They’re two of the best wireless earbuds you can get, they share a good amount of similarities and deciding between them won’t be easy.
We’re talking about the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro and Pixel Buds Pro, the latest flagship headphones from Samsung and Google. On paper, these buds couldn’t be any more similar — they each have active noise cancelation, ambient sound modes, touch controls, voice assistants and long battery life. But one has to be better than the other, right?
Let’s put them to the test and see which pair comes out swinging.
How the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro and Pixel Buds Pro compare
| Weight | 0.22 ounces per bud |
|---|---|
| Water resistance | IPX7 |
| Active noise cancellation/ambient sound | Yes |
| Colors | White, Graphite, Bora Purple |
| Hi-Fi audio | Yes (24-bit sound) |
| 360-degree sound | Yes |
| Battery life (rated) | 5 hours with ANC, 8 hours without |
| Price | $180 |
| Weight | 0.22 ounces per bud |
|---|---|
| Water resistance | IPX4 (earbuds), IPX2 (case) |
| Active noise cancellation/ambient sound | Yes |
| Colors | Charcoal, Fog, Lemongrass, Coral |
| Hi-Fi audio | No |
| 360-degree sound | No |
| Battery life (rated) | 7 hours with ANC, 11 hours without |
| Price | $200 |
The Pixel Buds Pro are unexpectedly comfy, but the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro feel more natural
From a design perspective, the Pixel Buds Pro are deceptively comfortable. They’re a lot longer than most other earbuds, and they slot into your ears a bit differently, but the second you’re wearing them, you’ll be surprised with how they feel. I’ve worn them for hours on end and my ears never got tired. Plus, they have a matte finish so they’ll stay in your ears easier than glossy buds do.
The Galaxy Buds 2 Pro, meanwhile, look a lot more like traditional earbuds. They’re smaller, round and fit so perfectly in your ears that it feels like you’re wearing nothing at all. They also make the included touch controls easier to access since they sit almost flush with your ear, while the Pixel Buds Pro tend to stick out a bit.
Both pairs offer water and sweat protection. The Pixel Buds Pro sport IPX4 certification, while the Buds 2 Pro have slightly better IPX7 protection. Either way, you won’t have to worry about sweat damaging your earbuds while working out.
In terms of their cases, I’m a bit neutral. The Galaxy Buds 2 Pro come in a standard rounded square case, while the Pixel Buds Pro opt for a unique egg-shaped case. They’re each perfectly fine and easy to throw in a pocket or bag.
TL;DR: Google’s Pixel Buds Pro are perfectly comfy and light enough to wear all day, but the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro fit more naturally and make it feel like you aren’t wearing earbuds at all.
Sound quality is slightly better on the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro, but it’s still excellent on the Pixel Buds Pro
Like their design, the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro are slightly better than the Pixel Buds Pro when it comes to sound quality. But Google’s earbuds still manage to impress.
The 11mm custom drivers in the Pixel Buds Pro bring a warm and inviting soundstage to your ears, which is perfectly tuned to play virtually any genre of music you can imagine. Hip-hop sounds particularly good on these buds, as the extra bass provided by Google’s custom algorithm helps to give tracks that extra oomph you’re looking for.
There are two areas where the Pixel Buds Pro take a back seat to the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro: podcasts and music with more lively instrumentation. Samsung’s dedicated 10mm woofers and 5.3mm tweeters are able to kick out a wider range of frequencies for improved clarity in the content you listen to, so higher-pitched vocals and acoustic instruments sound a bit better than they do on the Pixel Buds Pro.
What’s more, Samsung includes 24-bit hi-fi audio support on the Buds 2 Pro. You need a Samsung phone to take advantage of it since it relies on a custom-built codec, but it’s another example of the higher resolution the Buds 2 Pro operate at compared to Google’s earbuds.
In addition, Samsung’s buds are the only ones with 360-degree spatial audio support. Google says it’ll roll that feature out to the Pixel Buds Pro at some point, but it has yet to arrive.
TL;DR: The Pixel Buds Pro offer a great listening experience across different genres, while the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro are slightly better with richer clarity for high and mid frequencies.
ANC, transparency and intelligence are a toss-up between the buds
The Pixel Buds Pro and Galaxy Buds 2 Pro both trail behind other earbuds when it comes to active noise cancelation (ANC) and transparency, but that’s not to say either of them are bad.
On the contrary, they each deliver solid ANC and can block out external noise very well. The Pixel Buds Pro seemed to block wind better than the Buds 2 Pro, while Samsung’s buds tend to mitigate louder sounds better, thanks to a more sealed-off fit in your ears. Transparency modes (or ambient modes, as they’re also referred to) are essentially the same between both pairs, but the Buds 2 Pro helped voices sound a tad less wet with their improved microphones.
Google and Samsung also deliver on smarts. With the Pixel Buds Pro, you can talk to the Google Assistant and keep up with notifications, traffic, weather and more. Meanwhile, the Buds 2 Pro integrate with Bixby, which, admittedly, is inferior to the Google Assistant but helpful nonetheless. You also get a collection of touch controls on each set of buds for conveniently pausing music or controlling the volume as well as customizable EQ settings through their respective apps.
TL;DR: The Galaxy Buds 2 Pro and Pixel Buds Pro each have solid ANC and transparency modes as well as a great mix of smart features. If we had to give an edge to one, we’d go with Google’s earbuds, thanks to their ability to block wind better than Samsung’s can.
The Pixel Buds Pro have better battery life and multi-device pairing than the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro
In my testing, I found that the Pixel Buds Pro were able to easily last longer than the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro on a full charge.
Google cites up to seven hours with ANC on, while Samsung says its buds will last five hours. Both of those estimations are true, which also means you’ll enjoy up to 11 hours of battery life with ANC turned off on the Pixel Buds Pro and eight hours with the Buds 2 Pro. The Pixel Buds’ case also supplies more power than the Galaxy Buds’ does, so if you’re someone who needs an extra-long battery to get through a day full of listening, buy the Pixel Buds Pro.
As a side note, both pairs offer wireless charging in addition to USB-C wired charging.
There’s another feature that Google’s earbuds handle much better than Samsung’s, and it’s multi-device pairing. On the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro, you’re limited to only pairing your buds with other Samsung devices logged into your Samsung account. Google, on the other hand, doesn’t care what other devices you pull into the mix, so long as it has a Bluetooth connection.
This instantly makes the Pixel Buds Pro the ideal earbuds for anyone who likes the convenience of pairing them to both their phone and laptop while working, such as myself. If you’re deep into the Galaxy ecosystem, then the Buds 2 Pro’s limitations on multi-device pairing won’t bother you much. For everyone else, Google’s earbuds are the way to go.
TL;DR: Google’s Pixel Buds Pro are exceptionally better than Samsung’s Galaxy Buds 2 Pro when it comes to battery life and multi-device pairing.
Bottom line
Google and Samsung have really knocked it out of the park this year with their flagship earbuds, and it’s hard to find fault with either.
If you’re more in the Samsung ecosystem and want a pair of earbuds that’ll seamlessly connect with everything you carry around, the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro are a great choice. For those with a non-Galaxy smartphone, you’ll love the Pixel Buds Pro. Personally, I enjoy using the Buds 2 Pro a bit more, thanks to their richer sound and comfier fit, but with how well Google is competing this year in the increasingly crowded wireless earbud market, picking up either pair will surely delight you the second you unbox them.