TWS true wireless earphones - under $100
4.5 STARS - A year after release, the Samsung Galaxy Buds Plus now costs under 100 dollars in 2021. It's a fantastic deal - although there are now cheaper alternatives that sound even better.
Samsung Galaxy Buds Plus specs:
Bluetooth 5.0 with AAC codec
IP42 waterproof rating (light rain and sweat resistant)
11 hours listening on a full charge
Charging case can charge earpieces fully 2 times
Comes with 3 sizes ear tips, 3 sizes ear wings, and USB-C cable
$80 - $100 on Amazon US, Amazon Germany or other Amazon stores (check lowest price)
Below this Samsung Galaxy Buds Plus review, you will find comparisons between the Samsung Galaxy Buds+ vs Fiil T1 Lite/ Fiil T1 Pro, Fiil T1XS, Oppo Enco W51 and Liberfeel x Edifier.
Update August 2024: Due to increased competition, the overall score has been adjusted from 5 to 4.5 stars. Check out my review of the Galaxy Buds FE here, or check out the best $100 wireless earbuds here.
All reviews on Scarbir.com are 100% unsponsored and honest. Please support my research by buying via the links on this site. You can also support me via PayPal. <3
Design, comfort and battery life
The Samsung Galaxy Buds Plus are easily among the best built wireless earphones on the entire market. Both the charging case and the earbuds are sturdy and feel premium, made from strong plastic with a metallic twist. Even a year after release, its build quality is unmatched by any cheaper or Chinese brand.
The Buds+' earpieces look distinguished on the outside, with their triangular touch panels and shiny, polished finish. On the inside, the earbuds are round and follow your ears' shape with a slight bump in the design. Samsung delivers three sizes of rubber wings with the Buds+, of which two have a fin that clings into the upper part of your ears. While this ensures a tight fit, the Buds+ isn't the most comfortable pair right away. With the ear wings, the Plus fills up your ears, and you can feel and hear the earphones thumping a bit while you're running or otherwise working out.
If you're not working out frequently with the Buds Plus, it may be worthwhile to check the smallest rubber wings without the fins. It makes the Samsung more compact and comfortable, and the earpieces still stay in your ears easily. Without the fins or with fins when you're used to them, it's comfortable to wear the Buds Plus for hours in a row.
That's convenient… considering the Samsung has up to 11 hours of battery life on a single charge. A year after release, that's still a mind-blowing score, way above average on the market. What's more, is that the LED-lights on the buds don't blink when you're using them - making them bedroom proof. Their IP42 waterproof-rating isn't stellar, sadly: they only withstand light rain and sweat.
You can fully recharge the earbuds twice with the charging case before it needs new power via USB-C or wirelessly. A LED-light on the front colors green, yellow, orange, or red to indicate the remaining battery life. The case is compact especially for the price range, but it does drop its charge faster than many competitors - it's recommended to recharge it every week.
Connectivity and controls
A year after its release, every single Samsung Galaxy Buds Plus owner knows that the earbuds respond a little too well to a single-tap. Slightly touching the earbuds can be enough to trigger the play-pause function, which happens almost every time you need to readjust the earbuds in your ears.
The control scheme is convenient, however:
Tap L or R once to play/ pause
Tap L or R twice to skip to the next song
Tap L or R three times to return a track
Hold R to increase the volume
Hold L to decrease volume
With the app, two other options are also possible:
Hold R to activate the voice assistant/ Ambient mode
Hold L to activate the voice assistant/ Ambient mode
Tap R on the side twice to increase the volume
Tap L on the side twice to decrease volume
The app's extra control options are great, as you can have volume controls and the voice assistant and Ambient mode (more on that later) at the same time. Changing the volume by tapping the sides works mediocre, as your taps are sometimes registered too easy and sometimes not at all. It's way more convenient in the standard-setting, which is great: the volume changes gradually in steps that are affirmed by a gentle beep.
Connectivity on the Buds Plus is outstanding, as the earphones hold their Bluetooth connection firmly up to ten meters from your device, and the music output doesn't hiccup in areas full of crowded signals. The earbuds don't automatically pause when you take them out, but you can charge one earphone while you're listening to the other, take the charged bud out and return listening in stereo.
Calling and watching movies
Call quality is a standout factor for the Samsung Galaxy Buds Plus. In phone calls, your voice comes through clear, lively, and full of nuances. When you're outside or in crowded indoor places, surrounding noises are greatly reduced, although high-pitched peaks like passing scooters can still come through. Background noise is identifiable as background noise, however: it's distant from you, still presenting your voice in the foreground.
