The Horizon Earphones are essentially M&D’s $299 MW07 Plus earbuds, but with Louis Vuitton branding, so you’re paying a big fee for the prestige. To be fair, this year’s offerings look a bit more exciting — there are some bold color choices like neon yellow, and they sport either the Louis Vuitton monogram or the brand’s signature flower designs in contrasting metallic finishes. In terms of functional updates, the buds now have 10 hours of listening time, an ambient listening mode for in-person conversations, improved active noise cancellation, and more sensitive microphones for voice functions and phone calls. The new case can charge wirelessly and stores an additional 20 hours of battery life.

While most people will probably roll their eyes at the nearly $800 markup, there’s certainly a market for this type of collaboration. And let’s be real here — these look dope.

Design

When it came to the physical design of the Galaxy Buds, Billy liked how the smaller size meant the buds hardly stuck out of his ears and made them more comfortable to wear. Users largely appreciated the compact size of both buds and charging case; Jeremy said he loves the case, while Jon felt it fit nicely in his pocket. Julian also found the case “light and easy to carry” and Yielar called it “nice and slim.” Zeddy described the buds’ form factor as “one of the most subtle headphones I’ve ever used” but clarified that “they might actually be too subtle as I’m approached at work all the time when on a call.”

Fit

One of the most important things about earbuds is their fit, and here users were well satisfied. RK called them “extremely comfortable,” and Babydinosaur said they “fit well into the ears, have never loosened or fallen out and don’t cause aching any more than other earphones.” Keyana declared the fit “light years ahead of the constant drill-them-into-my-ears-and-hope-for-the-best way of the IconX.” Justinc92 didn’t worry about the buds falling out, even when riding a motorcycle. Sjaak, b4ur2old and Jonathan all said they had similarly satisfying fits when exercising or at the gym. ScottPhil had one qualification: He uses Comply foam tips for isolation, “otherwise the Galaxy Buds would be unusable on my usual running routes along busy roads.”

Controls

While Billy felt consistently frustrated by the controls on the Galaxy Buds, none of our user reviewers felt the same. Overall, users seemed satisfied with the controls — Sjaak was pleased there were “not too many over complicated features,” and Yielar said there was everything “you’d expect including volume control.” Jon said he’s “gotten proficient with using the tap controls that handle moving through the music,” and “start/stop/pause is flawless.” Zeddy likewise said the controls worked and enjoyed the tapping action. However, Fidel Eladio noted auto pause was missing (the Galaxy Buds require users to remove both buds at the same time to activate this feature, which also irked Billy), while Justinc92 added that their only minor complaint was with the volume control.

Charging and battery life

While the Galaxy Buds charging case holds a single charge, the earbuds can also be juiced up wirelessly via Powershare. Billy listed the solid battery life as a pro in his review card, and our user reviewers agreed with him. Babydinosaur said they never found themselves wanting more battery life, and Julian said he found the charging case carries more than enough to charge the Buds fully at least once. Justinc92 appreciated the wireless charging, saying it “really comes in handy when I forget to charge them at home,” which is a common concern with wireless headphones or earbuds. Yielar really enjoyed the wireless charging since “I can simply throw them on my wireless charger as needed,” but also added that the Buds held a “decent six-hour battery life, and another seven hours worth when charging using the case.”

Sound

Next to fit, one of the most important aspects when reviewing earbuds is sound quality; Billy found the Galaxy Buds satisfactory but he preferred the experience with the Dynamic EQ preset on. However, the user reviewers were generally positive and even enthusiastic about the audio. Keyana found the sound richer than the IconX, Justinc92 called its quality great and Zeddy thought it was wonderful. Babydinosaur said the audio “is rich and easily heard during a journey on the noisy London Underground.” LordRahl72 said “these Samsung buds have a very nice sound to them, much better than I had originally expected they would.”

Julian said the Galaxy Buds’ excellent audio quality “can be attributed to the noise cancelling feature, which can be counteracted by turning ambient sound on.” Hector said his results varied depending on which music app he used, but that “Samsung’s wearable app combined with the Galaxy Buds” produced the best results for him. Jeremy also found the audio lacking in volume and bass. And Jon said the only thing he wanted more of was ambient noise control, as “I would have enjoyed having more of the surrounding sound piped in through the Galaxy Wearable control app.”

When it came to taking calls on the Galaxy Buds, results were mixed. Jon said “people have heard me talk on them and it sounds crystal clear.” However, Senita found the buds to be “pretty worthless as no one can even hear me talking on them.” RK rated the call quality “questionable at best.”

