Apple AirPods (2nd generation) vs Samsung Galaxy Buds2

Which Headphones Are Better?

Products

Apple AirPods (2nd generation)
Samsung Galaxy Buds2

Tested using Methodology v1.5

Updated Apr 19, 2024 06:39 PM

SEE PRICE
Amazon.com

Tested using Methodology v1.5

Updated Feb 13, 2025 12:28 AM

SEE PRICE
Amazon.com

Our Verdict

Apple AirPods (2nd generation) Truly Wireless

Samsung Galaxy Buds2

The Samsung Galaxy Buds2 are better in-ears than the Apple AirPods (2nd generation). The Samsung have more consistent audio delivery and a more neutral sound profile, which some users may prefer, and they have a significantly better noise isolation performance, thanks to their ANC system. You can also customize their sound using their companion app's EQ presets. However, the Apple are more comfortable and better built. They also have a better battery performance.

0 

Variants

  • AirPods (2nd generation) (With charging case)
  • AirPods (2nd generation) (With wireless charging case)
  • Galaxy Buds2 (Graphite)
  • Galaxy Buds2 (Lavender)

Check Price

With charging case
AirPods (2nd generation)
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Graphite
Galaxy Buds2
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
With wireless charging case
AirPods (2nd generation)
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Lavender
Galaxy Buds2
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
 
Olive
Galaxy Buds2
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
 
Phantom Black
Galaxy Buds2
Amazon.com
 
White
Galaxy Buds2
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com

Main Differences for
Neutral Sound

Threshold 

0.10

Neutral Sound 
 

6.6
7.4

Bass Accuracy 
 

5.8
9.3

Passive Soundstage 
 

2.9
1.0

Frequency Response Consistency 
 

5.6
9.3

Full Comparison

Design

Style  

Design Picture 2 
 

Compare High-Res
Apple AirPods (2nd generation) Truly Wireless Design Picture 2
Compare High-Res
Samsung Galaxy Buds2 Design Picture 2

Type  

Earbuds
In-ear

Enclosure  

Open-Back
Closed-Back

Wireless  

Truly Wireless
Truly Wireless

Transducer  

Dynamic
Dynamic
Show Text 

Comfort 
 

7.5
7.5

Comfort Picture 
 

Compare High-Res
Apple AirPods (2nd generation) Truly Wireless Comfort Picture
Compare High-Res
Samsung Galaxy Buds2 Comfort Picture

Weight  

0.02 lbs
0.02 lbs

Clamping Force 
 

0 lbs
0 lbs
Show Text 

Controls 
 

4.3
6.2

Controls Picture 
 

Compare High-Res
Apple AirPods (2nd generation) Truly Wireless Controls Picture
Compare High-Res
Samsung Galaxy Buds2 Controls Picture

OS Compatibility 
 

Not OS specific
Not OS specific

Ease Of Use  

Subpar
Decent

Feedback  

Subpar
Good

Call/Music Control  

Yes
Yes

Volume Control  

No
No

Microphone Control  

No
No

Channel Mixing 
 

No
No

Noise Cancelling Control  

No
On/Off

Talk-Through 
 

No
On/Off

Additional Controls  

Voice Assistant
No
Show Text 

Breathability 
 

9.2
9.2

Breathability After Picture 
 

Compare High-Res
Apple AirPods (2nd generation) Truly Wireless Breathability After Picture
Compare High-Res
Samsung Galaxy Buds2 Breathability After Picture

Avg.Temp.Difference  

0.8 °C
0.8 °C
Show Text 

Portability 
 

9.6
9.5

Portability Picture 
 

Compare High-Res
Apple AirPods (2nd generation) Truly Wireless Portability Picture
Compare High-Res
Samsung Galaxy Buds2 Portability Picture

 

1.7" (4.3 cm)
1.4" (3.6 cm)

 

1.0" (2.5 cm)
1.0" (2.5 cm)

 

0.6" (1.5 cm)
1.0" (2.5 cm)

Volume  

1.00 in³ (16.39 cm³)
1.37 in³ (22.50 cm³)

Transmitter Required  

No
No
Show Text 

Case 
 

8.5
8.0

Case Picture 
 

Compare High-Res
Apple AirPods (2nd generation) Truly Wireless Case Picture
Compare High-Res
Samsung Galaxy Buds2 Case Picture

Type  

Hard case
Hard case

 

2.1" (5.3 cm)
2.0" (5.1 cm)

 

1.7" (4.3 cm)
2.0" (5.1 cm)

 

0.7" (1.8 cm)
1.1" (2.8 cm)

