Samsung Galaxy Buds+ Truly Wireless Headphones Review

The Samsung Galaxy Buds+ look identical to the previous version. They're quite small and don't protrude out of the ears as much as some other truly wireless in-ear options. The earbuds have a glossy plastic finish and look quite premium. While they're available in black, white, red, or light blue, we purchased the white version which have an iridescent-like effect on the touch-sensitive surface.

The Samsung Galaxy Buds Plus feel the same in your ears as the first version, which is to say that they're quite comfortable. They shouldn't put pressure on your inner ear and don't enter your ear canal too deeply. They're also very lightweight so you should be able to wear them for extended periods and barely even notice they're there.

Update 03/13/2020: Upon receiving feedback from users, we confirmed that the app contains "Lab Features" which are experimental new controls and features. These include the ability to use the edge of the touch controls on the headphones to adjust your volume. This review has been updated to reflect these changes.

The control scheme of the Samsung Galaxy Buds Plus is slightly disappointing. Their easy-to-use touch-sensitive controls mean that you don't have to push the earbuds further into your ear when you press a button, which is nice, but unfortunately, it makes it easy to accidentally press a button, and difficult to use the controls while wearing gloves. The headphones give a bit of audio feedback when pressing buttons, which is nice, and the controls give you access to the most common music/call related controls. You can also customize a long press to a few things, including volume adjustment, which is great. You can also set the edge of the earbuds' touch sensor to adjust your volume up/down with a double tap.

Like most truly wireless earbuds, the Samsung Galaxy Buds+ are very small and can easily be tossed into pockets or a bag. Even their charging case is on the smaller side and should fit into most pockets.

The charging case for these headphones is almost identical to the one for the previous version. The only difference is the hinge will now stay open at any angle, which feels a bit more secure. It feels quite premium and well-made and is made from solid and good quality plastic. It also supports Qi-enabled wireless charging, which is nice.

The Samsung Galaxy Buds Plus feel quite well-made overall. Both the case and the earbuds themselves are made from good quality and dense plastic and feel like they should be able to easily withstand a few accidental drops or bumps. They're rated IPX2 for basic water protection, though this isn't something we test for.

These headphones feel very stable in the ear. They come with three different sizes of tips and stability fins to help get a good fit, and they should stay in place even during more strenuous workouts, like running.

• Samsung Galaxy Buds+ headphones
• Charging case
• 3 tip options
• 3 fin sleeve options
• USB-C charging cable
• Manuals

The out-of-the-box sound profile of the Samsung Galaxy Buds+ is incredibly well-balanced and neutral. It follows our target curve almost perfectly and these headphones will be well-suited for a wide variety of content or genres, from podcasts to jazz.

Like most in-ear headphones, the frequency response consistency of these headphones is outstanding. Once you achieve a proper fit using the included tips, you should experience consistent bass and treble responses every time you use the headphones.

The bass accuracy of these headphones is remarkable. The entire range is almost perfectly balanced, so bass will be present but won't sound overpowering or boomy. Fans of bass may find them a bit lacking, so they may want to use the 'Bass Boost" EQ preset in the app, though we don't test the sound profile with any EQ presets applied.

The mid-range accuracy of these headphones is remarkable out-of-the-box. Almost the entire range is perfectly balanced, with only a tiny dip in the mid-mid range, though this likely won't be noticeable to most people. Lead instruments and vocals should sound present and properly balanced.

The treble accuracy of these headphones is excellent. The range is remarkably well-balanced, and they should sound bright and detailed without being harsh or piercing.

The Samsung Galaxy Buds Plus have very minimal peaks and dips. Their entire frequency response is well-balanced, and no ranges should sound over-powering.

The imaging of these headphones is excellent. The GD graph shows that the entire group delay response is below the audibility threshold, resulting in a tight bass and a transparent treble reproduction. Additionally, the L/R drivers of our test unit were exceptionally matched, which is important for the accurate placement and localization of objects and instruments (like voices and footsteps) in the stereo image. However, these results are only valid for our unit and yours may perform differently.

