Samsung Galaxy Buds+ vs MOONDROP KATO

Which Headphones Are Better?

Products

Samsung Galaxy Buds+
MOONDROP KATO

Tested using Methodology v1.5

Updated Dec 01, 2025 08:37 PM

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Amazon.com

Tested using Methodology v1.5

Updated Mar 06, 2026 07:01 PM

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Amazon.com
Samsung Galaxy Buds+ Picture

Track

MOONDROP KATO Picture

Track

Our Verdict

Samsung Galaxy Buds+

MOONDROP KATO

The Samsung Galaxy Buds+ are more versatile in-ears than the MOONDROP KATO. While both headphones are comfortable, the Samsung have a more neutral sound profile, which some users may prefer, and their companion app offers EQ presets to help you customize their sound to your liking. They can also passively block out more ambient noise. They also have a mic so you can take calls on the go. However, the MOONDROP are better-built wired in-ear monitors with a swappable nozzle design.

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Variants

  • Galaxy Buds Plus (Black)
  • Galaxy Buds Plus (Cloud Blue)
  • KATO (Mirror Silver)

Check Price

Black
Galaxy Buds Plus
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Mirror Silver
KATO
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Cloud Blue
Galaxy Buds Plus
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Mirror Silver
KATO
SEE PRICE
Walmart.com
Red
Galaxy Buds Plus
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Mirror Silver
KATO
B&H
White
Galaxy Buds Plus
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Mirror Silver
KATO
BestBuy.com
 
Mirror Silver
KATO
MOONDROP

Main Differences for
Neutral Sound

Threshold 

0.10

Neutral Sound 
 

7.9
7.3

Bass Accuracy 
 

9.6
7.8

Mid Accuracy 
 

9.1
8.6

Full Comparison

Design

Style  

Design Picture 2 
 

Compare High-Res
Samsung Galaxy Buds+ Design Picture 2
Compare High-Res
MOONDROP KATO Design Picture 2

Type  

In-ear
In-ear

Enclosure  

Closed-Back
Closed-Back

Wireless  

Truly Wireless
No

Transducer  

Dynamic
Dynamic

Comfort 
 

7.5
7.5

Comfort Picture 
 

Compare High-Res
Samsung Galaxy Buds+ Comfort Picture
Compare High-Res
MOONDROP KATO Comfort Picture

Weight  

0.03 lbs
0.13 lbs

Clamping Force 
 

0 lbs
0 lbs

Controls 
 

5.8
0.0

Controls Picture 
 

Compare High-Res
Samsung Galaxy Buds+ Controls Picture
Compare High-Res
MOONDROP KATO Controls Picture

OS Compatibility 
 

Not OS specific
No Controls

Ease Of Use  

Decent
No Controls

Feedback  

Okay
No Controls

Call/Music Control  

Yes
No

Volume Control  

No
No

Microphone Control  

Mute/Unmute
No

Channel Mixing 
 

No
No

Noise Cancelling Control  

No
No

Talk-Through 
 

On/Off
No

Additional Controls  

Voice Assistant
No

Breathability 
 

9.2

Breathability After Picture  

Samsung Galaxy Buds+ Breathability After Picture

Avg.Temp.Difference  

0.8 °C

Portability 
 

9.5
8.8

Portability Picture 
 

Compare High-Res
Samsung Galaxy Buds+ Portability Picture
Compare High-Res
MOONDROP KATO Portability Picture

 

1.4" (3.6 cm)
2.5" (6.3 cm)

 

1.0" (2.5 cm)
1.7" (4.4 cm)

 

1.0" (2.5 cm)
1.1" (2.9 cm)

Volume  

1.40 in³ (22.94 cm³)
4.91 in³ (80.40 cm³)

Transmitter Required  

No
No

Case 
 

8.0
7.0

Case Picture 
 

Compare High-Res
Samsung Galaxy Buds+ Case Picture
Compare High-Res
MOONDROP KATO Case Picture

Type  

Hard case
Hard case

 

2.1" (5.3 cm)
3.3" (8.4 cm)

 

