) for not including them in my roundup. I liked the Galaxy Buds, I said, but I thought they were lacking in a couple of areas: They sounded decent for their price — but not great — and they just weren’t good for making calls in noisier environments because callers complained about hearing too much background noise.
How it stacks up
Like
Improved sound, with dual drivers that deliver better bass performance.
Boosted battery life (11 hours).
Significantly better for making calls
New iOS app for Apple users
USB-C and wireless charging
Don’t Like
Same design as standard Galaxy Buds.
Priced higher than the previous model.
No active noise canceling
Only IPX2 water-resistance
But now Samsung gets a do-over in the form of the Galaxy Buds Plus, which have launched alongside the company’s new Galaxy S20 and Galaxy Z Flip smartphones. The new Buds Plus look essentially the same as the originals, but they have some improvements on the inside boost performance significantly: Their battery life is rated at 11 hours for music playback (up from 6), and they pack improved drivers for better sound and an additional microphone in each bud to help with external noise reduction while making calls.
At $150, they cost $20 more than the Galaxy Buds. And they’re not bundled with Samsung’s new phones, but the $150 preorder credit with the Galaxy S20 Plus and S20 Ultra (when ordered via Samsung’s site) effectively knocks the price down to free. (UK and Australian prices are TBA.) Alas, while they feature the same noise-isolating design, they don’t offer active noise-cancellation like Apple’s AirPods Pro do.
Available in three color options (black, light blue, white), the Galaxy Buds Plus have the same dimensions as their predecessor and look nearly identical. However, they weigh 6.3 grams (0.2-ounce), or 0.7-gram more than the Buds. That’s because they have a larger battery and two-way drivers (with a woofer and tweeter) as opposed to a single driver. The battery case, which charges via USB-C and wirelessly with any Qi-compatible charging pad, is also equipped with a larger battery (a three-minute charge in the case gives you one hour of juice). And yes, all of those new Samsung phones have the Wireless PowerShare feature, so you can top off your Galaxy Buds Plus just by resting the case on the phone’s backside.
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The other noteworthy changes are multidevice pairing — an often overlooked feature that many people appreciate — and an iOS app geared to make the Galaxy Buds Plus more friendly to iPhone (
) owners. At launch, the app garnered many negative reviews from current Galaxy Buds owners because it doesn’t appear to be compatible with the original Galaxy Buds. But I thought the app was fine.
The app gives iOS users access to firmware upgrades, EQ settings for tweaking the buds’ sound and “ambient sound” settings that allow you to adjust the buds’ transparency levels (off, medium or high), letting sound in from the outside world into the buds. In the app, you can also opt to have ambient sound on when making calls. That allows you to hear your voice in the earbuds while talking. (This is sometimes referred to as Sidetone.)
Android users use Samsung’s Galaxy Wearable app and get a few small features not available to iOS users, the biggest of which are one-touch Spotify access from the buds themselves and a gaming mode to “minimize audio delay for vivid, synchronized gaming sound.” I used the buds with an iPhone 11 Pro and a Galaxy S9 Plus (
The Galaxy Buds Plus keep the same touch controls as their predecessor. They work well and are quite responsive, although my double-taps to advance a track forward sometimes turned into triple taps that ended up restarting the track I was listening to (you triple-tap to skip back one track). In the app, you get some options for customizing the touch controls, including adjusting volume with a long press. There’s even an “experimental” setting that enables you to use the edge of the buds for volume and the center for other controls.
The Galaxy Buds fit my ears well, and the Galaxy Buds Plus felt very similar in my ears. These are pretty compact buds (they stick out from your ears a little, similar to Jabra’s Elite 75t) and should fit most ears well. The only issue I had was with the ear tips. With these types of noise-isolating earphones it’s crucial to get a tight seal to get optimal sound quality. I got a pretty good seal with the largest of the included tips, but things improved when I switched to my own ear tips (one of the advantages of reviewing a lot of headphones is that I have a lot of ear tips lying around). The ones I used were rounder and little wider than the included tips, which should work fine for many people’s ears. The Samsung tips — three sizes are included — are a little more convex shaped.
Sarah Tew/CNET
I opted to use the middle-size wing tip (three sizes are included) and got a nice secure fit. Although these have only IPX2 water-resistance, they are sweat-resistant (to a degree) and can be used at the gym and for running. That said, competing models like the Jabra Elite 75t (IPX5) offer higher water-resistance ratings and some are fully waterproof.
