The wireless earbud market has evolved dramatically in recent years, giving us incredibly different approaches to personal audio. Today, we're comparing the traditional Samsung Galaxy Buds2 Pro ($130) with the innovative Bose Ultra Open Earbuds ($299) - two products that showcase just how diverse earbud designs have become.
When Samsung released the Galaxy Buds2 Pro in late 2022, they refined the traditional sealed earbud design we've all grown familiar with. Fast forward to February 2024, and Bose challenged this convention with their Ultra Open Earbuds, introducing a completely different approach to personal audio.
The Galaxy Buds2 Pro follow the tried-and-true method of creating a seal in your ear canal. This design naturally blocks outside noise (called passive noise isolation) and allows for active noise cancellation (ANC), where tiny microphones listen to outside noise and create inverse sound waves to cancel it out.
In contrast, the Bose Ultra Open use a clever cuff design that sits outside your ear canal. Imagine tiny speakers precisely aimed at your ears without plugging them up. It's like having mini speakers floating near your ears, leaving them open to hear everything around you.
The Galaxy Buds2 Pro excel at delivering full-range sound, especially when paired with Samsung devices. They support 24-bit audio (think CD quality and better) and offer impressive bass response - something that's only possible because they seal your ear canal. During testing, I found them particularly good for bass-heavy music and movie watching, where deep rumbles add to the experience.
Bose's Ultra Open take a different approach. While they can't match the bass response of sealed earbuds (physics simply won't allow it), they compensate with incredibly clear mids and highs. Voice and instrumental clarity is outstanding, and the natural mixing with environmental sound creates an interesting audio experience - imagine your favorite music playing in the background while you remain fully aware of your surroundings.
The Galaxy Buds2 Pro shine here. Their ANC effectively reduces train, plane, and street noise, letting you focus on your content. Battery life runs about 5 hours with ANC on, extending to 18 hours with the charging case.
The Bose Ultra Open aren't ideal for noisy environments - that's not what they're designed for. However, they excel in situations where environmental awareness is crucial, like urban running or office work. Their battery life reaches 7.5 hours of playback (4.5 with their spatial audio feature enabled).
For home theater, the Galaxy Buds2 Pro offer better immersion thanks to their sealed design and support for virtual surround sound (when used with Samsung devices). They're great for late-night movie watching without disturbing others.
The Bose Ultra Open present an interesting alternative - you can hear both your movie and someone talking to you without removing them. This makes them perfect for parents who need to remain alert to their surroundings while enjoying content.
At $130, the Galaxy Buds2 Pro offer excellent value, especially if you use Samsung devices. They're versatile enough for most situations and include premium features like ANC and wireless charging.
The Bose Ultra Open at $299 require more justification. You're paying for innovative design and specific use cases. If environmental awareness is crucial to you, or if you find traditional earbuds uncomfortable for long periods, they're worth considering despite the premium price.
Consider these key questions:
The Galaxy Buds2 Pro are excellent all-rounders that work well in most situations. They offer great value and should be your default choice unless you specifically need the open-ear design.
The Bose Ultra Open serve a more specific purpose. They're perfect for users who need environmental awareness or find traditional earbuds uncomfortable. Yes, they're more expensive, but they solve specific problems better than any traditional earbud can.
Choose based on your primary use case rather than specs alone. Both products excel at what they're designed to do - they just serve different needs in very different ways.
| Samsung Galaxy Buds2 Pro ($130) | Bose Ultra Open Earbuds ($299) |
|---|---|
| Design Type - Determines isolation and awareness level | |
| Traditional sealed in-ear design | Open-ear cuff design that doesn't block ear canal |
| Sound Isolation - Critical for commuting and noisy environments | |
| Strong isolation with ANC | Minimal isolation by design |
| Bass Performance - Important for music and movie enjoyment | |
| Full bass response due to sealed design | Limited bass due to open design |
| Environmental Awareness - Key for safety and social interaction | |
| Requires ambient mode to hear surroundings | Natural awareness, always hear environment |
| Water Resistance - Important for exercise and durability | |
| IPX7 (can survive submersion) | IPX4 (splash resistant only) |
| Battery Life - Impacts daily usage patterns | |
| 5h with ANC, 8h without (18h more from case) | 7.5h standard, 4.5h with spatial audio (19.5h from case) |
| Comfort for Extended Wear - Critical for all-day use | |
| Good but may cause fatigue after hours | Excellent for all-day wear, no ear canal pressure |
| Best Use Cases - Helps determine value proposition | |
| Travel, commuting, gym, focused listening | Running, office work, social settings, outdoor activities |
| Notable Features - Can justify price difference | |
| ANC, wireless charging, 360 audio (Samsung only) | Multipoint connection, spatial audio, premium design |
The Samsung Galaxy Buds2 Pro ($130) are superior for movie watching due to their sealed design and better bass response. They also offer 360-degree audio support with Samsung devices, making them more immersive for home theater use than the Bose Ultra Open.
At $299, the Bose Ultra Open are significantly more expensive than the Galaxy Buds2 Pro ($130). They're worth the premium only if you specifically need environmental awareness or find traditional earbuds uncomfortable for long periods.
The Bose Ultra Open naturally allow you to hear conversations without removing the earbuds. The Galaxy Buds2 Pro require using their ambient sound mode to hear others clearly.
The Bose Ultra Open offer 7.5 hours of standard playback, while the Galaxy Buds2 Pro provide 5 hours with ANC on or 8 hours without. Both cases provide additional charges.
The Galaxy Buds2 Pro are excellent for late-night viewing, offering good sound isolation to avoid disturbing others. The Bose Ultra Open may leak more sound at higher volumes.
For full-range sound including deep bass, the Galaxy Buds2 Pro are superior. However, the Bose Ultra Open offer excellent clarity for mids and highs despite their open design.
Both work well for calls, but the Galaxy Buds2 Pro offer better noise cancellation for the listener and clearer voice pickup in noisy environments compared to the Bose Ultra Open.
The Galaxy Buds2 Pro have better water resistance (IPX7) and stay secure during intense movement. The Bose Ultra Open are better for outdoor running where environmental awareness is crucial.
Both work with any Bluetooth device, but the Galaxy Buds2 Pro offer additional features when paired with Samsung devices. The Bose Ultra Open maintain consistent performance across all devices.
Both can connect to TVs with Bluetooth capability. The Galaxy Buds2 Pro typically offer lower latency with Samsung TVs, while the Bose Ultra Open may require a Bluetooth transmitter for optimal TV use.
The Bose Ultra Open are more comfortable for extended viewing due to their non-intrusive design. The Galaxy Buds2 Pro can cause fatigue after several hours of use.
The Galaxy Buds2 Pro support virtual surround sound with compatible Samsung devices, while the Bose Ultra Open offer spatial audio but aren't optimized for surround sound effects.
We've done our best to create useful and informative comparisons to help you decide what product to buy. Our research uses advanced automated methods to create this comparison and perfection is not possible - please contact us for corrections or questions. These are the sites we've researched in the creation of this article: samsung.com - samsung.com - samsung.com - samsung.com - brandsmartusa.com - shopsavvy.com - microcenter.com - androidauthority.com - rtings.com - techradar.com - consumerreports.org - runnersworld.com - soundguys.com - bose.com - nfm.com - bose.com - youtube.com - bose.com - bose.com - colorware.com
