Why You Can Trust CNET Galaxy Buds 2 are coming Aug. 27: Samsung's true-wireless earbuds cost $150
The latest Samsung true-wireless earbuds are essentially mini versions of the more expensive Galaxy Buds Pro.
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Update, 8 a.m. PT: Check out our full hands-on Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 review, with video. The original story continues below.
Samsung's Galaxy Buds 2 earbuds are just one of the products unveiled at the company's late summer Samsung Unpacked event. The company also unveiled two foldable phones, the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Galaxy Z Flip 3, and two new smartwatches, the Galaxy Watch 4 and Watch 4 Classic. The new set of $150 true-wireless earbuds feature active noise cancellation in a smaller design that should fit a wider variety of ear sizes than the larger and more expensive Galaxy Buds Pro. Images of the Buds 2 had leaked in late July along with some specs but no exact pricing.
Available for preorder now and shipping Aug. 27, the Buds 2 come in four colors -- graphite, white, olive and lavender -- with a white charging case. They cost £139 in the UK and AU$219 in Australia.
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According to Samsung, the Galaxy Buds 2 are 15% smaller and 20% lighter than the Galaxy Buds Plus, but don't offer as much battery life. With noise canceling on, you get up to five hours of music listening (with an extra three charges from the charging case) and up to seven and a half hours with ANC off. The Galaxy Buds Plus don't have active noise canceling, but they're notable for a long battery life that lasts up to 11 hours.
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Like the Galaxy Buds Plus and Galaxy Buds Live, these have an IPX2 water-resistance rating, which means they're sweat-resistant but aren't designed to take major splashes. The Galaxy Buds Pro are fully waterproof with an IPX7 certification. And Samsung says the design has been updated for "all-day comfort."
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The buds are avilable in these four colors.
Stay tuned for our hands-on impressions. In the meantime, here's a look at the Galaxy Buds 2's key specs, according to Samsung.
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Galaxy Buds 2 key specs
- Price: $150 (£139, AU$219)
- Available Aug. 27
- 15% smaller and 20% lighter than Buds Plus
- Earbud weight: 5 grams (0.18 ounces)
- Sleek curved shape for improved fit and shielding against wind noise
- Three sizes of tips (and a fit test in the companion app)
- Dynamic two-way drivers
- Active noise canceling can cut background noise by 98%
- Intelligent mics use machine learning to filter out background noise
- Three microphones on each earbud (two outer beam-forming mics, one inner)
- 5 hours of battery life with noise canceling on (three extra charges in case for 20 hours total)
- 7.5 hours with noise canceling off (29 hours total with the charging case)
- 1 hour of play time from a five-minute quick charge
- Charging case charges has wireless and USB-C charging (it's the same size as the case for the Galaxy Buds Live and Galaxy Buds Pro cases)
- Bluetooth 5.2
- Codecs: Scalable (Samsung proprietary), AAC, SBC
- IPX2 water-resistance (can resist water that hits the product at a 15-degree angle or less)
- Sensors: Accelerometer, gyro, proximity, hall, touch and VPU (voice pickup unit)
- Four colors: white, olive, lavender, graphite (case is white for all)