Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 leaks reveal design and tease noise cancellation

Samsung Galaxy Buds
(Image credit: Samsung)

A couple of fresh Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 leaks have teased new information about the rumored wireless earbuds, and even include a first look at the design.

FCC certification documents, spotted by Twitter leaker Tron, appears to show the Galaxy Buds 2 with a similar shape to the premium Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro. Meanwhile, fellow tipster Ice Universe tweeted that the Galaxy Buds 2 will, perhaps unexpectedly, feature active noise cancellation (ANC).

Ice Universe, whose track record is mixed overall but generally better for Samsung products, also claimed that the Galaxy Buds 2 will have “better sound quality.” They also posted a purported image of a Galaxy Buds 2 earpiece, albeit heavily edited.

Tron’s pictures show off a lot more, depicting an earbuds design with much smoother, Galaxy Buds Pro-style curves than the original Samsung Galaxy Buds and its blockier shape. If representative of the final design, this will mean the Galaxy Buds 2 will keep the series’ removable in-ear tips and come complete with IR sensors, presumably for in-ear detection.

Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 leak

(Image credit: @FrontTron)

Tron also suggested that because of shared dimensions, any accessory cases that fitted the Galaxy Buds Pro and the Galaxy Buds Live will also fit the Galaxy Buds 2 case. A diagram of this new case’s underside also appears as part of the leak, though not any live photos.

The biggest news here, though, is the potential inclusion of ANC. From its name and product code (SM-R177) we can safely assume the Galaxy Buds 2 will be more closely related to the ANC-less Galaxy Buds and Galaxy Buds Plus than the Galaxy Buds Pro or Galaxy Buds Live; the latter two featured noise cancellation, albeit at higher prices.

This could therefore make the Galaxy Buds 2 a route into Samsung’s ANC line-up without needing such a heavy investment. It could also give Samsung’s buds a big advantage over the AirPods 3, which is expected to launch without ANC.

However, this may come at the cost of battery life. As noted by SamMobile, the FCC documents list the Galaxy Buds 2 as having 60 mAh batteries in each bud; the Galaxy Buds Plus, by comparison, has 85 mAh batteries in each bud. Barring some incredible efficiency gains, that means we could see a drop in the Galaxy Buds 2’s longevity, even without factoring in the extra drain of ANC.

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James Archer

James is currently Hardware Editor at Rock Paper Shotgun, but before that was Audio Editor at Tom’s Guide, where he covered headphones, speakers, soundbars and anything else that intentionally makes noise. A PC enthusiast, he also wrote computing and gaming news for TG, usually relating to how hard it is to find graphics card stock.

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