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8.4






Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro

















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Like


Improved design with more comfortable fit

Excellent sound and good noise canceling

Very good voice-calling performance

Assortment of extra features for Galaxy device owners, including 360 Audio virtual surround sound and hands-free Bixby voice assistant

Fully waterproof (IPX7)






Don't Like


Fairly pricey

Some key features only work with Samsung devices

No true multipoint Bluetooth pairing









Sure enough, they did. The first thing you'll notice about the Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro -- which are launching alongside the new Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 and Galaxy Z Fold 4 -- is that they simply have a better all-around design than their predecessor. Not only are they 15% smaller, according to Samsung, but they weigh slightly less (5.5 grams per bud versus 6.3 grams) and have a matte finish on both the buds and case that gives them a nicer feel and makes them a bit more grippy.

Read more: Best Wireless Earbuds for 2022

That makes the compact case a little less likely to slip out of your hand and -- more importantly -- it helps keep the buds in your ears a little more securely. And thanks to their new shape and smaller size, I was able to get a tight seal with the largest set of included ear tips and didn't have to supply my own. Additionally, the earbuds don't stick out of your ears as much as the original Galaxy Buds Pro did, and they look more discreet. They're available in three colors -- Bora purple, white and graphite -- and while I can't say they'll fit all ears equally well, they should provide a better fit to more ears than the original Galaxy Buds Pro. 



















Proprietary high-res audio and other Galaxy-exclusive features

Aside from the revamped design, Samsung is touting the buds' improved noise canceling and support for 24-bit high-resolution audio. The catch is to get that 24-bit audio you'll need a Galaxy device equipped with Samsung's One UI 4.0 and a music streaming service like , [url=]Tidal or that streams high-res audio tracks. On all other devices, including Android phones and iPhones, the buds default to the AAC audio codec. They use Bluetooth 5.3. 

Alas, the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro don't support the more common AptX Adaptive audio codec for Android devices, only the new Samsung Seamless Hi-Fi codec, which Samsung says delivers 256x more sound data than 16-bit (CD quality) audio. Numbers like that are a bit deceptive because, based on my experience, you're really only going to notice a slight difference when streaming higher bit-rate tracks. But more on that after I round out the rest of the feature set.