Skip to main content

Samsung Galaxy Buds vs. Galaxy Buds+

If there’s one thing Samsung can do right, it’s headphones. With the company’s recent release of the Galaxy Buds+, many people are wondering how they hold up to the original Samsung Galaxy Buds. 

We’ve compared key factors like battery life, price, and sound quality to show you how these two products differ from each other. If you’re thinking about upgrading from the original Galaxy Buds to the Galaxy Buds+, here’s what you should know.

Price

If you’re determined to save some money, the Samsung Galaxy Buds will run you $129 at regular price. That makes them more affordable than most marquee true wireless earbuds on the market. Only the 1More Stylish at $99 and the Amazon Echo Buds at $130 offer similar or better value. The Galaxy Buds+ are expected to hit retail at $149 — just $20 more than the previous model.

As we’re about to see, you get quite a bit more for that $20, but based on price alone, the original Galaxy Buds take the crown here.

Winner: Galaxy Buds

Battery life

Image used with permission by copyright holder

When it comes to true wireless earbuds, battery life is a big deal. Unlike most wireless headphones, which come equipped with an analog cable as a backup for when their batteries die, true wireless earbuds have no such safety net. So they need to last as long as possible between trips back to their charging case or, eventually, the power outlet.

When the Galaxy Buds debuted, their six hours of playback time was pretty impressive, and still tops the AirPods by an hour. However, we couldn’t quite figure out why their charging case only held another six hours or so in reserve. Their total power of only 12 to 13 hours is right around half of the standard set by Apple (and followed by many others) of 24 hours or more.

The Galaxy Buds+ go way beyond on playback time at a huge 11 hours — impressive even by today’s much longer standards. The charging case still only holds one full charge, but seeing that this brings the total time to 22 hours, it’s a solid overall package

We’d still like more, of course, but there’s no question the Galaxy Buds+ are a big improvement.

Winner: Galaxy Buds+

Sound quality

Samsung Galaxy Buds+ hands-on on table
John Velasco / Digital Trends

This category is always subjective, of course, and we haven’t had a chance to try the new Galaxy Buds+. Still, new versions of audio products with degraded quality when compared to their predecessors is a rarity, so we’re reasonably confident the Galaxy Buds+ will sound the same as or better than the Galaxy Buds. Adding weight to this belief is the fact that the Galaxy Buds+ make use of dual dynamic drivers (a woofer and a tweeter), where the Galaxy Buds used only a single dynamic driver.

Plus, featuring sound by AKG delivered through a new speaker and microphone system, along with enhanced ambient sound settings, the Galaxy Buds+ are being touted as “studio-quality” earbuds by Samsung.

Is this a guarantee of better sound quality? No. But, if our experience with other dual-driver earbuds is any indicator, it’s very likely the Galaxy Buds+ will offer better definition and clarity in both the high and low frequencies, and we might get better bass response, too. Saying studio-quality is likely way too optimistic, but we’re betting they’ll still sound pretty sweet.

We’ll obviously wait until we hear the new earbuds in person before calling this one.

Winner: TBD

Comfort and design

Samsung Galaxy Buds+ hands-on earbuds on table
John Velasco / Digital Trends

It seems Samsung is taking an if-it-ain’t-broke-don’t-fix-it approach to the Galaxy Buds+. They’re very similar in design to the Galaxy Buds, if not a bit smaller. That’s a good thing: We were super-impressed by the Galaxy Buds and found them to be among the most comfortable and well-designed true wireless earbuds available at the time, and even after the arrival of incredibly comfy buds like the Jabra Elite 75t, they’re still a favorite.

The Galaxy Buds+ will, however, come with additional wing and eartips that Samsung says will allow for a customizable wireless fit, depending on how you’re using the earbuds. For now, we’ll have to wait until we try them to determine how much of a difference-maker this new feature turns out to be.

Winner: Draw (we think)

Water resistance

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Sadly, it looks as though Samsung’s commitment to keeping the Galaxy Buds+ looking and feeling the same as their predecessors comes with an unfortunate caveat: Water resistance is also unchanged at IPX2.

