The Samsung Galaxy Buds2 Pro True Wireless are the upgraded variant of the Samsung Galaxy Buds2 Truly Wireless. Samsung hasn't changed much regarding the Buds2 low battery life and mic quality. However, one positive tweak is the improvement of the ANC, which now outperforms competing products like the Apple AirPods Pro Truly Wireless. They also support Seamless, the next generation of Samsung's proprietary Bluetooth codec Scalable, which is designed for streaming hi-res audio. However, to get the most out of these headphones, you'll need a compatible Samsung device.
The Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro are good for neutral sound. Out of the box, they have a neutral sound profile that's versatile enough for most kinds of audio content. Vocals and instruments are bright but not piercing, and there's adequate thump and boom, which should please most users. You can customize their sound to your liking using their companion apps' EQ presets. If you like to listen to hi-res audio, you can also use Seamless codec to improve audio quality over Bluetooth, but it's only available with compatible Samsung devices.
The Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro are great for commute and travel. These well-built buds have a lightweight design that's easy to take with you on the go and are comfortable enough to wear for long trips. They're equipped with an ANC system to help block out the low rumbles of bus and plane engines. Their continuous battery life of under six hours may not last through transatlantic flights, but luckily, their carrying case supplies an additional 2.6 charges if you need it.
The Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro are great for sports and fitness. They're small, lightweight, and rated IPX7 for resistance against submersion in water. They're also well-built and won't fall out from your ears with moderate head movements.
The Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro are decent for office use. These buds can reduce sounds like coworker chit-chat and the hum of computer fans, thanks to their ANC system. They also have a comfortable fit suitable for long days at the office. On the downside, they don't support multi-device pairing, and their continuous battery life may not last throughout your whole day without a recharge. On the upside, their carrying case has roughly 2.6 extra charges, which is handy in a pinch.
The Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro are Bluetooth-only headphones, and their latency is likely too high for wireless gaming.
The Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro are Bluetooth-only headphones, and you can't use them wired.
The Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro are fair for phone calls. Their integrated mic does an okay job recording your voice clearly, but it struggles to separate your voice from background noise. If you're taking a call from a busy street, your voice can be drowned out. On the upside, these buds have an ANC system. It does an excellent job of blocking out ambient noise like office chatter and the hum of AC units.
The Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro come in three color variants: 'Bora Purple', 'White', and 'Graphite'. We tested the 'Graphite' variant and you can see our model's label here. If you come across another variant, please let us know in the discussions, and we'll update our review.
The Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro are the upgraded variant of the Samsung Galaxy Buds2 Truly Wireless. They now support Bluetooth 5.3, and their noise isolation performance is significantly better, which is good if you work in a noisy environment. They also support Seamless, which is Samsung's proprietary Bluetooth codec that's designed for streaming hi-res audio, and 'Game Mode' for low latency on mobile devices. You'll need a compatible Samsung device to access these features, though. However, there haven't been many other changes to their performance, like their continuous battery life, which isn't on par with their competitors like the Sony WF-1000XM4 Truly Wireless.
Check out our recommendations for the best noise cancelling earbuds, the best wireless Bluetooth earbuds, and the best Samsung headphones.
The Samsung Galaxy Buds2 Pro True Wireless and the Sony WF-1000XM4 Truly Wireless have different strengths. The Samsung headphones are more comfortable, have a more neutral overall sound profile, which some users may prefer, and their ANC can block out a superior amount of ambient noise. However, the Sony headphones are better-built, have longer-lasting continuous battery life. Their companion app also offers a graphic EQ to help you customize their sound.
The Jabra Elite 7 Pro True Wireless are better in-ears than the Samsung Galaxy Buds2 Pro True Wireless. While both headphones are comfortable and well-built, the Jabra headphones have a slightly more flat and neutral sound profile, which some users may prefer, and their battery life is better too. Their companion app offers a graphic EQ and presets to help you customize their sound too, and they support multi-device pairing, meaning you can stay connected with up to two devices at a time. However, the Samsung headphones have a better noise isolation performance.
The Samsung Galaxy Buds2 Pro True Wireless are slightly better in-ear headphones than the Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro Truly Wireless, but the differences are minor. While both buds are comfortable and well-built, the Buds2 Pro have a significantly better noise isolation performance, and their companion app offers more features. They also have a more neutral sound profile, which some users may prefer.
