Galaxy Buds Live review
Samsung's new truly wireless earbuds Galaxy Buds Live are finally officially
Features and design
The earbuds have received a unique and stylish design,resembling beans. It is said to provide comfortable use all day long. Other notable features of the Buds Live include a Qi-certified wireless charging case (which can also be charged via the USB Type-C port) and Active Noise Canceling (ANC). Buds Live also supports all the useful touch gestures we can expect, like one tap to play and pause, double tap to skip to the next song, and triple tap to the previous song.
The Galaxy Buds Live will be available in three colors – Mystic White, Mystic Bronze, and Mystic Black, all of which are glossy.It is also noteworthy that their case opens like an engagement ring case, also standing out from the crowd.
The earbuds measure 16.5 (W) x 27.3 (H) x 14.9 (D) mm and weigh 5.6 grams.Their body measures 50 (W) x 50.2 (H) x 27.8 (D) mm and weighs 42.2 grams.
Sound quality and active noise cancellation
The sound on the Galaxy Buds Live is AKG. Samsung promises deep, lively and surround sound, the latter made possible by a dedicated vent on each earbud.Along with the 12mm driver, there's also a bass channel inside each earbud, so the bass needs to be deep and clear.
Samsung says call quality through BudsThe Live will be great thanks to the three microphones and a “voice pickup” on Buds Live. The three-microphone system will work to reduce background noise and focus its signal on where the user's voice is coming from.
ANC on Buds Live reduces background noise in the lower frequency range below 700 Hz, such as bus and train noise, while still allowing the user to hear important sounds such as voices and announcements.
Bixby and customization options
Users will be able to voice activate smartSamsung Bixby assistant, ask him questions or give commands hands-free. These commands can be sending a message to a contact, checking the weather for you, playing music, and more.
Customization options will be available to usersGalaxy Buds Live via Galaxy Wearable app. These should include an equalizer, the ability to turn ANC on and off, and a user-configurable touch gesture.
Buds Together, play mode and quick couple
The new Buds Together feature lets youshare the song with a friend by syncing your Buds with theirs. They'll work with their Galaxy Buds Live, Galaxy Buds, or Buds + and essentially let you enjoy the same songs together on the bus, for example.
Game Mode is another feature that aims to reduce audio latency.By reducing any audio delay, Game Mode can be especially useful for streamers and gamers.
Swift Pair is the third notable feature that will seamlessly pair your Buds Live with your Windows 10 PC.It is designed to make the headphones useful for work tasks such as video calls.
Battery life
When it comes to battery life, Samsungstates that the earbuds can last up to 6 hours without a case on a single charge, or up to 21 hours with a case if ANC or Bixby Voice Wake are enabled. With ANC and Bixby turned on, those estimates drop to 5.5 hours and 20 hours, respectively. With ANC and Bixby turned off, the headphones can operate for up to 8 hours on their own, and up to 29 hours when using the trickle charging case.
These ratings are for music playback, butIn terms of talk time, Samsung claims that with ANC enabled, the earbuds can last up to 4.5 hours alone and 17 hours in a case. With ANC turned off, these estimates are up to 5.5 hours and 19 hours of talk time, respectively.
Price and release date
The Samsung Galaxy Buds Live will use Bluetooth 5.0 to connect to your phones and tablets.Compatible smartphones are both iPhones running iOS 10 or higher and Android phones with a minimum of 1.5GB of RAM and Android 5.
As previously mentioned, the charging caseThe earbuds are Qi certified for wireless charging, so you can conveniently charge the Buds Live, for example, using reverse wireless charging on the Galaxy S20 +.
Buds Live is also waterproofIPX2, which means they have to withstand contact with water droplets under certain conditions, but that definitely doesn't make them suitable for use in the rain. They'll be okay if you sweat in the gym, but nothing more.
The Buds Live can be pre-ordered now for $169.99 and will be available on August 6th. Price in Russia — 13,990 rubles. You can buy it on the official website.