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Samsung announced the Galaxy Buds 2 alongside some of the most anticipated devices of 2021 -- the Galaxy Z Fold 3, Galaxy Z Flip 3, and Galaxy Watch 4 with Wear OS. The Galaxy Buds 2 isn't necessarily an upgrade to the Galaxy Buds Pro that was launched earlier with the Galaxy S21 series. Instead, it's more like a spiritual successor to the Galaxy Buds+ which is still one of the best TWS earbuds out there.

Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 in Graphite Black, Lavender Purple, Olive Green, and White, kept open in their cases

While the overall design language of both the buds and the case remains similar to the Galaxy Buds Pro, there are a few changes here and there that Samsung has made to differentiate it from the more premium model. If you're planning to get your hands on the latest truly wireless earbuds from Samsung, here's everything you need to know about them before you head out to grab one off the shelves.

Samsung Galaxy Buds 2: Specifications

Specification

Samsung Galaxy Buds 2

Dimensions and Weight

  • Earbuds: 17x20.9x21.1mm
  • Case: 50x50.2x27.8mm
  • Weight: 5g Earbuds, 41.2g Case

Speaker

  • Dynamic 2-way speakers
    • 11mm Woofer
    • 6.5mm Tweeter

Mic

  • 3 mics
  • Cuts background noise by up to 98%

ANC

  • 3 levels of ambient sound control
  • Transparent mode
  • Machine Learning solutions to cut-off sound

Connectivity

Bluetooth 5.2

Sensors

Accelerometer, Gyro, Proximity, Hall, Touch, Voice Pickup Unit

Battery and Charging

  • Buds - 61mAh
  • Case - 472mAh
  • 20 hours playback time with case
  • Qi Wireless charging

IP Rating

IPX2

Colors

White, Olive, Graphite, Lavender

The Galaxy Buds 2, as mentioned earlier, is meant to replace the Galaxy Buds+, or at least that's what you would assume from the naming and pricing. However, both in terms of looks and features, these new buds are quite similar to the Galaxy Buds Pro. In fact, the design of the case, as well as the earbuds themselves, resemble that of the Galaxy Buds Pro, and the case dimensions match that of the Buds Pro and the Buds Live.

This isn't necessarily a bad thing since the Buds Pro are a very good pair of TWS earbuds and if you're getting a similar package for a lower price, nobody's complaining. You can also use Case-cases for the Buds Pro and Live interchangeably with the case on the Buds 2, and that's something a lot of average users would appreciate.

Samsung Galaxy Buds 2: Features

The Galaxy Buds 2 come with dynamic two-way speakers that produce sound. There's an 11mm woofer that's accompanied by a 6.5mm tweeter. Samsung is claiming the Buds 2 is both the smallest and lightest earbuds in the Galaxy Buds series so far. This means the earbuds will stay comfortably in your ears even when worn for an extended period.

The case has a squircle design similar to that of the Galaxy Buds Live and the Buds Pro. If you work out regularly, the Galaxy Buds 2 are IPX2 rated so you don't have to worry about sweat causing any issues, though you should keep it away from heavy rain and showers.

Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 in Olive Green side profile, held in hand, kept open in case, on an aqua green background

The Buds will connect to your smartphone via Bluetooth 5.2 and offer up to 20 hours of battery life including the case. The earbuds themselves will last for about five hours with ANC on a single charge with the case adding three additional charges. With ANC turned off, you can stretch the battery life to about eight hours on the earbuds. The earbuds offer up to 55 minutes of battery life with a quick five-minute charge. There's support for Qi wireless charging as well.

These are the cheapest pair of premium TWS earbuds from Samsung that support ANC or Active Noise Cancellation. Samsung offers three levels of ambient sound control. As per Samsung's claims, the Galaxy Buds 2 can cut out up to 98% of background noise with the help of three beam-forming mics. The Galaxy Buds 2 also make use of Machine Learning algorithms to cut off external sound and just focus on the voice of the person wearing the earbuds during a call.

Galaxy Buds 2 Case

Just like all of Samsung's truly wireless earbuds, the Buds 2 also link to your phone via the Galaxy Wearable app. With the Galaxy Buds 2, the app will have a new option to test the fit of the earbuds in every individual's ear. This will help the user determine the best size of ear tips for their ears.

Our Recommendations and Suggested Readings

Here are some of our articles related to the Galaxy Buds 2 including cases, comparisons, etc.

Pricing and Availability

The Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 will be made available in 4 different colors at the time of launch - White, Olive, Graphite, and Lavender. The cases will have a glossy white exterior while the colors we mentioned are for the accents inside the case and for the earbuds themselves.

As for pricing, the Galaxy Buds 2 at $149.99, €149, £139 are one of the cheapest earphones from Samsung to come with a premium feature set. You can pick them up starting August 27th from Samsung's website. There's also going to be a limited Thom Browne edition of the Galaxy Buds 2 that you can purchase as part of the full set.

The Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 are our pick for the best TWS of the year, thanks to their price-performance ratio and feature set. You get good sound, good microphone performance, a discreet design, and ANC at a fairly affordable price point.
Samsung Galaxy Buds 2

The Galaxy Buds 2 is the latest addition to Samsung's TWS earbuds line-up and offers ANC at a more affordable price point.