Samsung didn’t stop at launching the all-new generation of the Galaxy S20 series today, the company also introduced the latest iteration to its wireless earbuds. Perhaps the most important enhancement of the Galaxy Buds+ is their battery life upgrade, 11 hours for the buds and 11 hours for the case for a total of 22 hours music playback on a single charge.
Responding to complaints from last year’s model, this year’s buds have an 85 mAh battery, capable of playing for a solid 11 hours on a charge — nearly double the playtime of the original Galaxy Buds.
Meanwhile, the charging case holds enough power for roughly another 11 hours, and can be charged via USB-C or Qi wireless charging. If you run low on battery, a three-minute charge in the case will give you 60 minutes of playtime. You can also wirelessly charge the Buds+ case, a feature that comes in handy with Samsung’s Wireless PowerShare feature that lets you use your current Galaxy phone as a wireless charging pad.
Samsung has once again partnered with AKG to give this year’s buds their high quality sound signature, placing two speakers — a tweeter and a woofer — in each bud which should help deliver rich bass tones. As has become standard for wireless earbuds, the Galaxy Buds Plus feature adjustable levels of noise cancellation powered by three microphones.
Each bud also features a touchpad allowing quick access to media controls as well as invoking your phone’s voice assistant. This touchpad is also the most visible portion of the Galaxy Buds Plus, making the color you purchase a surprisingly important factor with options including Black, White, and Cloud Blue.
There’s also now a shortcut for quickly launching Spotify on your phone: you just press and hold the left earbud to start listening to the popular music streaming app.
One feature Samsung hasn’t brought to its latest earbuds is active noise cancellation. While that’s the headlining perk of the AirPods Pro (and other options like Sony’s 1000X earbuds), Samsung isn’t alone in deciding against it. It no doubt helps the Galaxy Buds Plus hit their substantially lower price point.
The Galaxy Buds+ will be available from February 14 for $149.99. The earbuds are compatible with an Android or iOS device, which is new for the Buds+.
