On the evening of January 14, Beijing time, Samsung Electronics held an online press conference to release three smartphones from the Samsung Galaxy S21 series to the world, as well as Samsung’s new true wireless earphones Galaxy Buds Pro and Samsung Galaxy Smart Tag tracker.
The Samsung Galaxy S21 series has 3 models: S21, S21+ and S21 Ultra. Among them, the S21 and S21+ models are relatively similar in configuration. The two are mainly different in screen size and battery capacity; while S21 Ultra is in In terms of hardware configuration, it has opened a gap with the previous two products. It integrates Samsung’s latest technology in screens and images, adapts to S Pen, and further faces the professional crowd.
In terms of audio, Samsung’s conference has two major events that have attracted great attention from the industry. One is that Samsung S21 series phones no longer come standard with AKG wired earphones, and audio accessories need to be purchased separately by consumers; the other is Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro True wireless earphones ushered in a major upgrade in functionality.
Following Apple and Xiaomi, Samsung mobile phones no longer come with power adapters and wired earphones. For this industry trend, 52audio predicts that more mobile phone brands will follow. For the audio industry, this will directly promote the market sales growth of wired earphones, audio conversion cables and Bluetooth earphones, and give more audio and e-commerce brands the opportunity to enter the market, thereby driving Bluetooth chip, power management chip, battery manufacturers, 52audio has conducted a comprehensive and in-depth analysis of the related industry chains such as foundries.
The following 52audio will take you to a comprehensive understanding of the newly released Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro true wireless noise reduction headphones, which Samsung calls “the best true wireless headphones so far”, with the following features:
- Intelligent active noise reduction, support voice detection, communication without taking off the earphones
- Dual dynamic driver, AKG tuning, 360° sound effect
- The chip adopts SIP package, three microphones +VPU call noise reduction scheme
See below for a comprehensive interpretation of 52audio.
| 1. Appearance design: innovation in inheritance
Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro earphones continue the bean-in-ear design of the original Galaxy Buds, but the surface of the shell has a larger curvature and the material looks crystal clear. The weight of a single earphone is 6.3g, and the weight of the charging box is 44.9g. The overall weight is relatively light and easy to wear and carry.
The curvature of the inner shell of the earphone has a transition treatment, in order to fit the auricle and improve the wearing comfort; the earphone comes with three pairs of silicone eartips, allowing users to choose according to the size of their ear canal, which can also bring better noise reduction effects. The pressure relief hole at the top can balance the pressure in the ear, increase air flow, and reduce the natural discomfort caused by in-ear headphones and noise-cancelling headphones. It can also be seen from the picture that Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro uses dual optical sensors for in-ear detection, with higher accuracy and more accurate judgment.
The size of the Galaxy Buds Pro charging case is the same as Galaxy Buds Live. Samsung said at the press conference that the original protective case can continue to be used, which is quite “environmentally friendly”. The charging case supports wireless charging. You can use a mobile phone that supports reverse charging to charge it wirelessly. There is a status indicator on the front of the fuselage to observe the charging status.
One side of the charging case is raised, 52audio is presumed to be a battery module, and the internal space should be relatively compact; there is also a status indicator between the two earphones, which is convenient for users to judge whether the earphones is charging or connected.
The above is the interpretation of the design of the Galaxy Buds Pro. The earphones is more integrated, the waterproof level is also increased to IPX7, and the overall quality is better.
Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro comes in three colors: phantom violet, phantom black, and phantom silver, which correspond to the colors of the phone. Among them, the silver charging case has a gradient effect that looks better. Which one do you like?
| 2. Product materials and structure design
There are two obvious dot matrix opening designs on the inner and outer sides of the Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro earphones, each of which is useful. There is a call microphone in the opening on the lower side of the earphone, which is designed to resist wind noise; the opening on the top of the inner side of the earphone plays a role in balancing air pressure and tuning, creating a wide range of sound effects.
This time Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro has returned to the dual dynamic driver design of Galaxy Buds+. However, the appearance of the unit is relatively normal this time. It consists of 11mm woofer + 6.5mm tweeter. It is still tuned by AKG, and the sound effects have been certified by Harman. Samsung Officially called it “immersive sound”, you can enjoy an immersive audio experience.
In terms of the core function of active noise reduction, Galaxy Buds Pro supports intelligent active noise reduction. There are two levels of strength and weakness that can be adjusted. It adopts a hybrid noise reduction scheme. The feedback microphone has a high signal-to-noise ratio to further eliminate noise. Official test It is said that it can filter up to 99% of background noise and has obtained UL certification; the earphones also supports ambient sound mode, with four gears adjustable, and can amplify ambient sound up to 20dB.
The new voice detection function of the earphones, using the built-in voice pickup unit (VPU) of the earphones, can recognize the voice of the earphones user. When the user speaks and talks with someone, the Galaxy Buds Pro will turn off the noise reduction function. In the mode, the earphones will also automatically lower the playback volume, so you can communicate with people without taking off the earphones. This function can be turned on or off freely in the mobile APP. To return to the previous mode, click on any earphones.
In the call noise reduction function, the earphones multiplexes the feedforward microphone + feedback microphone of the active noise reduction function, and combines the call microphone and the voice pickup unit (VPU) to accurately capture the human voice and filter the environmental noise during the call. Simply put, it uses A call noise reduction solution with three microphones + bone conduction unit has been applied on Samsung Galaxy Buds Live before.
The technical principle of this solution currently on the market is that the earphone uses the bone conduction unit to collect only the vibration information of the vocal cords, and converts it into an audio signal, which is compared with other air-borne sound information to attenuate the environmental sound. Achieve a purer voice call effect.
