Samsung Galaxy Buds Live review: novel bean-shaped AirPod rivals

Good sound and long battery life with a repairable and unusual open-fit design make great alternative earbuds

Samsung’s latest Galaxy Buds Live true wireless earbuds are different from anything else on the market. They are shaped like kidney beans that you put in your ear – which is precisely why they are good.

The Galaxy Buds Live cost £179, have active noise cancellation (ANC) and sit above the excellent £159 Galaxy Buds+ as Samsung’s top Bluetooth earbuds.

Water resistance: none (IPX2)

Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.0, SBC, AAC, SSC

Battery life: 8 hours (up to 28 hours with case)

Earbud dimensions: 16.5 x 27.3 x 14.9mm

Earbud weight: 5.6g each

Driver size: 12mm

Charging case dimensions: 50.0 x 50.2 x 27.8mm

Charging case weight: 42.2g

Case charging: USB-C, Qi wireless charging

You can set Samsung’s Bixby voice assistant to listen for the wakeword “Hey Bixby”.

Call quality was very good for both ends of the call, with the earbuds doing a good job of removing background noise for the recipient.

Pros: open fit, good battery life, great case, good sound, good controls, ANC, AAC support, seamless device switching, made of recycled plastic, can be repaired, batteries can be replaced

Cons: no noise isolation, ANC is limited, fit may not suit everyone, no water resistance

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