Once you try wireless headphones, there’s no going back. And if you disagree with that statement I’m willing to bet you’re part of the small percentage that has never tried them. I, on the other hand, am the biggest advocate for wireless listening and talking so when the Samsung Galaxy Buds2 came out I knew I had to try them. The nature of my job as an editor involves countless hours of listening to music, trying to stay on top of new releases, discovering rising artists, and preparing for interviews. I’m also the type of person that listens to music every minute of the day—tidying up at home, walking to get coffee, getting ready for dinner—to the point that I can never hear my roommate calling my name.

All About That Bass

When I got the Samsung Galaxy Buds2, the first feature that immediately struck me was their equalizer settings. Right then I realized these aren’t your everyday earbuds. These are game-changers. The promise of “powerful sound” is not a gimmick with six immersive equalizer settings that allowed me to customize the listening experience. The settings include normal, soft, dynamic, clear, and bass or treble boost. The bass boost is my favourite, offering the closest thing to the experience of listening full-blast to a bass-heavy song down the freeway on a state-of-the-art sound system. I listen to a lot of hip-hop in my free time as well, and when artists release music with hard-hitting beats, I always want to blast it while driving somewhere. Plus, pop star Charli XCX (who helped develop them) agrees it’s the best setting, so need I say more?

Don’t Break The Silence

Pre-pandemic, I was always an active person. Now that I’m able to get back to the gym, I need a good motivational playlist so I can focus and keep my energy high. The Galaxy Buds2 Active Noise Cancellation¹ feature is a huge bonus – which, at the gym, is a must, because it blocks out all the unwanted grunts and weight-dropping thuds so I can actually hear that motivational playlist. Gone are the days where I used to blast the volume on my headphones just to drown out gym noise, and I’m so thankful for that.

Samsung takes noise cancellation up another notch with Ambient Sound mode – a feature that helps pick up voices. Around the house, I set to the ‘high’ setting so I can clearly hear my roommate calling my name while still getting to enjoy my music. Or, I can go to the gym and turn Ambient Sound to the ‘low’ setting to block out conversations from the people around me. If you have fitness goals, the Galaxy Buds2 also pair well with the Galaxy Watch4² to control your playlist, answer calls and track your workouts.

My New Ride or Die (That Never Dies)

After a full workday, I need to unwind, and rather than reaching for a book and bubble bath I’m more of a game and snack type of person. One of my friends got me into Fortnite and it’s surprisingly cathartic battling 100 players on an island in an effort to be the last one standing.  It’s pretty late at night by the time I get to gaming, so I need to use headphones. After intermittently wearing them all day my ears usually feel sore, but the Galaxy Buds2 are surprisingly comfortable and light so I never hesitate to pop them back in. For avid gamers, the earbuds provide an immersive sound experience with the Galaxy Z Fold3 5G smartphone and with the Gaming Mode on the Wearables app, which reduces latency, you can feel like you’re part of the game IRL.

Like most people, my biggest issue with all things wireless is the need to recharge the batteries. But, the Galaxy Buds2 battery never forced me to cut a workout or a game short. Plus, even when I forgot to plug them in at night, the fully charged case gives me an extra 15 hours of battery life³. Just choose your favourite colour (I’m partial to Olive Green) and get ready for the earbuds to make your life easier.

As a music lover, I can honestly say Samsung has upped the audio game again. The Buds2 are lightweight, comfortable and the innovative features like gaming mode make them my new go-to earbuds.

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1. Features including Active noise canceling and Ambient sound require a Bluetooth® connection. Advanced settings and features including Ambient sound volume are enabled through the Galaxy Wearable app on Android and Galaxy Buds PC app on Windows. Galaxy Wearable app on Android requires Android 7.0 or above and 1.5GB RAM or above, available through the Galaxy Store or Google Play Store. Galaxy Buds PC app requires Windows 10 or above, available through Microsoft App Store.
2. Galaxy Watch4 sold separately.
3. Earbuds and case provide up to 20 hours of battery life when the case and earbuds are charged to 100%. Based on internal testing. Audio playback time tested by pairing a pre-production Galaxy Buds2 to a recently released Galaxy smartphone with default settings including ANC on. Actual battery life may vary and depend on usage conditions, settings, number of times charged, Bluetooth signal strength, and other factors.