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  Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro

  Samsung's best buds

  $200 $230 Save $30

  The Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro are Samsung's best earbuds to date, sporting a refined design and support for 24-bit audio playback under the right conditions. They're not much better than the first-gen Galaxy Buds Pro overall, though.

  Pros

  • Slimmer, lighter, and better looking
  • Marginally better sound and ANC
  • Same battery life despite smaller size

  Cons

  • Most users won't care about 24-bit audio
  • Pricey upgrade for few benefits

  $150 at Samsung with trade-in $200 at Amazon $200 at Best Buy

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  Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro

  Last-gen, but not outdated

  $150 $200 Save $50

  The original Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro might not look as stylish as the newer Buds 2 Pro, but the older earbuds still offer great sound quality and strong ANC. They're a little on the bulky side, but if they're comfortable in your ears, there's not much reason to upgrade right now.

  Pros

  • Strong, bassy audio
  • Good ANC

  Cons

  • Bulky for true wireless earbuds
  • No 24-bit audio (if that matters to you)

  $150 at Amazon

Samsung's Galaxy Buds 2 Pro are one of our favorite pairs of earbuds and the sequel to the first-generation Galaxy Buds Pro. Like many of Samsung's hardware releases for the past couple of years, the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro are more of a refinement than a reinvention of the previous model — to the point where you might have some trouble telling the two apart. Read on to get a better idea of what differentiates the two sets — and whether upgrading from the Buds Pro to the Buds 2 Pro makes sense.

Price, availability, and specs

The Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro launched in 2022 at an MSRP of $230, but they're regularly available for closer to $200, and sales have seen their price fall as low as $180 on occasion. You can get them at retailers like Amazon and Best Buy, as well as from Samsung directly.

The original Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro were released in 2021 for a retail price of $200. They're not always easy to find these days, but Amazon still carries the previous-generation buds. Prices have fallen as low as $100 but typically hover around $180.

• 	Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro	Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro
  Battery Life	5 hours (ANC on), 18 with case	5 hours (ANC on), 18 with case
  Noise Cancellation	Yes	Yes
  Mono Listening	Either bud	Either bud
  IP rating	IPX7	IPX7
  Supported codecs	SBC, AAC, Samsung Seamless	SBC, AAC, Samsung Scalable
  Weight (earbuds)	5.5g each	6.3g each
  Dimensions (earbuds)	19.9 x 21.6 x 18.7mm	20.5 x 19.5 x 20.8mm
  Charging	USB-C, wireless	USB-C, wireless
  Driver size	10mm driver + 5.3mm tweeter	11mm driver + 6mm tweeter

Design and fit

The Buds 2 Pro and the first-gen Buds Pro share remarkably similar hardware. At a glance, you can tell the two apart by the finish — the Buds 2 Pro have a satin finish rather than the glossy plastic on the touch surfaces of the original Buds Pro — and the shape. The newer earbuds are smaller and sleeker than the last generation. The first-gen Buds Pro come in Phantom Black, Phantom Silver, and Phantom Violet; the newer model is available in Graphite, White, and Bora Purple.

The Galaxy Buds 2 Pro are significantly smaller and lighter than the original Galaxy Buds Pro, so the newer earbuds are more comfortable for longer periods of time.

Sound and call quality

Both the Galaxy Buds Pro and the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro offer strong audio with ample bass and several equalizer presets to tune the frequency response to your liking. The listening experience isn't much different between the two pairs — the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro do have more thorough noise cancellation, but it's not easy to tell which pair you're listening to by audio quality alone.

The newer Buds 2 Pro support 24-bit audio playback thanks to Samsung's proprietary Seamless codec, but there are a few asterisks here. Compared to the 16-bit audio most of us are used to, 24-bit audio should have less digital noise, offering a listening experience that is, in that specific way, truer to life. But there's an ongoing debate around how able human ears are to hear the difference between the two, and getting 24-bit audio out of the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro requires that they be connected to a Samsung phone. You'll also have to listen to 24-bit audio files through apps that support them (Spotify doesn't, but streaming services Tidal and Qobuz do). It's safe to assume that if you're not already familiar with the ins and outs of bit depth in audio engineering, 24-bit sound is not a good reason for you to buy the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro.

Both pairs of earbuds have three microphones on each bud (for a total of six), and the call quality on either is good. Samsung makes a point to say the mics in the Buds 2 Pro have a high signal-to-noise ratio, which should help the newer earbuds better eliminate background noise during calls. The difference during calls isn't very noticeable in real-life use, however.

Software

Both generations of Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro have similar software features. They've both got in-ear detection, single earbud listening with either bud, fast device switching between Samsung phones and tablets, and an option to lower your media's volume and switch on transparency mode when your voice is detected, facilitating quick interactions with people around you. In addition, both pairs of earbuds are managed using the Galaxy Wearable app.

Battery life

While the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro are notably smaller than their predecessor, battery life is unchanged year over year. The first-generation Galaxy Buds Pro and the Buds 2 Pro can both eke out about five hours on a charge with ANC on, and each pair's small, square charging case holds roughly an additional 13 hours of juice. But, of course, if you've been using the first generation since launch, their battery life may have degraded some by now. The earbuds' cases charge over USB-C or wirelessly.

Should you upgrade?

If you already have the Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro, you probably shouldn't upgrade to the Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro. The newer buds are objectively better than the first-gen Galaxy Buds Pro, but like many of Samsung's recent releases, they offer relatively small improvements over the previous model. However, if you're especially excited about the new model's more ergonomic shape or Samsung's Seamless codec, you may be able to justify the Buds 2 Pro's $229 MSRP. Otherwise, if your first-generation Galaxy Buds Pro are still working well, there's not much reason to spring for the upgrade.

If you're using older or lower-end earbuds, there's plenty to like here: the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro are really good premium earbuds, and not just when paired with Samsung phones. It just so happens that was true of the last pair, too.