The Galaxy Buds 2 Pro and AirPods Pro 2 are a number of the best wireless earbuds you may get. They’re on the high of Samsung and Apple’s earbud lineups, and so they every share a whole lot of similarities like wonderful sound high quality, noise cancellation, and many particular options — and there’s only a mere $20 worth distinction between the 2.
It’s simple to level out that the Galaxy Buds 2 Professional are greatest for Android customers, whereas the AirPods Professional 2 are perfect for iPhone house owners. However being every respective firm’s flagship earbuds, they every have a whole lot of distinct advantages that transcend merely how nicely they work along with your cellphone. Questioning which one is for you? Let’s take a more in-depth look.
Weight per earbud |
0.19 ounces |
0.22 ounces |
---|---|---|
Water resistance |
IPX4 (earbuds and case) |
IPX7 |
Lively noise cancellation |
Sure |
Sure |
Ambient noise |
Sure (Transparency mode) |
Sure |
Colours |
White |
White, Graphite, Bora Purple |
Software program help |
iOS |
Android (Galaxy cellphone required for many options) |
Particular options |
Customized Spatial Audio, lanyard loop case with Discover My, quantity contact controls |
24-bit Hello-Fi audio, Clever Dialog Mode, 360 audio, SmartThings Discover help |
Battery life (rated) |
As much as 30 hours with case |
As much as 29 hours with case) |
Value |
$249 |
$230 |

The second-generation AirPods Professional carry an similar design to the unique mannequin, which is immediately recognizable to anybody who’s ever seen a pair of AirPods. They nonetheless have stems, they’re nonetheless shiny and white, and so they nonetheless include silicon ideas. Whereas it will be good if Apple had shaken up their design a bit, it’s not like they’re ugly or in dire want of a refresh. Quite the opposite, they’re comfy sufficient for most individuals’s ears, are rated IPX4 for sweat resistance, and have that iconic look that lets individuals know you’re rocking AirPods.
However as is the case with any product class with stiff competitors, there are many different designs that provide higher water resistance, colours, and luxury. Samsung is a first-rate instance of that due to the Galaxy Buds 2 Professional, which supply a decrease profile than the AirPods and 4 completely different colours to select from. They’re IPX7 rated which provides a bit of additional water safety for workouts, and the buds have a matte end against shiny, immediately making them much better for on a regular basis put on and tear.
The massive motive I want the Galaxy Buds 2 Professional over the AirPods Professional is due to how rather more comfy they’re. I didn’t discover this till I used my AirPods completely for a few weeks, then switched again to the Buds 2 Professional. It was a bit mind-blowing how significantly better the Galaxy Buds slot in my ears and stayed in throughout lengthy writing classes. In addition they really feel lighter and fewer intrusive, and so they’re very easy to overlook about when sporting them.

Even the case is healthier. I haven’t had the second-gen AirPods Professional for very lengthy, but I’ve someway been capable of scratch up all the again of the case due to its shiny nature. The Galaxy Buds 2 Professional don’t have that situation in any respect. The matte end helps mitigate each scuffs and fingerprints, and the case someway blocks particles like grime and pocket lint from getting between the lid higher than the AirPods’ case.
If the AirPods have any edge over the Galaxy Buds when it comes to design, it’s that the case is notably smarter. It has built-in audio system that chime if you lose it, start charging it, or the battery will get low. There’s additionally a lanyard slot for these of you who like dangling your earbuds from the zipper in your backpack. The Buds 2 Professional don’t have any of that – you’re just about caught with an LED that exhibits you once they’re charging and… that’s it.
TL;DR: The brand new AirPods Professional look quite a bit just like the previous ones. That’s not likely a foul factor since they’re nonetheless cozy to put on, however the Galaxy Buds 2 Professional merely hit it out of the park in the case of match and end (plus they’re matte).

There’s no query that each the Galaxy Buds 2 Professional and second-generation AirPods Professional sound wonderful. They each supply nice sound high quality with punchy bass, clear highs, and full mids. Any style of music — whether or not it’s boom-bap hip-hop, basic jazz, rock and roll, or High 40 pop hits — will sound improbable on these buds.
Deciding which is healthier is a little bit of a problem, although, particularly since their function units are stronger in several areas than each other. For instance, Apple has significantly better spatial audio than Samsung with superior head-tracking methods, devoted Dolby Atmos masters of your favourite songs in Apple Music, and a way more gratifying 360-degree soundscape. In the meantime, the Galaxy Buds 2 Professional supply 24-bit hi-fi audio due to a particular codec from Samsung. It might require that you just personal a Samsung cellphone to work, but it surely provides music an additional oomph so tracks sound slightly cleaner than they’d on AirPods.
If I needed to choose a winner right here, I’d go along with the Galaxy Buds 2 Professional. The additional decision in sound high quality helps music sound clearer and extra gratifying, and the general sound stage feels brighter and extra encompassing than what the AirPods Professional can pull off. In the event you’re an enormous fan of spatial audio and wish one of the best expertise, then the AirPods would be the proper alternative, however anybody looking for higher sound high quality general will love the Galaxy Buds.
TL;DR: Each the AirPods Professional and Galaxy Buds 2 Professional sound wonderful, however Samsung’s earbuds take the crown due to their means to stream 24-bit hi-fi audio.
AirPods Professional 2 are the king of ANC and transparency

