Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro announced with Hi-Res audio onboard

Tucked in amongst its new foldables and watches, Samsung has also unveiled its second-generation premium earbuds — the Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro. As the “Pro” moniker suggests, these are the more expensive follow-up to the original Galaxy Buds Pro and sit atop a rather expansive Galaxy Buds portfolio.

So, why pick the Buds 2 Pro over any of the existing models like the cheaper Galaxy Buds 2? Well, the headline feature is support for 24-bit Hi-Res audio when streaming compatible media, which is sure to please the audiophile set.

24-bit is an enhanced mode for the proprietary Samsung Scalable Codec, which requires pairing with a Galaxy smartphone running One UI 4 or newer. As the output is undoubtedly lossy and these earbuds only have small coaxial two-way speakers, we couldn’t put too much stock in the sound quality surpassing the best Bluetooth headphones in the business. That said, the Buds 2 Pro sounded pretty solid during our short hands-on. Before leaving Bluetooth tech talk behind, the buds support Bluetooth 5.3 and are LE Audio Ready as well.

Samsung finds room to pack more high-end audio technology onboard. There’s 360 Dolby Atmos support for surround sound audio, a 3dB active noise cancellation improvement, and active noise-cancelling (ANC) detection capable of distinguishing between speech and background noise to switch Ambient mode on and off automatically.

Audio tech isn’t the only improvement with the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro. They’re 15% smaller than 2021’s Galaxy Buds Pro and boast improved airflow to reduce inner-ear pressure. The revamped design — more in line with the Buds 2 — claims to reduce in-ear rotation, ensuring the buds stay snuggly in place for longer listening sessions.

Check out: Galaxy Buds 2 Pro vs AirPods Pro

With a 61mAh battery in each bud and a 500mAh charging case, Samsung is promising five hours of playback time with ANC enabled or eight with it off, and around three and a half hours of talk time. The case provides 20 to 30 hours of playback time, depending on your ANC preference, or 14 hours or so of talk time. That’s all roughly in the same ballpark as the previous version.

Samsung’s Galaxy Buds 2 Pro offer the same IPx7 water resistance rating as last year’s model. If you happen to lose them, you can now use SmartThings Find to locate them. Samsung extends its ecosystem integration with Auto Switch support to automatically switch connectivity between Galaxy smartphones, tablets, and some Samsung TVs, such as when needing to take a call on your phone. All in all, Samsung promises a pretty comprehensive true wireless earbuds package.

All that new technology comes at a cost. The Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro go on sale on August 26 with prices set at $229.99 (and £219 in the UK), which is a little more expensive than its predecessor. Graphite, White, and the alluring Bora Purple, are your lot for colorways.