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Samsung announces Galaxy Buds 2 with active noise cancellation

Samsung announces Galaxy Buds 2 with active noise cancellation

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A much sleeker design than the Galaxy Buds Plus that they replace

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Image: Samsung

In addition to launching two new foldable phones and a pair of smartwatches, Samsung today announced its latest set of wireless earbuds. The Galaxy Buds 2 cost $149.99 and will replace the Galaxy Buds Plus in the company’s lineup. (It’s still possible to find remaining stock of the Buds Plus at some retailers, but they’ll be gone once that inventory runs dry.) Preorders start today in a range of colors that include dark gray, white, purple, and green, and the Buds 2 will be available on August 27th.

They’ve got a design that’s similar to the more expensive Galaxy Buds Pro, only smaller. In fact, Samsung says these are the smallest and lightest true wireless earbuds it has made yet. Also like the Buds Pro, the Buds 2 have two-way drivers with a woofer and tweeter in each earbud that “deliver crisp, clear high notes and a deep bass.” They set themselves apart from the older Buds Plus with the addition of active noise cancellation, and Samsung includes an ambient sound mode that lets you adjust how much outside noise is let through.

The Galaxy Buds 2 come in four colors.
The Galaxy Buds 2 come in four colors.
Photo by Becca Farsace / The Verge

Battery life for the Buds 2 is up to five hours of continuous playback with noise cancellation enabled (or 20 hours including the case). Switching off the ANC can extend those numbers to 7.5 hours and 29 hours with the case, which supports wireless charging. That doesn’t quite match the marathon 11 hours of nonstop listening that was possible with the Galaxy Buds Plus, but I think Samsung has made enough improvements here to accept that tradeoff. Just don’t expect much in the way of water or sweat resistance, as these are only rated IPX2.

The Galaxy Buds 2 are now the cheapest product in Samsung’s earbuds lineup: they join the $199.99 Galaxy Buds Plus and $169.99 Galaxy Buds Live, though both of those sets are on sale as I write this. I’d expect similar discounts on the Buds 2 eventually, which might make them hard to resist as the new default wireless buds for many Android users.


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