Review: SAMSUNG Galaxy Buds Live True Wireless Earbuds US Version – Impressive features with fantastic sound quality

Explore the comfort, sound quality, and noise cancellation of Samsung Galaxy Buds Live... Read more

Specifications

Brand	SAMSUNG
Model Name	Galaxy Buds Live
Color	Mystic Bronze
Form Factor	In Ear
Connectivity Technology	USB, Bluetooth 5.0

Introduction to the Samsung Galaxy Buds Live: A Comprehensive Review

Welcome to my thorough and comprehensive review of Samsung’s latest innovation in the audio equipment market—the Samsung Galaxy Buds Live. As a gadget enthusiast who appreciates quality audio paired with advanced features, I’ve spent a fantastic week exploring every facet of these true wireless earbuds. Here, I put forward an unbiased, detail-oriented assessment of the Samsung Galaxy Buds Live, with all its high and lows, its quirks and delightful features.

Fit and First Look of the Samsung Galaxy Buds Live

The first thing that catches your eye about the Samsung Galaxy Buds Live is obviously its unique appearance. They’ve traded in the commonplace round look for a trendsetting digital audio wear that resembles a kidney bean. Call them unconventional, but these earbuds deliver on the comfort factor. They slide comfortably into your ear canal. Once they’re in, there is very minimal protrusion out of your ear, which is aesthetically pleasing. I can vouch for their ergonomic design from my personal experience.

Price and Market Position

At a price tag of 179 pounds in the UK market, the Samsung Galaxy Buds Live are not budget-friendly earbuds. They’re definitely more expensive than some competitors like Jabra Elite 75 T, but not quite as pricey as some premium models like the Beats. So, if you’re ready to invest in a new pair of true wireless earbuds that are unique in appearance and pack in some remarkable features like Active Noise Cancellation (ANC), then the Samsung Galaxy Buds Live might be a great contender for your hard-earned cash.

Please note that this review is going to dive deep into my personal experience with the earbuds while adhering to a comprehensive, unbiased assessment. I will cover everything from design and comfort to audio quality and overall performance. Rest assured, by the end of this review, you will have a detailed perspective on whether Samsung Galaxy Buds Live would be a fitting choice for you.

The Aesthetics and Comfort

• Buds Live feature modern ‘kidney bean’ design
• Available in three distinct colors
• Scores well in aesthetics and comfort

With the Samsung Galaxy Buds Live, it’s immediately clear that there’s a powerful play on modern aesthetics. They’ve shaken the conventional buds design with an interestingly shaped ‘kidney bean’ design. Some may even call it trendsetting.

Color Selection

Samsung has always been a leader in offering diverse color variants to its users and the Samsung Galaxy Buds Live are no different. They come in three colours – Mystic Bronze, Mystic Black, and White. The Mystic Bronze variant is an instant attention grabber and definitely has a polarizing effect. It seems this year’s ‘Marmite’ color is not for everybody – it’s like an acquired taste. Some people are smitten, others not so much. Muted color lovers might tend more towards the black or white variants.

The ‘Kidney Bean’ Design and Comfort

Now, focusing on the design which often resembles a kidney bean, it’s important to mention just how compact these earbuds are. They fit snugly and the small footprint means there’s no extra bit protruding. So goodbye to ‘droopy bits seeping out of each ear’, a common sight with many wireless earbuds in the market.

What grabs attention is the rubbery ‘wingtip’, cleverly designed to securely hold the buds in place. They come with an additional size and it’s snug yet makes you forget you’re wearing earbuds. No inner ear penetration is an interesting choice and it does make long term wearing comfortable.

However, lying on the side with these on in bed isn’t very comfortable due to the slight protrusion. Even though this seems common among wireless earbuds, it’s something to factor in if you enjoy listening to music or podcasts before dozing off.

The design is certainly sleek and clean, with a snug fit that makes them pleasant for all-day usage. Yet, some of the common comforts of typically designed earbuds are missing.