Volume  

2.50 in³ (40.97 cm³)
4.41 in³ (72.30 cm³)
Show Text 

Build Quality 
 

8.0
7.5

Build Quality Picture 
 

Compare High-Res
Apple AirPods (2nd generation) Truly Wireless Build Quality Picture
Compare High-Res
Samsung Galaxy Buds2 Build Quality Picture
Show Text 

Stability 
 

6.5
7.5

Stability Picture 
 

Compare High-Res
Apple AirPods (2nd generation) Truly Wireless Stability Picture
Compare High-Res
Samsung Galaxy Buds2 Stability Picture
Show Text 

Headshots 1  

Angled Picture 
 

Compare High-Res
Apple AirPods (2nd generation) Truly Wireless Angled Picture
Compare High-Res
Samsung Galaxy Buds2 Angled Picture

Side Picture 
 

Compare High-Res
Apple AirPods (2nd generation) Truly Wireless Side Picture
Compare High-Res
Samsung Galaxy Buds2 Side Picture

Headshots 2  

Front Picture 
 

Compare High-Res
Apple AirPods (2nd generation) Truly Wireless Front Picture
Compare High-Res
Samsung Galaxy Buds2 Front Picture

Rear Picture 
 

Compare High-Res
Apple AirPods (2nd generation) Truly Wireless Rear Picture
Compare High-Res
Samsung Galaxy Buds2 Rear Picture

Top  

Top Picture 
 

Compare High-Res
Apple AirPods (2nd generation) Truly Wireless Top Picture
Compare High-Res
Samsung Galaxy Buds2 Top Picture

In The Box  

In The Box Picture 
 

Compare High-Res
Apple AirPods (2nd generation) Truly Wireless In The Box Picture
Compare High-Res
Samsung Galaxy Buds2 In The Box Picture
Show Text 
Sound

Sound Profile 
 

Frequency Response  

 Preview Graph
Apple AirPods (2nd generation) Truly Wireless Frequency Response
 Preview Graph
Samsung Galaxy Buds2 Frequency Response

Bass Amount 
 

-8.65 dB
-0.04 dB

Treble Amount 
 

0.39 dB
-0.98 dB
Show Text 

Frequency Response Consistency 
 

5.6
9.3

Consistency L  

 Preview Graph
Apple AirPods (2nd generation) Truly Wireless Consistency L
 Preview Graph
Samsung Galaxy Buds2 Consistency L

Consistency R  

 Preview Graph
Apple AirPods (2nd generation) Truly Wireless Consistency R
 Preview Graph
Samsung Galaxy Buds2 Consistency R

Avg. Std. Deviation 
 

1.13 dB
0.15 dB
Show Text 

Raw Frequency Response 
 

Raw FR L  

 Preview Graph
Apple AirPods (2nd generation) Truly Wireless Raw FR L
 Preview Graph
Samsung Galaxy Buds2 Raw FR L

Raw FR R  

 Preview Graph
Apple AirPods (2nd generation) Truly Wireless Raw FR R
 Preview Graph
Samsung Galaxy Buds2 Raw FR R

Bass Accuracy 
 

5.8
9.3

Bass  

 Preview Graph
Apple AirPods (2nd generation) Truly Wireless Bass
 Preview Graph
Samsung Galaxy Buds2 Bass

Std. Err. 
 

6.68 dB
0.97 dB

Low-Frequency Extension 
 

70.25 Hz
21.5 Hz

Low-Bass 
 

-13.78 dB
-1.87 dB

Mid-Bass 
 

-1.58 dB
-0.43 dB

High-Bass 
 

2.09 dB
-0.53 dB
Show Text 

Mid Accuracy 
 

8.4
8.4

Mid  

 Preview Graph
Apple AirPods (2nd generation) Truly Wireless Mid
 Preview Graph
Samsung Galaxy Buds2 Mid

Std. Err. 
 

2.17 dB
2.08 dB

Low-Mid 
 

1.31 dB
-0.5 dB

Mid-Mid 
 

0.07 dB
-3.16 dB

High-Mid 
 

3.01 dB
-0.1 dB
Show Text 

Treble Accuracy 
 

7.4
7.4

Treble  

 Preview Graph
Apple AirPods (2nd generation) Truly Wireless Treble
 Preview Graph
Samsung Galaxy Buds2 Treble

Std. Err. 
 

