Samsung releases AKG N400, a noise-canceling competitor to Galaxy Buds+

By Nick Woodard March 31, 2020

On the heels of last month’s release of the Samsung Galaxy Buds+, one of Samsung’s own audio brands has launched a competitor.

According to a product page on Samsung’s South Korean website, AKG announced the AKG N400, the company’s first pair of true wireless earbuds. TizenHelp, the website that first saw the N400, said the buds are available in black, white, and blue, and will also have active noise cancellation and between five and six hours of battery life, depending on if ANC is turned on.

Samsung hasn’t announced when these earbuds will be released outside of South Korea. When they do, though, they may be a compelling rival to the Galaxy Buds+. They’re likely to be more expensive than Samsung’s offering, with a price in South Korea that converts to about $190. That’s a significant step up from the $150 Samsung Galaxy Buds+, but if the features AKG is touting are legit, they might be worth the price hike.

The fact that the AKG N400 have active noise cancellation is enough to make them an interesting alternative, since it was one of the few features Samsung’s buds lacked. The sound quality between the two should be similar, with Samsung having previously said its Galaxy Buds+ were tuned by AKG.

The AKG N400 also have IPX7 water resistance, compared to just IPX2 with their Samsung counterparts, meaning the AKG buds can withstand being underwater. Other features between the two pairs match up very well — they both support Siri, Google Assistant, or Bixby as voice assistants, and each are ready for wireless charging.

Samsung’s main selling point is battery life, with its 11 hours of playtime in a single charge still serving as the best battery you can get in a pair of true wireless earbuds. The AKG N400, at six hours without using active noise cancellation, just can’t match up with the Galaxy Buds+ in this category.

Of course, Samsung isn’t just competing with itself in releasing the AKG N400. The true wireless earbuds battle is getting more and more crowded by the second, and buds like the Apple AirPods and Amazon Echo Buds are solid options as well.

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