Samsung Galaxy Buds Live Review

The Samsung Galaxy Buds Live are wireless earbuds that break from Samsung’s earlier earbud shapes. Samsung reworked the earbuds into a bean-like form and, by its own account, built 320 prototypes before settling on this design. This review looks at how the Galaxy Buds Live handle comfort, sound, noise cancellation, calls, and battery life.

Design & Comfort

The bean-like look comes from the way the Galaxy Buds Live combine two approaches. Earlier Galaxy Buds used a canal-type fit that seats inside the ear, while open designs such as Huawei’s FreeBuds keep the tips outside the ear canal. A canal fit tends to seal better for music, and an open fit allows air circulation that can suit calls. The Buds Live blend the two into a single open-fit shape.

Each earbud weighs 5.5 grams, lighter than the previous model, and the fit is firm enough to stay in place during movement. The Galaxy Buds Live come in white, black, and bronze. They carry an IPX2 rating, which covers sweat and light splashes; the rating does not extend to a pool or a shower, so they are fine for workouts but not for water use.

Sound Quality

Inside each earbud is a 12 mm AKG driver, paired with bass channels and air ducts that raise the amount of sound. The Buds Live use Bluetooth 5 with Samsung’s Scalable Codec, which adjusts the bitrate to the strength of the connection. When the wireless link weakens, the codec encodes the audio at a higher compression rate to keep the stream uninterrupted, which helps hold the connection as the listener moves away from the source.

The app offers six sound modes: normal, bass boost, soft, dynamic, clear, and treble boost. There is no deeper manual equalizer beyond these presets. On newer Samsung phones, the Adapt Sound feature can build a personalized profile. Across genres, from electronic and pop to rock and instrumental, the sound holds up well in our listening.

Noise Cancellation

Each earbud packs a group of sensors: a sound pickup unit, a bass-channel speaker, an accelerometer, a Hall sensor, and a proximity sensor, alongside active noise cancellation. ANC is harder to deliver in an open design without silicone tips, so Samsung tuned it to reduce low-frequency background noise below 700 Hz, the kind found on trains and buses. In our tests on the BRT it did not make a large difference. At lower volumes, and against office or street noise, the reduction is more noticeable. The effect depends on how well the earbuds fit and on the listening volume.

Connections & Controls

The Galaxy Buds Live use touch controls. A single tap plays or pauses; a double tap skips to the next track and answers or ends calls; a triple tap returns to the previous track; a tap and hold wakes Bixby or declines a call. The touch surface is narrow, so it can register accidental taps while the earbuds are being placed in the ear. Those controls can be turned off in the app.

Pairing runs through the Samsung Galaxy Wearable app, which also holds the customization options. The Buds Live work with both iOS and Android, though Spotify and Bixby access are limited to Android. For users who play mobile games, a game mode is available in the Labs section of the app.

Microphone

The Galaxy Buds Live carry three microphones: two on the outer upper and lower edges, and one inside with the sound enhancement unit. Call quality is satisfactory in our tests, both while walking and on public transport, with the other party coming through clearly; on occasion the other party reports that the voice sounds deep. With the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra used for this review, audio during video recording can be taken either from the phone or directly from the Buds Live.

Battery

Each earbud holds an 85 mAh battery, and the charging case adds 270 mAh. A single charge gives up to 6 hours of playback, and the case brings the total to about 21 hours. A 5-minute charge returns roughly 1 hour of playback. Charging runs over the included USB cable, or through wireless reverse charging from a compatible phone.

Who Is Samsung Galaxy Buds Live For?

The Galaxy Buds Live suit users who want a distinctive open-fit design in a light, comfortable pair of earbuds that pairs closely with Samsung phones. Users who need strong noise isolation in loud transit, or full feature parity outside Android, will find the fit looser here. For music across genres, everyday calls, and all-day battery paired with a Samsung phone, the Galaxy Buds Live are a solid match.