I was impressed with the sound. It’s detailed and smooth, with deep, well-defined bass. The sound is richer and more spacious than that of the original Galaxy Buds. Well-respected Austrian audio company AKG, which Samsung acquired when it bought Harman, is behind the audio. While the original Buds were also “tuned” by AKG, these are a nice upgrade over the originals — and right there with what you get with Jabra Elite 75t, if not even a touch better. Like a lot of headphones these days, there is a tad of presence boost to help make your music sound more detailed and exciting but which leads to some faint sibilance in the highs. You can toggle between a few EQ settings — “Soft, Bass Boost, Dynamic, Clear and Treble Boost” — but I stuck mostly with the “Normal” EQ setting, which seemed the most balanced.
The buds look the same as their predecessor but weigh slightly more, thanks to new components on the inside.
Sarah Tew/CNET
Aside from the better battery life, the other performance enhancement you’ll most appreciate is the call quality. The added external microphone for better noise reduction during calls helps correct the earphones’ biggest weakness. The Galaxy Buds may not work quite as well as the AirPods Pro or Anker Liberty Air 2 for making calls, but they’re significantly improved in this area from the original Galaxy Buds. In our test calls from the New York City streets, external noise from traffic was effectively reduced and my voice could be heard clearly.
I’ll also add that my wireless connection remained rock-solid during my two days of testing. New York City can be notoriously difficult on true wireless earbuds with interference issues. But I didn’t experience any dropouts or glitches. I also didn’t notice any problem with audio syncing when using various video streaming apps (I tried YouTube, Netflix and DisneyPlus).
Ultimately, I don’t think these will slow the sales of AirPods, but the Galaxy Buds have only become a better option for Android users and may even earn some fans who use iOS devices. Hopefully, they’ll come down in price a bit — I would have liked to have seen the original Galaxy Buds go to $99 and have these priced at $129. But if you do go the preorder route for your new Galaxy phone and can effectively get these for “free,” you won’t be disappointed.
MONTREAL – Lightspeed Commerce Inc. says it is conducting a review of its business and operations including talks relating to a range of potential strategic alternatives.
The Montreal-based payments technology company made the comments after reports concerning a potential transaction involving the company.
Lightspeed says it periodically undertakes a review of its business and operations with a view of realizing its full potential.
A strategic review is often seen by investors as a prelude to a sale by a company.
Lightspeed says its board of directors is committed to acting in the best interests of the company and its stakeholders.
Company founder Dax Dasilva returned to the role of chief executive officer earlier this year and has been working to return the company to profitability.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 26, 2024.
OTTAWA – Bank of Canada governor Tiff Macklem says there is a lot of uncertainty around how artificial intelligence could affect the economy moving forward, including the labour market and price growth.
In a speech in Toronto at the Economics of Artificial Intelligence Conference, the governor said Friday that the central bank is approaching the issue cautiously to get a better understanding of how AI could affect its job of keeping inflation low and stable.
“Be wary of anyone who claims to know where AI will take us. There is too much uncertainty to be confident,” Macklem said in prepared remarks.
“We don’t know how quickly AI will continue to advance. And we don’t know the timing and extent of its economic and social impacts.”
The governor said AI has the potential of increasing labour productivity, which would raise living standards and grow the economy without boosting inflation.
In the short-term, he said investment in AI is adding to demand and could be inflationary.
However, Macklem also highlighted more pessimistic scenarios, where AI could destroy more jobs than it creates or lead to less competition rather than more.
The governor called on academics and businesses to work together to shed more light on the potential effects of AI on the economy.
“When you enter a dark room, you don’t go charging in. You cautiously feel your way around. And you try to find the light switch. That is what we are doing. What we central bankers need is more light,” he said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 20, 2024.
CHICAGO (AP) — United Airlines has struck a deal with Elon Musk’s SpaceX to offer satellite-based Starlink WiFi service on flights within the next several years.
The airline said Friday the service will be free to passengers.
United said it will begin testing the service early next year and begin offering it on some flights by later in 2025.
Financial details of the deal were not disclosed.
The announcement comes as airlines rush to offer more amenities as a way to stand out when passengers pick a carrier for a trip. United’s goal is to make sitting on a plane pretty much like being on the ground when it comes to browsing the internet, streaming entertainment and playing games.
“Everything you can do on the ground, you’ll soon be able to do on board a United plane at 35,000 feet, just about anywhere in the world,” CEO Scott Kirby said in announcing the deal.
The airline says Starlink will allow passengers to get internet access even over oceans and polar regions where traditional cell or Wi-Fi signals may be weak or missing.