1.6" (4.1 cm)
2.7" (6.8 cm)

 

1.0" (2.5 cm)
1.3" (3.4 cm)

Volume  

3.40 in³ (55.72 cm³)
11.85 in³ (194.20 cm³)

Build Quality 
 

7.5
8.0

Build Quality Picture 
 

Compare High-Res
Samsung Galaxy Buds+ Build Quality Picture
Compare High-Res
MOONDROP KATO Build Quality Picture

Stability 
 

8.0
8.0

Stability Picture 
 

Compare High-Res
Samsung Galaxy Buds+ Stability Picture
Compare High-Res
MOONDROP KATO Stability Picture

Headshots 1  

Angled Picture 
 

Compare High-Res
Samsung Galaxy Buds+ Angled Picture
Compare High-Res
MOONDROP KATO Angled Picture

Side Picture 
 

Compare High-Res
Samsung Galaxy Buds+ Side Picture
Compare High-Res
MOONDROP KATO Side Picture

Headshots 2  

Front Picture 
 

Compare High-Res
Samsung Galaxy Buds+ Front Picture
Compare High-Res
MOONDROP KATO Front Picture

Rear Picture 
 

Compare High-Res
Samsung Galaxy Buds+ Rear Picture
Compare High-Res
MOONDROP KATO Rear Picture

Top  

Top Picture 
 

Compare High-Res
Samsung Galaxy Buds+ Top Picture
Compare High-Res
MOONDROP KATO Top Picture

In The Box  

In The Box Picture 
 

Compare High-Res
Samsung Galaxy Buds+ In The Box Picture
Compare High-Res
MOONDROP KATO In The Box Picture
Sound

Sound Profile 
 

Frequency Response  

 Preview Graph
Samsung Galaxy Buds+ Frequency Response
 Preview Graph
MOONDROP KATO Frequency Response

Bass Amount 
 

-0.27 dB
-1.86 dB

Treble Amount 
 

-1.17 dB
-0.84 dB

Frequency Response Consistency 
 

9.6
8.3

Consistency L  

 Preview Graph
Samsung Galaxy Buds+ Consistency L
 Preview Graph
MOONDROP KATO Consistency L

Consistency R  

 Preview Graph
Samsung Galaxy Buds+ Consistency R
 Preview Graph
MOONDROP KATO Consistency R

Avg. Std. Deviation 
 

0.08 dB
0.34 dB

Raw Frequency Response 
 

Raw FR L  

 Preview Graph
Samsung Galaxy Buds+ Raw FR L
 Preview Graph
MOONDROP KATO Raw FR L

Raw FR R  

 Preview Graph
Samsung Galaxy Buds+ Raw FR R
 Preview Graph
MOONDROP KATO Raw FR R

Bass Accuracy 
 

9.6
7.8

Bass  

 Preview Graph
Samsung Galaxy Buds+ Bass
 Preview Graph
MOONDROP KATO Bass

Std. Err. 
 

0.47 dB
2.79 dB

Low-Frequency Extension 
 

10.75 Hz
76.61 Hz

Low-Bass 
 

-0.24 dB
-4.96 dB

Mid-Bass 
 

0.19 dB
-2.62 dB

High-Bass 
 

-0.14 dB
-0.11 dB

Mid Accuracy 
 

9.1
8.6

Mid  

 Preview Graph
Samsung Galaxy Buds+ Mid
 Preview Graph
MOONDROP KATO Mid

Std. Err. 
 

1.16 dB
1.92 dB

Low-Mid 
 

0.02 dB
-1.07 dB

Mid-Mid 
 

-1.52 dB
-2.87 dB

High-Mid 
 

0.83 dB
0.01 dB

Treble Accuracy 
 

8.9
8.4

Treble  

 Preview Graph
Samsung Galaxy Buds+ Treble
 Preview Graph
MOONDROP KATO Treble

Std. Err. 
 

