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Galaxy Buds vs Apple AirPods

There is no denying that the battle of true wireless earbuds is heating up. With Sony bringing up their big guns to tackle Apple, and Samsung has already done a good job when they released the Galaxy Buds back when the S10 series was launched. Needless to say, if anyone wants to get their hands on good true wireless earphones, this is the best time because you now have some great options by so many different companies that you really do not have to worry about anything coming in the way.

Considering how Apple only recently came out with the AirPods Generation 2, and Samsung Galaxy Buds have been in the market fairly recently, too. We thought it would be best if we actually look at how both of these fight each other toe to toe.

This is certainly a better experience, and you will not have any issues that might come in the way. For anyone who is wondering which one they should spend money on, this comparison is definitely going to help you make the right decision and you will not run into any issues, either.

We are going to be comparing both in different aspects such as design, comfort, sound quality, as well as a few other aspects to give you a proper understanding of what is better.

Design

First things first, the design is obviously one of the most important factors when it comes to truly wireless earphones or just earphones in general. Obviously, if you are going to spend time wearing something in your ear, you would want it to look good, or at least not look out of place.

As far as the design is concerned, the Galaxy Buds are smaller and chicer, they are available in black, white, and a very yellow color that looks sporty at best. If you are a fan of good design, this is certainly one thing that you will like when it comes to a fresh design. The Galaxy Buds are also much smaller than the AirPods, making them easy to just plug in your ears and forget that they were there.

As far as the design on the AirPods is concerned, it largely remains the same as the one on the original. As a matter of fact, nothing has changed, and it might be indistinguishable when you place the first and the second generation side by side.

Needless to say, for all; those who are looking for good design in their earbuds, going for something like a Galaxy Buds take the cake. They are smaller, much more compact, and on top of that, they are lighter, as well.

Winner: Galaxy Buds.

Comfort

There is no way to overlook the fact that if a pair of earphones is not comfortable, many people would simply not buying it. So, comfort is definitely a very important factor.

The good thing about Galaxy Buds is that they are best when it comes to the size; they are either not too big, nor too small. They fit in just right as well. The best thing about the Galaxy Buds is that they create a pretty tight seal once you put them in. The seal is not tight enough to make things uncomfortable either, so you are going to have a pretty good experience as far as the comfort is concerned.

On the flip side, the Apple AirPods are just as comfortable, and more importantly, they are light, as well. Don’t create a tight seal, so that is one deciding factor that will make a lot of people change their decision.

Considering how I prefer to have a nice seal for blocking out all the ambient noise. I do like the Galaxy Buds more, but at the same time, the AirPods are great for those who are commuting so they can hear the outside noise when needed.

Overall, I believe both get the win here, since they are intended for different users altogether, and choosing one over the other will be an injustice.

Winner: Both.

Controls

When it comes to controls, having them on your earphones is only going to make you have a greater time and you will not have any issues that might come in the way. Needless to say, as far as the overall controls are concerned, both earphones do give you that.

For starters, the Galaxy Buds have a lot of functionality when it comes to tapping them. For starters, you can play or pause the music, answer and end the call, call up your digital assistant, and skip tracks, as well. If you want to customize it further, you can easily do that by having a long tap bringing up voice commands, quick ambient sound, as well as reducing the volume.

Granted, there are controls on the AirPods as well but when it comes to handing you every possible function, it simply does not do that, at all. While this might not be an issue for a lot of people, we have to be as direct as possible and tell you that the Galaxy Buds are much better in terms of the controls.

Winner: Galaxy Buds.

Features

Although you might be wondering that you are not going to use any features in a pair of earphones this small, a lot of people might be looking for exactly that. So, it is best that we look at the features, too. So, no one feels like we are leaving them behind.

The best feature on the AirPods is the fact that calling Siri is completely hands-free. You do not have to tap anything anymore when you can simply say “Hey Siri”, and it will bring up the assistance. I know it might sound like a gimmick at first but if you do like to use Siri a lot, this feature is a win-win for you. You also get faster pairing thanks to the H1 chip that Apple is using. Needless to say, when it comes to features, the AirPods are definitely doing the job.

On the other hand, the Galaxy Buds are no slouch. For starters, they actually offer instant pairing with the Galaxy smartphones. However, the best thing is the companion app that you are getting. You can actually set equalizer as per your requirements, allowing you to tune your earphones based on your preference. Additionally, you have the feature of Ambient Sound that will allow you to tweak just how much sound you want to come in. You can configure shortcuts, too, and there is another really useful feature is the Find My Earbuds option which can allow you to find one or both earbuds if you have misplaced them somewhere by playing a tone that will allow you track them, this solves the ever so prominent problem of losing your earbuds.

It should not come as a surprise that when we are looking at the features, the Galaxy Buds are ahead of the curve in almost every single way, allowing you have the most complete experience without any issues that might seem like a problem.

Winner: Galaxy Buds.

Sound Quality

You cannot sell me a pair of earphones if they do not sound good. Even if Rolex has made them, I will only buy them if they sound good. Same is the case with nearly everyone else you will get the chance to meet. Having good sound quality is extremely important, and something that cannot be overlooked.

No matter what track you are listening to, it is going to sound inherently better on the Galaxy Buds. The soundstage is wider, the highs are a lot more precise, and the best thing is that you can separate the sound without any issues. I know this might sound like a strange thing but that is how it works.

On the AirPods, the sound is not bad by any definition, however, more often than not, it feels recessed. This is something that is same across different tracks. True, for those who want to have good music experience, the Galaxy Buds are inherently better and should get the job done without any issues as far as the music is concerned.

Winner: Galaxy Buds

Battery Life

The talk of the town when it comes to the true wireless earphones happens to be the battery life. Considering how small they are, the battery life is one thing that often gets highlighted the most.

The good news is that the Galaxy Buds are not only small but they have better battery life, as well. On a full charge, I managed to get 5 hours and 30 minutes out of the buds, whereas Apple AIrPods had slightly lower battery life at 4 hours and 30 minutes. So, there is about an hour that is different when you are comparing both.

However, when you are comparing the charging case; things change. The charging case of Apple AirPods can hold 24 hours of additional battery life, which is certainly an impressive feat. On the other hand, the Galaxy Buds only manage to hold 7 hours of charge in the case. A huge disparity in our opinion.

Choosing the winner here is difficult, however, when you look in theory and practicality, the Apple AirPods will be able to last you much longer all thanks to the fact that you have the longer capacity in your charging case.

Winner: Apple AirPods.

Price

There is no point in buying something expensive that does not give you much in return. This is a concern that a lot of people have.

As far as the price is concerned are available at $129.99. They are among one of the most affordable true wireless earbuds available in the market. However, most people who were the first one to buy the S10 actually got the pair for free.

On the other hand, you have the AirPods, they cost you $199 if you go with the one that has a wireless charging case and $159 if you go with the standard case. Needless to say, in both cases, the Apple AirPods are more expensive than the Galaxy Buds.

The winner here is pretty obvious; the Galaxy Buds are cheaper than Apple AirPods, at the same time, providing more features, too.

Conclusion

Choosing an overall winner is not that difficult. When you compare the design, features, price, as well as the sound quality, you start realizing that the Galaxy Buds are not just better, but they are also cheaper than the Apple AirPods. Don’t get us wrong, the AirPods are great, and Apple has done great magic with the H1 chip when you are comparing them so closely, the Galaxy Buds take the cake, even though buy not a huge margin.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Bill Wilson


Bill is a certified Microsoft Professional providing assistance to over 500 remotely connected employees and managing Windows 2008 to 2016 servers.