We should acknowledge that true wireless earbuds don’t need an official IP rating to withstand a bit of sweat now and then. Apple’s AirPods, Sony’s WF-1000XM3, and the 1More Stylish are all examples of earbuds that aren’t rated for water exposure, yet nonetheless survive trips to the gym.

However, the industry as a whole is moving in the direction of better protection for these devices and clearly price doesn’t need to go through the roof to offer it. Plenty of $50 to $75 true wireless earbuds on Amazon offer IPX4 or better. Given that fitness and sports are among the activities that benefit most from a total absence of wires, we’re surprised Samsung hasn’t at least bumped the Galaxy Buds+ to IPX4 to match the Apple AirPods Pro.

Winner: Draw

Other features

Samsung Galaxy Buds+ hands-on top of table with case
John Velasco / Digital Trends

There are a couple of other noteworthy changes worth mentioning for the Galaxy Buds+ when it comes to features. The new buds will be able to pair and swap between multiple Bluetooth devices, whereas the Galaxy Buds could only handle one.

An additional set of onboard mics might improve their call quality and Ambient mode (for hearing outside sounds) as well, and you’ll be able to download an iOS app to get greater control over how the earbuds work with Apple devices.

Winner: Galaxy Buds+

Conclusion

So that’s it for a look at the major feature differences between the Galaxy Buds and the Galaxy Buds+.

You can check out our first impressions of the new wireless earbuds right now, but we’ll wait on declaring them the absolute winner in this comparison until we’ve done a full review. However, it’s already apparent that for an extra $20 (or free with select new Samsung phones), Samsung has added a lot of improvements to the already impressive originals.

Editors' Recommendations

Simon Cohen
Contributing Editor, A/V
Simon Cohen covers a variety of consumer technologies, but has a special interest in audio and video products, like spatial…
Best noise-canceling earbuds for 2023: from Sony, Soundcore, Jabra, and more
Sony WF-1000XM5 in silver.

Generally speaking, earbuds are the go-to earphones for many people because of their compact form. They charge in their case and you can pop them in your pocket or purse for glorious sound without lugging a big pair of headphones around. But for a truly immersive and stress-relieving experience, what you really need is a pair of the best noise-canceling earbuds.

Today's noise-canceling earbuds are pretty advanced and feature active noise cancellation (ANC) that can be fine-tuned to your liking with varying levels of canceling. They also feature sound passthrough features, also known as transparency mode, that allow you to let in, and even amplify, outside sounds and conversations; many even do this automatically.

Read more
Samsung’s new Galaxy Buds are surprisingly affordable
Samsung Galaxy Buds FE in graphite.

Samsung's new wireless earbuds -- the Galaxy Buds FE -- are just $100, a new low price for a set of Galaxy Buds. Samsung introduced the new earbuds alongside its other new FE devices, the Samsung Galaxy S23 FE and Galaxy Tab S9 FE. Available in white and graphite colors, you'll be able to buy them from Samsung.com and major retailers starting October 10.

Until today, Samsung's Galaxy wireless earbuds lineup consisted of the $150 Galaxy Buds Live, the $150 Galaxy Buds 2, and the flagship $230 Galaxy Buds 2 Pro. With the Galaxy Buds FE, you can now get a set of Samsung buds with desirable features like active noise cancellation (ANC) and transparency modes for less.

Read more
Olivia Rodrigo’s latest collaboration is a set of limited-edition Sony LinkBuds S
Sony LinkBuds S x Olivia Rodrigo worn by the singer.

Livies (yep, that's what Olivia Rodrigo's fans are called) have something new to get excited about. The 20-year-old singer-songwriter sensation has partnered with Sony to release a limited edition of the company's LinkBuds S wireless, noise-canceling earbuds in a very Rodrigo shade of violet. Sony won't tell us how many of the LinkBuds S x Olivia Rodrigo will be made, but we know they're priced the same ($200) as the regular LinksBuds S. They're available for preorder starting September 26.

Rodrigo's recently announced world tour for her 2023 sophomore album Guts has been seeing incredible demand, with some ticket resellers commanding prices in excess of $5,000 -- reminiscent of the kind of enthusiasm shown for Taylor Swift's currently touring Eras shows. Guts is the follow-up to Rodrigo's hugely popular debut solo album, 2021's Sour.

Read more