Latest Galaxy Buds news
Introduction
Though few other companies toyed with the idea, just like many other things in the field of tech, wireless earbuds became a thing when Apple entered the market with its AirPods. The Cupertino company once again created a large market for a product that was previously a niche category. Today, many companies are coming up with their own wireless earbuds to target this growing market.
Samsung has already launched multiple generations of wireless earbuds, although they haven’t been hugely successful. Previously sold under the Gear Icon X branding, Samsung has recently brought them under the Galaxy umbrella along with all other wearables. The latest version of Samsung’s wireless earbuds is called Galaxy Buds, and they are probably the company’s best offering in this category so far.
Design
The wireless earbuds product category doesn’t leave much room for design. Since the goal here is to make them as discrete and as small and light as possible, there is not much to experiment. The Galaxy Buds look like most other cord-free earbuds in the market, barring the odd-looking Apple AirPods.
The Galaxy Buds are made out of plastic and they are smaller and lighter than the company’s previous offerings. Samsung has tweaked the design a little, but the end product still follows the same design language as the Gear Icon X. The Buds have a glossy touchpad area which helps in interacting with them without reaching out to the connected phone every time. Each earbud measures 17.5 x 22.5 x 19.2mm and weighs a mere 5.6 grams.
The Galaxy Buds come with a pill-shaped multi-purpose carrying case that is integral to the product experience. Apart from offering a place to safely store your Buds, the case also works as a power bank and a charger for them. The case is made out of plastic and has an LED indicator and USB-C port for charging. Weighing 39.6 grams and measuring 70 x 38.8 x 26.5mm in dimensions, it is small and light enough to carry anywhere.
Specifications
The Galaxy Buds comes with a BCM43014 chipset, 58mAh battery, Bluetooth 5.0, adaptive dual microphones, Accelerometer, Proximity sensor, and runs RTOS. The carrying case comes with a 252mAh battery, enough to charge a pair of Galaxy Buds twice. Samsung says the Buds can last up to 6 hours on a single charge, although real-world usage might yield a lower number. Unlike the previous offerings, the Buds don’t come with any user-accessible inbuilt memory to store files locally.
Software and Features
The Galaxy Buds run Samsung's FreeRTOS (Real Time OS) and are compatible with Android, iOS, Windows, and other devices with Bluetooth connectivity. While the basic audio and mic functionality might work on any Bluetooth-enabled device, Buds’ other features like easy pairing and customizable tap actions are limited to devices which support Galaxy Wearable companion app.
Unsurprisingly, the Galaxy Buds offer the best experience on Samsung smartphones and tablets. The Buds’ most appealing feature is the ability to pair them instantly by just opening the carrying case, and it is limited to Galaxy devices. On other devices, users have to follow the usual Bluetooth setup process. Other available Buds features include Ambient Sound Mode, customizable tap actions, seamless switching between Galaxy devices, etc.
Samsung’s previous wireless earbuds came with user-accessible inbuilt storage for saving media files. This made it possible to use them without pairing with any other device. For whatever reason, the company has removed this and the Buds don’t work unless they are connected to another device. Samsung has also removed the fitness features that were part of the earlier models.
You can read our review of the Galaxy Buds to know about all the features, audio performance, battery life, and more in detail.
Availability
Samsung unveiled the Galaxy Buds at the Galaxy S10 Unpacked event in February. They went on sale in many markets around the world at the same time as the Galaxy S10. The Korean company gave them for free or at a steeply discounted price for those who pre-ordered the Galaxy S10.
The Galaxy Buds are available in black, white, and yellow color options. The selected color extends to the carrying case as well. They are priced at $130 at launch, although Samsung keeps offering discounts at regular intervals. Pricing and availability may vary depending on the region.
