Samsung’s new Galaxy Buds Pro have many of the same features as Apple’s AirPods Pro while costing $50 less. The AirPods Pro are over a year old now, so that may have given Samsung enough time to catch up or even surpass Apple’s noise-canceling wireless earbuds. A full comparison of the software, hardware, sound quality, and canceling ability will help those interested in new earbuds to decide between these two top-tier options.
Samsung launched wireless earbuds, called Gear IconX, a few months before Apple released its first AirPods. As usual, the two companies were competing in mobile technology, but Apple offered a much longer battery life and changed the conversation on wireless earbuds by adding its Siri personal assistant. AirPods quickly became among the most popular wireless earbuds. Samsung continued to upgrade its earbuds, with a refresh in 2018 adding Bixby, its answer to Siri. 2019 brought the rebranding to Galaxy Buds and further improvements. Apple updated AirPods as well and introduced AirPods Pro with active noise cancellation (ANC). Samsung answered with the Galaxy Buds Live, but the real challenge came with the newly released Galaxy Buds Pro.
Samsung’s Galaxy Buds Pro cost just $200, while Apple’s AirPods Pro are priced at $250. That means Apple’s noise-canceling earbuds cost 25 percent more. The question is whether they provide that much more in value. The answer is somewhat subjective, but there are a few details to help shoppers reach a decision. For earbuds, sound-quality is likely the most important factor for most. The consensus among early reviews is that the Galaxy Buds Pro provide clearer vocals when listening to music, while the AirPods Pro give heavier bass. Both offer excellent audio fidelity and no distortion even at maximum volume. When it comes to noise cancellation, Apple still seems to have the edge, although Samsung has improved over what was offered with the Galaxy Buds Live. The two companies have different approaches in this regard. Apple uses adaptive technology that analyzes sound from a mic that is placed on the inner part of its AirPods Pro to hear the sound the way the wearer does. That means its noise-canceling ability doesn’t rely on having a perfect ear fit, which is difficult to achieve as users may not insert the earbuds the same way every time. Other factors to consider are battery life, comfort, compatibility, and software features.
Galaxy Buds Pro & AirPods Pro Battery Life & Software
With its Galaxy Buds Pro, Samsung claims a battery life of 8 hours and an additional 20 hours if used with the included charging case. However, these are noise-canceling earbuds, so a better measure is how long the battery lasts with ANC switched on. That drops battery life to 5 hours and the charger adds 13 hours for a total of 18 hours. Apple claims 4.5 hours with fully-charged AirPods Pro, with their charging case raising the total listening time to over 24 hours. In terms of battery and charging, it's close enough to consider a draw. On the software side, Samsung offers a much more customizable experience, with a choice of equalization presets and the option of an automatic Voice Detect feature that lowers the volume when external speech is heard. This aids seamless transitions from listening to conversing when someone approaches for a conversation. AirPods Pro don’t offer this, but their Transparency Mode can be toggled on easily and is much more true to life than the Galaxy Buds Pro’s Ambient Mode. Samsung's 360 Audio seems like it should be similar to Apple's Spatial Audio, but it only works when paired to a Galaxy device running the yet-to-be-released OneUI 3.1 Android overlay, so there hasn't been an opportunity to test how well it compares.
The comfort level of earbuds is very subjective, but both offer multiple ear tips to pick from, so finding something comfortable is possible for most wearers. Finding the right fit is more important with the Galaxy Buds Pro since its form of ANC can’t adapt to a less-than-ideal placement or size choice as the AirPods Pro can. Samsung’s earbuds come in three colors and may be more visually appealing to some. Apple’s earbuds are only available in white and have a stem that protrudes from the earbud. The top-of-the-line wireless ANC earbuds from Samsung and Apple are compatible with any Bluetooth device, but each works best within the matching ecosystem. For example, Apple’s AirPods Pro allow automatic switching between iPhone, iPad, and Mac computer, but not when using an Android phone or Windows PC. Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro can connect to an iPhone via Bluetooth, but the custom equalization and ambient levels can’t be adjusted. This means Apple device owners have an extra incentive to choose AirPods Pro and Samsung device owners Galaxy Buds Pro.