Apple Air Pods Pro Gen 2 Vs One Plus Buds Vs Samsung Buds

Apple Air Pods Pro Gen 2 Vs One Plus Buds Vs Samsung Buds

When the first generation of Air Pods were released I had decided that I would not be caught with that abysmal design! The Later designs were better while the Air Pods pro had a better design and curvature. So among these buds, one plus came with a similar design and improved on that. Those were the first buds I bought since one of my primary phones is One Plus and in spite of getting an iPhone, I have no plan of making that my primary phone! Of course that is a debate or comparison for another day!

Then the Samsung buds were an upgrade and I chiefly bought them for their uber cool design which was different from all the other ‘buds’ in the market. I can see that Bose Noise comfort also has a similar design and most websites give a great rating for that but since I do not have them, this does the work just fine!

After that brief introduction let’s start a comparison

LOOK

Hands if you look at the snap then you would realise that Samsung Buds (the official Bluetooth name is Samsung Buds Live) are one of the most beautiful buds ever to have been made! The box is like a powder puff box and the look is like a shiny jelly bean! An absolute delight! The one plus buds have a look similar to the first generation Air Pods though the stem is better and less awkward. Air Pods Pro has a smaller and more curved design and looks really nice especially when new but since it is white, it gets dirty soon enough. Samsung buds is the winner here hands down!

CONNECTIVITY

Here apple really shines, when it is either the watch or the phone or even the headphones, the moment you buy a new device; either the iPhone or the iPad immediately recognizes the new device and connects instantly! Every Apple device behaves as one unit which is most of the times good but many times a big headache especially when you are trying to do facetime and the iPad or your watch tries to connect! After connection, the device tests the fit and also the modes such as the noise cancellation and the seal! It is really cool when you do it the first time!

I was really impressed with Apple on the connectivity till I tried to pair my Samsung buds to my Samsung tab! Since I had initially paired it to my one plus phone, the instant connectivity option was not given but when it was Samsung tab then similar to Apple, a pop up menu came instantly and automatically and did the same steps as Apple for connection and software update and to test the air seal!

The version of one plus buds I have are the One Plus buds z and even here there was a pop up menu with seal testing and noise cancelation programming; but the advanced features are available only with the second generation version so I could not experience the same though the connection was seamless

All the three show the individual charge and also the battery capacity of the case! Apple and One Plus and even Samsung with it latest update also show location so that’s that! In effect as far as connection goes there can be no comparison and all the three are equally good! All the three come with manuals and quick tips and also update the firms regularly.

With the animated pop up menu here I would give this one to Apple though the other two were quite close; literally!

FITTING

One of the most important aspect of these buds are the way they sit in your ears. Now Apple, having learned from its previous mistakes has made provision for three silicone tips which make the fit more custom to your ear canal size. One plus was doing that anyways and with a bargain on price! It pays to be nice; while for any Apple Product you have to definitely pay to get nicer stuff! Like the best Air pods are these while the entry level ones have so many features missing and that’s not even basic! It is the same with iPhones also! The best phone with all the features would be iPhone Max Pro only! Any other iPhone would be lacking one thing or the other!

Anyway, it fits but just. The same with one plus buds, they are light and fit nicely enough! But the best fit is the Samsung bud! It just sits there in the nice cave within your ears and how! One of the nest ear hooks was the one with Samsung Level U headphones and I thought it cannot get better than that! I was proven wrong with Buds! The placement is a breeze and the fit is perfect! Now there can be variation in such a way that this particular placement is suited to my ear shape while Air or One plus pods are suited to you! For now the best fit is hands down Samsung buds!

For proper fit I do the T shirt test! All the above buds stay in place when you run (even though I keep checking and tucking them) but the best test is to wear them and try to remove a tight fitting T shirt over your head! If the ear buds fall then it is not tight fitting! My Samsung buds never fell! While both the Air pods and One plus buds bit the dust literally!

TOUCH CONTROLS

Both the One Plus buds and Samsung Buds have touch controls which works with tap like most buds or ear phones. It is of course simple and better to get used faster and the commands are simple like single or double or triple touch! The prolong touch also activates the noise cancellation in Samsung Buds while my One plus Z version does not have any noise cancellation. The response of Samsung buds is fluid and very swift although sometimes it senses my normal touch as command while sometimes the tap touch is not accepted! In one plus buds though the sensor is at the top which makes the sensitivity less but accidental touch is avoided. One thing which is also missing is that there is no volume control in both these which can be good or bad which I will explain shortly.

Now coming to Apple Pods the control is not touch but pinch. This is really good once you get used to it. The trick is to use your thumb and index finger and after a while it gets better so much so that you wonder others did not thing of this! You of course need two fingers for this but the good thing is that there is no accidental touch activation. Even the modes of noise cancellation and Transparency can be switched by using prolonged pinch which is really good when you are walking or sunning and meet someone you want to speak but do not want to remove your pods.