The Apple AirPods Pro Truly Wireless are better in-ears than the Samsung Galaxy Buds2 Pro True Wireless. While both headphones are comfortable, the Apple headphones are better built, have a more neutral sound profile, which some users may prefer, and their overall battery performance is better. They also have an H1 chip for seamless pairing with your Apple devices. However, the Samsung headphones have a better noise isolation performance, and their companion app offers EQ presets to help you customize their sound.
The Apple AirPods Pro (2nd generation) Truly Wireless have a slight edge over the Samsung Galaxy Buds2 Pro True Wireless. While both in-ears are comfortable and have similarly excellent levels of noise isolation, the Apple have a more premium build, and their battery performance is better. They also have an H2 chip for seamless pairing with your Apple devices. However, the Samsung headphones sound more neutral out of the box, and have EQ presets, which some users may prefer to adjust their sound to their liking.
The Samsung Galaxy Buds2 Pro True Wireless and the Beats Fit Pro True Wireless have different strengths, and you may prefer either one. While both buds are well-built, the Samsung headphones are more comfortable, can block out significantly more ambient sound, and their companion app offers EQ presets to help you adjust their sound. However, the Beats have a slightly better battery performance. They also have an H1 chip for seamless pairing with your Apple devices.
The Samsung Galaxy Buds2 Pro True Wireless are the upgraded variant of the Samsung Galaxy Buds2 Truly Wireless. While both buds are comfortable and well-built, the Pro have a higher IP certification of IPX7 and a significantly better noise isolation performance. They also support Bluetooth 5.3 and their sound profile is more neutral, which some users may prefer.
The Samsung Galaxy Buds2 Pro True Wireless and the OnePlus Buds Pro 2 Truly Wireless have different strengths and, depending on your preference, you may enjoy either one. While both buds are well-built and comfortable, the Samsung have a more neutral sound profile, which some users may prefer, and a significantly better noise isolation performance. However, the OnePlus support multi-device pairing and have a better overall battery performance.
The Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro have a similar style to the Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro Truly Wireless. They have egg-shaped buds but have a more satin finish rather than glossy. They come in three color variants: 'Bora Purple', 'White', and 'Graphite'.
The Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro are comfortable. Their fit is a mix of the Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro Truly Wireless and the Samsung Galaxy Buds2 Truly Wireless. Overall, they feel lightweight in the ears and don't go very deeply into your ear. They also don't put much pressure on your ears. On the downside, they can create a plunger-like feeling in your ear.
The Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro have good controls. They're easy to use, and the controls can be registered on either bud. The touch surface is very small, and it's easy to accidentally register a command if you're adjusting the buds in your ears. When trying to do different commands, sometimes they don't register correctly. On the upside, there are beeps to let you know when you've registered a command. There are also different chimes to let you know when you've switched between ANC on and off and transparency mode.
On either bud:
Keep in mind that there aren't volume or voice assistant controls by default. However, you can activate these commands in the app. You can also add Spotify, which launches this app on command.
The charging case is great. Their case is very similar to the Samsung Galaxy Buds2 Truly Wireless but has a satin finish. Overall, the case feels lightweight yet sturdy. There's a light inside the case to indicate the buds' charge, and there's one light on the outside to indicate the case's charge. It also supports wireless charging.
The Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro have a good build quality. They feel similarly well-built as other Samsung earbuds and are mostly made of plastic, which seems lightweight yet sturdy. However, the ear tips feel like they could rip over time. The buds are certified IPX7 for resistance against submersion in water.
The Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro have a neutral sound that's well-suited for a variety of audio content. Originally, we reported a dip in the mid-range, but this was due to an improper fit. However, if you take the time to ensure a proper fit, vocals and instruments sound accurate and present in mixes. If you prefer a different sound, their companion apps offer EQ presets to help you adjust their sound to your liking.
The Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro's mid accuracy is outstanding. The entire range is flat and neutral, and although there's a slight driver mismatch in the mid-mid range, it isn't very noticeable. Overall, in songs like Iron by Woodkid, vocals and instruments sound clear, accurate, and present throughout the mix.
The Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro's peaks and dips performance is excellent. There's a bit of mismatch present between the L/R drivers, which alternates across the range. A dip in the low-mid affects the right driver and thins out vocals and instruments, while a peak in the mid-to-high-mid nudges them forward. A peak in the low-treble also primarily affects the right driver and makes the upper harmonics of vocals and instruments sound harsh, while the uneven mid-treble affects both drivers and turns sibilants like cymbals alternatingly weak and piercing.
The imaging performance is great. Samsung's higher-end products generally tend to have well-matched drivers. Our unit's L/R drivers are matched in group delay, phase, and frequency, which is important for the accurate localization of sound objects like voices in the stereo image. While there's a bump in the phase response's mid-range, which makes audio skew slightly to the left and sound a little louder than the right driver, it's fairly minor. There's also a slight amplitude mismatch present, which can cause issues with the balance of the stereo image. However, imaging can vary between units, especially as it can be an indicator of quality control and ergonomics.
The Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro's passive soundstage is bad, but that's normal from in-ear headphones. To create an out-of-head listening experience, your outer ear has to be activated by sound resonances. However, in-ear headphones bypass the outer ear by design, so the soundstage seems closed-off, small, and as if sound is coming from inside your head.
These buds are compatible with 360 Audio, which is available via the mobile companion app. There's a head tracking feature, which allows sound to follow your head as you move it. The volume of audio sounds louder than when this feature is off. There doesn't seem to be a difference in sound quality whether this feature is on or off.
These are the settings used to test the Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro. Our results are only valid when using them in this configuration.
The Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro have an excellent noise isolation performance. They have an ANC system that can block out more overall ambient noise than the Samsung Galaxy Buds2 Truly Wireless and Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro Truly Wireless. They can cut down the low rumble of bus engines as well as office chatter and the hum of AC units.
The Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro's mic's recording quality is okay. Overall, your voice is easy to understand but sounds a little veiled. While the mic's recorded speech file sounds very similar to that of the Samsung Galaxy Buds2 Truly Wireless, the next generation Buds2's mic is a bit more pitchy.
The mic's noise handling performance is poor. The mic struggles to separate your voice from background noise. If you're taking a call from a busy street or office, your voice can be unintelligible to whoever you're talking to.
The Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro's battery performance is sub-par. The manufacturer advertises them to last five hours continuously, and we measured just under that. Their carrying case supplies roughly 2.6 additional charges if you need it, but this is shorter than that of competitors like the Apple AirPods Pro (2nd generation) Truly Wireless, which have four extra charges. Keep in mind that battery life can vary depending on use. While they don't have a power-saving feature to help conserve battery life when not in use, you can use one bud while the other charges.
The Samsung Wearable app is good, but it isn't available on iOS devices. That said, it offers a variety of features. You can access EQ presets, an earbud fit test, and the 360 Audio feature for a more immersive sound. You can also remap controls and toggle between ANC on, off, and ambient sound. There's a 'Game Mode', which helps lower latency on mobile devices, but this feature is only available on compatible Samsung devices.
In addition to the Samsung Wearable app, you can also access the Galaxy Buds app on Windows. It offers many of the same features as the mobile app, such as EQ presets, control remapping, and noise control. However, this app doesn't have a low latency mode.
The Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro's Bluetooth connectivity is satisfactory. The buds don't support multi-device or NFC pairing. They also have high latency on PCs, although luckily, their latency on iOS and Android devices is much lower. Keep in mind that some devices compensate for latency, though.
These headphones also support Seamless, Samsung's proprietary codec, which the manufacturer advertises to improve audio quality; this is good if you listen to hi-fi audio. However, this codec is only available on select Samsung devices, and we don't have a device that can currently test it. These headphones can also connect to compatible Samsung TVs. We measured 189ms of latency when connected to our Samsung Q80T, but we didn't notice any delays while watching TV. If you need to take a call, audio will switch from the TV to your phone and resume once the call is over.
The Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro have full audio and mic compatibility with Bluetooth-enabled PCs. However, you can't connect these buds to your PC in any other way.
These buds come with a carrying case that holds roughly 2.6 additional charges. It supports wireless charging and has a USB-C input so that you can recharge the case.