Verdict on Aesthetics and Comfort

Unmistakably, the Galaxy Buds Live packs a punch in the aesthetics department and scores a respectable point on the comfort scale. It’s almost like having a piece of personalized art in your ears. However, their functionalities might take a hit, particularly for certain audiences who value comfort for diverse scenarios like resting on their side or a more secure in-ear fit. Do their aesthetics and comfort justify the compromise? The choice is highly individual.

User-Friendly Features

• Galaxy Buds Live offer auto-pause and intuitive touch controls
• Galaxy Wearable App provides additional functionality, includes battery check
• The App also features ‘Find My Earbuds’ and customizable controls

What I truly found impressive about the Samsung Galaxy Buds Live is its bouquet of user-friendly features, effortlessly merging technology with convenience.

Auto-pause feature

The auto-pause feature of the Galaxy Buds Live is undeniably a smart touch. It gives the user the freedom to interact with the environment without having to deal with the hassle of manually pausing the music. However, keep in mind that for the auto-pause to kick in, one needs to take out both wireless earbuds. A slight disappointment for those who might have hoped that removing only one bud would trigger the pause.

Touch Controls

Navigating the Samsung Galaxy Buds Live is easy with its intuitive touch controls. With a quick double tap, you can skip a track, and a triple tap will take you back to the previous track. On a few rare occasions, adjusting the buds led to accidentally triggering these controls, but that’s to be expected with touch-based interfaces.

Samsung’s Galaxy Wearable App

It wouldn’t be fair to talk about the user experience without touching on the Galaxy Wearable App. This free application enhances the overall experience with the Buds.

• Battery Check: You can conveniently monitor the remaining battery life of your Buds on this App.
• Find My Earbuds Feature: Misplaced your Buds? This feature can be a real lifesaver, working efficiently to locate your earbuds.
• Customizable Touch Controls: It does fall short in allowing full customization, but you can at least configure the touch-and-hold actions. However, the app doesn’t let you tweak what happens when you single, double, or triple tap the Buds.

In summary, while the earbuds themselves offer some great features, it’s good to see Samsung’s commitment to enhancing the user experience with a companion app that provides extra functionality. The app could do with a bit more customization options, but overall, it definitely adds value to the overall user experience.

The Audio Quality: Samsung Galaxy Bud Live’s Performance

• Samsung Galaxy Buds Live deliver excellent sound across genres
• “Open ear” design allows environmental noise intrusion
• Noise cancellation feature falls short in noisy environments

When it comes to any pair of earbuds, a key consideration is, of course, the audio quality. In my case, putting the Samsung Galaxy Buds Live through their paces was quite an experience.

Music across Genres

I took the earbuds for a spin with a variety of music genres. Be it rock and metal or classical melodies, the Samsung Galaxy Buds Live handled it all effortlessly . One thing I really noticed was how punchy rock and metal music sounded; the earbuds delivered some serious powerhouse performance here. Dance tunes were rendered with impressive enthusiasm, making me feel like bopping around my room. The bass was darn good and didn’t overwhelm the other sounds in the musical mix.

Podcasts and Audiobooks

Turning to more voice-centric audio content, like podcasts and audiobooks, the Samsung Galaxy Buds Live fared exceptionally well. Conversational content and narration were delivered with crystal clarity which felt like having somebody whispering straight into my ear. I was thankful for the device’s ability to offer such a natural and clean vocal rendering.

However, I find it’s necessary to mention the “open ear” design wasn’t without its drawbacks. Despite offering a good soundstage, the design allowed environmental noise to seep into the listening experience . This was particularly noticeable when I was trying to focus on an audiobook; I needed to increase the volume significantly to drown out the external sounds.

Active Noise Cancellation: Performance Review

The Samsung Galaxy Buds Live boasts of an active noise cancellation feature. In theory, this should add significantly to the overall audio quality. Yet, pitting it against the test of a bustling urban setting, I found that it fell short of expectations . While walking down a busy street, toggling the noise cancellation on and off made little discernible difference to the noise intrusion. Particularly owing to the lack of a secure in-ear seal, this left the earbuds exposed to ambient noise, somewhat impeding the overall audio experience outdoors.

