Samsung Galaxy Buds Plus bring good sound and battery life in a neat package

• The Galaxy Buds Plus are the latest truly wireless earbuds from Samsung, and they’re the best yet from the Korean manufacturer.
• Launched alongside the Galaxy S20 series, the Galaxy Buds Plus are priced at ₹11,990. Galaxy S20 buyers can get these earbuds at a discounted price.
• Some of the highlights of the Galaxy Buds Plus include improved audio performance and battery life, but are they worth ₹11,990? Let’s find out.

Truly wireless earphones have never been as popular as they are now. They have come a long way after the introduction of Apple AirPods in 2016 – both in terms of price as well as quality.

The Galaxy Buds Plus are the successor to the original Galaxy Buds launched last year. While the name might not signify it, the Galaxy Buds Plus come with some major improvements in terms of battery life and audio performance.

Samsung has also brought its Galaxy Buds Plus app to iOS, making it easy to manage these earbuds on iPhones, too. So whether you’re an Android user or an iPhone user, the Galaxy Buds Plus should work just fine.

All that sounds good on paper, but how do the Galaxy Buds Plus perform in real life? Let’s find out.


How much do the Galaxy Buds Plus cost?

The Galaxy Buds Plus price in India is currently ₹11,990 and they come in three colours – black, blue and white. They were launched alongside the Galaxy S20 series in India this year.

If you’ve already bought the Galaxy S20, S20 Plus or the S20 Ultra, you can buy the Galaxy Buds Plus at ₹3,999. This makes the Buds Plus a really good option if you want a pair of truly wireless earbuds.

Here are the Galaxy Buds Plus compared with some of the other truly wireless headphones in the market -



Designed to stay out of your way

Unlike the AirPods and some other wireless earbuds, the Galaxy Buds Plus are designed to get out of your way. They don’t have a stem and fit easily into the ear canal, and the wingtips make sure they stay in place and don’t wobble.

Coming to the exterior, both the earbuds as well as the charging case have a glossy finish. The pill-shaped design makes it easy to carry the case in your pocket, and it’s small enough to not bother you too much.

Thanks to the wingtips, the Galaxy Buds Plus can be used even during a jog or a workout – in our testing, we found that they don’t wobble and grip your ear canal well.

The downside of this is that these earbuds are a bit difficult to use when you’re lying down, as the pressure on the earbuds pushes against your ear.

Apart from this, the Galaxy Buds Plus have a capacitive touch button that helps you manage calls, volume, music playback and more. You can also use this button to activate virtual assistants like Samsung’s Bixby and Google Assistant.

While the touch button takes some getting used to, Samsung has included a quick tutorial in the Galaxy Wear app to help you when you’re confused. You can also customize what happens with single, double, triple taps and long presses.

All in all, the Galaxy Buds Plus, the pill-shaped case and the Galaxy Wear app make for a good combination.

Improved audio quality adds a lot of value to the Galaxy Buds Plus

One of the major improvements that the Galaxy Buds Plus bring when compared to the original Galaxy Buds is improved audio quality.

To achieve this, Samsung is using a combination of dual drivers which expand the range of the audio and improve the overall clarity.

Compared to other earbuds in the market, the Galaxy Buds Plus dial the bass a little and focus on the overall audio performance, making these earbuds great for general usage like Netflix and YouTube. However, if you’re into bass-heavy music, you might find the performance slightly subdued.


The Galaxy Wear app allows you to customize the Buds Plus to your liking – there are six options to choose from, and based on your needs, you can boost bass or treble, or go with higher clarity.

The in-call audio performance is another area where the Galaxy Buds Plus shine. Samsung has added an additional microphone – this helps you sound more like yourself in calls instead of making the listener think you’re passing through a tunnel.

Battery life and connectivity

The Galaxy Buds Plus are rated to last 11 hours, with the charging case adding another 11 hours. In our testing, we found the Buds Plus last 9-10 hours, with lots of voice calls throughout the day and some music in between. The charging case has a USB Type-C port and support quick charging.

Connectivity-wise, the Galaxy Buds Plus support Bluetooth 5.0 but miss out on high-end codecs like aptX. However, unless you’re an audiophile, it is very likely that you won’t notice the difference.

Verdict

The Galaxy Buds Plus are a very good pair of truly wireless earbuds, primarily due to the improvements in battery life and audio performance. The improved compatibility with non-Samsung smartphones, making the Galaxy Buds Plus an easy recommendation.

If you have a budget of ₹10,000-15,000 and want truly wireless earbuds, the Galaxy Buds Plus are worth your consideration.

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