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Last week we published our first V&A of the new year in which you are all invited to submit your questions about the Galaxy Buds Pro. Our editor-in-chief David Ruddock has been using it for a few weeks now and he’s here to waste the beans:
Q: Is the spatial sound good?
A: Not really. I found the effect to be similar to a large, empty auditorium with a disorienting effect when I would move my head. It is safe to call this feature a gimmick.
Q: How does it sound with non-Samsung phones?
A: The Buds Pro supports basic SBC and AAC encoding on all devices. There is no reason to believe that the earbuds sound ‘better’ on a Samsung phone, as these codecs support a wide range of bitrates.
Q: Did you still give it to Artem to break?
A: He will have to buy his own.
Q: Compare that to the Buds +, how about phone calls?
A: I do not have the Buds +, but I was very impressed with the call performance, both in and out. Yet these are TWOs, and the physics of microphone placement comes to nothing.
Q: Do they produce the usual feeling in ear suction? Really hate that feeling.
A: I have never had such a problem with locking headphones, but given your description, I think the answer is yes.
Q: What are the exclusive features of Samsung? Would they participate in the replacement of Pixel Buds for Pixel owners?
A: Samsung’s exclusive features include seamless device switching, low latency game mode and virtual surround sound. The only thing even worth it is the seamless switching, but it only works with Samsung’s Android phones and tablets. I used it with a OnePlus 8T and missed none of these things.
Q: How do they hold the ears compared to the AirPods Pro?
A: This is such a personal question. They feel very safe in my ears, I can say. And I let a few other judges tell me that they passed their workout tests, which is usually good.
Q: Do they work seamlessly with non-Samsung phones? (That is, does it automatically recognize and support advanced configuration without installing multiple Samsung applications?)
A: I would advise against installing the app, at least initially so that you can have the necessary firmware updates installed. The app works well on non-Samsung phones and while it is not important to pair or use the Bud Pro, it does contain some settings that you will want to adjust from time to time.
Q: How is the call quality compared to the original Buds?
A: I could not tell you, but as I said in answer to another question, I find the quality of the call pretty good.
Q: Are there any stabilization options in the ear, such as ear fins, etc.?
A: No. Samsung contains 3 opposite sets in the box, in three sizes.
Q: I have the Buds +. Is the sound of the Pro worth the upgrade?
A: I did not use the Buds +, so it’s hard to say, but I saw the Bud Pro sound compared to much more expensive TWOs like those of Sennheiser and Bose. My guess is that you will find a significant upgrade here.
Q: What is the delay in watching movies on a phone or a computer? The delay of my Pixel Buds is killing me.
A: Unfortunately, it is probably no better than the Pixel Buds. It’s there and it’s remarkable.
Q: What is the battery life of the single charge eyes?
A: I managed about 4 hours with ANC on. It’s probably less if you really increase the volume.
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