Samsung has been making wireless earbuds for years, but it wasn't until last year's Galaxy Buds Pro that the South Korean tech giant really made a great pair of wireless earbuds.

Before the Buds Pro, previous Samsung buds were rough like those kidney bean-shaped Galaxy Buds Live I love it, but it has the world's most pointless active noise cancellation because the earbuds don't cover the wearer's ear canal at all.

The Galaxy Buds 2 Pro, launched last month with the Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Galaxy Z Flip 4, continue this momentum with a sleeker and lighter design that makes my ears feel more comfortable and active during extended listening sessions.

 Noise reduction and end-to-end 24-bit audio support - though The latter comes with major caveats.

I'm also a fan of Samsung's decision not to go the AirPods design route with longer stems, partly because the earphones are more concealed in my ears, but also because I think it's tacky when the brand is overtly copying Apple.

The $230 asking price for the Buds 2 Pro might be a bit high for some, as you can get really fancy earbuds like the Nothing Ear 1 for less than half the price, or the Google Pixel Buds Pro for under $30 . But the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro have better ANC and my favorite transparency mode in all wireless earbuds. Plus, the price is on par with Apple's new AirPods, which is what Samsung is aiming for as it builds out its own impressive ecosystem of products.

Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro: Hardware Design and Adaptation

• Lightweight and compact case
• Three silicon tip sizes
• 5 hours of listening with ANC and 8 hours without ANC on a single charge
• The Galaxy Buds 2 Pro come in a small charging case that pops open like an engagement ring case, and to my delight, the entire set—the case and the earphones—has this soft-touch matte coating. I love the feel and it looks so much better than the shiny glossy coating of the original Buds Pro or most other earbuds like Huawei Freebuds Pro 2 or AirPods Pro.

The earbuds weigh just 5.5g (down from 6.3g), and each earbud has larger vents for better airflow, so the wearer doesn't get stuffy ears - and it works! These are the most comfortable earbuds I've ever worn.

• Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro: set the audio quality function

• Can use it right away after pairing

• But using the Galaxy Wearable app gives it more control

• Can play 24-bit high-definition audio - but only if you have a Galaxy phone and a streaming service that supports 24-bit audio