1.72 dB
2.42 dB

Low-Treble 
 

0.83 dB
-1.15 dB

Mid-Treble 
 

-1.99 dB
-2.35 dB

High-Treble 
 

-6.05 dB
-5.89 dB

Peaks/Dips 
 

8.7
8.5

Peaks/Dips Graph  

 Preview Graph
Samsung Galaxy Buds+ Peaks/Dips Graph
 Preview Graph
MOONDROP KATO Peaks/Dips Graph

Peaks 
 

0.96 dB
1 dB

Dips 
 

0.61 dB
0.9 dB

Imaging 
 

9.0
9.2

Group Delay  

 Preview Graph
Samsung Galaxy Buds+ Group Delay
 Preview Graph
MOONDROP KATO Group Delay

Phase Response Mismatch  

 Preview Graph
Samsung Galaxy Buds+ Phase Response Mismatch
 Preview Graph
MOONDROP KATO Phase Response Mismatch

Weighted Group Delay 
 

0.15
0.09

Weighted Phase Mismatch 
 

1.55
1.27

Weighted Amplitude Mismatch 
 

0.62
0.66

Weighted Frequency Mismatch 
 

1.55
0.89

Passive Soundstage 
 

1.1
1.4

PRTF Accuracy (Std. Dev.) 
 

N/A
N/A

PRTF Size (Avg.) 
 

N/A
N/A

PRTF Distance 
 

N/A
N/A

Openness 
 

3.8
4.5

Acoustic Space Excitation 
 

1.2
1.6

Virtual Soundstage 
 

0.0
0.0

Virtual Soundstage 
 

Compare High-Res
Samsung Galaxy Buds+ Virtual Soundstage
Compare High-Res
MOONDROP KATO Virtual Soundstage

Head Modeling 
 

No
No

Speaker Modeling 
 

No
No

Room Ambience 
 

No
No

Head Tracking 
 

No
No

Virtual Surround 
 

No
No App

Weighted Harmonic Distortion 
 

7.3
8.0

Weighted Harmonic Distortion  

 Preview Graph
Samsung Galaxy Buds+ Weighted Harmonic Distortion
 Preview Graph
MOONDROP KATO Weighted Harmonic Distortion

WHD @ 90 
 

0.245
0.265

WHD @ 100 
 

0.299
0.092

Test Settings 
 

Firmware 
 

R175XXU0ATA5
No Firmware

Power 
 

On
Passive

Connection 
 

Bluetooth 4.2
Wired

Codec 
 

SBC, 16-bit, 48kHz
PCM, 24-bit, 48kHz

EQ 
 

Default
No EQ

ANC 
 

No ANC
No ANC

Tip/Pad 
 

Silicone (small)
Silicone (medium)

Microphone 
 

Integrated
No Microphone
Isolation

Noise Isolation 
 

6.1
5.4

Noise Isolation  

 Preview Graph
Samsung Galaxy Buds+ Noise Isolation
 Preview Graph
MOONDROP KATO Noise Isolation

Isolation Audio 
 

Overall Attenuation 
 

-17.94 dB
-14.61 dB

Noise Cancelling  

No
No

Bass 
 

-3.02 dB
-0.72 dB

Mid 
 

-18.54 dB
-15.56 dB

Treble 
 

-33.8 dB
-29.03 dB

Leakage 
 

8.9
8.6

Leakage  

 Preview Graph
Samsung Galaxy Buds+ Leakage
 Preview Graph
MOONDROP KATO Leakage

Leakage Audio 
 

Overall Leakage @ 1ft 
 

27.73 dB
29.99 dB
Microphone

Microphone Style 
 

Integrated 
 

Yes
No

In-Line 
 

No
No

Boom 
 

No
No

Detachable Boom 
 

No
No

Mic  

Yes
No

Recording Quality 
 

6.1
0.0

Microphone Frequency Response  

 Preview Graph
Samsung Galaxy Buds+ Microphone Frequency Response
MOONDROP KATO Microphone Frequency Response

Recorded Speech 
 

N/A

LFE 
 

126.99 Hz
N/A

FR Std. Dev. 
 

