IPX7 is based on laboratory test conditions for submersion in up to 1 meter of fresh water for up to 30 minutes.

Auto Switch feature only available on Samsung Galaxy smartphones and tablets with OneUI 3.1 or later and Galaxy Watch 4 series or later. Certain devices and applications may not support Auto Switch. If there’s one thing Samsung has done well over the years, it’s building products that work well with its other products. Phones and TVs. Phones and headphones. Phones and earbuds. That rings true here. The Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 still have a lot of room for improvement in their active noise cancellation. (Image credit: TechRadar) Of course, battery life is dependent on how you use the earbuds. The above battery life is for listening time, if you use them for conversations you’re looking at only 3.5 hours with ANC on, and 13 hours with the case or 3.5 hours and 14 hours with ANC turned off. As we keep listening to a mix of genres and recordings, however, the Samsung earbuds’ shortcomings start to crop up. Lorde’s vocals come through prominently on Royals, but behind her are drum hits that don’t land with the intended impact. Bass is rather soft, instead of taut and driven. There’s enough of it, but it’s not well defined. And the forward-leaning treble – which is partly responsible for the impression of openness – has a hard edge that becomes fatiguing to listen to over long periods.The only thing missing is a pairing button. That is, perhaps, one of those gripes that only bothers reviewers, and not normal people. Most folks don’t change devices all that often, and “forgetting” the buds from the Bluetooth menu works well enough. Just don’t strain an eyeball looking for it is all. Fit and feel Walk away from your Galaxy Buds2 Pro and the integrated alarm is ready to let you know — and your phone will send you a notification so that you don’t accidentally leave them behind. Auto Switch on Samsung Galaxy Buds2 Pro intelligently detects mobile activity and seamlessly shifts its connection to your Samsung Galaxy phone, tablet and watch.

Although they handle bass well, the Galaxy Buds 2 don’t offer the same level of clarity in the mid-range as the Buds Pro. That’s perhaps to be expected given the price difference and likely reflects the target markets: these are buds designed for the mass market rather than more discerning listeners among Samsung’s consumer base. Samsung’s latest earbuds are undoubtedly a step up from both the Galaxy Buds and Galaxy Buds Plus. Active noise cancellation could be more effective but is a welcome inclusion, and the Buds 2 deliver bass-rich audio likely to please mainstream consumers.

Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro sport a USB-C charger, but there's also wireless charging support (Image credit: TechRadar) Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro: design and features Not advised for beach or pool use. Charging case is not water resistant. If the earbuds are damaged, they are not guaranteed to be water resistant. If the earbuds or your hands are wet, they must be dried thoroughly prior to handling or placing into the charging case. If placed into the charging case without drying, the earbuds may be damaged. Device models that currently qualify for trade-in and trade-in credit amounts associated with those models are available on Samsung.com and the Shop Samsung App; eligible models and amounts may change at Samsung’s sole discretion.

Both the earbuds and cradle are available in a range of premium colors. Each bud is polished to a high gloss with a matte interior that feels soft against your skin.Auto Switch feature only available on Samsung Galaxy smartphones and tablets with One UI 4.1 or later and Galaxy Watch4 series or later. Samsung Galaxy devices must be logged in to Samsung Account to enable Auto Switch feature. Auto Switch feature for Samsung TV is only available on Samsung TVs launched Feb ’22 or later after getting a firmware update from Jul ’22. Autoswitch with TV is only available for making and receiving phone calls.

Other settings of note include an equalizer (which made the sound quality even worse, at least for what I was listening to), an earbud fit test (I’m still batting 1.000 for those), the option to read notifications out loud, and “Seamless earbud connection,” which speeds up switching between different devices so long as they’re all signed in to your Samsung account. This is one of those things that unless you’re deep in the Samsung ecosystem, it might not matter so much. The app also has a “Find my earbuds” feature, which will play a little tone though the buds to help you find one or both if they’re missing. It’s a little faint if the buds are out of the case, or if the case lid is closed. But if the lid is open, it’s surprisingly loud. Not that you’re likely to lose the case with the lid open, but it was an interesting little detail. Until you come to that slightly underwhelming battery life of five hours from the buds with ANC on, we've got nothing but good things to say about the Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro's design and feature set. The Galaxy Buds 2 look like pebbles. They're small, mostly round, and are super smooth. (Image credit: TechRadar) Samsung Galaxy Buds 2: price and release dateRequires a smartphone with the SmartThings app and a Wi-Fi or Bluetooth connection. Compatible smart devices must be initially set up in the SmartThings app. The accompanying charging case is the same dimensions as the Buds Pro’s at 50 x 50 x 28mm (WDH), and the two also share the ability to be charged wirelessly via a Qi charger or by simply using the included USB-A to USB-C cable. That’s actually by design. Anything that’s done in 16-bit audio is automatically upscaled to 24-bit. So there’s no switch to flip on or off. That’s a big hurdle in testing this sort of thing on this sort of device, and in my normal, everyday use, I can’t say that I’ve noticed that big a difference between the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro and other earbuds. Might there be? Probably. Almost assuredly, even. But it’s just that for me, it hasn’t been anything more than a line on a spec sheet.