More unique for wireless earbuds: the Buds+ is great for video calls (like Microsoft Teams and Zoom meetings), passing your voice through fuller than many other wireless earbuds.
Lastly, the Samsung app gives you the option to hear your surroundings and your voice better when you're calling, but this isn't perfect - as it makes your voice very metallic as well.
Watching videos with the Buds Plus is convenient, with great synchronization between audio and video on Android and iPhone. On the latter, the YouTube-app often, but doesn't always go 100% lipsync. It's still comfortable to watch videos with it.
Unfortunately, there is a noticeable delay in sound effects when you're playing games.
ANC/ Ambient mode on Samsung Galaxy Buds+
The new $200 Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro has active noise cancelling; the $100 Samsung Galaxy Buds Plus doesn't have ANC. It can't be stated more clearly.
The Buds Plus does, however, have an Ambient mode: the possibility to hear your surroundings while you're listening to music. You can activate it via the app or set up different controls for the earbuds, which lets you activate the Ambient mode with a long-tap of the side.
The Ambient mode does a good job of letting in noises from your surroundings when listening to music on low volume. It's easy to hear and place traffic around you. It works less stellar for conversations nearby - as the music will still compete with it even on lower volumes.
Luckily, the app has three settings for Ambient mode strength. If you want to hear more of your surroundings or hear your surroundings when you're playing music loudly, you can select two heavier strengths. Mind you though - they make the sounds caught by the Ambient mode very bright, unnatural, and metallic.
App support of Samsung Galaxy Buds+
The Samsung Galaxy Buds Plus has terrific free app support on both iPhone and Android, likely presenting text in your native language. It doesn't ask for unnecessary permissions, doesn't require you to register an account, and gives useful options.
Show the earbuds battery status
Update the firmware
Read the instruction manual
Change the hold-controls
Activate the Ambient mode, select between three settings
Select if you want the Ambient mode active in phone calls
Add extra tap-controls for the sides of the earbuds
Find your earphones
Choose from six equalizers
The Buds+'s equalizers are definitely worth checking out. Unlike on some cheap Chinese earbuds, these sound settings don't take down the sound when you're selecting a different option than the standard Normal setting.
Normal: Described below in the sound part
Dynamic: Recommended! Adds bass and opens up the highs further, also described below
Bass boost: Doesn't add much bass but heavily reduces higher tones, making bass tones appear more prominent
Soft: Like the darker bass-boost sound, but with tamed bass impact
Clear: Takes away some of the darker tones, focuses on upper-mids and highs
Treble boost: Like the Dynamic setting… without the balance
The equalizers alone could have made the app worthwhile, but Samsung threw in even more useful options.
Also read: The best wireless earbuds under $100
Sound quality of Samsung Galaxy Buds Plus
Unmistakably, mid-tones are the specialty of the Samsung Galaxy Buds Plus. They are clearer and more articulated than on many other wireless earphones.
It's noticeable in both male and female vocals, which sound very crisp. Voices have a rough edge when they need to and smooth underlining when it's in order - they come with plenty of nuances.
The mid-focus is also imminent on typical mid-instruments. Guitars, cymbals, high-hats, and piano play sound lovely natural on the Samsungs and come with details such as the movement on strings and 'clonks' you can sometimes hear in high-quality recordings if a pianist plays with a firm hand.
Whether you're listening to the Normal sound equalizer or the Dynamic setting; the guitars in the all mid-centric Cordovas This Town's A Drag can hardly sound more rambly. Fans of acoustic music genres like Britpop, rock, jazz, and soul are in for an honest (if somewhat flat) presentation.
The Buds Plus manages to squeeze a solid amount of detail out and around the mids and highs. With the Dynamic equalizer, highs extend further, and there's an increased space in the music, while vocals rarely sound too intrusive. In both settings, it goes too far to state music is all around you - the soundstage isn't the most impressive part, and it's not always easy to precisely place instruments, but there's an excellent separation between your left and right. Especially drums and cymbals manage to flank you. Lovely.
The bass does what it needs to do, and not a thing more
While the Plus may give a fairly neutral musical reproduction, it's not always the most joyful one. The bass on the Galaxy Buds Plus is foremost supportive. It does what it needs to do, even in the Bass Boost equalizer, and not a thing more. That means there's a tight mid-bass, with a quick slam that rolls-off as soon as it can.
