Samsung Galaxy Buds+ Expert Review Roundup
So, do the Galaxy Buds+ add a lot of pluses to the originals? The experts don’t think so. But there are some nice improvements over the originals and for the price point, they’re worth considering. Marques Brownlee gives a nice overview of the overall thoughts the experts have on the Buds+ in this video clip.
Marques Brownlee Overview of Buds+
Design
When you look at the Galaxy Buds+, they look identical to the originals. There’s basically no change to the form factor of the earbuds or the case. But that’s not a bad thing. The experts agree that the Galaxy Buds+ fit well, are light and comfortable. And given that everyone’s ears are different, they come with three different eartips and three different outer rings so everyone can get a great fit on both ears. MobileTechReview gives a great overview of the Buds+ fit.
See MobileTechReviews Shake Test. Pretty Amusing!
Battery Life
One of the best features of the Buds+ is the battery life. You get 11 hours of play time. That’s by far, best in class. The Airpods Pro only gives 4.5 hours. But that’s not all. The Buds+ case which charges the earbuds, adds another 11 hours of play time for a total of 22 hours. In fact, 3 minutes of charging in the case gives you an additional hour of playback. That’s really amazing. They also have wireless charging capabilities and if you have the Galaxy S20 phone, you can charge them wirelessly by laying them on the back of the phone. Super cool! Check out more on battery life with Thao Huynh.
Thao Huynh on Battery Life
Sound Quality
Another improvement Samsung made is to the mics. They went from 2 mics to 3 mics. An additional outer mic was added. The experts agree that this helped with Ambient mode where you can hear outside noise from your surroundings. The originals sounded unnatural but there are definite improvements with the Buds+. That said, they don’t compare to Transparency Mode on the AirPods Pro but there is an improvement from the originals.
It’s good to note that the Buds+ do not have Active Noise Cancelation where outside noise is blocked out. This is great for plane rides, at the gyms or even when working at home and it’s a truly loved feature of the AirPods Pro.
Call quality was a complaint of the originals. And it’s not much better on the Buds+. Take a look at Thao Huynh’s call test comparing the Buds+ call quality to the originals. As you can tell, there’s a slight improvement, but call quality still isn’t great.
Call Test with Thao Huynh
What about music? The experts diverge when it comes to sound quality when listening to music. Max Tech said he was blown away by the sound quality. He even went as far as saying the sound was better than the AirPods Pro. But Max Tech seemed to be an outlier. Most of the other experts thought the sound quality was improved and sufficient but not great. Check out whatUnbox Therapy says about the sound. He compares the originals to the Buds+.
Unbox Therapy on the Sound Quality
The Controls
The Buds+ are touch responsive. Basically you touch or tap the earbuds and you can do things like play, pause, play next and answer or end calls. The experts agree that the touch functionality seems to work well. You can even customize one action of your choice. JimsReviewRoom gives a nice overview of the controls in his video:
How The Controls Work with JimsReviewRoom
The Biggest Complaint
The biggest complaint by the experts was the water resistance rating. The Buds+ have an IP2 rating. That means that they can take a few drops of water from a 15 degree angle. So you’re not going to wear these in the rain or to workout if you sweat a lot. This is a further let down, as most of the competitors are IP4 and IP5 rated. JimsReviewRoom breaks it down for us in this clip:
More on Water Resistance with JimsReviewRoom
The Summary
The Galaxy Buds+ are a good earbud for $149. Are they the best out there? The experts say no. But they are good for the price. You get great battery life, decent sound quality and a list of other nice features. But given the competition, they don’t rank as a top performer when it comes to earbuds. But if $149 is at the top of your budget, these are a good set of earbuds.