Forget AirPods — here’s why I use Samsung earbuds with my iPhone - Digital Trends

1 year ago 41

AirPods Pro 2 are the go-to flagship earbuds for an iPhone user; you get each the ecosystem benefits alongside superb dependable prime and progressive sound cancellation (ANC). But what if you usage your iPhone with a Windows laptop, oregon what if you person an Android phone arsenic a secondary device? That’s wherever you’ll necessitate a 2nd brace of earbuds — unless you tin find thing that works good with the iPhone arsenic good arsenic Windows and Android. Surprisingly, the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro are 1 specified product.

I’ve been utilizing the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro with my iPhone 13 Pro Max and Galaxy Z Fold 4. While determination are evident reasons for idiosyncratic successful the Galaxy ecosystem to acquisition the flagship Samsung earbuds, they enactment shockingly good with an iPhone — adjacent if determination are a mates of caveats.

Open, pair, and play

Samsung removed the Galaxy Wearables app from the Apple App Store, and arsenic a result, Samsung smartwatches aft the Galaxy Watch 3 don’t person enactment for iPhones. You mightiness deliberation the aforesaid tin beryllium said astir the Samsung earbuds, but the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro are different.

Unlike the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 and Galaxy Watch 5, the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro don’t necessitate an app to brace and work. You tin simply unfastened the lawsuit and brace it to your iPhone. You tin past play your favourite euphony oregon podcasts via immoderate app you privation connected the iPhone. But you don’t get enactment to fine-tune the controls, and you miss retired connected immoderate niche features (more connected that below).

What works connected Galaxy Buds 2 Pro with iPhone

Galaxy Buds 2 Pro with iPhone 13 Pro Max connected a table

When you brace and link the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro with your iPhone, nary different mounting is required to marque afloat usage of the earbuds. While the earbuds enactment 24-bit audio, it is constricted to Galaxy smartphones. That said, the mean 16-bit audio isn’t atrocious astatine all. In fact, the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro are a terrific brace of earbuds.

The Buds 2 Pro diagnostic dual drivers tuned by AKG, which marque them precise well-rounded The highs are wide with a bully magnitude of bass thrown in. You get large instrumentality separation with fantabulous vocals.

Active sound cancellation is 1 of the champion successful a non-stem-design brace of earbuds nether $200. In my experience, the Buds 2 Pro’s ANC is person to the Pixel Buds Pro. The Galaxy Buds 2 Pro were my spouse connected my commutes and question — spanning cabs, busses, and airplanes. The Buds 2 Pro truly radiance erstwhile quieting the buzzing of an airplane. However, that’s not to accidental that it feels similar I’m successful a vacuum. Instead, the silicon tips make a bully seal (in my ear, astatine least), and the bundle does the rest.

Galaxy Buds 2 Pro with iPhone 13 Pro Max

What made my acquisition much enjoyable was the quality to person a speech with the earbuds inactive successful their spot and without maine touching them. How? There is simply a “voice observe feature” that recognizes erstwhile you are talking to idiosyncratic and turns connected the transparency mode, truthful you tin perceive the different idiosyncratic clearly. And it’s not similar it’s determination for the involvement of it. The dependable detection worked 9 retired of 10 times wrong seconds for me, and erstwhile it works, it’s very effective.

Samsung promises up to 5 hours of continuous playback with ANC turned on, and 18 hours of artillery beingness with the case. In my four-hour flight, I had nary artillery anxiousness and was capable to ticker Modern Love season 1 (oh, that archetypal occurrence is truthful wholesome). You tin get amended artillery beingness connected different earbuds, but the sound, ANC performance, and dependable detection diagnostic combined to springiness maine a superb acquisition with these. And retrieve — this is each imaginable utilizing the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro with an iPhone; nary Samsung telephone required.

Where the iPhone acquisition stumbles

Galaxy Buds 2 Pro connected the iPhone 13 Pro Max

The Galaxy Wearable app acts arsenic a catalyst to supply much features, but the Buds 2 Pro and its unavailability connected the App Store means you suffer retired connected immoderate features erstwhile paired with an iPhone.

First, you can’t reassign interaction controls connected the earbuds. This is the astir basal diagnostic that I expect to person from each manufacturer, careless of the instrumentality I usage the earbuds with. But surprisingly, I haven’t encountered immoderate problems with not being capable to edit controls. On the close earbud, you get to play/pause euphony with a azygous tap, treble pat to spell to the adjacent song, and triple pat for the erstwhile song. You tin interaction the near earbuds to power betwixt ANC and transparency mode.

Second, you can’t edit the dependable observe diagnostic duration. By default, it is acceptable to 10 seconds, which, again, turned retired to beryllium capable for me. Third, you don’t get equalizer controls, which according to our Galaxy Buds 2 Pro review, “made the dependable prime worse.”

Fourth, you miss retired connected the Samsung extras, like, the “Find my earbuds” diagnostic that plays a small code done the buds to assistance you find 1 oregon some earbuds if they spell missing. It is the lone diagnostic successful this conception that I’d similar to person connected my iPhone for the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro. I haven’t felt the request for it, but it would beryllium bully to person it if I ever suffer my earbuds.

More Samsung-exclusive features see 24-bit audio, which lone works with prime streaming services. There’s besides the Samsung Seamless Codec that can’t beryllium licensed by anyone.

All successful all, I don’t deliberation you are missing retired connected overmuch without the Galaxy Wearable app. Obviously, it would beryllium bully to fine-tune your earbuds to the controls you like. That is the 1 large caveat; everything other is conscionable a insignificant annoyance. What you already person connected the earbuds works conscionable fine, and you won’t consciousness immoderate friction.

Not an AirPods replacement, but close

Apple AirPods Pro 2 wrong their charging case.

So, does each of that mean you should bargain the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro implicit a brace of AirPods? No. While the sound, ANC, and dependable detection are top-notch connected the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro, if you are successful the Apple ecosystem, you should inactive opt for the AirPods Pro 2 for seamless connectivity betwixt each the Apple devices.

However, if you person an iPhone but a Windows laptop, oregon you usage some the iPhone and an Android telephone — particularly a Samsung smartphone — the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro marque for a amended bargain astatine $20 little than the $200 AirPods 2 Pro presently connected Amazon.

The Galaxy Buds 2 Pro are an fantabulous brace of earbuds. I’ve truly enjoyed my clip utilizing them with my iPhone 13 Pro Max. And if you are similar maine and usage a wide scope of devices, the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro are for you.