But while the bass doesn't bloat, and that's technically a good thing, it can lack punch, a strong thump that makes dance, pop, and electronic music sound uplifting. In the lower mids, darker electronic tones are a bit toned-down as well. Not underrepresented, but also not as catchy as some other earphones.
Other lower tones play a side role as well. In In My Secret Life, Leonard Cohen can't reach the deepest, ear-tingling darker tones, and in James Blake's test case Limit to Your Love, the sub-bass surely rumbles, but the deepest sub-bass notes rarely appear lovely deep - especially in more crowded musical pieces.
The Samsung Galaxy Buds Plus still has plenty to offer in the sound department in 2021. While the lows could be more engaging, the excellent mids and different equalizers make this an easy recommendation.
Samsung Galaxy Buds Plus comparisons
Galaxy Buds+ vs Fiil T1 Lite/ T1 Pro
The $35 Fiil T1 Lite is likely the best sounding earphone under $100, and it gives strong competition to the Samsung. Mids have more clarity on the Samsung; they have more room around them, and for example, guitars and cymbals sound more natural. However, the T1 Lite has a better representation of lows, with fuller lower-mids, a stronger mid-bass thump, and deeper sub-bass notes. It gives both vocals and instruments more body, more bite in the lower tones - amping up the detail level. While the Buds+ sounds airier, the T1 Lite sounds more immersive, and it's easier to place instruments around you (except for drums and claps). Battery life, app support, build quality and call quality on the Samsung are better; the Fiil T1 Lite withstands rain better.
Fiil T1 Lite review ($35)
Fiil T1 Pro review ($65, with noise cancelling and ear wings)
Samsung Galaxy Buds Plus vs Fiil T1XS
Moving up to the biggest recommendation before the Fiil T1 Lite; the Fiil T1XS combines ear wings with a higher waterproof rating than the Samsung, making it more suitable for running and working out in (even heavy) rain. Like the Samsung, the T1XS has amazing mid-tones detail, but it throws in boosted lower frequencies as well, producing a heftier, more impactful bass and presenting darker electronic tones better than the Samsung. The Buds Plus does have tighter bass and more clarity; more space between instruments and frequencies - the T1XS has a more uplifting sound.
Fiil T1XS review ($55)
Galaxy Buds Plus vs Oppo W51
The Oppo Enco W51 is another premium-looking earphone under $100. The Samsung controls more convenient, has double the battery life, and more options from the app, but the Oppo counters with practical active noise cancelling. Both models handle phone, and video calls great. The Buds Plus has more air in the sound and crisper vocals, drums, and claps. The Oppo has a fuller sound, with stronger mid-bass and sub-bass, boosted lower-mids, and friendlier, warmer underlining of vocals and mids.
Oppo Enco W51 review ($60-90)
Galaxy Buds Plus vs Liberfeel x Edifier
The Liberfeel x Edifier is the first under-$100 wireless that matches the Samsung Galaxy Buds+' build quality (and nearly its battery life too - more than 8 hours). The earpieces of the Edifier are more compact and comfortable; the Samsung blocks more outside noise. Both earbuds stay in your ears perfectly thanks to different sizes of ear wings - but the Samsung is more practical with its Ambient mode and better call quality.
Both earphones have airy, extended upper-mids with lots of clarity and naturality in more acoustic and classic genres, yet the Buds Plus reaches further into the highs still. The Edifier opts for more lower-mids and bass; there's a stronger bass thump (even than the Dynamic or Bass equalizer on the Samsung) and deeper sounding sub-bass; the Samsung has a faster mid-bass but lacks bass depth. The Samsung's crisp highs are still something special, but the Edifier delivers a more balanced-out, engaging sound.
Verdict
Available for under 100 dollars in 2021, the Samsung Galaxy Buds Plus is one of the best affordable wireless earbuds deals on the market. With plenty of sound options, superb battery life, and call quality, it's the complete package.
Update August 2024: Due to increased competition with features like great ANC and multipoint connection the overall score has been adjusted from 5 to 4.5 stars. Check out my review of the Galaxy Buds FE here, or check out the best $100 wireless earbuds here.
4.5 stars - Great
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I bought the Samsung Galaxy Buds Plus myself to test and review myself. My reviews are 100% independent and non-commercial. I test and review all audio products equally honest - read about it here.
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