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REVIEW: Galaxy Buds+, an evolution in sound quality and autonomy

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The Galaxy Buds + brings great improvements over the previous generation, however, it sins by falling behind the technologies of competitors

Os Galaxy Buds + arrived to replace the successful Galaxy Buds and bet on bigger battery, balanced sound and greater interaction with applications. However, noise canceling technology was left out of the new generation, which raises the question: is it worth the upgrade? Check it out in our review.

Beautiful and more compact

Os Galaxy Buds + kept the design of the previous generation, a wise decision taking into account the great ergonomics and looks of the first model. The headphones are slightly heavier, giving the feeling that they will fall out, however the fit is perfect and they are surprisingly stable, even in many hours of continuous use. 

The headphones come with a new rubber tip, which better isolates external noise, partially compensating for the lack of noise canceling technology. Among the passive insulations, the result is very satisfactory, but it is not equal to earbuds of similar price that have the technology integrated.

Galaxy Buds+ headphones
Comfortable and pristine in design, Galaxy Buds+ earbuds are perfect for hours of continuous use.

The earbuds have a pearly region that works to the touch. There you can play/pause music, skip tracks, answer and end calls. With long presses, you can start the Bixby, voice assistant Google, listen to ambient sound and start a playlist of the Spotify based on what the user hears most, all configurable in the app Samsung Wearables.

Touch controls are good, but precision is essential. In several situations when changing the song (which requires two taps), I didn't play exactly in the center and the song ended up pausing. It's uncomfortable for the first few uses, but the user gets used to it.

Galaxy Buds+ Case
The Galaxy Buds+ case received a pearly touch in its construction, and a rubber detail indicates the positions of the earbuds.

The charging case received slight design updates, being slightly smaller than the previous generation, with a brighter pearly finish and rubbers that indicate which earphone is right and left. The case still has a LED which shows the amount of battery remaining in the Galaxy Buds + and also a door USB-C on the back for charging.

Connectivity and Battery

Os Galaxy Buds + connect via Bluetooth 5.0, and the initial connection is very simple and fast through the application Samsung Wearables, which guides the user to its first use. During the performance of songs, at no time did the sound stutter or lose quality, even in the most distant rooms of the house.

The battery of Galaxy Buds + received a generous update and has a great durability. O gadgets have battery 85mAh on each of the headphones and the case has 270mAh, which guarantees around 11 hours in the headphones and a full charge of the case, giving more 11 hours of reproduction. It's more than enough to go days without plugging it in in moderate use.

Galaxy buds+ in-ear
The touch-sensitive controls are very responsive, however, it still lacks refinement in its construction

It is worth mentioning that, in addition to the standard charging through the USB-C, the Galaxy Buds + have wireless charging. Therefore, it can be loaded straight from the back of a Galaxy Note 10 with the feature Powershare, for example, or any other device compatible with the technology.

Battery information is displayed directly in the app Samsung Wearables, but only the duration of the headphones is shown, leaving the case independent from its own LED . During our tests, really the battery of Buds + proved to be very durable. Its loading speed is impressive, just 10 minutes in the socket provided more than 1 hour of music, being 1h15 the approximate time to fully charge it.

Powerful, crystal clear sound

The sound experience is one of the most important issues when looking for a headphone, and the sound drivers update was very welcome. With the speaker system 2 tracks, being the Tweet focused on the high frequencies and the Woofer for the lowest frequencies, the sound gained the power and brilliance that was lacking in the first generation of earbuds.

The big annoyance is precisely in the standard equalization and the presets gifts in the app Samsung Wearables. The Galaxy Buds + cannot fully shine in these options, requiring an understanding of the cell phone's own equalization system to reach a balance. You presets leave the sound half washed and do not highlight the potential of earbuds. For the most demanding, even using an equalizer from another developer for finer adjustments is necessary.

Galaxy buds+ headphones in detail
Galaxy Buds+ have powerful, crystal-clear sound due to improvements in their sound driver

Overall, music junkies will be very pleased with the quality coming from the Galaxy Buds +. Due to their sonic characteristics, pop, alternative and indie styles will be highlighted here with present bass and crystal clear vocals.

Already the microphone of Buds +, unlike the previous generation, are sensational for calls and audio messages. The presence of an extra microphone brought better voice pickup and reduced ambient noise. The compression still makes the voice a little metallic, but the advance is noticeable and it works well here.

Samsung Wearable App and Touch Functions

The application Samsung wearable is mandatory for the use of Buds +, because through it we configure all the headphones' touch functionalities and monitor the battery charge.

The interface is pleasant and very easy to use: right away we already have the information of the remaining battery in the Buds +, the equalizer with 5 presets, the function find my earbuds and options to configure notifications, ringtones and ambient sound.

Notifications via Buds + they are a bit uncomfortable. You can select which app you would like to receive notifications, in our tests I selected the Whatsapp and every time I received a message, the current song I was listening to was paused and the Bixby spoke the name of the application that had received the notification. What really bothered me was the fact that the current song or playback was paused for a few 3 seconds. If the warning was something more subtle or the music didn't need to be paused for the user to be notified, the function would be much more interesting.

Case and headphones in details of the galaxy buds+
The Galaxy Buds+ has a battery life of 22 hours, making the user even further away from the sockets

On the other hand, the touch and hold functions of the Galaxy Buds + are very interesting: if you keep the touch button pressed for 2 seconds, the headset activates an extra command that is configurable by the application, such as activating the voice command, listening to the ambient sound, decreasing and increasing the volume, or starting a custom playlist on Spotify.

Among the extra commands available, the one that caught my attention the most and that I used avidly was the Ambient sound. By holding down the touch button, you are able to hear what is happening around you without having to take your headphones off.

This function is very convenient, and even though the sound picked up is a little metallic and sometimes it doesn't pick up the voices of the environment that you want to hear more clearly, it's something that the owners of Buds + won't give up using it on a daily basis. It is worth remembering that the Ambient sound can be configured to always be active by the app, setting volume and clarity in the surrounding voices. With this, the user can continue listening to their music and the ambient sound at the same time, but it is not recommended as it affects the quality of the music being played.

Conclusion

Os Galaxy Buds + are a good choice for those who want great earbuds to be your faithful day-to-day partners. With an improved sound, interesting features and impressive battery life, owners won't be dissatisfied. However, without including noise cancellation in the upgrade, it is clear that the competition wins if you take into account that the price of R$999 do Galaxy Buds + is equated to Gadgets that already have this almost mandatory technology for earbuds more modern.

The headphones stand out for providing a better experience than the simple models that come in the cell phone box, but as accessories to be purchased separately, the headphones Galaxy Buds + are more expensive than they can provide the user. O gadgets fits evolution rather than revolution, and can quickly become obsolete in the race of earbuds.

Galaxy Buds+ technical specs

ModelGalaxy Buds +
Connectivity Bluetooth 5.0
Profile: A2DP, AVRCP, HFP
Codec: Scalable (Samsung), AAC, SBC
BatteryBuds: 85mAh
Case: 270mAh
Standardproximity, accelerometer, environment
touch
DurabilityIPX2 (Splash Resistant)
dimensions and
weight checked
Buds: 17.5 x 19.2 x 22.5 mm; 6.3g
Case: 38.8 x 70.0 x 26.5mm; 39.6 g
Colorsblack, white, blue, red
PriceR$999

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