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Nandini YadavFebruary 10, 2021 1:33:51 PM IS
Samsung recently announced the Galaxy Buds Pro alongside the Galaxy S21 series. The Buds Pro succeed the Galaxy Buds + and Buds Live. Overall, the Galaxy Buds Pro aren’t a dramatic improvement over their predecessors, but some improvements have helped strike the right balance, and currently the Buds Pro are the best headphones Samsung has to offer.
The Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro really win nothing, but they do create a nice balance between sound quality, active noise cancellation (ANC), comfort, and pocket-size. But before I talk about how the Buds Pro achieve that balance, I would like to digress and address what makes these headphones ‘Pro’.
The Pro essentially denotes ANC. Samsung claim (is The Galaxy Buds Pro can block 99 percent, or a large amount, of external background noise at 118.43 Hz. To be honest, that’s Greek to me, but in practice, the headphones eliminate a decent amount of noise. Exterior; decent being the operative word.
The Samsung Galaxy Buds pro come in a black and silver color variant. Image: tech2 / Nandini Yadav
Galaxy Buds Pro ANC: 3.5 / 5
While testing the Galaxy Buds Pro, I used the Apple AirPods Pro in parallel to test the ANC, and the former definitely let in more background noise compared to the latter. However, if you turn on the ANC on the Galaxy Buds and play some music, you can (to some extent) block out the outside world with the Buds Pro.
The Galaxy Buds Pro also have a voice detection feature, which I think is brilliant. Basically, the feature automatically lowers the volume of whatever you’re listening to and switches the noise-canceling mode to ambient mode (regardless of the ANC setting at the time) the moment you start speaking. The Buds Pro also allow you to choose how long the voice detection feature should remain active each time your voice is detected, such as five or 10 seconds. However, if you like to sing along to the music you are listening to, I suggest that you disable Voice Detect.
Screenshots of the Samsung Wear app on Galaxy S9. Image: tech2 / Nandini Yadav
Galaxy Buds Pro ambient sound: 4/5
Ambient Sound is not a new feature of TWS earphones in general or the Samsung Galaxy Buds series in particular. The Galaxy Buds + also offered this feature. However, I did notice some notable improvements made with the Buds Pro. Unlike the Buds +, where Ambient Sound was always small and robotic, on the Buds Pro, the sound is much more natural.
This ambient sound feature is very useful when you are outside and someone asks you a question, or if you have to listen to an announcement, or even if you want to listen to someone’s conversation. That? I just said it. You are the one who listens!
Galaxy Buds Pro Design and Pocket: 4.5 / 5
If you haven’t used the Galaxy Buds Live, you will notice a vast improvement in the design of the Buds Pro over the Buds +. The Buds Pro case is much more affordable. It is like a small pebble with a matte finish. You can easily open and close the case with one hand.
As for the design of the Buds Pro themselves, there is again a considerable improvement, and none of the Samsung Galaxy Buds in the past have been as comfortable.
Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro sits comfortably in your ear and my time of reviewing it I never had to readjust the button in my ear. Image: tech2 / Nandini Yadav
The Galaxy Buds Pro combine a glossy and matte finish. It has a beautiful combination of the internal design of the Buds +, silicone tips and some style cues derived from the Buds Live outdoors. The Buds Pro fit snugly in the ears and don’t stick out as much as the previous Buds did.
Samsung says that the new design of the Buds Pro also helps reduce contact between the Buds and the ears, and reduces the feeling of clogging (which I especially noticed on the Galaxy Buds +). However, for people who like to use their headphones in bed or lie on their side to read a book, the Buds Pro can be really uncomfortable.
Galaxy Buds Pro Battery: 3/5
Samsung says: “Turn on ANC, and the Galaxy Buds Pro give you 5 hours of playtime with 13 more in the case. That’s 18 hours in total. When ANC is off, you get 28 hours total, with 8 hours of playtime, and 20 more in the case. “
I only received the Galaxy Buds Pro three days ago. With an average music listening time of four to five hours, in addition to answering calls, with the ANC on, the Buds’ battery is running low. At the time of writing, I still have 90 percent battery life in my headphones and 22 percent remaining in the case. This means that on average the Buds Pro will last me four days with ANC on. Naturally, using Buds without ANC will extend the battery life.
