What are the top wireless earbuds these days? I've had my Buds+ for over two years now and they're still going on strong. But I see Samsung has the Pro 2s and an FE edition. They've trimmed their lineup quite a bit since I last saw their offerings.
But does anyone else have a set of earbuds that are under $150 and sound better than the Buds+s?
I'd stick with the Buds+ for now unless you need active noise cancellation. The Buds2 Pros sound similar, albeit with ANC, but an inferior fit (they removed the wingtips that make the OG Buds have such a snug/untouchable fit).
Samsung has brought the wingtips back with the just-released Buds FE, which are essentially like Buds+ mini, but with no wireless charging. People are celebrating the return of the wingtips, and since they just released a product with these, there is hope that the Buds we see in the future will also have this superior design/fit.
If you're not in a rush to get ANC, I'd sit on the Buds+ until a meaningful update comes out. They are still likely the best Galaxy Buds overall. Headphones move really slow, and the sound quality typically does not significantly improve over time - many of the best headphones today were first released over 20 years ago, for context. With wireless buds you're just gaining/switching features, and experiencing minor variations in sound signatures between the same maker's products, rather than any sound quality innovations - that well is almost dry at this point.
What people buying Samsung's Buds often don't realize, and the reason why they are so good, is that Samsung's Buds are essentially AKG headphones tuned by Harman teams, with Samsung's Galaxy teams delivering the connectivity and software (including an incredible audio codec, albeit one that only works with Samsung devices). It's quite a killer combination, as Samsung now owns both companies.
AKG traditionally were never in the same "run-of-the-mill" Sony/Bose league, but rather were one of the top 5 sounding, audiophile-grade headphone makers in the world, with a price to match. In terms of sound, Buds+ are already similar to former AKG in-ears that before the Samsung acquisition used to cost nearly twice as much, and that's for wired models. In terms of the sound signature, it's perhaps Harman's most balanced work.
Since Samsung wanted to enter the earbud market with a bang, they went pretty all out. They were adding wired $100-class earbuds for free with some of the earlier Galaxy smartphones, and are doing a similar thing with their wireless earbuds that punch way above of their traditional AKG price class. The OG Buds were already comparable to AKG N400, at 60% the price, with additional tuning by the Harman teams, and with better software. And the Buds+ were a substantial improvement on top of those.
All of this is to explain that as long as you're rocking a Samsung phone, it'd be hard to find a comparably good overall package. And the Buds Plus are perhaps the best in the entire line, albeit without ANC. At best, you may find products that sound about as great, yet with a different sound signature.
You could look into the Sennheiser Momentum in ears, as they sound different. Mind you, it's not much better or worse. Sennheiser and AKG were major competitors, and I always liked the Sennheiser sound more personally than what AKG/Harman typically go for. In particular the one that Sennheiser introduced with the Momentum line, which sounds more "dynamic", while AKG/Samsung would be more balanced/muted. But you'd lose the seamless experience that Samsung Buds give you with Samsung phones. You'd also pay far more for less well-rounded earbuds, just to get that Sennheiser Momentum sound signature, as Sennheiser has no incentive to sell audiophile-grade buds for anything less than audiophile-grade prices, as opposed to Samsung essentially selling beefed-up AKG buds at a large discount. Plus, Sennheiser doesn't have the same connectivity/software firepower that Samsung does, and doesn't integrate as well with phones.
