• 

  Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro

  Featherweight champ

  The Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro offer great audio quality, strong ANC, and some slick exclusive features when paired with a Samsung phone, like head-tracking spatial audio and 24-bit audio in select apps. The Buds 2 Pro have comparatively weak battery life though, at just five hours per charge with ANC active. 

  Pros

  • Very good audio and ANC
  • Slim, comfortable build
  • Exclusive features on Samsung phones

  Cons

  • Unimpressive battery life
  • 24-bit audio isn't a big deal for most users

  $230 at Amazon

• 

  Google Pixel Buds Pro

  Fantastic features

  Google's Pixel Buds Pro are the company's best earbuds to date, featuring good audio quality, ANC, optional always-on "Hey Google" listening, and battery life of up to seven hours on a charge with ANC. The buds are on the larger size, though, and audio fidelity isn't quite what you'll get out of the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro. 

  Pros

  • Great battery life
  • "Hey Google" Assistant access
  • Fast Pair + multipoint support

  Cons

  • Bulkier than Samsung's earbuds
  • Multipoint can get a little fiddly

  $199 at Amazon

In the world of wireless earbuds, there are many brands vying to be the undisputed champion of premium, noise canceling sound. Samsung and Google each have incredible options, Samsung’s Galaxy Buds 2 Pro and Google’s Pixel Buds Pro.

At right around $200, both sets of buds deliver impressive sound quality, incredible noise cancellation and a host of other useful features. That being said, does one outperform the other? We put both models side by side to find out.

Price, availability, and specs

The Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro retail for $230, but they're regularly on sale for $40 or more off MSRP. You can get them directly from Samsung, or from any of the retailers you'd expect, like Amazon, Walmart, Best Buy, and others.

The Google Pixel Buds Pro cost $200 at MSRP, but have been available for as low as $120 on a few occasions. You can grab a pair from all the same retailers as the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro — the Amazons and Best Buys of the world — or straight from Google.

• 	Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro	Google Pixel Buds Pro
  Noise Cancellation	Yes	Yes
  Mono Listening	Either bud	Yes
  IP rating	IPX7	IPX4 (buds), IPX2 (case)
  Supported codecs	SBC, AAC, Samsung Seamless	AAC, SBC
  Dimensions (earbuds)	19.9 x 21.6 x 18.7mm	23.72 x 22.03 x 22.33mm
  Charging	USB-C, wireless	USB-C, wireless
  Driver size	10mm driver + 5.3mm tweeter	11mm
  Price	$230	$200
  Weight (earbuds)	5.5g each	6.2g
  Waterproof	Yes, IPX7	IPX4

Design and fit

Google's Pixel Buds Pro and the Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro are pretty different, aesthetically. While Google's earbuds are sort of bulbous with prominent Google branding, the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro are comparatively sleek. They're similar sizes, but Samsung's earbuds are shaped in a way that puts more of the buds' mass lower in your ears. It's hard to quantify comfort and fit, but in our experience, both pairs are comfortable to wear for long periods.

The Galaxy Buds 2 Pro are available in Charcoal, White, and Bora Purple; the Pixel Buds Pro come in Charcoal, Coral, Fog, and Lemongrass.

Sound and call quality

While audio quality from the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro and the Pixel Buds Pro is quite good, Samsung's earbuds have a fuller, bassier sound — which many users tend to prefer. Samsung also lets you choose between a handful of equalizer presets in the Galaxy Wearable app. Google says EQ settings are coming to the Pixel Buds Pro in a future update, but they're not here yet.

The Galaxy Buds 2 Pro also support Samsung's new, proprietary Seamless codec when paired with a Samsung phone. It allows for 24-bit audio playback of supported tracks in certain apps. If you listen to music through Spotify or YouTube Music, you won't get 24-bit audio — only certain streaming services like Tidal offer it. It's not a reason most people should buy the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro, but if you know what 24-bit sound is all about and know you want it, you can get it here.

When not playing audio from a 24-bit source on a Samsung device, the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro support the AAC and SBC codecs. The Pixel Buds Pro exclusively support AAC and SBC.

Both the Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro and the Google Pixel Buds Pro offer good call quality. Each set of earbuds has three mics per bud, and each is pretty good at picking your voice out of background noise to deliver it clearly to the other person on the other end of your call. Call quality won't blow you away with either set, but unless you're making calls from active construction sites, you won't have trouble being understood, either.

Noise cancellation

Noise cancellation is pretty much a given when you’re investing in premium earbuds these days, but not every brand delivers the same level of compression and isolation. As for the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro and the Pixel Buds Pro, both Samsung and Google have designed an exceptional in-ear audio experience, but which set takes home the gold?

