Reader, I don't own a Samsung Galaxy smartphone, but I still think this noise-canceling earbuds deal is the very best of today's Memorial Day sales. Yes, I know the big day isn't until Monday, 27, but why wait? Deals are landing all over the place, and I don't think this one can be beaten.
The buds on offer are the excellent Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro, and upon reviewing them (shortly after their launch in August 2022) I knew Samsung had finally knocked it out the park with its listening gear. They're by far the company's best earbuds to date. The newer Samsung Galaxy Buds FE can't hold a candle to them.
Right now at Amazon, the Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro are slashed in price to just $109, down from a $229 MSRP. That's a massive 53% saving, provided you're happy to stick with graphite gray – although the white is just a little more, at $112; bora purple is $118.
Memorial Day noise-cancelling earbuds deal
If, unlike me, you do own a Galaxy phone, these talented earbuds are a no-brainer for this money. Aside from the comfortable fit, tiny case, smaller shape, excellent ANC, voice detect (meaning that when you pipe up vocally, Ambient mode and lower music volume is automatically deployed to make your conversation easier), wearer detection, IPX7 waterproof rating and customisable on-ear controls, you'll get the Samsung Wearable companion app and home-screen widget.
And that means 360 audio with optional head-tracking – yes, Samsung's answer to Apple's iOS-device-to-AirPods-only Spatial Audio with head-tracking. And that means you get to use your Galaxy phone as the focal point for directing more of the Buds 2 Pro's new end-to-end 24-bit high-res audio to whichever ear you prefer. On top of this, a 2024 software update means you also get real-time translation powers, if you're using a Galaxy S24 series (or even slightly older Galaxy S23 series) source device.
Elsewhere, the Buds Pro 2 are 15% smaller than Samsung's previous effort and 0.8g lighter per bud (5.5g vs the 6.3g Buds Pro), but more importantly, the design fits your ear simply and without any aggressive (and potentially painful) twist-and-lock methodology.
Sound quality? Think punchy bass, impactful and textured mids and joyous, easily handled highs. You can tweak the EQ for yourself if you'd like, and although the scope for noise cancellation is on, off, or ambient (so you cannot select the level you'd like on a slider, for example), it works easily as well as anything at this price and the extra features for the level are comprehensive.
The only fly in the ointment? There are two. One is battery life, which is a claimed five hours of continuous playtime with ANC on (or eight without it) and up to 18 hours in the cradle. This is acceptable rather than class-leading – but remember, this is budget territory now, and it's perfectly acceptable for the meagre fee. Secondly, on May 16, Samsung's next earbuds appeared in the FCC database, which probably means the Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro are arriving within the next few months. But remember, we often continue to prefer older-gen iterations more than their successors (case in point: the Sony WF-1000XM4, which we rated above the newer Sony WF-1000XM5 owing to connectivity snafus) so newer doesn't always mean better…
These are still some of the best noise-cancelling earbuds on the market (and that guide proves it, just scroll to entry number five), and for me, at this price they're unbeatable.
More Memorial Day deals to consider
- Amazon: 50% off TVs, clothing, vacuums & more
- Adidas: clothing & sneakers from $14
- Apple: iPads, AirPods & MacBooks from $89
- Appliances: save 45% on major appliances
- Best Buy: $1,000 off appliances, TVs & laptops
- Casper: 30% off all mattresses
- DreamCloud: 50% off mattresses sitewide
- Home Depot: $1,100 off patio, appliances & grills
- Lowe's: 40% off appliances, patio & grills
- Nectar: up to 40% off mattresses
- Nike: 50% off sneakers, leggings & t-shirts
- Nordstrom: up to 50% off shoes, clothing & beauty
- Purple: save up to $800 on mattresses + a free base
- Saatva: up to $600 off luxury mattresses
- Samsung: up to $1,900 off select appliances
- Target: 35% off patio furniture, appliances & clothing
- Walmart: $400 off TVs, clothing & more
- Wayfair: outdoor furniture from $100