To summarize , the Samsung Galaxy Buds Live come with impressive audio chops, able to deliver excellent sound across different genres. Yet, its performance takes a bit of a hit in noisy environments due to its “open ear” design and less-than-impressive noise cancellation feature. But if you are someone who spends more time in calmer, quieter surroundings, then these minor gripes ceases to bother.

Active Noise Cancellation Feature: Performance Evaluation

• Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) performance is less impressive.
• Earbuds struggle to block environmental noise effectively.
• ANC feature requires improvements for better performance.

Examining the Active Noise Cancellation Quality

The Samsung Galaxy Buds Live come with a feature that’s becoming increasingly standard in earbuds: Active Noise Cancellation (ANC). However, how well does this function perform in real life? I discovered during my experience with these earbuds that while the ANC is present, it might not be as impressive as you’d expect.

Testing ANC in Different Environments

When it comes to the efficacy of Active Noise Cancellation, much depends on the environment you’re in. I found the feature’s performance somewhat lacking. To assess the ANC, I took to the busy streets with the buds firmly placed in my ears, continuously switching the feature on and off to test if it made any significant difference to the amount of external noise I could hear. Sadly, it was debatable on whether the ANC had any noteworthy impact on the ambient noise around me.

Environmental Noise Leak

One major drawback that I noted was the amount of environmental noise that infiltrated my listening experience. The open-ear design of the buds, while providing a great level of comfort, didn’t shield me from the noise around me. The Buds Live aren’t adept at blocking out all that environmental noise, which can get really distracting, especially while listening to podcasts or audiobooks.

Evaluation Summary

While Samsung’s inclusion of an ANC feature in their Galaxy Buds Live is commendable, it’s performance didn’t quite match my expectations. Considering the earbuds’ open-ear design, perhaps it’s rather ambitious to expect exemplary noise cancellation. Perfect for quiet home use, but once in a noisy outdoor environment, the ANC might not add much value to your listening experience.

Final words

Overall, the Active Noise Cancellation feature on the Galaxy Buds Live could use some improvement. The infiltration of ambient noise is a downer when you want to dive deep into your audio. But remember, everyone’s ears and preferences are different, so what hasn’t worked for me might work better for you. It’s always better to try them out for yourself and see if the buds fit your requirements.

Taking Calls with Samsung Galaxy Buds Live

• Samsung Galaxy Buds Live have mixed call quality
• Reduced ambient noise but voice clarity needs improvement
• Suitable for casual conversations, not professional calls

These buds don’t just play music; they’re expected to handle the modern demand for seamless call-taking too. So, let’s delve into how the Samsung Galaxy Buds Live handled this part of the job in my experience.

Call Quality Assessment

How about when you need to take calls with the Samsung Galaxy Buds Live? Speaking from my experience, the results were a bit of a mixed bag. Thanks to the three mics – two on the outside and one on the inside. The buds do a decent job of picking up your voice while working to reduce the ambient noise.

However, on the recipient’s end, I’ve been told my voice came across as a bit fuzzy. It wasn’t the distinct, crystal clear sound you might be expecting from earbuds which otherwise display high-quality audio performance. It’s worth mentioning though, that the buds manage to cut out most of the surrounding noise, even in noisy areas. Just make sure you speak louder and clearer to compensate for this.

Critical note: Given the fact that these are primarily earbuds designed for listening to music, their call-taking capabilities are fair but not flawless. With the hefty price tag, you might be hoping for a little more precision.

In a nutshell, the Samsung Galaxy Buds Live do an okay job for casual conversations, but if you’re planning on using them for professional calls or where crystal clear communication is critical, these buds might not live up to your expectations entirely.

For call quality, the Samsung Galaxy Buds Live scores a pass, but with a few caveats. It delivers well in reducing background noise, but the voice clarity could use some improvement. Nonetheless, for quick, casual conversations or emergencies while on-the-go, they should do the trick.