Like most other in-ears, the soundstage of the Samsung Galaxy Buds+ is poor. This is because in-ears bypass the pinna (outer ear), and don't interact with it. Activating the resonances of the pinna is one of the key factors in creating a speaker-like and out-of-head soundstage. Also, because of their closed-back design, their soundstage tends to be less open than that of open-back headphones.

These headphones don't have any virtual soundstage features.

The weighted harmonic distortion performance of these headphones is decent. They tend to distort a bit more in the higher frequencies, which can be a bit more noticeable, but it's still within good limits, and shouldn't be too much of a problem.

These are the settings used to test these headphones. Our results are only valid when listening using these settings.

The noise isolation performance of these headphones is acceptable. While they do a great job at blocking out background chatter, and the higher-frequency sound of an AC unit, they block almost no bass-range sounds. This means that they won't help much with blocking out the low engine rumble of a bus or plane.

Like most closed-back in-ears, the Samsung Galaxy Buds Plus leak very little audio. Most of the leaked audio comes from the treble ranges, so it will sound quite thin. These are a good option for using at work without bothering those around you, as even at moderate volumes, the leakage should be masked by the ambient noises of your average office or home.

The Samsung Galaxy Buds+ have an integrated microphone in the earbuds.

Like most Bluetooth headphones, the recording quality of the microphone is mediocre. Like with most Bluetooth in-ears, your voice will likely be decently clear and understandable, but lacking in detail.

The noise handling of this microphone is alright. Even in moderately noisy environments, the person on the other end of the line should be able to hear you somewhat clearly.

The battery performance of the Samsung Galaxy Buds+ is very good, and a big improvement over the Samsung Galaxy Buds. We got almost 2.5 hours longer than their advertised 11 hours of playback from a single charge, giving them almost 13.5 hours, which is especially impressive for a pair of truly wireless in-ears. Unfortunately, their case only holds one additional charge, though their overall battery life is still excellent. They also advertise as being able to get an additional hour of playback from 3 minutes of charging, though we don't test for this.

Update 03/13/2020: Upon receiving feedback from users, we confirmed that the app contains "Lab Features" which are experimental features that allow you to enable new controls and features. These include a Gaming Mode, Extra High Ambient Volume, and volume control by using the edge of the touch controls on the headphones. This review has been updated to reflect these changes. Unlike the previous version, the Samsung Galaxy Buds+ now have a dedicated companion app for both Android and iOS. Like the previous version, they use the Galaxy Wearable app on Android, while they now have a separate app for iOS called Samsung Galaxy Buds+. Both apps give you access to five different EQ presets, as well as button mapping for the long hold of the button on either ear, and adjustable 'Ambient sound' settings, so you can select how much of your surrounding audio is played back into your ears. While there is also a program called 'Samsung Galaxy Buds Manager' available for both Windows and macOS, this program doesn't give you access to all the customization options and appears to just be for updating the headphones.

Like the previous version, these headphones use Bluetooth 5.0 but don't support multi-device or NFC pairing. However, if you use a compatible Samsung phone, you will get a pop-up on your phone asking if you want to connect the headphones as soon as you open their charging case, which makes pairing seamless and easy. Unfortunately, their latency on Android and iOS seems to be a bit worse than the previous version, so you may notice a bit of lag when watching videos. It's worth noting that some apps seem to compensate for this, so your mileage may vary during average personal use.

These truly wireless earbuds are Bluetooth-only.

As with all truly wireless in-ears that we've tested so far, these headphones can't be used wired. They come with a USB-C cable to charge the case.

These headphones can only be used via Bluetooth on PCs, and aren't compatible with the PS4. Due to their high latency, they aren't recommended for gaming.

These truly wireless earbuds only support Bluetooth, so they're not compatible with the Xbox One.

The charging case for these headphones should give you an additional charge, but like most truly wireless headphones, it doesn't have any inputs.