The buds sound best when paired with a Samsung phone, and non-Samsung Android owners get the short end of the stick with fewer codec options. Android phone owners who made peace with forgoing features like 360 audio and wireless power sharing will grow to love the Buds 2 Pro. The Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro features a matte, rubberized plastic case that is rounded and square in shape. Unlike other cases, this case has a nice, grippy feel to it. Unfortunately, this material scratches easily and cannot be buffed like some plastics can. The lid can be closed with magnets, but the case itself is a dust adsorber and picks up dust like a dryer lint remover. The case is flat like a jewelry box, and the lid feels quite sturdy. Strong magnets inside pull the buds into the case, but they do not accurately guide the buds into the notches. Occasionally, the earbuds need to be shifted. The Hold Steady’s “Heavy Covenant” gives plenty of room for guitars, horns, and Craig Finn’s vocals, demonstrating their separation and clarity; as a ’90s music fan, I kept coming back to Counting Crows’ “Omaha”! The Buds 2 Pro brought out the warmth of the accordion and mandolin and gave the drums a natural kick. Returning to modern life with Orville Peck’s “The Curse of the Blackened Eye,” I was impressed by the wide soundstage that Samsung has given these Buds. I am skeptical of this number; there is nothing in the Android developer settings menu to confirm the bitrate details, only the 24bit / 48kHz part. This high-quality streaming is said to work on Galaxy smartphones with Android 8.0 and One UI 4.0 or later (1.5 GB RAM or higher). This adds to my confusion about the bitrate and how Samsung can possibly hit 2304kbps, which is a lot of phones.
