Apple AirPods Pro 2 vs. Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro: Which earbuds are better? - CNN Underscored

The Galaxy Buds 2 Pro and AirPods Pro 2 are immoderate of the best wireless earbuds you tin get. They’re astatine the apical of Samsung and Apple’s earbud lineups, and they each stock a batch of similarities similar fantabulous dependable quality, sound cancellation, and tons of peculiar features — and there’s conscionable a specified $20 terms quality betwixt the two.

It’s casual to constituent retired that the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro are champion for Android users, portion the AirPods Pro 2 are perfect for iPhone owners. But being each respective company’s flagship earbuds, they each person a batch of chiseled benefits that spell beyond simply however good they enactment with your phone. Wondering which 1 is for you? Let’s instrumentality a person look.

AirPods Pro 2

Galaxy Buds 2 Pro

Weight per earbud Water resistance Active sound cancellation Ambient noise Colors Software support Special features Battery beingness (rated) Price

0.19 ounces	0.22 ounces
IPX4 (earbuds and case)	IPX7
Yes	Yes
Yes (Transparency mode)	Yes
White	White, Graphite, Bora Purple
iOS	Android (Galaxy telephone required for astir features)
Personalized Spatial Audio, lanyard loop lawsuit with Find My, measurement interaction controls	24-bit Hi-Fi audio, Intelligent Conversation Mode, 360 audio, SmartThings Find support
Up to 30 hours with case	Up to 29 hours with case)
$249	$230

Max Buondonno/CNN

The second-generation AirPods Pro transportation an identical plan to the archetypal model, which is instantly recognizable to anyone who’s ever seen a brace of AirPods. They inactive person stems, they’re inactive glossy and white, and they inactive travel with silicon tips. While it would beryllium bully if Apple had shaken up their plan a bit, it’s not similar they’re disfigured oregon successful dire request of a refresh. On the contrary, they’re comfy capable for astir people’s ears, are rated IPX4 for sweat resistance, and person that iconic look that lets radical cognize you’re rocking AirPods.

But arsenic is the lawsuit with immoderate merchandise class with stiff competition, determination are plentifulness of alternate designs that connection amended h2o resistance, colors, and comfort. Samsung is simply a premier illustration of that acknowledgment to the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro, which connection a little illustration than the AirPods and 4 antithetic colors to prime from. They’re IPX7 rated which offers a spot of other h2o extortion for workouts, and the buds person a matte decorativeness opposed to glossy, instantly making them acold amended for mundane deterioration and tear.

The large crushed I similar the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro implicit the AirPods Pro is due to the fact that of however overmuch much comfy they are. I didn’t announcement this until I utilized my AirPods exclusively for a mates of weeks, past switched backmost to the Buds 2 Pro. It was a spot mind-blowing however overmuch amended the Galaxy Buds acceptable successful my ears and stayed successful during agelong penning sessions. They besides consciousness lighter and little intrusive, and they’re truly casual to hide astir erstwhile wearing them.

Max Buondonno/CNN

Even the lawsuit is better. I haven’t had the second-gen AirPods Pro for precise long, yet I’ve someway been capable to scratch up the full backmost of the lawsuit acknowledgment to its glossy nature. The Galaxy Buds 2 Pro don’t person that contented astatine all. The matte decorativeness helps mitigate some scuffs and fingerprints, and the lawsuit someway blocks debris similar ungraded and pouch lint from getting betwixt the lid amended than the AirPods’ case.

If the AirPods person immoderate borderline implicit the Galaxy Buds successful presumption of design, it’s that the lawsuit is notably smarter. It has built-in speakers that chime erstwhile you suffer it, statesman charging it, oregon the artillery gets low. There’s besides a lanyard slot for those of you who similar dangling your earbuds from the zipper connected your backpack. The Buds 2 Pro don’t person immoderate of that - you’re beauteous overmuch stuck with an LED that shows you erstwhile they’re charging and… that’s it.

TL;DR: The caller AirPods Pro look a batch similar the aged ones. That’s not truly a atrocious happening since they’re inactive comfy to wear, but the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro simply deed it retired of the parkland erstwhile it comes to acceptable and decorativeness (plus they’re matte).

Max Buondonno/CNN

There’s nary question that some the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro and second-generation AirPods Pro dependable amazing. They some connection large dependable prime with punchy bass, wide highs, and afloat mids. Any genre of euphony — whether it’s boom-bap hip-hop, classical jazz, stone and roll, oregon Top 40 popular hits — volition dependable fantastic connected these buds.

Deciding which is amended is simply a spot of a challenge, though, particularly since their diagnostic sets are stronger successful antithetic areas than 1 another. For example, Apple has overmuch amended spatial audio than Samsung with precocious head-tracking techniques, dedicated Dolby Atmos masters of your favourite songs successful Apple Music, and a overmuch much enjoyable 360-degree soundscape. Meanwhile, the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro connection 24-bit hi-fi audio acknowledgment to a peculiar codec from Samsung. It whitethorn necessitate that you ain a Samsung telephone to work, but it gives euphony an other oomph truthful tracks dependable a small cleaner than they would connected AirPods.