Another added feature is the volume control which is available only in Air Pods; Now even this takes a little time to get used to and frankly sometimes it works so well while most times it doesn’t! Maybe it will be fine tuned in the next update. The best touch volume adjust was in the Bose Frames but since that depended on Gravity or Horizontal axis tilt, I am guessing the same cannot be used for Pods which are not connected physically.

So as far as the controls are concerned the best is Air pods hands down while for people who are used to touch may like the other two buds.

ACTIVE NOISE CANCELLATION

Since One plus basic version is what I have which does not have any noise cancellation, it is unfair to compare the other two but then this comparison is only if you are interested in this feature. I was never a big fan of Noise Cancellation it was not a prerequisite for me since I like the open speaker where I can hear the ambient noise it was not a criteria for me. That is until I heard the amazing noise cancellation of Samsung buds and realized that we are surrounded by noise! Especially my present stay which is in Kuwait where I am constantly surrounded by the constant hum of the AC. When the sound gets blocked it is like inner peace! It is more pronounced with Air pods especially in its modes like transparency. There is an option to cancel the feature in both the pods and both are equally good. And I have finally realized that if you listen to music in low volume and with noise cancellation, it is better for your ears. Of course you must listen in low volume and take frequent breaks in between.

BATTERY LIFE

The best battery backup is for One plus which is most probably because it does not have any Active Noise Cancellation which is power hungry! The next is Samsung buds which is also pretty good and it shows since the buds are larger in size the battery will also be big and bigger capacity which shows. In spite of having so many features, I have never run out of battery since the official time is 6 hours or more and I have never listened for more than 20 minutes continuously.

Coming to Air pods, just like the iPhones; battery is always an issue since most iPhones would always have the Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, location and even the personal hotspot on all the time! That is the reason you would always find people with iPhones with chargers or battery pack! Of course now it is much better since my iPhone 13 and iPhone XR have good battery back up which is still not as good as one plus though which is an amazing phone and still my primary one as I mentioned before!

The buds hence have all the features active like the Noise cancellation and the Spatial audio and are power hungry. I charge my One plus case maybe once a month and the Samsung Case once a week on regular use but the Apple Case needs charging every three days or maybe twice a week. Great thing is how the iPhone or iPad with its Bluetooth always on feature reminds me when the battery in the case or other Bluetooth device like the Apple pencil (another amazing device but the Microsoft Surface pen is much better; a comparison for another day!) is having low charge which is really cool though intrusive when you think about privacy!

Also remember that Apple products belonging to you work as a single unit so the pods gets connected automatically to iPhone, iPads or even your Apple Watch! And you can control the track and volume from any of these devices which is really cool!

SOUND

Let me just save the time and tell you that the best sounding buds are the Samsung buds and this is with my non-technical brain with a fair grasp of music! One plus just do the job though they are better than ear phones and headphones and give good output in low notes in spite of not having any noise cancellation. I must say that One plus with it longer stem has the best microphone while in this Air pods come second. Even otherwise in calls it is always better to connect to the pods or the buds since then the calls are much clear. Apple also pulls in its monopoly here when the video and audio in facetime is much better than when you make the same call via WhatsApp! This my way is the best way attitude is really what irks me all the time!

Having said that the Spatial audio feature in Air pods are really good (this feature is now even available via an update in Samsung buds which is super cool!). Of course this is obvious only with new music since it needs a different audio recording. You feel as if the person is standing next to you and singing! It is a surreal experience and if I did not have this long standing Apple Ire inside me, I would have readily agreed that this is the best thing to have happened to pods!

VERDICT

Now all the three are really good but you do not have three set of ears! But for the price to performance, the award will go to Samsung buds without any doubts whatsoever!

If you have an iPhone then you can blindly go for the buds and remember that Apple is capitalist to the core so the best devices with the best features are the ones which are the costliest! So only Air pods pro second generation is the best pods till the next version next year!

If you have a one plus phone then you can still choose Samsung buds which is a better choice than One plus even if the One plus buds are there and there is a pro version which is in fact costlier than Samsung buds! If you are on a budget the One plus buds are a good start!

If you have a Samsung phone or any other android phone then go for the Galaxy buds without any doubt since they are simply super! As a primary android user I would suggest you to not take any low end Samsung phone since they are plagued by bloatware and Samsung is constantly pushing its own irritating apps! The lower end phones also have very delicate screens! So stick to the best android phone which is hands down One Plus!

Have fun listening and make sure you do that in low volumes and take constant breaks in between and also do not share the pods or buds with anyone. Always store them in the case since all have battery optimization now and constant charging is no longer an issue!

Shut the bud or pod up now!