Why I think the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro are the Black Friday earbuds you should go for

Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro on malbec background
(Image credit: Samsung)

Full disclosure: I don't own a Samsung Galaxy smartphone, nor do I favour Android devices over iOS ones, but this earbuds deal is one of the best early Black Friday deals we've spotted, and worth of a place on anyone's wish list. 

The buds on offer in this particular Black Friday earbuds deal are the Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro, and when I reviewed them I knew Samsung had turned a corner. They're Samsung's newest buds, and by far the company's best. 

And even though they're barely three months old, Sammers has decided to discount them for Black Friday! 

OK, it's a £30 discount rather than a 75%-off headline-grabber, which is why people are sleeping on it – but I'm here to bring these 2022 TechRadar-recommended earbuds to your attention anyway, because let's be real: the newest, best and most popular audio products simply don't see the biggest price-drops. 

Right now at Amazon, they're only £189, down from £219, in any colour – which means you get to pick from graphite, white or bora purple (or buy two pairs and you'll never have to worry about which pair is yours and which is theirs). 
Not in the UK? Wherever you are, you'll find some great earbuds deals that you can take advantage of below.

Probably the best Black Friday noise-cancelling earbuds deal

Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro: £219 now £189 at Amazon

Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro: <a href="https://target.georiot.com/Proxy.ashx?tsid=8428&GR_URL=https%3A%2F%2Famazon.co.uk%2FSamsung-Bluetooth-Cancelling-Resistant-Manufacturer%2Fdp%2FB0B836TJ84%3Fth%3D1%26tag%3Dhawk-future-21%26ascsubtag%3Dhawk-custom-tracking-21" data-link-merchant="Amazon UK"">was £219 now £189 at Amazon
The Galaxy Buds 2 Pro only arrived in stores on August 26, and this is the first time we've seen them discounted. They're small, they're comfortable, the two-way speaker design provides impressive and detailed 24-bit audio and the ANC is seriously good for this level – and they earned <a href="https://www.techradar.com/reviews/samsung-galaxy-buds-2-pro" data-link-merchant="techradar.com"" data-link-merchant="Amazon UK"">4.5 stars in our review. The one downside is the battery life, at only five hours from the buds and up to 18 in the case. Our advice? If you're a Samsung Galaxy smartphone owner, they're a no-brainer at this new low price… 

If you own a Galaxy phone these are truly a no-brainer. This is because aside from the comfortable fit, 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 – yep, Samsung's answer to Apple's iOS-device-to-AirPods 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. 

All of this, for £189! Meanwhile, the AirPods Pro 2, released one month after the Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro, are still sitting up at £239 with a lowly 4% off (or £10) discount at Amazon… 

The Buds Pro 2 are 15% smaller than Samsung's last effort and 0.8g lighter per earpiece (5.5g vs the 6.3g Buds Pro), but more importantly, the design fits your ear simply and without any overly-aggressive twist-and-lock techniques. Samsung has absolutely hit a home run with the fit of the Buds 2 Pro – and the praise doesn't stop there. 

The sound quality features a punchy bass, impactful and textured mids and sparkling, 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 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 I for one am prepared to take the hit on stamina to gain these features and sound quality. And that's not a statement I make lightly.

Quite simply, these are some of the best noise-cancelling earbuds on the market, and at this price they're an even more tempting proposition. 

Becky Scarrott
Senior Audio Staff Writer

Becky is a senior staff writer at TechRadar (which she has been assured refers to expertise rather than age) focusing on all things audio. Before joining the team, she spent three years at What Hi-Fi? testing and reviewing everything from wallet-friendly wireless earbuds to huge high-end sound systems. Prior to gaining her MA in Journalism in 2018, Becky freelanced as an arts critic alongside a 22-year career as a professional dancer and aerialist – any love of dance starts with a love of music. Becky has previously contributed to Stuff, FourFourTwo and The Stage. When not writing, she can still be found throwing shapes in a dance studio, these days with varying degrees of success.