Galaxy Buds review - everything but the basics

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: en- This video's about disappointment.It's like I was so ready for the futureto change my present, yethere I am stuck in the past.- Disappointed!- You know, there's always next time.But right now, this is not the future,and if anything, it'sa teeny tiny step back.This is a Galaxy Buds review.(mellow hip hop music)So I've been waiting for technologyto slim down, cut cords,and be forgettable in a wayfor a long time, andthese $129 Galaxy Budswere my shiny gleam of hope towards thatin the Android ecosystem.(mellow music)Now, I've tried AirPods.I didn't like all the ambient noise.And although the Jabra Elite65ts have good audio quality,they just don't stay in my ears.So for someone who's either wearingor carrying headphonesaround almost all day,I was excited to try the Galaxy Buds.But once I started livingin this cord-cutting future,I realized the importanceof the necessities.Like headphones have three jobs, right?They need to take calls,they need to play music,and they need to be comfortable.Anything past that is a luxury.And although I wantthat luxury in my life,I'm not willing to give upthe necessities to have it.But let's first talk about theluxuries of the Galaxy Budsbecause it does pretty much nail those.Now, coming from the Jabra Elite 65ts,these buds feel like feathers.Like, the Jabras are justway too big for my tiny earsand every time I put them on,I'm just like \"Becca, in the name of tech,you must keep wearing these.\"To seat the Galaxy Buds in your ears,it's as easy as a little twistand once you get used to that motion,you kind of feel cool doing it.Because they just sort of click into placeusing the shark fin-esque bit on topand the earbud tip, it'ssurprisingly comfortable.And if it's not, there's threeother different sized tipsand fins for fitting included in the box.The case is super small and lightwith a USB-C port or theability to charge wirelessly.Now, I am a wireless charging super-fan,I just love it so much.So, for me, that's a great feature.Not to mention if you have an S10, S10E —or for my European friends,a Huawei Mate 20 Pro —you can just pop this right on the backand via the Wireless PowerShare feature,they'll charge.I really don't think you guys are givingthis Wireless PowerSharefeature enough props.This is super cool.I've been traveling all weekand when I left, I only hadto bring one USB-C cable.Every night, when I plug in the S10 Plus,I just pop these on topand everything charges at the same time.That's freakin' cool and I'm all about it.Anywho, the Buds claim sixhours of music listeningbattery life off a single charge,which I found to be true.And then seven additional hourswhen charged via the case.Since I was charging themwith my phone each night,I never really had a problemwith the battery dying.I even found the touch controlsto be easy to use and responsive.You cannot change the single,double, or triple-touch settings,but I changed my long pressto trigger the Google Assistant.I do wish Samsung had gone withswipes for volume adjustmentslike the Pixel Buds have,simply because tapping on aheadphone that's in your earis kind of loud and abrasive.But let's get back to fundamentalsbecause that's where the futurejust isn't beating the past.First, Bluetooth. Now, I'vetested these on a Pixel 3,an iPhone X,a Galaxy S8, and S10 Plus.And I found that they by farare best on Samsung devices.And before the latestGalaxy software update,there were definitely Bluetooth dropoutsacross all of those devices.But the video lag on non-Samsungdevices is still real.Second, let's talk audio quality.It's fine.You'll definitely want to gointo the Galaxy Wearable appand adjust the EQ settings.I kept mine set to dynamicfor some richer tonesand just a little more bass,but even with the EQ adjustments on,I was never blown awayby the sound quality.In switching between theAirPods, Galaxy Buds,and Jabra 65ts, I found the Jabras to havefar superior bass and range.I even found myself suffering throughthe pain of wearing themin order to keep listening.Next, I tried the AirPods,and while they are pretty colorfuland full of bass for their size,you're just not immersedbecause of the designand the lack of isolation.But the Galaxy Buds, well,there's absolutely no mistakingthat the audio is comingfrom a very small sourceand being shoved directly into your ears.It's just flat and tinny.But where the Galaxy Buds really fall flatis the microphone quality.I talk on the phone a lotand it's mostly because I'mway too impatient for textingand I'm really bad at spelling,and well, the list goes on.But, it's impossible tomake a call in these,nobody can understand me.So, let's dive in and dosome real testing togetherbecause you guys need to see this.Okay so, I have the JabraElite 65ts, I have the AirPods,and I have the Samsung Galaxy Buds.I also have an S10 and the S8.I'm going to be using the S8connected to all three of these budsto call the S10.The S10 is going to be connectedto an H6 Zoom audio recordervia this giant, kind of crazy cablethat plugs in from the aux portinto the recorder.Let's hit the road andlet's test these guys out.So when you're talking onthe Galaxy Buds inside,it's not the worst.But when you bring in the Jabrasor you start talking on the AirPods,or you just go back to talking on a phone,you start to realizethere's going to be a bigger problem here.Can you hear me now?Probably not.Now, when you take theGalaxy Buds outside,that's when the problemreally starts to show up.And the Jabras, they're a little betterbut they still really hurt my ears.But the AirPods, because of this stem,it gets the mic a lot closer to my mouth,so it sounds a little better, right?So that's when I end up just going backto using my phone becauseI want the other personon the end of the lineto actually hear what I have to say.\"Hey, what's up?\"(mellow music) Anotherfeature that uses thesenot-so-impressive micsis the ambient sound.Now, turn that on to go full robot.Literally, it sounds exactlywhat I image robots hearbecause the buds aretaking in the ambient soundvia the external micand broadcasting it through the earbud.It's bad, you probably won't use it,but it does make you feel like a robot.Now, the funny thing about all of thisis that Samsung is typically knownfor nailing the necessities.Their devices last a really long time,their screens are beautiful to look at,they've even kept the headphone jack,which, thank you Samsung.But, with these Galaxy Buds,they totally lost sightof those necessities.Wireless charging, agreat and compact design,these are all things I want,but what I need is good audio qualityand a solid microphone.And, yes, the AirPods existand they are most of those things,but as soon as you connectthem to an Android device,you lose way too many featuresto justify their price.Which is why I was so excitedabout the Galaxy Buds.Maybe next year, Samsung.Alright, Jabra Elite 65ts,AirPods, Galaxy Buds,what do you guys like, what are you using,what do you want to be using?Drop a comment down below,and we'll see ya next time.Thanks, guys.\n"