Battery Life: A Heavy-Duty Test

• Samsung Galaxy Buds Live battery life is about 5.5 hours
• Battery life extends to 7.5 hours with noise cancellation off
• Charging case can fully recharge earbuds twice

Arguably one of the most essential aspects of any pair of true wireless earbuds is the battery life. After all, what’s the use of having all the bells and whistles if your earbuds are going to give up on you a couple of hours into your favorite album or podcast? With the Samsung Galaxy Buds Live, I was eager to see how they held up under rigorous use.

Battery Life with Noise Cancellation turned on and off

The Samsung Galaxy Buds Live gave me about five and a half hours worth of playtime with the active noise cancellation feature turned on. This isn’t revolutionary, but it’s not disappointing either. It’s safe to say that you could comfortably get in a long flight or a day’s work with these earbuds in your ears without having to worry about the battery life all that much.

However, the real surprise came when I turned the active noise cancellation off. The battery life jumped to around seven and a half hours. Considering that the active noise cancellation feature didn’t have a significant impact on the listening experience, it seems quite reasonable to keep it turned off and reap the benefits of the extended battery life.

Details on the Charging Case

Moving on to the charging case, you’ll find it’s a bit of a mixed bag. I found it could recharge the earbuds fully around two times which is a tad underwhelming when compared to other earbuds on the market. However, looking at the compact and lightweight design of the charging case, it’s clear that the convenience of portability was a priority for Samsung.

The wireless charging feature is a nice touch for those who want to avoid extra cables and clutter. The earbuds also support reverse wireless charging which is an added bonus if your smartphone has the same capability.

In conclusion, the battery life of the Samsung Galaxy Buds Live is pretty solid. It certainly gets you through the day, and it delivers even more if you can do without the active noise cancellation feature.

Final Verdict: Are Samsung Galaxy Buds Live Worth It?

• Superior audio quality, comfort, impressive battery life
• Poor active noise cancellation capacity
• Great for indoor, not outdoor use

After spending a good chunk of time with the Samsung Galaxy Buds Live, I’m asking myself – are they really worth it? There’s definitely a lot to love, but also a few setbacks. So, let me break it down for you.

What I Loved About The Samsung Galaxy Buds Live

There’s so much to appreciate about these tiny earbuds. The sound quality is undeniably up to par, providing an immersive and high-quality audio experience with various types of music, podcasts, and audiobooks. The battery life exceeded expectations, delivering solid hours of usage without frequent charging. And then there’s the touch control functionality, offering easy management and a swift response. Above all, the overall comfort of these earbuds was commendable.

The Setbacks

On the other side of the spectrum though, lies the active noise cancellation feature. Although the idea of shutting out environmental noise sounds fantastic, they didn’t succeed too well in doing so. Sound infiltrated quite easily, particularly when having conversations or just wandering outdoors. This setback might significantly affect your experience if you’re a fan of listening to audio while on the go.

Verdict Time

Keeping in mind both the positives and negatives, the decision about whether this gadget is worth getting your hands on boils down to how and where you plan to use them: Outdoors or in the tranquillity of your home?

If you are outdoorsy: You might want to reconsider your choice. The subtle invasion of environmental noise due to the limited noise cancellation ability might prove gabby enough to distract you from the whole audio experience.

If you’re an indoors person: Samsung Galaxy Buds Live might be a great catch for you! You’ll get to enjoy their superior audio quality, comfortable design, and impressive battery life without worrying too much about external sounds infiltrating your bubble.

In short, the Samsung Galaxy Buds Live, priced at £179, offers commendably on the audio front, comfort and battery life – but may leave something to be desired when it comes to active noise cancellation. It’s a daunting decision to make, as this device essentially hits many right turns but trips over a critical factor for some. I hope this review helps you make the right choice for your audio needs!

Conclusion: Summary of the Samsung Galaxy Buds Live Review

In conclusion, the Samsung Galaxy Buds Live truly play their parts as innovative wireless earbuds offering a unique and comfortable kidney-bean design, a reliable and intuitive touch control system, and versatile features through Samsung’s Galaxy Wearable App.

