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- Table of Contents
- Top
- Main Differences
- Design
- Sound
- Isolation
- Microphone
- Active Features
- Connectivity
- Comments
Apple AirPods (1st generation) Truly Wireless vs Samsung Galaxy Buds
Side-by-Side Comparison
Products
Apple AirPods (1st generation)
Samsung Galaxy Buds
Tested using Methodology v1.3.1
Updated Jan 15, 2024 03:46 PM
SEE PRICE
Amazon.comTested using Methodology v1.4
Updated Apr 24, 2025 02:03 PM
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
TypeEarbuds
EnclosureOpen-Back
Noise CancellingNo
WirelessTruly Wireless
TransducerDynamic
MicYes
TypeIn-ear
EnclosureClosed-Back
Noise CancellingNo
WirelessTruly Wireless
TransducerDynamic
MicYes
Variants
- AirPods (1st generation) (White)
- Galaxy Buds (Black)
- Galaxy Buds (White)
- Galaxy Buds (Yellow)
Our Verdict
Apple AirPods (1st generation) Truly Wireless
Samsung Galaxy Buds
The Samsung Galaxy Buds are more versatile headphones than the Apple AirPods (1st generation) thanks to their closed-back design. The Samsung isolate more noise than the Apple, and its audio reproduction is more accurate and versatile. Also, the Samsung's single-charge battery life is longer, but the Apple case holds more additional charges for a longer total battery life. If you have an Android device, you can download the Samsung Wear app and access customization presets, which you don’t get with the Apple.
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White
Galaxy Buds
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Finding storeBlack
Galaxy Buds
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Finding storeYellow
Galaxy Buds
Searching
Finding storeMain Differences forMixed Usage
Mixed Usage
Threshold
Mixed Usage
6.4
7.5
Noise Isolation
1.3
6.8
Bass Accuracy
6.0
9.3
Frequency Response Consistency
6.4
9.8
Full Comparison
Design
Style
Design Picture 2
Type
Earbuds
In-ear
Enclosure
Open-Back
Closed-Back
Wireless
Truly Wireless
Truly Wireless
Transducer
Dynamic
Dynamic
Comfort
8.0
7.5
Comfort Picture
Weight
0.02 lbs
0.02 lbs
Clamping Force
0 lbs
0 lbs
Controls
4.7
5.4
Controls Picture
OS Compatibility
N/A
Not OS specific
Ease Of Use
Subpar
Decent
Feedback
Subpar
Okay
Call/Music Control
Yes
Yes
Volume Control
No
No
Microphone Control
No
No
Channel Mixing
N/A
No
Noise Cancelling Control
N/A
No
Talk-Through
N/A
On/Off
Additional Controls
Voice enabled controls
Voice Assistant
Breathability
9.6
9.2
Breathability After Picture
Avg.Temp.Difference
0.4 °C
0.8 °C
Portability
9.6
9.6
Portability Picture
L
1.72"
2"
W
1"
1"
H
0.6"
0.5"
Volume
1.03 in³
1 in³
Transmitter Required
N/A
No
Case
8.5
8.0
Case Picture
Type
Hard case
Hard case
L
2.06"
2.8"
W
1.69"
1.5"
H
0.74"
1.1"
Volume
2.58 in³
4.6 in³
Build Quality
8.0
7.5
Build Quality Picture
Stability
6.5
8.0
Stability Picture
Headshots 1
Angled Picture
Side Picture
Headshots 2
Front Picture
Rear Picture
Top
Top Picture
In The Box
In The Box Picture
Sound
Sound Profile
Frequency Response
Frequency Response
Bass Amount
-7.73 dB
1 dB
Treble Amount
0.61 dB
-0.75 dB
Frequency Response Consistency
6.4
9.8
Consistency L
Consistency R
Avg. Std. Deviation
0.8 dB
0.04 dB
Raw Frequency Response
Raw FR L
Raw FR L
Raw FR R
Raw FR R
Bass Accuracy
6.0
9.3
Std. Err.
5.27 dB
0.99 dB
Low-Frequency Extension
64.42 Hz
10 Hz
Low-Bass
-10.94 dB
0.95 dB
Mid-Bass
-0.79 dB
1.36 dB
High-Bass
1.62 dB
0.53 dB
Mid Accuracy
7.9
9.0
Std. Err.
2.78 dB
1.4 dB
Low-Mid
1.7 dB
0.03 dB
Mid-Mid
0.55 dB
-2.12 dB
High-Mid
3.62 dB
-0.45 dB
Treble Accuracy
7.2
8.9
Treble
Treble
Std. Err.
4.18 dB
1.41 dB
Low-Treble
4.46 dB
-0.01 dB
Mid-Treble
4.26 dB
0.02 dB
High-Treble
0.57 dB
-4.85 dB
Peaks/Dips
7.3
8.7
Peaks/Dips Graph
Peaks/Dips Graph
Peaks
1.83 dB
0.97 dB
Dips
1.13 dB
0.57 dB
Imaging
8.4
9.3
Phase Response
Weighted Group Delay
0.31
0.16
Weighted Amplitude Mismatch
1.04
0.07
Weighted Frequency Mismatch
1.5
1.29
Weighted Phase Mismatch
5.76
2
Passive Soundstage
2.6
0.9
PRTF
PRTF Accuracy (Std. Dev.)
