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    AirPods Pro vs. Galaxy Buds: Which wireless earbuds are the better buy?

    Apple’s $249 AirPods Pro are among the many finest wi-fi earbuds you should purchase, however Samsung is taking up the standard-bearer with its $200 Galaxy Buds Pro. The Buds Pro have virtually the identical function set because the AirPods Pro, with energetic noise canceling and spatial audio help. I’ve spent two weeks testing each these pairs of earbuds to weigh the professionals and cons of every.

    The AirPods Pro are a superb pair of wi-fi earbuds with ANC that work seamlessly with iOS and Apple gadgets. They help spatial audio (aka digital {surround} sound) and have a longer-lasting battery with ANC than the Galaxy Buds Pro. Sound high quality is balanced, however they do not have a common equalizer to vary the sound throughout all apps. You can use the AirPods Pro with Android telephones, though you lose some options like spatial audio and fast switching.

    Read our AirPods Pro evaluate.

    David Carnoy/CNET

    When it involves specs, the Galaxy Buds Pro are essentially the most comparable of Samsung’s earbud fashions to the AirPods Pro. They sound nice, with a robust bass response, however the battery life does not final so long as the AirPods Pro’s when ANC is energetic. They additionally do not work as nicely with iPhones as, in contrast to earlier Galaxy Buds, these aren’t supported within the Galaxy Wearable iOS app on the time of writing.

    Read our Galaxy Buds Pro evaluate.

    AirPods Pro are smaller, really feel lighter in your earBoth are in-ear earbuds, however they’ve fully completely different designs. The AirPods Pro have a clickable stem that stands out of the ear and so they solely are available in white. The Galaxy Buds Pro are available in three colours (silver, black or purple) and have a spherical design with faucet panels on the facet, and really feel a bit heavier in your ear than the AirPods Pro.Both pairs of earbuds include interchangeable ideas in small, medium or massive. Fit will range relying in your ear form and measurement, however I’ve had bother with each these fashions not staying in correctly when I’m figuring out or shifting round rather a lot. I’ve truly discovered essentially the most safe match with third-party foam ideas for the AirPods Pro — I exploit ones from Comply, however there are lots of different manufacturers accessible. The Galaxy Bud Pro ideas do not include the wingtip locks present in earlier fashions just like the Galaxy Buds Plus that helped lock them securely in your ear. I have never been capable of finding third-party ideas for the Galaxy Buds Pro but, however I’m wanting ahead to seeing if that may enhance the match.Read extra: 11 superior AirPods Pro tricks to strive proper nowThe Galaxy Buds Pro have the higher hand in the case of sturdiness in opposition to water and sweat, with a better score of IPX7 in contrast with the IPX4 of the AirPods Pro. This means they are often submerged in as much as 3 toes (1 meter) of recent water for as much as 30 minutes. I have never taken the Buds Pro for a swim but or run them by means of the washer, however I’ve had no issues after splashing some water on them. The AirPods Pro can face up to sweat and a few mild splashes, however I would not counsel taking them swimming.The AirPods Pro with third-party eartips.
    Lexy Savvides/CNET
    Galaxy Buds Pro, higher sound high quality; AirPods Pro, higher noise cancelingBoth these earbuds sound good, so long as you will get a safe match. It’s positively a matter of desire, however I desire the hotter sound profile and extra pronounced bass response of the Galaxy Bud Pro in the case of sound high quality. You can even regulate the equalizer manually within the Galaxy Wearable app to a lot of completely different presets, from bass increase to delicate. The AirPods Pro have a extra impartial sound profile that really works of their favor if you wish to soar between calls, listening to music and listening to podcasts. They have an adaptive equalizer that dynamically adjusts the sound for you.While each do a great job at canceling out ambient noise, the AirPods Pro are a contact simpler at drowning out white noise just like the sound of an overhead fan or aircraft engines. While you may regulate the ANC degree on the Galaxy Buds Pro to excessive or low, I did not actually hear any distinction between the 2 settings. I can even hear a really faint hiss when I’ve ANC on the Buds Pro when I’m not listening to music.
    Lexy Savvides/CNET
    They each have spatial audio (Samsung calls it 360 audio) for a simulated surround-sound expertise when listening to motion pictures and TV reveals. Again, each sound good, but when I had to decide on, I might go along with the AirPods Pro because the impact sounds extra pure. Note that on the time of writing, 360 audio help is simply on Samsung gadgets operating One U! 3.1 just like the Samsung Galaxy S21 telephones, whereas spatial audio on the AirPods Pro is accessible on any Apple machine operating iOS 14 or later.But the Galaxy Buds Pro have a function the AirPods Pro lack: voice detection. The Galaxy Buds Pro routinely lowers the amount of your media once they detect that you simply’re speaking after which reverts again to your authentic settings 10 seconds after you have stopped. It’s nice if you’d like to have the ability to have a fast dialog with out actively switching the buds into ambient sound mode (or pulling one out of your ear). You can take heed to mic samples in our video on this web page to listen to the distinction for calls.