3.89 dB
3.85 dB

Low-Treble 
 

3.83 dB
-3.31 dB

Mid-Treble 
 

3.78 dB
0.49 dB

High-Treble 
 

-2.62 dB
-6.62 dB
Show Text 

Peaks/Dips 
 

7.2
7.3

Peaks/Dips Graph  

 Preview Graph
Apple AirPods (2nd generation) Truly Wireless Peaks/Dips Graph
 Preview Graph
Samsung Galaxy Buds2 Peaks/Dips Graph

Peaks 
 

1.97 dB
1.92 dB

Dips 
 

1.12 dB
1.05 dB
Show Text 

Imaging 
 

8.5
9.2

Group Delay  

 Preview Graph
Apple AirPods (2nd generation) Truly Wireless Group Delay
 Preview Graph
Samsung Galaxy Buds2 Group Delay

Phase Response Mismatch  

 Preview Graph
Apple AirPods (2nd generation) Truly Wireless Phase Response Mismatch
 Preview Graph
Samsung Galaxy Buds2 Phase Response Mismatch

Weighted Group Delay 
 

0.28
0.22

Weighted Phase Mismatch 
 

2.28
0.99

Weighted Amplitude Mismatch 
 

1.37
0.74

Weighted Frequency Mismatch 
 

1.28
0.57
Show Text 

Passive Soundstage 
 

2.9
1.0

PRTF Accuracy (Std. Dev.) 
 

N/A
N/A

PRTF Size (Avg.) 
 

N/A
N/A

PRTF Distance 
 

N/A
N/A

Openness 
 

9.6
1.9

Acoustic Space Excitation 
 

3.2
2.0
Show Text 

Virtual Soundstage 
 

0.0
2.9

Virtual Soundstage 
 

Compare High-Res
Apple AirPods (2nd generation) Truly Wireless Virtual Soundstage
Compare High-Res
Samsung Galaxy Buds2 Virtual Soundstage

Head Modeling 
 

No
No

Speaker Modeling 
 

No
On/Off

Room Ambience 
 

No
No

Head Tracking 
 

No
On/Off

Virtual Surround 
 

No
360 Audio
Show Text 

Weighted Harmonic Distortion 
 

7.8
7.7

Weighted Harmonic Distortion  

 Preview Graph
Apple AirPods (2nd generation) Truly Wireless Weighted Harmonic Distortion
 Preview Graph
Samsung Galaxy Buds2 Weighted Harmonic Distortion

WHD @ 90 
 

0.358
0.175

WHD @ 100 
 

0.104
0.163
Show Text 

Test Settings 
 

Firmware 
 

1A673
R177XXU0AUI2

Power 
 

On
On

Connection 
 

Bluetooth 4.0
Bluetooth 5.0

Codec 
 

SBC, 16-bit, 44.1kHz
SBC, 16-bit, 48kHz

EQ 
 

No EQ
Default

ANC 
 

No ANC
On

Tip/Pad 
 

Default
Silicone (small)

Microphone 
 

Integrated
Integrated
Show Text 
Isolation

Noise Isolation 
 

1.0
8.1

Noise Isolation  

 Preview Graph
Apple AirPods (2nd generation) Truly Wireless Noise Isolation
 Preview Graph
Samsung Galaxy Buds2 Noise Isolation

Isolation Audio 
 

Overall Attenuation 
 

-1.95 dB
-21.73 dB

Noise Cancelling  

No
Yes

Bass 
 

0.32 dB
-18.06 dB

Mid 
 

0.98 dB
-16.7 dB

Treble 
 

-6.94 dB
-30.06 dB
Show Text 

Leakage 
 

7.2
8.3

Leakage  

 Preview Graph
Apple AirPods (2nd generation) Truly Wireless Leakage
 Preview Graph
Samsung Galaxy Buds2 Leakage

Leakage Audio 
 

Overall Leakage @ 1ft 
 

38.25 dB
31.89 dB
Show Text 
Microphone

Microphone Style 
 

Integrated 
 

Yes
Yes

In-Line 
 

No
No

Boom 
 

No
No

Detachable Boom 
 

No
No

Mic  

Yes
Yes
Show Text 

Recording Quality 
 

6.4
7.6

Microphone Frequency Response  

 Preview Graph
Apple AirPods (2nd generation) Truly Wireless Microphone Frequency Response
 Preview Graph
Samsung Galaxy Buds2 Microphone Frequency Response

Recorded Speech 
 

LFE 
 

261.43 Hz
20 Hz

FR Std. Dev. 
 

