True Wireless Headphones and earphones are all the rage right now especially since a growing number of smartphones are dropping the 3.5mm jack. Samsung’s first attempt, the IconX, was a pretty respectable attempt at offering a wireless earphone, they improved with the Galaxy Buds. What about the Galaxy Buds Plus? There’s a lot to go into but, in a nutshell, it’s got a lot going for it – with some room for improvement.
The Galaxy Buds Plus is Samsung’s third attempt at creating a compelling offering when it comes to true wireless earphones. While I would love to say that a lot has changed – that couldn’t be further from the truth. In fact, when it comes to the exterior design, you’d be hard pressed to tell the difference between the IconX, the Galaxy Buds and the Galaxy Buds+.
It has a lot going for it when it comes down to performance and some of its design, but before we get into the nitty gritty, let’s talk about the first thing you’d do when you get the Galaxy Buds+ – pair it. Compatibility with the Buds Plus isn’t much of an issue – the Buds+ is compatible with nearly all devices on the market; all you have to do with smartphones is download the app and pair the earphones with the smartphone. That said, I was also using the Buds+ with my laptop and pairing was pretty simple. All you have to do is open your casing and put one of the ear pieces in and add it like you would any other Bluetooth device. Of course, make sure no other known device is nearby or has its Bluetooth on. With Samsung devices, the Buds plus triggered a pairing notification when you open it nearby.
Design
Even though the look and feel of the Buds plus is reminiscent of its forerunners, Samsung has made a few small refinements which make a significant difference in how the Buds+ feels in the ears and the security it provides. The Buds+ feels lighter and puts less pressure in on the ear. I was able to wear them for extended sessions – in fact I was able to get to about 5 to 6 hours without getting fatigued. They fit pretty snugg and I had no fear of the Galaxy Buds+ falling out of my ears. The wings helped provide extra reassurance. Of course, Samsung’s decision to provide extra wings and tips of different sizes in the box helped – I opted for the largest size available for my ears.
The one thing I love abou the Buds+ this year is the slimmer silhouette of the casing. It fits in my pockets and is pretty compact – so, it doesn’t bulge obscenely when I put it in my jean pocket. However, the trade-off is a smaller battery capacity when it comes to the extra charge. But that didn’t affect my experience to much as you’ll see later in the review. The sleek, glossy finish also makes the true wireless earphones look a whole lot more premium.
Performance
Sound Quality
While the size of the ear pieces seems to have gotten a little smaller, the sound quality definitely has not. The Galaxy Buds plus has pretty decent quality out of the box. The overall sound was warm with clear mids and highs and punchy lows. In fact, I would say the Buds+ has a lot more boom than the Buds. It’s not a bad thing – it helps round out the sound pretty well. That said, unless your listening to things like EDM, Pop or some rock; you may not be looking to get too much bass in your sound.
Thankfully, Samsung’s wearables app comes with an equalizer which you can use to fine tune the sound to your liking. I found myself toning down the bass during my time with the Buds+. That said, Samsung’s adapt sound technology also made the experience better. However, if these options are too basic, the Google Play Store and Samsung’s own Galaxy Store have a wide array of apps you can use to tune the audio to your liking.That said, the overall sound quality of the Buds+ is definitely an improvement. In fact, it could be one of the best within its price range. The AKG tuning really makes a difference. The wholesome sound quality gives you a relatively large sound stage and audio clarity.
The mics on the Buds plus are also pretty impressive. The were able to pick up sound and eliminate ambient noise very effectively. In fact, some dedicated hands-free devices paled in comparison. Even ambient sound on the Buds+ is improved as well. The sound that you get through the earphone is less robotic and tinny. Samsung has made it a lot more natural sounding. That said, you still get bionic hearing with the Buds+. With ambient mode active you’ll be able to hear conversations from pretty far away. My only gripe with the Ambient Sound is that there was no intelligent mode for it – you’re triggering it via the Samsung Wearable app or through touch gestures.
The touch gestures on the Buds plus have gotten very limited, in my honest opinion. When I was reviewing the IconX and the Galaxy Buds, the versatility of the touchpad enhanced the experience of using the Buds. However, with the Galaxy Buds+ you’re relegated to using tap gestures with no options for swipe. The Buds+ only recognises single, double and triple taps which made using them a little less intuitive.
Battery Life
The battery on the Galaxy Buds+ is definitely something to sing about. A whopping 11 hours on a single charge! I only managed to drain the Buds+ completely once during my time with them. Even then, I was literally trying to figure out the actual battery life when I was using them. That said, the Buds+ lasted me about 10 hours on a single charge. This is discounting the recharge capacity of the case. I could have easily gotten more than 20 hours with the extra battery capacity in the casing.
With my regular use, I was only charging the Buds+ and its casing once in 4 to 7 days. Typically, I used one side more than the other as it became my go to “hands-free” headset while driving. I was using it about 2 to 3 hours daily for music while working and also travel in the car. That said, the Buds+’s case is constantly charging the earpieces and we couldn’t verify whether battery life is affected by this over time. In general, constant charging can cause the battery to degrade over time.
That said, the Galaxy Buds+ comes with some pretty potent charging technology which makes charging the buds up simple and convenient. If you’re on an Android device which supports it, you can use the reverse wireless charging from your phone if you really need it or, if you’re like me, you’ll find yourself parking your Galaxy Buds+ on a wireless charger just to keep it topped up. If you need a quicker charging solution, you can use the USB-C charger which came with your smartphone to get the charge you need. Using wireless charging, the Galaxy Buds+ was fully charged within about 2 hours while wired charging was about 45 minutes.
A Budding Plus
The Galaxy Buds Plus is a definitely a step up overall from the competition and even compared to its previous iterations. Samsung has spent some time improving on some of the gripes users have highlighted in the past and improved on the must have features. The AKG audio tuning brings a premium touch to the rather affordable true wireless earbuds giving it warm, well rounded sound enhanced by Samsung’s Adaptive Sound and made even more personal with a robust equalizer that comes in the Samsung Wearables app. While the Buds+ does have all this, it is lacking when it comes to intuitive interaction via the touch pad; something we’re pretty sure that Samsung can fix with a small update. That said, it’s a near complete package with commendable sound.