Samsung debuts Galaxy Buds Live wireless earbuds for $169

Yahoo Finance’s Dan Howley joins The Final Round panel to conduct a review of Samsung’s Galaxy Buds Live, breaking down the latest specs for the wireless headphones and how they size up to the Apple AirPods Pro.

Video Transcript

- And Dan, another stock that was in focus today Apple down about 3%. When you look at Apple's sort of product mix, the AirPods have been a big driver. And yet we've got Samsung now trying to give Apple a run for its money. You got a chance to try out the Galaxy Buds. How do they compare.

DAN HOWLEY: Yeah, so these are the Samsung Galaxy Buds Live that I got to try out. They're 169 to Apple's 200 plus dollar AirPods Pro, and that's really what Samsung is trying to do here-- is differentiate itself on a price point. And they do a fantastic job. The Apple AirPod Pros go into your ear, they're kind of slide into your ear canal similar to other headphones. But-- sorry-- Samsung's sit outside of your ear and kind of look like-- it's weird to say-- they look like kidney beans that sit in your ear.

They sound great. They have active noise canceling just like the AirPods Pro. They don't block out all audio, though, because they're not sitting inside your ear. So there's not like a full cover. But they do a good enough job of blocking out sound-- you know, lower volume noises, people are going to sound a little muffled when they talk to you.

They say things like trains and buses will be muffled thanks to the active noise canceling. I have not that it will take a train or bus, because I'm at my apartment all the time, so I haven't been able to test that out quite yet. But I have been able to use it with loud fans nearby, and they do a great job. And at 169, they're a great price.

And the other thing is they also work with Apples iOS. So they're really trying to drive here the fact that they're beating Apple on price. They can match up with them in audio, because the audio quality was great. And they can play on their home turf. So these may be some really great offerings from Samsung.

- Now Howley, I think we've-- I shouldn't speak for everyone-- I've certainly been wrong or was wrong a few years ago on the original AirPod launch, this new form factor, it's sort of jarring, you're, like, no one's going to want this. Now every-- every earbud is some version of just in the ear like that. You mentioned the kidney bean shape. They're very small. It feels like running towards a "Zoolander" moment here where they're just so small that they're-- like, you can't even see them in your ear.

I mean, I'm just looking at the B roll that we're running, is it-- like, I just don't understand how this is comfortable or you feel secure with this in your ear. My AirPod Pro, honestly, feels too small, anyway. I don't really like them all that much. And this appears to be at most, 2/3 the size that.

DAN HOWLEY: Yeah, they're really tiny. I mean, they are. And it does feel like a "Zoolander" where you just pop open the tiny phone. But believe it or not, they actually fit nice and secure in your ear just the way they sit there. I ran with them. I was working out with them. I've used different earbuds from Amazon, from Google, from Microsoft, and a bunch of those. You know, when you're running around or, you know, running on a treadmill is what I was doing or, you know, lifting, or something like that, they can become loose and fall off or fall out when you bend over or do something like that.

But the Galaxy Buds Live, they did not do that for me. They stuck there. I would say for me, I've always been a fan of Apple's AirPods. The fit has always been the most comfortable. Samsung's other offering, the Galaxy Buds Plus, didn't do it for me. They weren't comfortable, they didn't sound as good. But these actually managed to match up to what Apple's offering, and they sit securely. And they have a detachable winglet at the end-- I don't know why they always call them wings-- they're just rubber stoppers-- and they sit-- it sits in your ear and it allows it to fit better for you.

My one problem is, believe it or not, getting it out of my ear, because there's nothing to grab on the outside. Since it sits flush with your ear, it's kind of hard to pull, you have to dig at it a little bit. So that's my only gripe with it. But beyond that, I think there are really great product.

- I don't know, Dan, that seems like at issue, right? If you can't get the pod out of your ear, that's a bigger concern for me than actually dropping out. But of course, we're going to see how Samsung fares against Apple's AirPods. Certainly a lot more competition in the market. Thanks so much for that, Dan.