Samsung has been the world's leading smartphone maker for many years. The number of phones in circulation by the Korean company is enormous, so why not create a pair of True Wireless headphones that perfectly matches these products (and also with all the other smartphones)? Last year the Galaxy Buds reached the goal, at least from a purely functional point of view, proving to be comfortable and simple to use headphones, which however lacked something on the audio quality front.
Now, with the new Galaxy Buds +, Samsung has decided to take the good things seen in the first model, improving it with a decidedly superior listening experience, not suitable for audiophiles but perfect for the general public, primary target of this model.
Design: nothing has changed
Visually the differences between Buds and Buds + are practically nil. Even placing the case of the new and old model side by side there are no visible variations, except in the finish and color of the two samples that we used for the test. The 2019 variant in our possession is opaque white, also available for the new model, while the 2020 variant is glossy black. Even when opening the case, the differences are minimal, the Buds + have a small rubber insert that indicates where to position the right and left earphones, in the old model this indication was written directly on the plastic shell. In the back we find the door USB Type C for charging.
Even looking at the earphones, there are no differences whatsoever, Samsung has changed practically nothing under this front, but it is not bad because the 2019 variant was already comfortable to wear. We therefore also find the small rubberized flap at the top, useful to better fix the headphones to the ear without having to push them too deeply.
The in-ear headphones they are not appreciated by everyone, especially for this reason, but thanks to this measure, comfort and stability inside the ear improve a lot. In the sales package, however, there are two other rubbers (also for the fins) of different sizes to best adapt the headphones to your ear.
At the ends of the two headsets Samsung has maintained some touch surfaces for receiving commands, from which it is possible, for example, to stop music playback or to forward a song.
Compared to the previous model, the controls are received a little better but the missing detections have remained, even if in smaller numbers. The touch surface is very small and easy to make mistakes.
As far as materials are concerned, from headphones to the charging case, plastic is the master. This brings the construction quality to more than good levels but without achieving excellence. But there are also positive sides: the weight benefits, the Galaxy Buds + are light, they do not feel almost once worn, and also the cost, with a price of about € 155 online.
Simple to set up, and feel better
With a Galaxy smartphone the configuration of the Buds + is very simple. We tried them with a Galaxy S20 Ultra, once opened the case the earphones are immediately recognized by the phone, then a few taps are enough to have them ready for use immediately. With the other smartphones, Android and iOS, they can be paired directly from the bluetooth settings but better to switch from the proprietary application (Samsung Wear on Android and Samsung Galaxy Buds + for iOS), so as to access the accessory functions of the headphones. From here you can see the charge level, decide the equalization between different presets, change the touch controls or activate again a low latency mode. In this regard, even without this active mode we have detected an almost imperceptible delay in audio, a result also facilitated by the use of Bluetooth 5.0, with which the Galaxy Buds + are compatible.
Interesting is the function that allows you to adjust the ambient sound. Buds + do not have an active noise cancellation but still isolate very well from the external environment, especially if you choose the rubber of the right size for your ear. With this function you can decide the level of environmental noises reproduced by the headphones: in this way you can, for example, talk to someone without removing the earphones.
The function is possible thanks to the three microphones installed in each of them, one of which is internal, which confirm their quality even during calls, managing well to detect the voice, cutting off part of the external sounds. The quality of the calls is very high and it is one of the strong points of the product.
Compared to the previous model however the element that stands out most is the music reproduction, clearly improved. The credit goes to the introduction of small two-way speakers, with a tweeter for the high tones and a woofer for the low ones. Last year's model suffered greatly from the reproduction of low frequencies, which however are fundamental in earphones like these, not addressed to audiophiles. The end result is an AKG sound that certainly does not focus on balance, but which manages to make the highs stand out and to generate full-bodied low frequencies, which are all heard while listening, especially if you use the presets that they push more on these frequencies.
In short, if the main limitation of the Galaxy Buds 2019 was music reproduction, Samsung easily outperformed it in the new model. Autonomy is also excellent, with a single charge the earphones easily exceed 7 hours, to which are added at least another 7-8 hours with the energy reserve contained in the case. This is an important added value, especially for those who travel frequently, who will never run out of energy. Wireless charging is also available, not essential but still useful on certain occasions.