3.34 dB
4.54 dB

HFE 
 

3,319.91 Hz
4,763.35 Hz

Weighted THD 
 

27.169
0.428

Gain 
 

38.23 dB
10.49 dB
Show Text 

Noise Handling 
 

6.9
4.7

SpNR  

 Preview Graph
Apple AirPods (2nd generation) Truly Wireless SpNR
 Preview Graph
Samsung Galaxy Buds2 SpNR

SpNR 
 

13.93 dB
9.9 dB

Noise Gate 
 

Always On
No

Speech + Pink Noise Handling 
 

7.5
4.5

Speech + Pink Noise Audio Sample  

Speech + Subway Noise Handling 
 

6.0
5.0

Speech + Subway Noise Audio Sample  

Show Text 
Active Features

Battery 
 

6.6
5.9

Battery Type 
 

Rechargable
Rechargable

Continuous Battery Life 
 

4.1 hrs
4.7 hrs

Additional Charges 
 

5.0
3.0

Total Battery Life 
 

24.6 hrs
18.8 hrs

Charge Time 
 

0.5 hrs
1.4 hrs

Power-Saving Feature 
 

Standby mode
No

Audio While Charging 
 

Yes
Yes

Passive Playback 
 

No
No

Charging Port  

Lightning
USB-C
Show Text 

App Support 
 

5.0
7.5

App Picture 
 

Compare High-Res
Apple AirPods (2nd generation) Truly Wireless App Picture
Compare High-Res
Samsung Galaxy Buds2 App Picture

App Name  

No App
Galaxy Wearable

iOS  

Yes
No

Android  

No
Yes

macOS  

Yes
No

Windows  

No
Yes

Equalizer 
 

No
Presets

ANC Control 
 

No
On/Off

Mic Control  

No
No

Room Effects 
 

No
No

Playback Control 
 

No
No

Button Mapping  

Yes
Yes

Surround Support 
 

No
No
Show Text 
Connectivity

Bluetooth 
 

6.8
7.3

Bluetooth Version 
 

5.0+H1 chip
5.2

Multi-Device Pairing 
 

No
No

NFC Pairing 
 

No
No

Line Of Sight Range 
 

149.00 ft (45.42 m)
245.41 ft (74.80 m)

PC Latency (SBC) 
 

176 ms
250 ms

PC Latency (aptX) 
 

N/A
N/A

PC Latency (aptX HD) 
 

N/A
N/A

PC Latency (aptX-LL) 
 

N/A
N/A

iOS Latency 
 

80 ms
-19 ms

Android Latency 
 

165 ms
-1 ms
Show Text 

Non-Bluetooth Wireless 
 

0.0
0.0

Non-BT Line Of Sight Range 
 

N/A
N/A

Non-BT Latency 
 

N/A
N/A

Wired 
 

0.0
0.0

Cable Picture 
 

Compare High-Res
Apple AirPods (2nd generation) Truly Wireless Cable Picture
Compare High-Res
Samsung Galaxy Buds2 Cable Picture

Analog Audio 
 

No
No

USB Audio 
 

No
No

Detachable  

No
No

Length  

N/A
N/A

Connection 
 

No Wired Option
No Wired Option

Analog/USB Audio Latency 
 

N/A
N/A
Show Text 

PC Compatibility 
 

Analog 
 

No
No

Wired USB 
 

No
No

Non-BT Wireless 
 

No
No
Show Text 

PlayStation Compatibility 
 

PS4 Analog 
 

No
No

PS4 Wired USB 
 

No
No

PS4 Non-BT Wireless 
 

No
No

PS5 Analog 
 

No
No

PS5 Wired USB 
 

No
No

PS5 Non-BT Wireless 
 

No
No

Xbox Compatibility 
 

Xbox One Analog 
 

No
No

Xbox One Wired USB 
 

No
No

Xbox One Non-BT Wireless 
 

No
No

Xbox Series X|S Analog 
 

No
No

Xbox Series X|S Wired USB 
 

No
No

Xbox Series X|S Non-BT Wireless 
 

No
No

Base/Dock 
 

2.2
2.2

Type 
 

Charging Case
Charging Case

USB Input 
 

No
No

Line In 
 

No
No

Line Out 
 

No
No

Optical Input 
 

No
No

RCA Input 
 

No
No

Dock Charging 
 

Yes
Yes

Power Supply 
 

Lightning
USB-C
Show Text 

Check Price

With charging case
AirPods (2nd generation)
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Graphite
Galaxy Buds2
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
With wireless charging case
AirPods (2nd generation)
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Lavender
Galaxy Buds2
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
 
Olive
Galaxy Buds2
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
 
Phantom Black
Galaxy Buds2
Amazon.com
 
White
Galaxy Buds2
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com

Apple AirPods (2nd generation) Truly Wireless

Samsung Galaxy Buds2

Comments

  1. Comparison

Apple AirPods (2nd generation) vs Samsung Galaxy Buds2: Main Discussion

What do you think of these products? Let us know below.


Looking for a personalized buying advice from the RTINGS.com experts? Insiders have direct access to buying advice on our insider forum.

PreviewBack to editorFormat guide
No comments yet, refresh to see new ones