JOIN USSamsung Galaxy Buds Live review: Unique and pleasantly good TWS earbuds
Just a few weeks ago, Samsung launched the company's premium Truly Wireless Stereo (TWS) earphones dubbed as the Galaxy Buds Live.
It comes in three colours - Mystic Bronze, Mystic Black, and Mystic White-- for Rs 14,990. I have been using the Samsung earbuds for a week and here are my thoughts.
Design and build quality
In India, for the past several weeks, has witnessed the barrage of low-cost earphone launches. All look like a cheap knock-off of Apple AirPods. Even the OnePlus Buds recently was mistakenly seized by US customs as counterfeit Apple earphones.
But with Samsung's latest Galaxy Buds Live, nobody has a chance to mistake it for any other in the market. It comes with a unique Kidney Bean-like design.
I have to confess that there was initial apprehension in me of not able to fit the Galaxy Buds Live in the ears. To my surprise, it snugly settled in without any feeling of discomfort. Just to be sure, I swung my head wildly to see how well it has gripped the ears and yes, it stayed put in the ears.
I also tried walking up and down on stairs and ran a few meters; again, it remained still. The earphones' wing as a soft tip and to me, the pre-installed one was a perfect fit. The company is offering two sets of ear-tips in two sizes for those with bigger or smaller ears. Kudos to Samsung's engineering team for the cool and yet practically viable design for an earbud.
The design aesthetics of the Galaxy Buds Live is also good. It has a glossy on the top and matte finish on the other side, which attaches to the ear. It is sure to become a rage among youth and a good multi-purpose alternative to the earrings as a fashion accessory.
Each earbud weighs just 5.4g and this helps in wearing them comfortably for long hours. Add to that, Samsung is offering jewelry box-inspired case. It has a shiny compact case with a minimalist design. It has Samsung engraving on the top and a Type-C port for charging. The Galaxy Buds Live comes with IPX2 water-resistant rating and can sustain sweat and also light rain showers.
User interface and performance
The form factor of the Galaxy Buds Live is completely different from the predecessor, but it has a familiar user-interface.
The Galaxy Buds Live supports phones with 1.5GB RAM (or more), Android 5.0 (or later version, and on iPhones with iOS 10 (or newer versions).
It is pretty much straight forward in terms of connecting earbuds to the phone. Users just have to install the Galaxy Buds app and Just open the lid of the case, they instantly get detected on the Bluetooth devices' list on the phone. It takes just a couple of minutes to connect them to the phone.
Also, like the Galaxy Buds Plus, the Live model has similar touch sensors on the glossy top side. It is very sensitive and works like a charm. A single tap lets you pause, double-tap will skip the music track to the next and the triple tap, it will get you back to the previous track. And for long-press, there is customisation options-- enable/disable-- Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) or Voice Command or Volume controls: Down (left earbud)/Up (right earbud).
The Galaxy Buds Live's AKG-tuned 12mm driver in the earbuds succeeds in its job and also, the credit has to go to the ergonomic design, as the speaker is closest to the opening of the ear canal to deliver crisp audio output. Inside, it has a dedicated bass duct to offer enhanced lower frequency audio and special vents to reduce air blockage for spacious audio. Be it any genre of music- Carnatic, hip-hop, rock, metal, or others, you are assured of a good listening experience.
Also, there is the Equaliser on Galaxy Buds app, which will help enhance the listening experience with -- Treble Boost, Clear, Dynamic, Normal, Bass Boost and Soft.
Even while phone calls and playing games, there is no discernible lag in terms of clear audio delivery.
The company says that the Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) on Galaxy Buds Live received UL (Underwriter Laboratories) verification for cutting background noise by up to 97% in low-frequency bands.
As far as real-world performance is concerned, it works fine to an extent. ANC feature of the Galaxy Buds Live plugs the smaller bands of noise around the user, but it doesn't completely block the surrounding environment sounds. They are good earphones to use it during virtual meetings and listening to music in the free time sitting in a house, but in a busy street, you will still hear the horns of the vehicle.
I think this is not a deal-breaker, as this will definitely help us avoid missing out on important announcements at airports or on the metro or bus ride. We will certainly be little aware of the surrounding particularly while crossing the road.
It has six mics and the sound on the other side on the phone call, I was told that it was clearly audible without any discernible distortion.
As far as the wireless range is concerned, it works fine in a big house and you can roam around without the companion phone in the pocket. You can still pick calls with the double tap on the Galaxy Buds Live and talk effortlessly. It comes with Bluetooth v5.0 with support for A2DP (Advanced Audio Distribution Profile), AVRCP (Audio/Video Remote Control Profile ), HFP (Hands-Free Profile).
Battery life
Each Galaxy Buds Live houses a 60mAh cell. With the ANC off, they offer close to eight hours of music listening, while with ANC on phone calls, it drops by three hours to offer to close to five hours. This is kind of downgrade compared to the Galaxy Buds Plus, which offers 11 hours of listening time.
However, the Galaxy Buds Live is still better than the rival brands by a considerable margin. It can be noted that the case of the earbuds, which has a 472mAh battery offers additional battery life up to 29 hours, that's equivalent to almost five recharge cycles of Galaxy Buds Live with ANC on. The Galaxy Buds Live case can charge wirelessly and through Type-C USB cable, which by the way comes with the retail package.
Final thoughts (4/5)
The new Galaxy Buds Live is not just a good upgrade over the predecessor Buds+, but also the best budget alternative for Apple AirPods in the market. Have to say, it is sure to find traction among people who love to flaunt blingy earrings. Yes, as mentioned before, it does cling to the ears tightly and stay put while walking on a flat surface, going up and down the stairs.
Most importantly, it delivers a really good listening experience, long battery life and the open active noise cancellation feature performs well to an extent.
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