$150 wireless earbuds are all over the place right now — with two of the most compelling ones being the Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 and Apple AirPods. When someone thinks of true wireless earbuds, AirPods are likely what come to mind. The first-generation AirPods sparked the entire true wireless niche in late 2016, garnering enormous sales and spawning multiple successors. Over two years later since the second-gen AirPods hit the scene, they continue to be the go-to earbud choice for many people.
Hoping to mimic AirPods' success — even just a little bit — Samsung's been just as relentless with its Galaxy Buds lineup. Following a fairly disappointing first-gen release, subsequent Galaxy Buds models have been excellent. The Galaxy Buds+ deliver a comfortable design and great battery life, the Buds Live introduced a radical new design with improved audio, and the Buds Pro ushered in Samsung's best ANC to date. With the most recent Galaxy Buds 2, Samsung's aiming to deliver flagship features at its best price yet.
Comparing the Galaxy Buds 2 against AirPods, Samsung and Apple have drastically different designs. The Galaxy Buds 2 have a traditional in-ear design with multiple gel ear tips. Not only does this make the Buds 2 more approachable for differently sized and shaped ears, but it also allows for passive sound isolation. AirPods, by comparison, are quite different. They have the one-size-fits-all approach Apple's stuck with for years. It works well for some people, isn't comfortable for others, and that's just the name of the game with AirPods. The main benefit is that it's still easy to hear the surrounding environment since they aren't set deep in the user's ears, but they offer nothing in the way of blocking out background noise. Along with functional differences, there are plenty of aesthetic ones, too. Galaxy Buds 2 are extremely small and lightweight, coming in at just 5g. AirPods are even lighter with a weight of 4g, but the longer stem design means they're much more noticeable in someone's ears. The Galaxy Buds 2 are available in four colors (Graphite, White, Olive, and Lavender), whereas AirPods are limited to their stark white appearance.
Another key advantage of the Galaxy Buds 2 is the presence of active noise canceling. Samsung says ANC on the Buds 2 "cuts external background noise by up to 98 percent," allowing users to easily focus on their music or podcast even in a loud environment. The Galaxy Buds 2 can also reverse that ANC effect to enable the Ambient Sound mode. Available in high, medium, or low, Ambient Sound uses microphones on the Buds 2 so people can still easily hear everything happening around them. This is a huge advantage over Apple's AirPods, especially for someone that does a lot of traveling or often finds themselves in a noisy coffee shop.
The Galaxy Buds 2 continue to take the lead in the battery department. With AirPods, Apple promises up to 5 hours of continuous listening time and around 24 hours of total endurance with the charging case. When ANC is turned off, the Buds 2 tout 7.5 hours of continuous use and 29 hours of total battery. The Buds 2 are also quite strong when ANC is enabled, delivering 5 hours and 2o hours, respectively.
Speaking strictly from a hardware perspective, the Galaxy Buds 2 are the better choice over AirPods. They're more comfortable, have active noise canceling, ambient mode, longer battery life, and are even a little cheaper — retailing for just $149 compared to the AirPods' $159 asking price. The main difference between the two, however, is their compatibility. AirPods work best with the iPhone. That's how to access all of their features, settings, etc. Similarly, Galaxy Buds 2 work seamlessly with Samsung devices (and Android phones with the Galaxy Wearable companion app). The earbuds can technically be used with their rival operating systems, but they lose many of their smarts in the process — thus turning into generic Bluetooth earbuds. In other words, iPhone owners should buy AirPods, and Android fans should buy Galaxy Buds 2. Ecosystem lock-in is never ideal, but in the case of these two earbuds, that's their reality.
Source: Samsung
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