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    Comparing Galaxy Buds Pro to AirPods Pro

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    AirPods Pro: Most dependable battery lifeSamsung quotes the battery life on the Galaxy Buds Pro at 5 hours with ANC on, however I by no means bought near that determine. With ANC turned on, the longest I used to be capable of put on them for was roughly 4.5 hours, which was disappointing contemplating the declare. Apple quotes as much as 4.5 hours with ANC for the AirPods Pro, however I commonly exceeded that and will handle virtually 5 hours of complete listening time. According to Samsung, the Buds Pro can even last as long as 8 hours of listening time with out ANC, however once more, I wasn’t capable of attain that quantity myself.Each case additionally holds a bit of additional cost, with the AirPods Pro providing 24 hours’ complete juice and the Galaxy Buds Pro an added 18 hours. Both circumstances can wirelessly cost, or you may plug in Lightning on the AirPods Pro or USB-C on the Galaxy Buds Pro.Read extra: Best Apple AirPods offers proper nowSmart options are related on eachThis is the primary technology of Samsung earbuds I’ve examined that are not appropriate with the Galaxy Wearable iOS app. This means they’re going to hook up with an iPhone ($900 at Boost Mobile) through Bluetooth and you may activate ANC and use the default faucet controls, however you will not be capable to change the settings. The AirPods Pro additionally work as common Bluetooth earbuds on Android, however supply essentially the most seamless expertise customizing settings on iOS.You can summon Siri on the AirPods Pro, or Bixby on the Galaxy Buds Pro by utilizing your voice, or with contact controls. Each will learn off textual content messages or notifications, and allow you to change the amount or place a name along with your voice. There isn’t any method to name on Google Assistant utilizing your voice on the Galaxy Buds Pro but, though you may activate Google Assistant on the Galaxy Buds Pro by assigning it as an extended press of the contact panel, however you may’t make calls with it but. Each earbud can be utilized independently for calls or listening to music and you’ll find each on a map in case you lose them utilizing the Find My app on iPhone or the Smart Things app on Galaxy gadgets. They each additionally supply quick switching between gadgets signed in to the identical Apple ID or Samsung account.Read extra: Galaxy Buds Pro: 10 ideas that can assist you grasp Samsung’s newest wi-fi earbudsGalaxy Buds Pro for Android, AirPods Pro for iPhoneBoth units of earbuds have their strengths, however the most effective earbuds for you’ll finally rely upon what software program ecosystem you are in. Previous Samsung-versus-Apple earbud comparisons had been extra platform-agnostic, given earlier fashions had been appropriate with the Galaxy Wearable app on iOS, however this time your cellphone will likely be an enormous consider your determination. I desire the nice and cozy sound profile of the Galaxy Buds Pro, so I’d decide these for listening to music. But for multitasking between calls and music (and for extra dependable battery efficiency), I select the AirPods Pro.

    Discover the newest information and finest opinions in smartphones and carriers from CNET’s cellular specialists.

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