The anti-wind noise structure at the microphone grid of the call is designed with a protective cover on the microphone pickup hole. When the wind blows in, only a small amount of wind energy is picked up by the microphone, and then removed by the noise reduction algorithm.
According to official publicity, the main control chip of Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro adopts SiP package, which is more integrated; the chip supports Bluetooth 5.0, connects with Samsung mobile phones, supports an audio coding technology called “Scalable”, and supports common AAC and SBC codes are convenient for connecting and using other brands of mobile phones.
| 3. Audio function: 360° sound effects, Dolby Atmos, audio sharing
After introducing the hardware configuration of Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro, let’s take a look at the three highlights of this earphones in the audio function: 360° sound effects, Dolby Atmos and audio sharing.
The 360° sound function can make the sound have a sense of direction and distance. Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro uses Dolby head tracking technology. When the user is watching a video, movie or TV program, the intelligent motion tracking sensor (six-axis acceleration sensor) will follow the head The movement of the part accurately locates the direction of the sound in real time, making the wearer think that the sound is always emitted from the direction of the phone. The industry generally believes that this is a function that serves future AR/VR applications.
In addition, Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro also uses Dolby Atmos technology to enhance the sound effect of playing video content, allowing the wearer to hear more details. The above two functions require the support of the video content provider during actual use, and are only applicable to Samsung Galaxy mobile devices running Android One UI 3.1 or higher.
The audio sharing function is also a publicity point for recent mobile phone manufacturers and earphones manufacturers. Before this, some Samsung mobile phones could connect two Bluetooth devices at the same time and play music at the same time. After the Galaxy Buds Pro was released this time, Samsung publicized it on the official page and named it “Buds Together”. This feature allows two Galaxy Buds Pro to be connected to Samsung phones at the same time. The system requires One UI 2.5 or Higher version; Bluetooth audio devices that are not Samsung can also use this function.
| 4. User experience
In terms of user experience, Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro inherits family characteristics, supports seamless connection of dual devices, real-time wake-up with voice assistant, and supporting APP, which is convenient for users to use and also ensures the integrity of its product ecology.
Seamless connection of dual devices
Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro supports seamless connection of dual devices. When the user wears headphones to watch video on the tablet, the phone calls, the headphones will automatically switch the audio to the phone, and the earphones will automatically connect back to the tablet when the phone is hung up, without manual switching. The reverse is also possible. This feature is applicable to Samsung Galaxy mobile devices and tablets with Android One UI 3.1 or higher.
Real-time voice wake-up
Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro supports an always-on voice assistant. When the earphones is connected to the phone, you can wake up Samsung’s smart voice assistant by directly shouting the wake-up word “Hi Bixby” without touching the phone. Galaxy Buds Pro supports voice calls, switching music, and even asking about the battery level of the earphones, switching connected devices, turning on or off the active noise reduction and ambient sound modes, etc. Common operations can be completed by voice, which is very convenient.
APP adaptation
Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro and Samsung mobile phones are connected with pop-up windows, and the Android system has “Galaxy Wearable” APP to provide service support. As can be seen from the previously leaked test chart, the above-mentioned active noise reduction, voice detection, 360° sound effects and other functions can all be set by themselves, and Samsung also provides a desktop widget for quick switching; in addition, the iOS system also has The “Samsung Galaxy Buds” APP supports the use of Samsung true wireless earphones. iPhone users who have not used it before can download and try it.
Battery life data
In terms of battery life, the Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro earphones battery has a battery capacity of 61mAh. The battery life is about 5 hours when active noise reduction is turned on, and the battery life is increased to 8 hours when noise reduction is turned off. The charging case has a battery capacity of 472mAh, the earphones is turned on or off for noise reduction, and the charging case can provide an additional 13 hours or 20 hours of battery life. And the earphones supports fast charging for 5 minutes of charging and 1 hour of listening to music. This data can basically meet the needs of high-intensity use for a day, but for commuting use, it can be recharged every few days.
| 5. Price and sale date
Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro is priced at 199 US dollars, or about 1287 RMB. Previously, Samsung Galaxy Buds Live was priced at US$169, which is about 1093 RMB. The final price in China is 1199 RMB, which is about 100 RMB more expensive. So the final price of the Chinese version of Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro may be 1399 RMB, which is currently Samsung’s most expensive true wireless earphones.
Samsung Electronics will hold the China launch of the S21 series at 19:30 on the evening of January 18. The final price of each product will be announced at that time, and the pre-sale will start at 20:08 that night.
| 6. Summary
The Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro charging case adopts a square clamshell design, which is small and portable and has enough battery life to support wireless charging. The earphone adopts a bean-type in-ear design, supports intelligent noise reduction and environmental sound mode, and has multiple gears to choose; the voice pickup unit VPU (bone conduction sensor) can judge the user’s speaking state, so that the earphone can reduce noise and environmental sound Switching between modes can also be used for call noise reduction. In terms of user experience, the newly added 360° sound effects, Dolby Atmos and audio sharing functions of Galaxy Buds Pro greatly enrich the use scenarios of true wireless headphones, as well as the acoustic design of dual dynamic drivers, and real-time online voice assistants. These are the hot technical directions in the current true wireless earphones market, and Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro integrates them, and the price is relatively reasonable.
In the name of Pro, Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro not only combines the features of the previous generation products, but also further improves and enhances its functions. It is likely to be the final complete form of the Galaxy Buds series of true wireless products. Its internal structure design and chip materials are also For the highlights, please see teardown article.
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