As a pathetic Brit who has tried in vain to learn a second language, I want nothing more than multilingual superpowers – and if Samsung's next Galaxy Buds can help, well… très bien!
According to a report in the Maeil business newspaper, it looks like my wish may soon come true. The report states that the next generation of Samsung Galaxy Buds, which are capable of “providing real-time interpretation through artificial intelligence (AI) when meeting and conversing with foreigners, will be released as early as the second half of next year.”
A recent leak regarding the South Korean tech giant's new Galaxy S24 smartphone range suggests that more AI is coming to Samsung devices – so it doesn't take a genius to figure out that if Samsung wants to put AI in our hands, it company that also wants to put it in our ears.
Imagine the scene: you land in it Haneda Airport, Tokyo. You're trying to give off smart entrepreneur vibes (rather than a complete newbie tourist), so picking up your phone and firing up Google Translate is a no-no. With the so-called on-device AI of Samsung's earbuds, you don't even need an internet connection for the earbuds to process what your taxi driver, colleague or server says, translate it in real time and transmit it discreetly to your shell-likes .
Analysis: Samsung won't be the first, but it can still be the best
It's not the first time we've seen this kind of thing: Google's Pixel Buds have had the ability to translate languages directly with your Pixel phone since 2017 (using the then freshly baked Google Pixel 2 and Google Pixel 2 XL) . The thing is, despite a slew of recent updates to the Google Pixel Buds Pro, Google's Buds never quite made it onto our list of the best wireless earbuds. There is one important reason for this, as you can read in my Google Pixel Buds Pro review.
However, Samsung's Galaxy Buds Pro 2 are different. Those Buds from August 2022 are Good. If I can get that sound quality and features with extra fluent Japanese (at least the comprehension part), Samsung can count on me being first in line to buy a pair when they hit shelves.
Somewhat surprisingly, Samsung hasn't unveiled an update to its flagship Galaxy Buds (or for that matter the highly anticipated Samsung Galaxy Buds 3) this year, with a November 16 leak claiming we'd instead be getting the Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro in 2024 to get. .
The company did introduce an all-new, affordable Galaxy Buds FE proposition, but even a quick scan of our Samsung Galaxy Buds FE review shows they're not about to win any awards.
Again Samsung, if you're reading this, the Buds 2 Pro were fantastic gems and emphatically some of the best noise-canceling earbuds of last year. That, but with extra translation skills on the ear? Take my money…