4.92 dB
N/A

HFE 
 

3,466.89 Hz
N/A

Weighted THD 
 

10.965
N/A

Gain 
 

-3.67 dB
N/A

Noise Handling 
 

7.8
0.0

SpNR  

 Preview Graph
Samsung Galaxy Buds+ SpNR
MOONDROP KATO SpNR

SpNR 
 

20.07 dB
N/A

Noise Gate 
 

No
No

Speech + Pink Noise Handling 
 

8.0
N/A

Speech + Pink Noise Audio Sample  

N/A

Speech + Subway Noise Handling 
 

7.5
N/A

Speech + Subway Noise Audio Sample  

N/A
Active Features

Battery 
 

7.8
0.0

Battery Type 
 

Rechargable
No Battery

Continuous Battery Life 
 

13.3 hrs
N/A

Additional Charges 
 

1.0
N/A

Total Battery Life 
 

26.6 hrs
N/A

Charge Time 
 

2 hrs
N/A

Power-Saving Feature 
 

Standby mode
No

Audio While Charging 
 

Yes
No

Passive Playback 
 

No
Passive Headphone

Charging Port  

USB-C
None

App Support 
 

7.0
0.0

App Picture 
 

Compare High-Res
Samsung Galaxy Buds+ App Picture
Compare High-Res
MOONDROP KATO App Picture

App Name  

Galaxy Wearable
No App

iOS  

Yes
No

Android  

Yes
No

macOS  

Yes
No

Windows  

Yes
No

Equalizer 
 

Presets
No

ANC Control 
 

No
No

Mic Control  

No
No

Room Effects 
 

No
No

Playback Control 
 

No
No

Button Mapping  

Yes
No

Surround Support 
 

No
No
Connectivity

Bluetooth 
 

6.8
0.0

Bluetooth Version 
 

5.0
No Bluetooth

Multi-Device Pairing 
 

No
No

NFC Pairing 
 

No
No

Line Of Sight Range 
 

146.00 ft (44.50 m)
N/A

PC Latency (SBC) 
 

332 ms
N/A

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 
 

73 ms
N/A

Android Latency 
 

33 ms
N/A

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
9.5

Cable Picture 
 

Compare High-Res
Samsung Galaxy Buds+ Cable Picture
Compare High-Res
MOONDROP KATO Cable Picture

Analog Audio 
 

No
Yes

USB Audio 
 

No
No

Detachable  

No
Yes

Length  

N/A
4.20 ft (1.28 m)

Connection 
 

No Wired Option
1/8" TRS

Analog/USB Audio Latency 
 

N/A
0 ms

PC Compatibility 
 

Analog 
 

No
Audio Only

Wired USB 
 

No
No

Non-BT Wireless 
 

No
No

PlayStation Compatibility 
 

PS4 Analog 
 

No
Audio Only

PS4 Wired USB 
 

No
No

PS4 Non-BT Wireless 
 

No
No

PS5 Analog 
 

No
Audio Only

PS5 Wired USB 
 

No
No

PS5 Non-BT Wireless 
 

No
No

Xbox Compatibility 
 

Xbox One Analog 
 

No
Audio Only

Xbox One Wired USB 
 

No
No

Xbox One Non-BT Wireless 
 

No
No

Xbox Series X|S Analog 
 

No
Audio Only

Xbox Series X|S Wired USB 
 

No
No

Xbox Series X|S Non-BT Wireless 
 

No
No

Base/Dock 
 

2.2
0.0

Type 
 

Charging Case
No Base/Dock

USB Input 
 

No
No

Line In 
 

No
No

Line Out 
 

No
No

Optical Input 
 

No
No

RCA Input 
 

No
No

Dock Charging 
 

Yes
No

Power Supply 
 

USB-C
No Base/Dock

Check Price

Black
Galaxy Buds Plus
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Mirror Silver
KATO
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Cloud Blue
Galaxy Buds Plus
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Mirror Silver
KATO
SEE PRICE
Walmart.com
Red
Galaxy Buds Plus
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Mirror Silver
KATO
B&H
White
Galaxy Buds Plus
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Mirror Silver
KATO
BestBuy.com
 
Mirror Silver
KATO
MOONDROP

Samsung Galaxy Buds+

MOONDROP KATO

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