The Aesthetics and Comfort

Available in three alluring colors: Mystic Bronze, Mystic Black, and White, the Galaxy Buds Live managed to score points for their visual appeal. What’s more, their bean-shaped design ensures a comfortable fit and minimal protrusion, making them a practical choice for music lovers.

Audio Quality

When it comes to audio performance, Samsung Galaxy Buds Live undoubtedly shine. The impressive bass delivery coupled with clear, high-quality sound across a range of music genres and spoken content make them a strong competitor in the market.

Features

The Galaxy Buds Live boast several features such as an auto-pause feature, customizable touch controls, and an efficient app interface that further elevate their appeal. However, their active noise cancellation feature falls short – not immensely enhancing the audio experience in noisy environments as one might expect.

Call and Battery Life

The Galaxy Buds Live offer acceptable call quality, although some may find the voice clarity needing a bit of enhancement. Importantly, their battery life is respectable, giving about five and a half hours with noise cancellation on and around seven and a half hours when turned off. The fetching compact charging case adds to the overall user experience.

In a nutshell, while the Samsung Galaxy Buds Live offer an impressive line-up of features and sound quality, their slightly underwhelming active noise cancellation might give some consumers pause. If you’re looking for indoor or less noisy environments usage, these earbuds might be right up your alley. If optimal noise cancellation is a must for you, you may need to consider other alternatives.

Should you buy the SAMSUNG Galaxy Buds Live True Wireless Earbuds US Version?

Buy it if…

You Desire High-quality Sound

The Samsung Galaxy Buds Live excel in audio output, with each genre of music playing clearly and crisply, producing a fantastic sound experience.

You Want Premium Comfort & Aesthetics

The Galaxy Buds Live have a comfortable fit, being lightweight and smooth, providing all-day comfort. The innovative design, coupled with a variety of color options, provide a visual appeal.

You Prefer an Ultra-Portable Charging Case

The compact charging case is smaller than many on the market, easily fitting into a pocket or bag for portable charging needs.

Don’t buy it if…

You Are Frequently in Noisy Environments

The Galaxy Buds Live’s design results in ambient noise interference and the active noise cancellation feature does not entirely mitigate this issue.

You Seek Completely Seamless Call Quality

While the Galaxy Buds Live do allow for feasible call quality, voices can come off as slightly fuzzy or indistinct during a call.

You Expect Lasting Battery Life from the Charging Case

The case allows for up to two full charges, which may not meet expectations of users seeking extended battery life from their earbuds.

FAQ

What are the color options available for the Samsung Galaxy Buds Live?

The Samsung Galaxy Buds Live are available in three colors: Mystic Bronze, Mystic Black, and White.

How does the auto-pause feature work on the Samsung Galaxy Buds Live?

The auto-pause feature of the Samsung Galaxy Buds Live is triggered when you remove both the earbuds from your ear, pausing whatever audio you were listening to.

What type of music genres do the Samsung Galaxy Buds Live perform best with?

The 12mm drivers in the Samsung Galaxy Buds Live handle all music genres with ease from rock and metal to dance and classical music.

How effective is the active noise cancellation on the Galaxy Buds Live?

While the Samsung Galaxy Buds Live do feature active noise cancellation, without a proper rubbery tip to seal the ear, it is less effective at blocking out ambient noise.

What is the battery life of the Samsung Galaxy Buds Live?

The Samsung Galaxy Buds Live offer around five and a half hours of usage with the active noise cancellation turned on and around seven and a half hours with it turned off.

Is the charging case for the Samsung Galaxy Buds Live compact and portable?

Yes, the Samsung Galaxy Buds Live come with a very small and light charging case which is very convenient for travel.

How is the sound quality when taking calls with the Galaxy Buds Live?

The Galaxy Buds Live comes with three microphones which help to filter out background noise. However, the voice clarity might seem a bit fuzzy at times.