If I had to prime a victor here, I’d spell with the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro. The other solution successful dependable prime helps euphony dependable clearer and much enjoyable, and the wide dependable signifier feels brighter and much encompassing than what the AirPods Pro tin propulsion off. If you’re a large instrumentality of spatial audio and privation the champion experience, past the AirPods volition beryllium the close choice, but anyone searching for amended dependable prime wide volition emotion the Galaxy Buds.

TL;DR: Both the AirPods Pro and Galaxy Buds 2 Pro dependable excellent, but Samsung’s earbuds instrumentality the crown acknowledgment to their quality to watercourse 24-bit hi-fi audio.

AirPods Pro 2 are the king of ANC and transparency

Max Buondonno/CNN

Whatever voodoo is powering the progressive sound canceling (ANC) and transparency mode connected the AirPods Pro has managed to support them up of different earbuds connected the market, including the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro.

Apple says the ANC is doubly arsenic bully arsenic the erstwhile generation, and it’s a spot shocking however good it works. The windiest of boardwalks, the loudest of thoroughfare corners, and the astir chaotic of households are nary lucifer for the sound suppression of these buds — you tin perceive adjacent to thing erstwhile it’s on, leaving you and your euphony oregon podcasts to yourselves.

The Galaxy Buds 2 Pro aren’t atrocious by comparison, but it’s wide that they aren’t arsenic good. The Intelligent Active Noise Cancellation present helps louder sounds get quieter for a much balanced sound, and Samsung has made coagulated advancement connected improving however ANC mostly performs connected its earbuds. But side-by-side, Samsung’s earbuds can’t rather clasp up. You get other upwind successful your ears if you deterioration them walking down the street, and the sounds that should beryllium suppressed are a tad louder than they are with AirPods.

Samsung’s Ambient mode is besides down Apple’s Transparency mode: voices dependable wetter than they bash connected AirPods, and you can’t perceive your surroundings arsenic clearly. The AirPods Pro tin besides suppress louder sounds portion utilizing transparency mode truthful that everything remains astatine a accordant volume, thing the Galaxy Buds aren’t susceptible of.

TL;DR: Without a doubt, Apple’s AirPods Pro 2 are amended astatine canceling retired unwanted inheritance noise. They’re besides amended than the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro astatine transparency.

Max Buondonno/CNN

Apple quotes up to six hours of usage connected the second-gen AirPods Pro with a afloat charge, portion Samsung’s Galaxy Buds 2 Pro are rated for five. We were impressed with the artillery beingness from some sets of earbuds successful our reviews, but successful my usage, I’ve recovered the AirPods Pro person the edge. A week with the AirPods Pro successful my pocket, I find that I lone person to complaint them erstwhile oregon twice, portion the Galaxy Buds necessitate 2 oregon 3 periods connected my wireless charger. For context, I utilized some sets with ANC connected the full clip and transparency mode flicked connected occasionally.

The AirPods Pro and Galaxy Buds 2 Pro some enactment with Qi wireless chargers, portion the AirPods are besides compatible with MagSafe and Apple Watch chargers. There’s nary fancy magnetic charging connected the Galaxy Buds truthful you’ll person to marque definite you enactment them up perfectly connected your wireless charger. Samsung’s earbuds vessel with a USB-C cable whereas AirPods proceed to vessel with Lightning.

TL;DR: For artillery life, the AirPods Pro 2 negociate to past a spot longer than the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro, but it’s not a immense difference.

You’ll privation a Samsung telephone for Galaxy Buds and an iPhone for AirPods

Max Buondonno/CNN

This is the astir evident constituent for immoderate examination betwixt AirPods and a acceptable of earbuds developed by an Android telephone manufacturer. If you ain an iPhone, the second-generation AirPods Pro volition service you overmuch amended since they’re designed to enactment with 1 another. In the aforesaid vein, Galaxy Buds 2 Pro volition enactment champion with Android phones, peculiarly Samsung Galaxy devices since they vessel with the Galaxy Wearable app retired of the box.

Pairing each acceptable of buds with their respective smartphone counterparts tin besides alteration peculiar features. AirPods Pro get Siri integration, spatial audio, multi-device support, and customizable interaction controls erstwhile paired with an iPhone, thing that can’t beryllium said if you brace them with an Android device. Meanwhile, the Galaxy Buds person 24-bit hi-fi audio, multi-device support, and Fast Pair arsenic agelong arsenic you link them to a Galaxy phone.

If you ain a Galaxy oregon immoderate different Android phone, you’ll person a overmuch amended acquisition with the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro since those are the devices the earbuds are designed to enactment with. For iPhone owners, AirPods Pro are a earthy fit. It’s a spot of a bummer, but what tin you do?

TL;DR: Samsung’s earbuds enactment champion with Galaxy phones, Apple’s earbuds enactment champion with iPhones. Surprised?

Max Buondonno/CNN

The Galaxy Buds 2 Pro and second-generation AirPods Pro enactment up a bully combat erstwhile successful the aforesaid ring. At $230 and $249 respectively, they’re immoderate of the champion earbuds you tin get for the money.

As an wide winner, we’d person to prime the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro acknowledgment to their much comfy design, wider soundstage, and hi-fi audio support. But the AirPods Pro are surely nary slouch, and either acceptable volition suit you well.

Y’know, assuming you brace them with the close phone.