistant as Samsung’s Bixby. No water / sweat resistance.
Google Pixel Buds: Wireless charging case. Extra tips for rubber ear to help with fit. Works with Google Assistant. Water resistance / sweat resistance.
Apple AirPods: Standard charging case that uses Apple Lightning cable. Wireless charging case optional ($ 40 extra). No rubber tips as tailor-made for fit. Works with Apple’s Siri.
What should you get?
The overall winners are Google’s Pixel Buds. But, you will be happy with one of these wireless earbuds if you have a specific preference.
For many iPhone users, the answer is simply “get the AirPods.” But for others, it is not that simple. Apple AirPods are actually quite limited, at least in some respects. Google’s Pixel Buds will do more to block out ambient noise, if that’s one of your considerations. The Galaxy Buds Live have active sound cancellation, and although it helps block some sound, it is not very good.
Plus, the Pixel Buds are water and sweat resistant, while the AirPods and Buds Live are not, making the Pixel Buds the best choice of the three if you plan to train with wireless earbuds.
As far as Android users are concerned, Google’s Pixel Buds offer a slightly better position than the Galaxy Buds Live than the AirPods, mostly because of their water and sweat resistance. The Pixel Buds also probably fit better because of the in-ear design.
With that said, if battery life is important to you, Samsung’s Galaxy Buds Live are the best option here.
If you want something less expensive than one of the aforementioned wireless earbuds, check out the $ 79 OnePlus Buds – you can read the full OnePlus Buds review here. If you want something better than everything mentioned here, check out the $ 250 AirPods Pro, which comes with better sound, a better fit, shorter trunks, active sound change, gliding and water resistance, and includes a wireless charging case. You can read the full AirPods Pro reading here, and you can often find them for $ 30 off from Verizon at the time of this writing.
Alternatively, especially for Android users, there is the $ 180 Sony WF-1000XM3, which has incredible sound and good sound reproduction. They’re a little light on other features, but their sound makes up for it – read the full Sony WF-1000XM3 review here.
