AirPods Professional 2 are the go-to flagship earbuds for an iPhone person; you get all of the ecosystem advantages alongside sensible sound high quality and lively noise cancellation (ANC). However what for those who use your iPhone with a Home windows laptop computer, or what when you have an Android cellphone as a secondary system? That’s the place you’ll require a second pair of earbuds — until you will discover one thing that works properly with the iPhone in addition to Home windows and Android. Surprisingly, the Galaxy Buds 2 Professional are one such product.
I’ve been utilizing the Galaxy Buds 2 Professional with my iPhone 13 Professional Max and Galaxy Z Fold 4. Whereas there are apparent causes for somebody within the Galaxy ecosystem to buy the flagship Samsung earbuds, they work shockingly properly with an iPhone — even when there are a few caveats.
Open, pair, and play
![Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro.](https://www.digitaltrends.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/samsung-galaxy-buds-2-pro-1.jpg?fit=720%2C480&p=1)
Samsung eliminated the Galaxy Wearables app from the Apple App Retailer, and because of this, Samsung smartwatches after the Galaxy Watch 3 don’t have help for iPhones. You would possibly assume the identical will be stated in regards to the Samsung earbuds, however the Galaxy Buds 2 Professional are completely different.
In contrast to the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 and Galaxy Watch 5, the Galaxy Buds 2 Professional don’t require an app to pair and work. You possibly can merely open the case and pair it to your iPhone. You possibly can then play your favourite music or podcasts through any app you need on the iPhone. However you don’t get help to fine-tune the controls, and also you miss out on some area of interest options (extra on that beneath).
What works on Galaxy Buds 2 Professional with iPhone
![Galaxy Buds 2 Pro with iPhone 13 Pro Max on a table](https://www.digitaltrends.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Galaxy-Buds-2-Pro-with-iPhone1219_182830.jpg?fit=720%2C540&p=1)
Once you pair and join the Galaxy Buds 2 Professional along with your iPhone, no different setting is required to make full use of the earbuds. Whereas the earbuds help 24-bit audio, it’s restricted to Galaxy smartphones. That stated, the traditional 16-bit audio isn’t dangerous in any respect. In reality, the Galaxy Buds 2 Professional are a terrific pair of earbuds.
The Buds 2 Professional function twin drivers tuned by AKG, which make them very well-rounded The highs are clear with an excellent quantity of bass thrown in. You get nice instrument separation with wonderful vocals.
Lively noise cancellation is among the finest in a non-stem-design pair of earbuds below $200. In my expertise, the Buds 2 Professional’s ANC is nearer to the Pixel Buds Professional. The Galaxy Buds 2 Professional had been my accomplice on my commutes and journey — spanning cabs, busses, and airplanes. The Buds 2 Professional actually shine when quieting the buzzing of an airplane. Nevertheless, that’s to not say that it looks like I’m in a vacuum. As a substitute, the silicon ideas create an excellent seal (in my ear, no less than), and the software program does the remaining.
![Galaxy Buds 2 Pro with iPhone 13 Pro Max](https://www.digitaltrends.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Galaxy-Buds-2-Pro-with-iPhone1219_182907.jpg?fit=720%2C540&p=1)
What made my expertise extra pleasing was the flexibility to have a dialog with the earbuds nonetheless of their place and with out me touching them. How? There’s a “voice detect function” that acknowledges if you find yourself speaking to somebody and activates the transparency mode, so you’ll be able to hear the opposite particular person clearly. And it’s not prefer it’s there for the sake of it. The voice detection labored 9 out of 10 instances inside seconds for me, and when it really works, it’s very efficient.
Samsung guarantees as much as 5 hours of steady playback with ANC turned on, and 18 hours of battery life with the case. In my four-hour flight, I had no battery anxiousness and was in a position to watch Fashionable Love season 1 (oh, that first episode is so healthful). You will get higher battery life on different earbuds, however the sound, ANC efficiency, and voice detection function mixed to present me an excellent expertise with these. And bear in mind — that is all attainable utilizing the Galaxy Buds 2 Professional with an iPhone; no Samsung cellphone required.
The place the iPhone expertise stumbles
![Galaxy Buds 2 Pro on the iPhone 13 Pro Max](https://www.digitaltrends.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Galaxy-Buds-2-Pro-with-iPhone1219_182846.jpg?fit=720%2C540&p=1)
The Galaxy Wearable app acts as a catalyst to offer extra options, however the Buds 2 Professional and its unavailability on the App Retailer means you lose out on some options when paired with an iPhone.
First, you’ll be able to’t reassign contact controls on the earbuds. That is probably the most primary function that I count on to have from every producer, whatever the system I take advantage of the earbuds with. However surprisingly, I haven’t encountered any issues with not having the ability to edit controls. On the correct earbud, you get to play/pause music with a single faucet, double faucet to go to the subsequent tune, and triple faucet for the earlier tune. You possibly can contact the left earbuds to modify between ANC and transparency mode.
Second, you’ll be able to’t edit the voice detect function period. By default, it’s set to 10 seconds, which, once more, turned out to be sufficient for me. Third, you don’t get equalizer controls, which based on our Galaxy Buds 2 Professional overview, “made the sound high quality worse.”
Fourth, you miss out on the Samsung extras, like, the “Discover my earbuds” function that performs slightly tone by means of the buds that can assist you discover one or each earbuds in the event that they go lacking. It’s the solely function on this part that I’d wish to have on my iPhone for the Galaxy Buds 2 Professional. I haven’t felt the necessity for it, however it could be good to have it if I ever lose my earbuds.
![Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro 2.](https://www.digitaltrends.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/samsung-galaxy-buds-2-pro-13.jpg?fit=720%2C480&p=1)
Extra Samsung-exclusive options embrace 24-bit audio, which solely works with choose streaming providers. There’s additionally the Samsung Seamless Codec that may’t be licensed by anybody.
All in all, I don’t assume you’re lacking out on a lot with out the Galaxy Wearable app. Clearly, it could be good to fine-tune your earbuds to the controls you want. That’s the one large caveat; every thing else is only a minor annoyance. What you have already got on the earbuds works simply fantastic, and also you gained’t really feel any friction.
Not an AirPods substitute, however shut
![Apple AirPods Pro 2 inside their charging case.](https://www.digitaltrends.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/apple-airpods-pro-2-review-00030.jpeg?fit=720%2C480&p=1)
So, does all of that imply you should purchase the Galaxy Buds 2 Professional over a pair of AirPods? No. Whereas the sound, ANC, and voice detection are top-notch on the Galaxy Buds 2 Professional, in case you are within the Apple ecosystem, you must nonetheless go for the AirPods Professional 2 for seamless connectivity between all of the Apple gadgets.
Nevertheless, when you have an iPhone however a Home windows laptop computer, otherwise you use each the iPhone and an Android cellphone — particularly a Samsung smartphone — the Galaxy Buds 2 Professional make for a greater purchase at $20 lower than the $200 AirPods 2 Professional presently on Amazon.
The Galaxy Buds 2 Professional are a wonderful pair of earbuds. I’ve actually loved my time utilizing them with my iPhone 13 Professional Max. And in case you are like me and use a variety of gadgets, the Galaxy Buds 2 Professional are for you.
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