Galaxy Buds Plus Review: Better Than Its Highly Acclaimed Predecessor

Samsung has already released the successor to the first Galaxy Buds, the Galaxy Buds Plus. What does this new device feature, and why should anyone consider getting it?

Samsung's original Galaxy Buds might not have received as much attention as Apple's AirPods, but it's a fact that it's a formidable pair of truly wireless stereo earbuds that Cupertino's offering is having a tough time defeating in terms of sound quality, battery life and pricing. Consumer Reports considers the Galaxy Buds as the best in its class and lists it among other big names in audio.

That said, those who are looking for a great pair of truly wireless headphones but do not want to spend a lot of money should seriously consider Samsung's new Galaxy Buds Plus. The Verge noted that the “Plus” name is deserved because the new audio accessory actually improved on three of the most important things that the original model needed to improve on.

First is the sound quality. While the first model had “average sound quality,” the Plus model features a richer sound characterized by improved highs, mids and lows. The highs and mids might sound “fatiguing” when listening to certain kinds of music over a long period of time, but generally the sound is better.

The Galaxy Buds Plus doesn't have active noise cancellation, but it does offer adequate sound isolation thanks to its customizable ear and wing tips. Users can choose the right fit for their preferences.

Second, voice quality. The original Galaxy Buds had “bad voice quality.” The user's voice will come out the other end of the line very messy. The Plus model, however, offers better voice call quality thanks to a secondary microphone that helps isolate the wearer's voice from the noise.

While there might be some who would say that it's still not as good as they want it to be, the voice quality delivered by the Plus's rivals like the AirPods and Jabra Elite 75t isn't really that good as well. It's still better to just speak into the smartphone's microphone for better quality.

Third, battery life. Samsung bumped the Galaxy Buds Plus's battery life to a maximum of 11 hours per charge. This is a significant increase from the original model's 6-hour play time. With the Plus, users can enjoy a whole day of music without having to worry about running out of batteries.

The glossy charging case adds more battery life to the Buds Plus, making for a total of 22 hours. Samsung also said that charging the Buds Plus for three minutes adds up to an hour of playback time.

Samsung's Galaxy Buds Plus offers these improvements over the original Galaxy Buds, and many other features that set it apart from other TWS earbuds, for only $149. It works with Android smartphones as well as the iPhone.