Hands-on with Samsung’s new AirPods competitor

In addition to announcing three Galaxy S10 phones (four if you count the 5G version coming out later this year) at its first Unpacked event of 2019, Samsung also unveiled its new Apple AirPods competitor: the Galaxy Buds.

Not only do the new $130 wireless earbuds fit better than Samsung’s previous IconX 2018 wireless earbuds released in 2017, but they also come with a smaller charging case that holds more charges. Oh, and the Galaxy Buds have one really cool trick AirPods don’t: They can charge wirelessly from any of the Galaxy S10 phones.

It’s not that I hated Samsung’s IconX 2018 earbuds, but that they didn’t particularly blow me away. They sounded OK, battery life was average, and they cost more than AirPods.

The new Galaxy Buds are a way better value than the IconX 2018. They’re cheaper than AirPods this time: $130 versus $160.

The charging case is 30 percent smaller and holds more battery capacity to recharge the Galaxy Buds. Some people might say I’m nitpicking, but case size does matter. Nobody wants to walk around like they’ve got a boner when it in reality it’s just their long wireless earbuds case in their pants pocket.

Battery life on a single charge is longer than AirPods: six hours of music streaming compared to AirPods’ five hours and an hour longer than the Gear IconX 2018.

Samsung says users can expect to get up to five hours of talk time and the case provides an additional seven hours of battery life (up from the five hours on the Gear IconX 2018’s case).

Sound quality has also improved thanks to audio tuning by AKG. I didn’t get enough time to listen with Galaxy Buds’ so I can’t tell you if they’re better or worse than AirPods yet (that’ll have to wait we have a proper review). But I can say they fit well in my ears (and I have small ears).

The case itself charges via USB-C, but wireless charging is by far the coolest new feature.

You can drop the Galaxy Buds on any Qi-based wireless charger to juice up the wireless earbuds. But if you’re on the go and the buds are either low power or dead, you can turn on the Galaxy S10’s Wireless PowerShare feature and bum a wireless charge off it.

Confused? That’s understandable since “reverse wireless charging” or “bilateral wireless charging” is relatively new. Few phones support this kind of wireless charging. Huawei’s Mate 20 Pro was the first to introduce it in a phone.

Basically, you can use your Galaxy S10 as a wireless power bank to wirelessly charge the Galaxy Buds. And while Samsung wouldn’t tell me how fast the wireless earbuds can wirelessly charge from a Galaxy S10, the ability to do so is a solution to the very real “my wireless earbuds are dead” problem.

It’s no secret why AirPods are still so popular two years after release. Say what you want about how they look, but Apple got all of the basics — size, battery life, and connectivity — correct with AirPods right from the start.

I’ve reviewed more than enough true wireless earbuds – the Gear IconX 2018, Bose’s SoundSport Free, Anker’s Zolo Liberty, you name a pair and I’ve probably tried them — and none check off all of the criteria I listed.

The SoundSport Free’s sound great, but they’re bulky. The Zolo Liberty’s cost less than $100, but they’re kinda ugly. And Samsung’s Gear IconX 2018 falls short on battery life compared to AirPods.

AirPods still have the Galaxy Buds beat when it comes to case charges — the case provides up to 19 hours of additional battery life versus the Galaxy Buds’ seven — but Samsung’s at least moving in the right direction. We’ll have more comprehensive thoughts when we get a pair to try, but for now, the Galaxy Buds don’t look too shabby.