Quick Review
Amazing Build Quality
Superior Sound
Medium Bass (I am a Bass Lover)
Good Battery Life
Great Fit
Value for Money
Detailed Review by Fonearena
Out of the box, if you’ve seen the Galaxy Buds before, you will immediately notice the new glossy shine of the case. Apart from this, nothing has changed in terms of appearance. There is a status LED at the front, the case retains the nice pebble-like shape with a flat bottom. The back of the case is where you will find the USB Type C port. It’s also interesting these days to note where this product is made, the Galaxy Buds+ is Made in Vietnam. You can find this in the bottom of the case.
You can also find the ratings of the buds and the “cradle” as Samsung likes to call the case. The cradle is rated at 600mA and the buds are rated at 160mA. The battery life is rated at 11 hours music playback just for the buds and 22 hours with the case. This is a huge upgrade from 6 hours in the buds and 13 hours with the case.
The other important upgrades relate to sound quality, both input and output. There are a grand total of 3 mics on the Buds+ leading to much better noise cancellation and improved clarity during voice calls. There is also a new 2-way speaker system with a tweeter paired with bigger bass-boosted drivers. Before I deep dive into these upgrades, let’s focus on the Buds Plus+ wearability, because after all, if you can’t wear it for longer then any of these specs won’t matter.
At around 6 grams, the Galaxy Buds+ are just as comfortable as the original version. In my opinion, Samsung had nailed it before, so they didn’t have to do much this time around. I have worn the Galaxy Buds+ for long music sessions, sometimes hour-long call sessions and podcast sessions that go into many hours. At a stretch, I would be comfortable with at least 3-4 hours of wear. The unique design of the buds makes this possible. Of course, I have never worn it for 11 long hours to test the longevity of the buds and I suggest you don’t do the same but it is possible, that much you can be assured of.
The cradle is also a lightweight case that is easy to carry in your pockets. I thought the glossy plastic was going to attract a lot of fingerprints or scratches, but to my surprise, there were not many scratches. Not many fingerprints stick to it either! Alas, the only thing the upgraded design still attracts is the dangerous slip. I mistakenly dropped it once, the case opened and one of the earbuds fell out. Thankfully, it was inside my home, so I was able to find it, however I think it’s going to ask for a lot of care when you are outside. With enough care, you can save your buds but if you, like me, have slippery hands, the Buds+ is hard to handle.
So, let’s come to the audio quality now. This is a BIG upgrade. The speakers are much closer to wired solutions now, a much-needed step in the right direction. The separation of sound can be clearly experienced this time on the Buds+ all thanks to the dedicated tweeter for high frequency sounds and the woofer for rich and powerful bass. I’d say, if the original buds were rated at 6.5 for sound quality, I’d rate the new Buds+ at 8.5. It’s that much better and it’s a much-needed upgrade for music lovers like me. The overall sound is crispier, punchier and thankfully, a lot more dynamic. But indeed, it’s nowhere near a professional audio solution, let alone competing wired headsets or even neckbands or over the ear solutions. AKG has done their best to tune the experience which brings it very close to wired headsets but there is still a long way to go. Since the true wireless solutions are not meant for audiophiles, it’s not a compromise here.
When it comes to voice calls too, there is a big upgrade thanks to all the new mics, three on each of the buds. I faced no problems when engaged in long calls. Unfortunately, due to this pandemic, I wasn’t able to test the mics is noisy conditions to see how my callers reacted but I’m sure it will work well in these situations. I can say this with confidence because of the ambient mode performance, which, when enabled, lets you hear the outside world while engaged in a call or when listening to content. This can be turned on only inside the Galaxy Wear application where you can even change the level of ambient sound, apart from setting the equalizer (I suggest the Dynamic setting for best audio performance).
Now, coming to battery life, this is another upgrade that Samsung has hit out of the park. Although I was very much satisfied with the original Galaxy Buds battery life, the upgrade takes the Buds+ to the top of the charts for one of the best performing in the True Wireless category. If you’re a light user, it will last you multiple days, if you’re a heavy user, it will last you at least two days on one charge. In today’s world, these are great numbers.
Last but not the least, there is fast charging via USB-C which manages to give us one hour of usage in just 3 mins of charging. There is also wireless charging, which is useful if you already use wireless charging pads but since I don’t use it, it’s not really a feature I would suggest as a must-have.
So, a lot of good stuff is what you will experience with the newly upgraded Samsung Galaxy Buds+. Greatly improved audio performance, greatly improved mics with better noise cancellation, greatly improved battery life and the same great design. Apart from the slippery materials for the case and the buds, there is not much to complain about the Samsung Galaxy Buds+. Truly, the PLUSes are worth having, at a price of ₹ 8,990.
- Bharadwaj
Comparing to Buds Live, I prefer Buds+
