Alongside the Galaxy S20 flagships,
Samsung is unveiling its second iteration of true wireless headset – the
Samsung Galaxy Buds+. And while these go hand-in-hand with the new Galaxy S20
flagships (in fact, the Buds+ are the pre-order bonus for the S20 phones), the
new “Galaxy Buds+” app is compatible with any Android or iOS device.
The audio experience received an upgrade
with 2-way speakers (woofer + tweeter). These are tuned by AKG, naturally.
There are three microphones on board, even if the new buds do not support
active noise cancellation. They do feature ambient pass-through, though, so you
can maintain situational awareness as you listen.
The individual buds have larger batteries
(85mAh, up from 58mAh on the old model). The battery inside the case is only
slightly larger. You can expect 11 hours of playback from just the buds, twice
that if you pop them in the case every once in a while. Then you use Qi
wireless charging (for example, from your Galaxy S20 phone) or a USB-C cable to
top up the battery.
The Buds+ will be available in Black,
White, Blue and Red. They come with two pairs of rubber tips, so you can pick
the size that fits your ears best. If you don’t plan on pre-ordering a Galaxy
S20 phone, you can order the Samsung Galaxy Buds+ from February 14. They cost US$ 150 in the US and € 170 in Europe (a US$ 20/€ 20 price bump over the original
Buds).
