Re-visiting the Samsung Galaxy Buds, all the pros and cons

`Cut the cord` is the new trend, the way forward, the tech world has spoken and the consumer follows suit.

Thanks mainly to Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and NFC, we have an array of wireless charging docks, even reverse charging on certain smartphones, and also headsets or earbuds among other things.

Let`s focus on earbuds.

Apple`s Airpods are the most popular of course, but there are other valid options out there. From the more serious ones dedicated to audiophiles, to name one Sennheiser, to the well still good ones, that cater for the average consumer, say Samsung.

Samsung offers options for the latter, and today I decided to re-visit the Galaxy Buds, yes those which came out after the Icon X, not the Buds Plus, the Live, or Pro, I mean at a glance you could mix them, but the Live are the bean-shaped ones, anyways.

The Samsung Galaxy Buds come in their classic pill-shaped case (rather a big pill, in this case, pun intended), with black, white and other colours in the offing, I came across a yellow set on Amazon. The white ones will show dirt after a while with handling, so do consider cleaning them, while the black could show smudges or finger prints, but that`s me being methodical.

In any case (that pun again) you can always wrap them up at Dbrand or Colorware among others, while there are different snazzy cases also on Amazon. Be bold, be adventurous, check them out. No affiliates or publicity here, just info.

Whatever you opt for, these are all light handy portable cases, which don`t even show much in your jeans pocket, or won`t take much space in your carry bag, which is good.

Back to Samsung Galaxy Buds.

These bring to the table an upgraded Bluetooth, now with 5.0.

To be honest, I sorely miss the independent 4GB of storage on-board the Icon X ones, those came handy, no need to carry the phone with you for training for example, but you have your playlist on the buds.

On the Galaxy Buds, no independent on-board storage, which sucks.

We welcome the USB-C type cable for charging, and the case can be also charged on wireless docks or on the back of a smartphone if it has reversible charging that is, thanks to the coil set at the bottom of the Buds` case. While charging the case you`re charging the buds too, which is dope.

Battery life is good around 6 hours. The outer light on the case shows amber if it needs juice and green if its charged, while the inside light which is situated between the buds, lights red both for when it needs to be charged and while charging which is a bit misleading, I would have preferred to differentiate using yellow or again amber for one of these.

If we go into detail, the front ridge of the case helps you to get a grip and open it with ease, and while the lid wouldn`t feel sturdy at first, rather flippy, it`s because you need to push it back a bit more until it rests vertically, go slow though this is fragile tech.

Of notice, the magnets that hold the buds in their charging case, aren`t that strong, in the sense that if I shake an open case upside down, the buds fall off after few seconds, so ideally don`t let these babies fall to the ground.

In case (ok enough of this pun now promise) you do, and lose a bud in the process, or you mislaid one, fear not, as one of the options on the Samsung Wear app is to `find my buds`. The buds will emanate a sound, but then again it isn`t loud, so this will work best in a quiet room, but it will be more challenging outside.

Let`s also mention the Galaxy Buds box contents, which apart from the USB-C cable, you will find different sizes for your ears. I found the largest ones a better fit, they seal my ear cavity better, for excellent music immersion. Also, the wing tip on the buds, isn`t invasive, and rests snuggly against your ear, giving you a better grip so to say, as you would pretend from buds that can be used while training.

Once you switch them on, you`ll hear a sound that shows, well that they are ready to go. The buds have a glossy outer part that is where you press or slide, for volume control, pause or skip a song, etc, but you can also custom these from the app. However, it seems that you will lose the volume controls in the process, so it`s either or, which sucks. At this stage, considering that there are a couple of Buds out now after these, I don`t think that Samsung will issue a software update on this feature, which is a pity, they could have catered for it.

Also, from the Wear app again, you can choose to receive specific notifications, or turn them all on or off altogether.

The mic on the buds, well, is a bit weak. Used it for calls, and had people telling me to speak louder. Now, I don`t like to shout during my calls, especially if I`m in public, so this would need a tweak too, but hey, for most consumers, all my critics above are acceptable for the price, so it all depends at how you look at the Samsung Galaxy Buds, holistically so to say. For the price you still got a fair pair.

Ok, but hey quick, I`ve got another nuisance, apologies.

The connection with the assistant is buggy, in the sense, that it keeps on telling me to choose my assistant every time I summon it. I click on `always`, so that for example Google Assistant is always opted for, but next time it will again ask you which assistant you want. Again, this would need a software update from dear old Sammy, but at the time of writing (2019) it`s still there.

On a positive note, the Buds have a clean good sound for the price, and I recommend leaving Dynamic on the app`s Equaliser section, it`s richer in sound.

In conclusion, while, yes I still miss the independent 4GB of on-board storage on the previous Icon X buds set, but, if you`re not the methodical type like the undersigned, for the price the Galaxy Buds are easy to recommend. Good sound, coming in a light and not so big pill case which can be charged even wirelessly, and good battery with the around 6 hours for your media consumption being music, YouTube videos or podcasts.

So there you have it, go on, check these out and immerse yourself. At this stage, the price dwindled down even further, found a pair on Amazon that didn`t exceed €100, which is sick.

Let me know your thoughts down in the comments, if you already tried these, or if I enticed you to consider buying. Well, comment whatever you fancy, and if you please like the story, it would be greatly appreciated.