Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro vs. Sony WF-1000XM4: The best of the buds?
The Galaxy Buds 2 Pro are Samsung’s current flagship earbuds. They’re smaller and lighter than the first-generation Galaxy Buds Pro while managing the same five-hour battery life and even better audio quality than before. They’re a good pick if you’re looking for lightweight earbuds that still pack a punch.
The Sony WF-1000XM4 are earbud royalty at this point, with fantastic, clear audio quality and ANC that rivals what you’ll get out of some over-ear headphones. They have great battery life, too. They’re larger than the Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro are, though, and considerably more expensive most of the time.
Samsung and Sony are two of the most established names in electronics, each makinggreat wireless earbuds. Sony’s flagshipWF-1000XM4have been the gold standard for ANC earbuds since they debuted in 2021, but theSamsung Galaxy Buds 2 Prohave a lot going for them, too — including a more svelte form factor. It’s not an easy decision, especially when the Sony buds are on sale (which they often are). Here, we’ll try to make your choice a little simpler.
Price, availability, and specs
Going by list price, the Sony XM4s are costlier with a MSRP tag of $280 in contrast to $230 for the Buds 2 Pro. But both are often on sale — the XM4s more so since their replacement, theWF-1000XM5, have come out. They can fall as low as $178 (that we’ve seen so far) but you can often get them at $230 or so. The Buds 2 Pro go on sale a bit less often but surface at $170-190 when they do.
The Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro are easily available from Samsung and most major retailers, but Sony seems to have replaced the XM4s with the new XM5s at their store. They are getting harder to find too. Amazon, Walmart, and B&H still stock them, but Best Buy has discontinued the item. So if you want to get your hands on a pair of Sony WF-1000XM4s, now would be the time.
Hardware and battery
The Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro and the Sony WF-1000XM4 are very different buds aesthetically. The Buds 2 Pro are compact compared to most other TWEs on the market right now, but they look downright dainty next to the bulky XM4s. Credit where it’s due, the WF-1000XM4 are smaller than the XM3 that came before, and no true wireless earbuds are trulybig.To give you an idea of the size discrepancy here, each XM4 earbud weighs 7.3 grams, meaning they’re 33 percent heavier than the Buds 2 Pro, which are 5.5 grams each. If you have smaller ears, the Sony buds might not physically fit.
But all that mass is in service of stellar battery life: the Sony WF-1000XM4 can crank out eight hours of audio withnoise cancellationon, whereas the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro can only manage five. Five hours is enough for most people, but if you do a lot of long-distance travel or want to listen to music non-stop during your entire workday, you’ll surely appreciate the XM4’s better longevity. Both pairs' cases charge over USB-C or wirelessly, and each will fully recharge its respective buds about two times before needing a top-off.
The Galaxy Buds 2 Pro come with standard silicone ear tips, while the Sony WF-1000XM4 have pliable foam tips. Sony says this type of ear tip isolates sounds better. (Your mileage will vary; Android Police’s Ara Wagoner found much better isolation after swapping to silicone tips.) The Galaxy Buds 2 Pro arerated IPX7 for water resistance, meaning they should be okay even if they get soaked. The WF-1000 XM4 carry a lesser IPX4 rating, which means they’re resistant to splashes, but an unexpected dip in a puddle could spell the end.
Audio and features
Sony’s WH-1000XM4 earbuds sound great, but they’re very large.
The Sony WF-1000XM4 are some of the best-sounding wireless earbuds money can buy. Their sound isn’t quite as bassy as many other high-end TWEs on the market right now — including the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro — but the XM4s have a very clear, accurate flavor to their audio, which many premium earbud shoppers will likely appreciate. If you want a little more low-endoomph,the WF-1000XM4 lets you manually tweak the frequency response using EQ sliders.
Sony’s LDAC support comes in a big way to show off the true capabilities of these buds. If you have access to high-bitrate audio from apps like Tidal or Amazon Unlimited, or have downloaded FLAC or MQA files, then you can enjoy them at your great listening pleasure through LDAC streaming with these buds. The music will really liven up, precisely outlining each instruments and voices, thanks to the awesome 990 kbps streaming @ 24-bit/96 kHz via Bluetooth.
The XM4s also feature some of the very best ANC you’ll find in earbuds today. It rivals the noise canceling in some pairs of over-ear headphones, which is a very impressive feat (and another reason the things are so chunky). The memory foam ear tips already do a great job sealing your ears against outside noise, the ANC adds to it a kind creamy smooth quietness that can only be surpassed by the likes ofQuietComfort headphones.
There’s hands-free access to both Google Assistant and Alexa, so it’s possible to get a lot done without taking your phone out of your pocket, and Fast Pair support for easy pairing with Android phones.
The Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro are relatively low-profile.
The Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro also sound very good, but not quite as good as the XM4s. Samsung’s earbuds are bassier, which, depending on your preferences, could be a good or bad thing for you. The Galaxy Wearable app offers a handful of EQ presets, so you can dial that bass down (or up) if you want.
Instead of aptX or LDAC, Samsung brings their proprietary Samsung Seamless Codec to the Buds2 Pros. It supports up to 24-bit/48 kHz audio, but unless you are using a pretty modern Samsung phone, you won’t get the benefits. Even then, it doesn’t work with standard music streaming apps like YouTube Music and Spotify.
ANC in the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro is good, effectively muffling low-end sounds while tamping down mids and highs to a lesser extent, but it can’t match Sony’s. The ANC affects sounds between 30-100 Hz most and it really shines there. However, you may hear some spikes of rumble noise due to inconsistent phase-negative streaming. The buds tackle high-pitch noises with both passive isolation and noise cancelation, the end result is quite good for the commute or office.
The Buds 2 Pro won’t respond to “Hey Google” the way the Sony buds can, but they do allow for hands-free Bixby access, which might be close enough for some. They also have a head-tracking feature that can create the illusion of the sound you’re listening to emanating from the device the buds are paired with, provided that the device is a Samsung phone or tablet. Volume in the left and right buds shift independently as you move your head as if you were listening to in-person sound without earbuds. It’s a neat trick, but probably not a deciding factor for most.
Which should you buy?
While the Sony WF-1000XM4 launched at a very premium $280, they’re often available for $230 on sale. That puts them in realistic competition with Samsung’s Galaxy Buds 2 Pro, which also go for $230 at full price. In a head-to-head audio contest, the Sony earbuds win. They sound fantastic. Add to that industry-leading ANC and actual all-day battery life, and it seems like a cinch for Sony. But do get them quick if you want them, or soon they’ll all be replaced with the new XM5s.
Killer ANC and marathon battery life
The WF-1000XM4 are Sony’s best earbuds to date, offering a high-end listening experience with excellent battery life and some of the best ANC you’ll find in any earbuds. They’re expensive at an MSRP of $280, so only buy them if they’re discounted by $50 or more - otherwise the newer XM5s are a better bet.
However, earbuds are meant to be worn out and about, and the XM4s are big and bulky for true wireless buds. So if you have smaller ears or want earbuds you can comfortably wear out during intense workouts (a dicey proposition for the Sony buds), the Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro might be a better pick for you. Samsung’s buds still sound great and offer thorough ANC — they’re just not quite in the same league as the WF-1000XM4 there. But until the next big audio surprise drops from Samsung, the Galaxy Buds Pros are the best companions for your Samsung phones or watches.
Best for Samsung phones
The Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro offer good audio quality with a healthy amount of bass, good ANC, and a stylish, slim design. Battery life could be better, though, and noise cancellation here isn’t on par with what the Sony earbuds offer.
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