It’s been over a year since Samsung added a ‘Pro’ badge to a pair of earbuds. Samsung has not been shy to experiment with its TWS line. We love the cool jellybean shape of the Buds Live and the sound quality of the Buds Pro. The Buds 2 Pro builds on some of these products with an emphasis on ergonomics and sound quality. Does it deserve to be your next set of buds?

Ear candy

We checked out the purple Bora colour option that is probably the pick of this year’s lineup. The case might look similar to previous iterations of Samsung Buds but look closer and you will notice subtle differences. Samsung opts for a matte finish that almost borders on a rubberised texture. It stands out in a crowd and feels really good in your hand. There are slight changes in the design of the buds too. Samsung claims that these buds are 15% smaller than the Buds Pro. There’s also a vent on the inside of each earbuds to help relieve pressure. The slinkier form also means that the Buds 2 Pro are more comfortable to wear for long periods of time, as I discovered on the super long flight.

Stellar sound

It all started with the haunting vocals of Kurt Cobain in Something in the Way that has been immortalised in The Batman soundtrack. I was hooked in the first few seconds. The experience got better as I kept flipping tracks and genres. There are a few things you will notice as you keep using these buds. The bass is punchy and these buds capture quite a few subtle nuances and details. It’s not just how they perform at optimal volume levels, say around 50-60% but how they don’t flinch at very high volumes and also create magic at low volume levels. The acoustic experience puts it in the same league as pricier earbuds like Sennheiser’s Momentum series.

Lots of handy features

Pairing was a breeze. I paired these buds with a Samsung device, an iPhone and a Google Pixel phone. You can wirelessly charge these buds and they are also IPX7 certified for water resistance. Battery life is good but not exceptional. Most buds see a dip in battery life with ANC (Active noise cancellation) on. These buds are no exception. Our experience – 5 hours for the buds and about 18 hours for the case, matched Samsung’s claims. You’re unlikely to use these buds without ANC. It’s among the best we’ve experienced on any pair of TWS buds. I managed to shut out the in-flight announcements with the music volume around 60%. That’s pretty impressive. Back on land, these buds also handle calls quite well. My caller heard me clearly even in a noisy airport environment as long as I had both buds on

It’s all about the ecosystem

We’re beginning to see this across brands from Apple to Google to OnePlus. You only get to experience the whole suite of features if you buy into the brand ecosystem. While pairing these buds is simple with an iPhone, you don’t get too many controls. It’s similar to the AirPods experience on an Android phone. While the Galaxy Buds App on Android allows you to tweak sound modes and also manage shortcuts, you miss out on the brilliant 24-bit Hi-Fi audio experience if you don’t own a Samsung smartphone.

Samsung’s Galaxy Buds 2 Pro are the best Samsung buds ever and among the best for Android users. While Google’s smarts are a big part of the Google Pixel Buds Pro’s appeal, it’s the sound quality that makes the Buds 2 Pro one of the best TWS earbuds you can buy right now.

Samsung’s Galaxy Buds 2 Pro cost Rs 17,999 and come in Bora purple, graphite and white.