Best Samsung earbuds 2024

Samsung has been pushing its pedigree in the audio space, particularly with its growing line of earbuds as complementary pieces to its mobile devices. They integrate nicely with Samsung phones and tablets, providing features that stay within the company’s own walled garden.

The Galaxy Buds 2 Pro stand out as the best Samsung earbuds you can buy right now, but if your ears are looking for something else, there are other options to think about.

At a glance

Best overall

In our review, the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro proved to be both a combination of past features, with a newer look to raise the level of comfort for every pair of ears. As it stands, they are the best wireless earbuds from the company to date. They’re small, lightweight, and pretty easy to grip. The IPX7 rating also makes these buds Samsung’s most rugged for water and sweat resistance.

It’s still unclear how much past issues with ear and skin irritation might factor in with the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro in the long term, but if your ears like them, then you get plenty to enjoy. They’re very comfortable to wear for longer periods, and with improved active noise cancelation (ANC), you get to block out more of the background noise than before. Ambient mode is always there when you want to do the opposite. Features like Voice Detect also stick around to take advantage of that. 

Sound quality isn’t radically different, though you will get a crisper tone out of the box, with the option to use one of the equalizer presets in the Galaxy Wearable app to tweak it further. Even call quality gets a nice boost in clarity. Just be careful with the touch controls, which continue to be finicky and overly sensitive at the wrong times.

Spatial audio also returns to provide a virtual surround sound effect using Dolby Head Tracking technology. A later update allows a compatible Galaxy phone to record audio in 360 degrees using these earbuds. Not to mention these are the first Samsung earbuds to support 24-bit hi-res audio playback, so long as you have a device and service giving you audio at that level. 

All these goodies do take a toll on the battery, which will max out at up to five hours per charge when ANC is on, going up to eight hours when ANC is off. The case is good for an extra three charges, and it charges via USB-C or wireless charging. Charge up quickly for five minutes through USB and you get up to an hour of playback.

Best bang for the buck

The Galaxy Buds 2 aren’t about going “back to basics” but rather forging a strong tie between comfort and performance. Granted, we reviewed these earbuds with that metric in mind, but in this case, it’s a worthy combination. By shaving off 10% from the build compared to the previous Galaxy Buds+, Samsung managed to find an equal balance between durability and features that don’t require you to compromise too much. You may not want these if you plan to sweat a lot, but if it’s all about leisure time, then you’re fine.

These are, for all intents and purposes, your standard earbuds, save for the fact they feel small and nestle easily into your ear for a good, comfortable fit. Though they sport different drivers than the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro, the idea is similar, which is to boost audio quality without going over the top. They sound crisp and clear, even if the mids are somewhat restrained, and the included silicone tips are good enough to passively seal off some outside noises.

Adding ANC and Ambient Sound brings two features you’d now expect from earbuds in this range. The ANC is close to what the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro are capable of, whereas Ambient Sound takes a step back. The onboard mics are fine, just not as efficient as what the Pro models have, and that’s one reason why call quality also isn’t at the same level.

Battery life is okay, considering you can expect up to 7.5 hours with ANC off, or five hours with it on, depending on volume levels. The charging case has three extra charges in it, and you can top it up via USB-C or wireless charging. As for colors, white, graphite, olive and lavender round out your choices.

Best cheap pick

You can’t talk about the Galaxy Buds Live without mentioning the unique design first, much like we did when we tested them out. The bean-shaped earbuds are Samsung’s attempt at crafting something to conform to as many ears as possible. To pull it off, engineers cut off the driver sticking into the car and just let the earbud rest over the ear. Because nothing is sticking into the ear canal, it reduces any discomfort or fatigue in wearing them for longer periods, which could also benefit smaller ears.

Despite the unusual design, these were also Samsung’s first earbuds to offer ANC support, except the open fit means it has to work harder to block out ambient noise. For that reason, it’s not going to be as effective as the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro are. In addition, passive noise isolation is easier when there is an ear tip plugging into the canal — another thing the Buds Live can’t offer.

That’s a big reason why Samsung equipped them with 12mm drivers to deliver stronger sound. They provide good clarity and better bass than you might expect otherwise. You do have some flexibility in the Galaxy Wearable app to adjust the sound, should you feel the need to. Even call quality is excellent, ensuring callers can hear you clearly because of the onboard microphones.

Battery life isn’t bad, going up to eight hours when ANC is off or six if always on. The charging case is very small, and supports both USB-C and wireless charging. Plus, color options are nice, especially mystic bronze, though you also have mystic black and white.

Best alternative

Samsung has made FE, or Fan Edition, variants of its smartphones before, but never its earbuds until the Galaxy Buds FE. To a degree, they’re a throwback to previous Galaxy Buds with the glossy finish and very comfortable fit, but more than that, they cater almost exclusively to Samsung users. They’ll work just fine with other Android devices, though a Samsung device is best and iPhones are a total no-go.

Despite their small size and easy fit, they don’t have much protection from water or sweaty workouts, so you have to be careful. To forge an identity that sets the Galaxy Buds FE apart from others in Samsung’s lineup, the company focused on certain features to make them stand out. Chief among those may be the ANC performance, which is excellent for earbuds at this price. 

Sound quality skews a bit more toward bass response, though you can adjust that in the Galaxy Wearable app with the available EQ presets. A tighter seal always helps bring out the best in any pair of earbuds, but if you feel you need more bass, you can always try the Bass Boost option in the app. More than likely, you will play around with the EQ presets to find something that works for your preferences. 

Touch controls aren’t bad, largely emulating those seen in other Samsung earbuds. You will often need to use them for phone calls, where they do the job well enough for a pair of mid-range or affordable earbuds.

Battery life is decent, maxing out at up to six hours with ANC on at default volume levels (nine hours with ANC off). The case gives you an extra two charges, but without wireless charging support, you’ll need to plug in via USB-C to fill them back up again. 

Best wired

For those on tight budgets and who are willing to keep wires around, the Samsung Type-C Earbuds certainly fit the bill that way. You’re not looking at the flashiest or most exciting pair to put on, but it’s hard to argue with what you’re paying to get them. And the best part is they prove their value every time you play tunes on them afterward.

Being wired earbuds, they connect to your phone using USB-C, which is great if your phone doesn’t have a headphone jack. Samsung claims the USB-C connection enables the separate left and right channels come out 10x better than traditional 3.5mm jack connections. But the real benefit comes from the high-quality DAC (digital-to-analog converter) that amplifies sound quality to be much better than what you’d expect for earbuds this cheap.

The company also wisely went with a braided cable design to make them lighter to hold, and less susceptible to tangling when storing them away. The in-line playback controls are easy to find and nicely responsive when adjusting volume or play/pausing a song without having to reach for your phone to do it.

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Samsung has plenty of great choices

This list shows the best Samsung earbuds are getting better at offering something for everyone. If we had to pick only one as our top choice, it would be the Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro for the simple fact they cover so many bases the others don’t.

Instead of being overly derivative, the company chose to improve upon existing features, while also cramming in everything it could to make the Buds 2 Pro as stellar as they are. They pursue a functional balance of feeling comfortable, sounding great, and being dynamic enough to fit into an everyday lifestyle. No easy feat, and with solid app support, there’s at least some customization to make them better.

The market for the best wireless earbuds is getting pretty crowded these days and Samsung managed to reach the upper echelon with the Buds 2 Pro. Give them a shot because we don’t think you’ll be disappointed.

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