Samsung is coming to Apple’s (AAPL) AirPods Pro. The South Korean tech giant recently launched its new Galaxy Buds Live, and they are aimed at adopting Apple’s high-end earbuds.
Like the AirPods Pro, the kidney bean-shaped Buds Live feature active sound-canceling technology, such as water and sweat resistance, but Samsung is offering its earbuds at just $ 169, compared to Apple’s price of $ 249.
That’s a big price gap that Samsung can seriously benefit from. And considering they work with the iPhone, the fight could take Apple to its home ground.
Samsung has been selling its own brand of Galaxy Buds for years. The previous iteration is the Galaxy Buds +, which have silicon-coated pins that slide into your ear canal. But I have never found designs that are particularly comfortable for long use. Instead, I usually stick with Apple’s AirPods or AirPods Pro, which I can wear for hours without issue.
But Samsung has significantly changed the design of its Galaxy Buds Live. Rather than a pin slipping into your ear canal, the Buds Live sit on the outer part of your ear. The unique design helps the buttons stay in place, while interchangeable size and small wing tips ensure that the buttons fit comfortably without moving.
Samsung’s Galaxy Buds Live offers impressive sound with active technology for sound cancellation at a solid price. (Image: Samsung)
The form of Buds Live has the added benefit of creating their incredibly low profile, which means they will not step out of your ear. Even head on, you can barely hear them in someone else’s ears.
Crucially, I found the Buds Live stay while working out. I have used ear protectors in the past that slip out when I bend or feel like they slip when you walk, but I have not found that with the Buds Live.
As a particularly awesome perspirator (try to say that five times fast), I have also found that the Buds Live can come up to float that swimming pool in and around my ears. When I train with the AirPods Pro, the sweat ends with the side of my head down and in my ears, which ends with the muffling of the audio.
A quick shake of the Pros and a whip of my head normally fixes the problem, but I have not had the same problem with the Buds Live at all. I sweat more than most people I know, so this may not be something that everyone treats regularly, but this is my review, so there you have it.
My only problem with the Buds Live is that their low profile makes them a little tricky to take out of your ears. You’ll really have to dig them for a second to pop them out, unlike Apple’s AirPods, which you can grab by the trunk to remove.
The Galaxy Buds Live has a charging case that provides up to 21 hours of battery life. (Image: Samsung)
Audio for the Buds Live comes via 12mm speakers in each button, and the sound quality is right up there with what I’ve experienced with Apple’s earbuds. Guitars and drums in rock songs are shredded, while deep bashits on the latest ‘Run the Jewels’ hit my eardrums.
Importantly, the Buds Live comes with active sound attenuation technology, which uses external microphones to record outside sounds and feed the opposite sound wave into your ears.
Normally, the active sound-canceling technology is paired with closed headphones as earrings to help create a seal at your ear that further blocks out outside noise.
But Samsung’s system uses what the company calls open with active sound attenuation technology, which simply means you do not have to put anything or in your ear to work.
The company claims that the feature can reduce 97% of low frequency noise from things like buses and trains, while still allowing you to listen to higher frequency sounds like station announcements.
The kidney bean style design of Galaxy Buds Lives helps them fit snuggly in your ears. (Image: Samsung)
There’s no doubt that the open active sound-canceling tech on Buds Live is less effective than the active sound-canceling feature included in the AirPods Pro, but there is still enough audio output that music and podcasts come loud and clear.
As you would expect from premium earbuds, Samsung has provided the Buds Live with touch controls that allow you to do everything from skip songs and pauses to answering and hanging up phones. The Buds also have voice recognition technology through Samsung’s Bixby voice assistant, allowing you to make calls, check the weather, and more by simply using your voice.
As for the battery, Samsung says you will get 5.5 hours of use of the Buds Live with active sound cancellation and wake up Bixby. Disable these features and you will extend the battery life of Buds Live to 8 hours.
Like most earbuds today, Buds Live has a charging case that can give you an extra hour of listening time via a fast charge of 5 minutes. The case itself, according to Samsung, could cost as much as 21 hours a value.
I was surprised at how much I liked Samsung’s Galaxy Buds Live. The Galaxy Buds + were not exactly my cup of tea, and Apple’s AirPods were always fantastic for me. But the Buds Live have proven to be an excellent pair of earbuds with powerful audio and decent sound-canceling technology.
If you want a pair of earbuds with premium features without the premium price tag, I would recommend checking out the Galaxy Buds Live.
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