In our testing of the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro, we found the active noise canceling to be spot-on. Low-drone and mid-range sounds were largely tempered down, with very sudden high-frequency noise being the only culprit that could temporarily outwit the Galaxy Bud 2 Pro’s superior cancellation tech. We also thought the Buds 2 Pro’s noise canceling worked well during phone calls and didn’t lower the speaking volume of either party.

We were also impressed by Google’s first foray into active noise canceling with the Pixel Buds Pro. In fact, we’d say they delivered just about the same great experience as the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro, with the addition of a truly top-notch transparency mode. We also really liked the Buds 2 Pro’s transparency mode though, and Samsung’s product is able to recognize your voice. This allows the earbuds to automatically lower the volume and toggle transparency on when you begin speaking.

Durability

Most top-shelf earbuds are built to withstand the elements, human sweat, and general dirt and debris, but how effectively do the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro and the Google Pixel Buds Pro stand up against moisture and grime? First, let’s take a look at Samsung’s numbers.

The Galaxy Buds 2 Pro are IPX7-rated. The “X” means the earbuds are not protected against dirt and dust, but the “7” certainly bodes well for pool-goers. This numeral indicates the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro can be submerged in up to 3.2 feet of water for about half an hour. As for Google’s Pixel Buds Pro, the actual buds are IPX4-rated (protected against splashes of water), while the charging case is only IPX2 (protection from vertically-falling water).

So while you’ll be able to enjoy using your Pixel Buds Pro at the gym or during a light rain, Samsung’s Galaxy Buds 2 Pro do offer superior water defense.

Software and features

The Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro are managed with the Samsung Wearable app; the Google Pixel Buds Pro use the Pixel Buds app. If you've got a Samsung phone, you'll have Wearable preinstalled, and Pixel phones come with the Pixel Buds app. If you use a phone from another manufacturer, you'll have to download the corresponding app separately from the Play Store.

You can get always-on voice assistant listening on either pair of earbuds. The Galaxy Buds 2 Pro come with Bixby, while the Pixel Buds Pro have Google Assistant. Bixby can do some of the same things as Google Assistant, but if reliable help by voice is a big part of your purchasing decision, Google's earbuds should probably be your go-to. (You can still access the Google Assistant on Samsung's earbuds, but only with a configurable touch pad gesture — no hey Google.)

The Pixel Buds Pro support Bluetooth multipoint, which lets them connect to two audio sources simultaneously. The Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro don't, but they do have a feature that allows them to swap seamlessly between Samsung devices you're signed into. If you use a Samsung phone and tablet, it's pretty close to the same experience, but the Pixel Buds Pro are more flexible in this way.

Samsung's got a couple more tricks up its sleeve, too. The Galaxy Buds 2 Pro can remind you to stretch your neck if they detect you've had your head down for too long — like you might at your desk. And when connected to a Samsung phone, they offer a 360-degree audio effect that makes it seem like the sound is coming from your screen — when you turn your head, the volume in the earbud closer to the screen goes up, and the volume in the one farther away goes down. It's a little gimmicky, but it's still fun.

Battery life

Google's got the edge when it comes to battery life. The Pixel Buds Pro can go about seven hours on a single charge with ANC turned on. The Galaxy Buds 2 Pro tap out around the five-hour mark. You'll get almost two additional charges out of the Pixel Buds Pro's case and a little more than two from the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro's case. Each case can charge over USB-C or wirelessly.

Which should you buy?

It’s a tough call between Samsung’s Galaxy Buds 2 Pro and Google’s Pixel Buds Pro earbuds. Both brands have gone above and beyond to deliver wireless audio that goes toe to toe with the biggest names in noise canceling in-ear gear. But depending on how you’ll be using your new earbuds, there are a few small differences that might make or break your final decision.

Samsung's earbuds offer marginally better (and more customizable) audio quality than the Pixel Buds Pro on every device, plus support for 24-bit audio on Samsung phones (though, again, that's more of a niche feature than Samsung implies). Their ANC more thoroughly cancels noise, too. Even if you don't have a Samsung phone, most of the good things about the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro apply to all Android phones; all you're missing out on without a Galaxy device is Samsung's proprietary audio codec and gimmicky head-tracking spatial audio.

The Pixel Buds Pro lead on battery, though, lasting seven hours on a charge with ANC to the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro's five hours. Google's earbuds support Android's Fast Pair and Bluetooth multipoint, so they're easier to use with more devices, and they've got the Google Assistant, while the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro have Bixby.

Ultimately, both pairs of earbuds are very good, and it's hard to say either is better than the other. If you want long-lasting battery life, hands-free Google Assistant support, or multipoint connectivity, consider the Pixel Buds. Otherwise, the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro will serve you well with a more lightweight build and slightly better audio quality.