No matter voodoo is powering the energetic noise canceling (ANC) and transparency mode on the AirPods Professional has managed to maintain them forward of different earbuds available on the market, together with the Galaxy Buds 2 Professional.
Apple says the ANC is twice nearly as good because the earlier technology, and it’s a bit surprising how nicely it really works. The windiest of boardwalks, the loudest of road corners, and probably the most chaotic of households aren’t any match for the noise suppression of those buds — you may hear subsequent to nothing when it’s on, leaving you and your music or podcasts to yourselves.
The Galaxy Buds 2 Professional aren’t unhealthy by comparability, but it surely’s clear that they aren’t nearly as good. The Clever Lively Noise Cancellation right here helps louder sounds get quieter for a extra balanced sound, and Samsung has made strong progress on enhancing how ANC typically performs on its earbuds. However side-by-side, Samsung’s earbuds can’t fairly maintain up. You get further wind in your ears for those who put on them strolling down the road, and the sounds that needs to be suppressed are a tad louder than they’re with AirPods.
Samsung’s Ambient mode can also be behind Apple’s Transparency mode: voices sound wetter than they do on AirPods, and you may’t hear your environment as clearly. The AirPods Professional also can suppress louder sounds whereas utilizing transparency mode in order that all the things stays at a constant quantity, one thing the Galaxy Buds aren’t able to.
TL;DR: Surely, Apple’s AirPods Professional 2 are higher at canceling out undesirable background noise. They’re additionally higher than the Galaxy Buds 2 Professional at transparency.

Apple quotes as much as six hours of utilization on the second-gen AirPods Professional with a full cost, whereas Samsung’s Galaxy Buds 2 Professional are rated for 5. We had been impressed with the battery life from each units of earbuds in our evaluations, however in my utilization, I’ve discovered the AirPods Professional have the sting. Every week with the AirPods Professional in my pocket, I discover that I solely must cost them a couple of times, whereas the Galaxy Buds require two or three durations on my wi-fi charger. For context, I used each units with ANC on all the time and transparency mode flicked on often.
The AirPods Professional and Galaxy Buds 2 Professional each work with Qi wireless chargers, whereas the AirPods are additionally appropriate with MagSafe and Apple Watch chargers. There’s no fancy magnetic charging on the Galaxy Buds so that you’ll must be sure you line them up completely in your wi-fi charger. Samsung’s earbuds ship with a USB-C cable whereas AirPods proceed to ship with Lightning.
TL;DR: For battery life, the AirPods Professional 2 handle to final a bit longer than the Galaxy Buds 2 Professional, but it surely’s not an enormous distinction.
You’ll desire a Samsung cellphone for Galaxy Buds and an iPhone for AirPods

That is the obvious level for any comparability between AirPods and a set of earbuds developed by an Android cellphone producer. In the event you personal an iPhone, the second-generation AirPods Professional will serve you significantly better since they’re designed to work with each other. In the identical vein, Galaxy Buds 2 Professional will work greatest with Android telephones, significantly Samsung Galaxy gadgets since they ship with the Galaxy Wearable app out of the field.
Pairing every set of buds with their respective smartphone counterparts also can allow particular options. AirPods Professional get Siri integration, spatial audio, multi-device help, and customizable contact controls when paired with an iPhone, one thing that may’t be stated for those who pair them with an Android system. In the meantime, the Galaxy Buds have 24-bit hi-fi audio, multi-device help, and Quick Pair so long as you join them to a Galaxy cellphone.
In the event you personal a Galaxy or another Android cellphone, you’ll have a significantly better expertise with the Galaxy Buds 2 Professional since these are the gadgets the earbuds are designed to work with. For iPhone house owners, AirPods Professional are a pure match. It’s a little bit of a bummer, however what are you able to do?
TL;DR: Samsung’s earbuds work greatest with Galaxy telephones, Apple’s earbuds work greatest with iPhones. Stunned?

The Galaxy Buds 2 Professional and second-generation AirPods Professional put up an excellent struggle when in the identical ring. At $230 and $249 respectively, they’re a number of the greatest earbuds you may get for the cash.
As an general winner, we’d have to select the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro due to their extra comfy design, wider soundstage, and hi-fi audio help. However the AirPods Pro are actually no slouch, and both set will go well with you nicely.
Y’know, assuming you pair them with the fitting cellphone.