Samsung Galaxy Buds+ Review: The Most Comfortable TWS Earphones?

Written by Cheryl Tan

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It’s difficult to find true wireless earphones that are really comfortable. Sure, most of them manage to sit well in the ear, and they don’t poke or cause pain, but they’re all big, chunky earbuds that eventually will cause some strain after long periods of use.

The Samsung Galaxy Buds+ however, are one of the smallest TWS earbuds that I’ve tried. Smaller even than the Jabra Elite 75t which I thought was already super comfortable in the ear.

This means that not only do the Buds+ fit snugly, but they are also lightweight enough that you won’t really pay too much attention once they’re worn.

The case is made with a glossy white plastic that does smudge with skin oils but is relatively small, only slightly longer than the Elite 75t’s charging case. If you have a Samsung phone, the case can be charged with compatible phones via Wireless PowerShare. Otherwise, they can also be wirelessly charged with any Qi-compatible chargers or through a wired USB-C connection.

As for the earbuds, not much externally has changed from the first generation. The buds themselves are the same size and weight, and I do like that Samsung kept the pearlescent faceplate on the white model.

Users can still use touch controls for play/pause, track control and a custom function. I have a Samsung phone, so set up was a breeze. I opened up the Galaxy Wearable app and it found the Buds+, paired with it and started downloading the Buds+ app.

I do like that if the earbuds aren’t connected to a phone, simply opening the case and putting the buds into your ears will put them into pairing mode instead of having to fiddle and hold down buttons to start pairing. Holding a finger to each faceplate for 3 seconds will also manually put them into pairing mode.

From there, I could download and update the software for the earbuds, change what tapping and holding on each faceplate would do, find the earbuds when they’re misplaced and more. There’s also an equaliser function that has presets available like bass boost, treble boost and more.

There’s no active noise cancellation in these, but the passive seal works fine to keep external noise to a minimum. There’s also an ambient noise mode which pipes in sound from the surroundings.

Sound-wise, these aren’t the best TWS earphones you can get. The internals are new, with a dual-driver design comprised of a woofer and tweeter. Those are tuned by AKG, but don’t quite live up to what you would expect out of earphones at this price point. There’s a decent amount of clarity and a slight bump at the lower ends, but it’s a rather flat-sounding pair of earbuds overall.

The soundstage isn’t quite as distinct, and you might find more subtle nuances lost if you’re listening to lossy files. The general consumer, however, will be fine with these for pop or rock songs. There’s no aptX HD support on these, unfortunately, so we’re stuck with SBC, AAC and Samsung’s own scalable codec.

Battery life is also improved over the first generation, at 11 hours in the earbuds on a single charge and an additional 11 hours in the case. The battery capacity of the earbuds is quite decent, although it’s a bit of a shame that Samsung has traded extra battery life in the case for a smaller footprint and lighter weight.

There are downsides too. There’s only an IPX2 water resistance rating, multipoint connection isn’t offered and if you’re an iPhone user, you’ll definitely be better off getting the AirPod Pros instead.

But if you have an Android phone and you’re on the lookout for the most comfortable pair of true wireless earphones? The Samsung Galaxy Buds+ might just be the one. If you’re on a budget, there is also the first generation Samsung Galaxy Buds, but I’m hardpressed to recommend that because the battery life on those just aren’t good enough anymore.

More information and purchase options for the Samsung Galaxy Buds+ (S$268) are available on Samsung’s website.