Samsung's Galaxy Buds Live are a direct shot at Apple's AirPods Pro
After weeks of speculation and leaks, Samsung went ahead and officially unveiled its answer to Apple's AirPods Pro.
Samsung announced its latest earbuds, the Galaxy Buds Live, at its Galaxy Unpacked event on Wednesday. The bean-shaped wireless buds (which garnered the nickname "Galaxy Beans") probably look a little odd if you haven't been following all of the leaks. That said, Samsung claims they're built with ergonomics in mind, alongside the promise of high-end sound quality to go with active noise cancellation. And, unlike the $250 AirPods Pro, the Galaxy Buds Live are merely $170.
The Buds Live feature 12mm speakers with a bass duct to hopefully make songs kick the way they're supposed to. There are also three microphones built-in to ideally deliver good phone call audio. Interestingly, Samsung is promising active noise cancellation despite a total lack of a physical seal like you'd find with the AirPods Pro's silicone ear tips. Aside from small rubber wingtips that rest near the top of your ear, the Buds Live look to be almost entirely plastic.
We'll have to wait and see if Samsung can deliver quality noise reduction entirely with ANC. Even if the Buds Live don't quite match what Apple's flagship earbuds can do, an $80 price difference might be enough to sway plenty of customers anyway.
Samsung said the Galaxy Buds Live will be available in Mystic White, Mystic Black, and Mystic Bronze colors. You can buy them on Samsung's website, as well as at big-name retailers starting Aug. 6.
Topics Samsung
Alex Perry is a tech reporter at Mashable who primarily covers video games and consumer tech. Alex has spent most of the last decade reviewing games, smartphones, headphones, and laptops, and he doesn’t plan on stopping anytime soon. He is also a Pisces, a cat lover, and a Kansas City sports fan. Alex can be found on Bluesky at yelix.bsky.social.
