Samsung unveiled last week new flagship smartphones and the new bean-shaped Galaxy Buds Live, a set of wireless earbuds with active noise canceling designed to compete with Apple’s AirPods Pro. We got a set of the new Galaxy Buds Live and compared them to the AirPods Pro in our latest YouTube video.
Priced at $ 179, the Galaxy Buds Live has a unique look with a jelly bean-like design that matches the contour of the ears. We found them to be comfortable even for long periods of time, and with the multiple ear tips available, they can work with most ear sizes.
Samsung added 12mm drivers to the Galaxy Buds Live along with three built-in microphones and a voice capture unit, with the microphone quality demo being featured in the video above.
/article-new/2020/08/galaxybudsbeandesign.jpg?resize=618%2C348&ssl=1)
When it comes to sound quality, the Galaxy Buds Live sounds decent (and better than the AirPods), but the AirPods Pro wins out with more balance and clarity. The Galaxy Buds Live have more striking bass, but it can lead to a bit of a muddy sound. Sound can be customized with equalizer settings available in the Galaxy Buds app, but we didn’t see much improvement thinking with these settings.
One of the main selling points of Galaxy Buds Live is Active Noise Canceling, a feature also offered in the irAirPods Pro, but the Galaxy Buds Live ANC functionality was mediocre, at least with our unit.
/article-new/2020/08/galaxybudsvsairpodspro.jpg?resize=618%2C348&ssl=1)
It’s hard to tell when ANC is enabled or disabled on Galaxy Buds Live, because the feature simply does not block much ambient noise. There is no comparison with the AirPods Pro, which offer a much better active sound change. It’s better than no ANC at all, but it’s so subtle that it can not compare to competing products.
There are several gestures available for the Galaxy Buds, which are similar to the gestures available on AirPods Pro. One tap pauses, two taps skip a song, and three taps return. A long press can be set to enable or disable Active Noise Change, enable Siri, or control the volume.
/article-new/2020/08/galaxybudscase.jpg?resize=618%2C348&ssl=1)
The Galaxy Buds Live offers eight hours of battery life before it needs to be charged, while the AirPods Pro offers 4.5 hours of listening time. The square case that houses the Galaxy Buds Live and provides extra battery life is compact and pocketable, plus it has a USB-C port for charging. It adds an extra 21 hours of playtime, while Apple makes about 20 hours of extra battery life available with the AirPods Pro case. In total, the Galaxy Buds offer 29 hours of battery life, while the AirPods Pro offers 24 hours.
/article-new/2020/08/galaxybudsapp.jpg?resize=618%2C348&ssl=1)
Galaxy Buds Live has useful features for Samsung users, such as single touch and seamless switching, but on an iPhone they function as standard Bluetooth earbuds. There’s a Galaxy Buds app in the iOS App Store for connecting and providing firmware updates and equalizer settings, but because these are designed for Samsung devices, Apple features are limited.
Galaxy Buds owners who own iPhones will want to download the app and update the Galaxy Buds Live software immediately, as we found the Active Noise Cancellation and gestures did not work properly until an update was installed.
/article-new/2020/08/galaxybudscasevsairpodsprocase.jpg?resize=618%2C348&ssl=1)
Even with the less than stellar Active Noise Cancellation functionality, the Galaxy Buds Live sounds decent, fits well, and are some of Samsung’s best true wireless headphones. At $ 179 they are cheaper than the $ 250 irAirPods Pro, but if you are a .iPhone user, you would be better off with Apple’s more expensive option.
Android users looking for a solid set of truly wireless earbuds should consider Galaxy Buds Live as a possible option.
.
