Great price; strong battery life; small; low profile design; handy touch controls; good sound quality; compact charging case with Qi support

Active noise canceling not as powerful as expected; comfort and fit could be hit or miss,

Samsung’s ambitious wireless earbuds boast a neat design and tick a lot of boxes, but the sound quality and software need to be better

Comfortable, clever design, Impressive bass weight, Clear and open presentation

Beaten for timing and dynamics, Charging case issues, Some bugs in the system

Samsung should’ve called these things the Galaxy Beans. What a missed opportunity. With that out of the way, let’s talk about the new Galaxy Buds Live. The company’s latest true wireless earbuds and their unconventional design have leaked extensively over the last few months, and I’ve had many...

Bold; unconventional design; Lengthy battery life; Powerful; balanced sound

Noise cancellation isn’t good for much; Might not fit the smallest ears; Occasional signal interference

The Galaxy Buds Live are an interesting set of true wireless earbuds, featuring an atypical bean-shape design. On paper spec sheet is impressive and matches, if not beats, their main AirPod competition. But sadly, they still fail to fully deliver in one crucial area: audio.

Comfortable fit; Improved audio quality on previous gen’; Decent battery life

Lack detail on complex genres; ANC isn’t terribly effective

The Galaxy Buds Live are an interesting set of true wireless earbuds, featuring an atypical bean-shape design. On paper spec sheet is impressive and matches, if not beats, their main AirPod competition. But sadly, they still fail to fully deliver in one crucial area: audio.

Comfortable fit; Improved audio quality on previous gen’ ; Decent battery life;

Lack detail on complex genres ; ANC isn’t terribly effective;

Samsung’s Galaxy Buds Live have a lot going for them, from clear sound and compact size to moderate noise cancellation and solid battery life. Not to mention flashy style that looks like nothing else in the genre. For me, though, the fit is a dealbreaker.

Fresh; cool aesthetic; Good feature set; Clear sound and calls

Rigid fit tough for small ears; Touch controls are tricky; Not workout ready

Just six months after the excellent Galaxy Buds+ , Samsung has a new set of true wireless buds, and they're probably its most anticipated product in this space. The Galaxy Buds Live may look like beans, but they sound a lot better than a pinto in your ear canal.

Fit The Beans are probably the most comfortable true-wireless buds I've ever used; Charging and case The case is compact and has both USB-C and wireless charging; Sound The audio quality is good overall. It might not be the most accurate, but it's fun to listen to.

Noise isolation, or lack thereof Since the Beans don't seal inside your ears, they don't block environmental sound very well; ANC The noise-canceling only makes a tiny difference; Touch controls It's too easy to accidentally trigger the touch controls when adjusting or removing the earbuds.

The Samsung Galaxy Buds Live are a pair of attractive bean-shaped true wireless earbuds with good sound and a unique fit. If you don’t like silicone ear tips that block your ear canal, these earbuds are for you. They are light, secure and don’t protrude or have stalks.

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

The Galaxy Buds Live are the best all-around pair of truly wireless headphones on the market.

Impressive sound quality; Fits very comfortably; Battery lasts around six hours on a charge; Daring design

What noise cancellation?; Won't fit nor be comfortable for every ear

Say what you will about Samsung's Galaxy Buds Live bean-shaped design -- yes, they're affectionately known as the Beans -- but they might just be the most innovative new true wireless earbuds of the year. Available in three colors: mystic white, black and bronze, they certainly look flashy, with a chrome-like finish that you can see your reflection in.

They may look like chrome kidney beans, but the $170 Galaxy Buds Live have an ergonomic fit and mostly perform very well.

Unique, eye-catching design; Comfortable ergonomic fit; Compact charging case with wireless charging; Open sound with good bass and detail; Good noise reduction when making calls; IPX2 water-resistant;

Noise canceling is comparatively mild; Open design lets some ambient sound in; Little bit of distortion at high volume;