The Galaxy Buds Pro charge via a Type-C cable and support fast charging as well as wireless charging (the latter takes longer to power the headphones, of course).
Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro lasted me a good four to five days with no ANC. Image: tech2 / Nandini Yadav
Galaxy Buds Pro IPX7 Waterproof: 3/4
The Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro come with an IPX7 rating. This is the highest standard of water resistance in any Galaxy Buds. In theory, the IPX7 rating means that the headphones can survive immersion in soft water up to 1 meter deep for up to 30 minutes. So I set out to test the theory. I put on my headphones and took the shower.
(If a pair of headphones are waterproof, I’d love to wear them in the shower. Wouldn’t they?)
However, after a 15 minute shower, the headphones worked fine:
- The headphones kept detecting falling water as a touch, as a result, constantly pausing, playing and changing music tracks.
- Headphones were also disconnecting from the phone.
- Although the Galaxy Buds Pro typically have a great grip on the ear, in the shower, water leaked into the ear, loosening the grip, so the buds kept falling off.
- Ten minutes into the shower, the left button started to make a squeaky buzzing noise, which disappeared after I dried the headphones later.
Overall, the Galaxy Buds Pro passed the water test, however they were not a success when used in the shower. I wonder how useful the headphones would be while swimming.
Galaxy Buds Pro Connectivity: 2.5 / 5
The only department where the Galaxy Buds Pro really let me down was Connectivity.
Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro work best when connected to another Samsung device. Image: tech2 / Nandini Yadav
Before I tell you why, here’s what you need to know: I use an iPhone 11 as my primary device. And as an iPhone user, I understand the concept of siled products. However, I have reviewed the Galaxy Buds in the past and I prefer to review the headphones with my main device, because it gives me the real trick of using that product in my daily life.
So the standard way of doing it is that I use the Galaxy Buds application on iOS to connect headphones. While you can simply sync the earbuds via Bluetooth, when it comes to the Galaxy Buds you can miss out on a lot of cool stuff like Ambient Sound, Voice Detect, and ANC, if you don’t use the app, which lets you fiddle with the settings. In addition to that, you will not be able to run OTA updates for the headphones for the purpose of making improvements and fixes to the product.
Unfortunately this time, even after several attempts, I was unable to sync the Galaxy Buds Pro with the Galaxy Buds app for iOS. Despite uninstalling and reinstalling the app, the headphones were not detected in the app.
The Galaxy Buds app on iOS does not show the option for Galaxy Buds Pro. Image: tech2 / Nandini Yadav
However, on a Samsung Galaxy S9, using the Galaxy Wear app, the Buds Pro synced seamlessly.
I contacted Samsung regarding the issue and they told me that no other tester was facing the issue and they sent me another pair of headphones. However, after that it didn’t sync either, I thought the Galaxy Buds Pro are not compatible with Galaxy Buds app on iOS And it can only be connected via Bluetooth.
Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro: Should You Buy It?
As mentioned at the beginning of the review, the Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro are Samsung’s best headphones so far. The Buds Pro surely aren’t the best TWS earbuds out there (looking at Apple AirPods Pro, Bose Sports Earbuds, and Sony 1000XM4), but at Rs 16,000, they definitely offer excellent overall performance and they certainly won’t disappoint.
However, keep in mind that the Galaxy Buds Pro make a lot more sense for you if you already use a Samsung smartphone or tablet. In order to be able to use the headphones to the fullest, the Samsung ecosystem really matters. In addition to the issue I faced when syncing Buds Pro with the Galaxy Buds app on iOS, I also noticed that features like 3D audio and automatic device switching only work when Buds Pro is used with a Samsung device.
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