N/A
N/A
PRTF Size (Avg.)
N/A
N/A
PRTF Distance
N/A
N/A
Openness
9.7
3.2
Acoustic Space Excitation
3.4
0.8
Virtual Soundstage
0.0
Virtual Soundstage
Head Modeling
No
Speaker Modeling
No
Room Ambience
No
Head Tracking
No
Virtual Surround
No
Weighted Harmonic Distortion
7.9
7.8
Weighted Harmonic Distortion
WHD @ 90
0.177
0.211
WHD @ 100
0.128
0.134
Test Settings
Firmware
R170XXU0ATA2
Power
On
Connection
Bluetooth 4.2
Codec
SBC, 16-bit, 48kHz
EQ
Off
ANC
No ANC
Tip/Pad
Silicone (small)
Microphone
Integrated
Isolation
Noise Isolation
1.3
6.8
Noise Isolation
Isolation Audio
Overall Attenuation
-2.64 dB
-18.62 dB
Noise Cancelling
No
No
Bass
-0.01 dB
-3.65 dB
Mid
1.1 dB
-18.7 dB
Treble
-8.72 dB
-34.99 dB
Leakage
7.3
9.3
Leakage Audio
Overall Leakage @ 1ft
37.73 dB
25.12 dB
Microphone
Microphone Style
Integrated
Yes
Yes
In-Line
No
No
Boom
No
No
Detachable Boom
N/A
No
Mic
Yes
Yes
Recording Quality
6.2
6.4
Microphone Frequency Response
Recorded Speech
LFE
354.04 Hz
403.18 Hz
FR Std. Dev.
2.83 dB
5.27 dB
HFE
3,368.2 Hz
4,902.93 Hz
Weighted THD
31.268
0.403
Gain
28.6 dB
11.03 dB
Noise Handling
6.2
5.9
Speech + Pink Noise
Speech + Subway Noise
SpNR
14.85 dB
10.36 dB
Active Features
Battery
7.1
7.0
Battery Type
Rechargable
Rechargable
Continuous Battery Life
4.8 hrs
7.5 hrs
Additional Charges
5
1.0
Total Battery Life
27 hrs
15 hrs
Charge Time
0.5 hrs
1.6 hrs
Power-Saving Feature
Yes
Standby mode
Audio While Charging
Yes
Yes
Passive Playback
No
No
Charging Port
Lightning
USB-C
App Support
5.5
7.0
App Picture
App Name
N/A
Samsung Wearable
iOS
Yes
No
Android
No
Yes
macOS
N/A
Yes
Windows
N/A
Yes
Equalizer
No
Presets
ANC Control
No
No
Mic Control
N/A
No
Room Effects
No
No
Playback Control
No
No
Button Mapping
Yes
Yes
Surround Sound
N/A
Surround Support
No
Connectivity
Bluetooth
6.9
6.6
Bluetooth Version
4.2 + W1 chip
5.0
Multi-Device Pairing
No
No
NFC Pairing
No
No
Line Of Sight Range
91 ft
100 ft
PC Latency (SBC)
168 ms
372 ms
PC Latency (aptX)
N/A
N/A
PC Latency (aptX HD)
N/A
PC Latency (aptX-LL)
N/A
N/A
iOS Latency
72 ms
Android Latency
51 ms
Non-Bluetooth Wireless
0.0
0.0
Non-BT Line Of Sight Range
N/A
N/A
Non-BT Latency
N/A
N/A
Wired
0.0
0.0
Cable Picture
Analog Audio
N/A
No
USB Audio
N/A
No
Detachable
N/A
No
Length
N/A
N/A
Connection
N/A
No Wired Option
Wired Latency
N/A
Analog/USB Audio Latency
N/A
PC / PS4 Compatibility
PC/PS4 Analog
No
No
PC/PS4 Wired USB
No
No
PC/PS4 Non-BT Wireless
No
No
Xbox One Compatibility
Xbox One Analog
No
No
Xbox One Wired USB
No
No
Xbox One Non-BT Wireless
No
No
Base/Dock
2.2
2.2
Type
Charging Case
Charging Case
USB Input
No
No
Line In
No
No
Line Out
No
No
Optical Input
No
No
RCA Input
No
No
Dock Charging
Yes
Yes
Power Supply
Lightning
USB-C
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White
Galaxy Buds
Searching
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Galaxy Buds
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Finding storeYellow
Galaxy Buds
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Finding store
Apple AirPods (1st generation) Truly Wireless
Samsung Galaxy Buds
Comments
Apple AirPods (1st generation) vs Samsung Galaxy Buds: Main Discussion
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