Bluetooth

Although Billy didn’t experience any pairing or connection issues when testing the Galaxy Buds, he acknowledged that some had been reported (mostly by Pixel 3XL users). This echoed the feedback from our user reviewers: While Babydinosaur said their connection had always been stable and both Philip82c and Yielar found the earbuds easily and instantly paired with their devices, others had less satisfying results. Adam called his connection “seriously disappointing,” adding you should “forget about walking around or even putting your phone in your pocket and getting good sound. If you move at all it cuts in and out to the point where you can’t listen to the music.” ScottPhil said Bluetooth issues are the reason he didn’t rate the Galaxy Buds higher: “I wear my phone on the front of my body two feet from the Buds. If I move my hand between the phone and the Buds or bend at the waist too much I lose signal.” Fidel Eladio was more succinct, saying the Bluetooth connection “is garbage.”

Comparison

Although the Galaxy Buds were clearly intended to compete with Apple’s Airpods, they don’t work well within the competitor’s ecosystem. But when compared to other wireless options, most of our users were pleasantly surprised. Keyana was thrilled at the improvements made in the Buds from Samsung’s previous IconX earbuds. LordRahl72, who previously used Ultimate Ears TripleFi headphones, was impressed by how close the Galaxy Buds came to the sound quality of the pricier pair. Philip82c found the Galaxy Buds superior to the Jabra Elite Sport buds in fit while wearing a motorcycle helmet, as well as in connectivity and battery life. Only b4ur2old dissented, saying the Galaxy Buds didn’t sound as good as the wired AKG buds that came with their S10, and they would recommend the Samsung earbuds only if “you already own a Samsung phone.”

Wrap-up

While a few users had some small quibbles, the majority were happy with their purchase. Keyana said that “honestly, this year’s Galaxy Buds are the very best truly wireless earbuds that I’ve ever owned. Excellent, excellent purchase on my part and an even better product on Samsung’s.” LordRahl72 said they find themselves using the buds “more often for the simple ease of use and added functionality. I would easily recommend these for anyone wanting good sounding easy fitting wireless buds without breaking the bank in the process.” Justinc92 said they “love the Samsung Galaxy Buds; I use them every day all day,” a sentiment that was seconded by ScottPhil who’s used them daily for five months for exercise and yard work. Yielar said they’re “overall very happy with the Samsung Buds and I do recommend them.” Overall, Philip82c said the Galaxy Buds are a “great value and quality for the price.”

In terms of battery life, the MW07 Plus now offers 10 hours of listening time on a charge. The included aluminum charging case packs three full charges, so you can expect up to 40 hours of use before you’ll need to reach for a USB-C cord, according to the company. Thanks to a quick-charge feature, the earbuds can charge to 50 percent in 15 minutes and a full charge takes 40 minutes. That’s for both the earbuds in the case and the entire set plugged in — those times apply to either method. M&D upgraded to Bluetooth 5.0 with support for aptX and SBC and says it increased the range to 100 feet (30 meters). I had some issues with wireless range on the original MW07, so I’m looking forward to putting that figure to the test during a full review.

The company also added active noise cancellation (ANC) on the MW07 Plus. Via the on-board volume controls, you can activate ANC and an ambient sound mode — or turn them both off entirely — with a long press. Between the battery upgrade and the addition of noise cancellation, what M&D is offering here is pretty impressive considering it managed to do so without increasing the price.

Master & Dynamic also increased the ingress protection on the MW07 Plus to IPX5 water resistance. While the new MW07 Go might be a better option for the gym, the MW07 Plus should hold up just fine during your sweat sessions. There are also four beamforming microphones (two on each side) that the company says will filter out ambient noise to focus on your voice. Physical controls are here as well, giving you the ability to adjust volume, play/pause, skip tracks and activate a voice assistant without having to pick up your phone.

Like the MW07, the MW07 Plus has acetate enclosures. Master & Dynamic opted for the material that’s typically used in sunglasses and eyeglass frames to bring a punch of color to its earbuds. The company uses a lot of metal and leather in its products, but since you can’t really employ those on true wireless accessories (besides the case), it chose acetate as the “premium” material. The MW07 Plus will come in four colors: Tortoiseshell, White Marble, Steel Blue and Black Quartz. That last colorway is a Kevin Durant/Studio 35 special edition. Durant and his Thirty Five Ventures invested in M&D earlier this year. The MW07 Plus also comes with three sizes of the company’s Fit Wings and five different eartip options.

The MW07 Plus is available from Master & Dynamic today for $299, and will go on sale at Best Buy October 20th.

M&D says it discovered people were using the MW07 for workouts, even though they weren’t specifically built for it. That first model is only IPX4 rated against splashes. That’s probably enough to keep sweat from ruining the $299 earbuds, but much of the competition offers more substantial protection. In response to customer feedback, the company decided to create “a dedicated active model” that was smaller, more durable and had better water resistance.

The earbuds themselves are made of TR90 composite, a substance typically used to make glasses. M&D has taken inspiration from eyewear before: both the MW07 and MW07 Plus have acetate shells, which is also a material used to make glasses frames. To ensure a secure fit, the MW07 Go comes with three sizes of Fit Wings and five sizes of ear tips. You can use the earbuds with out the wings, but I’ve found they do help keep things in place. And if you need to take a call, the MW07 Go is equipped with dual beamforming microphones that the company says will “filter out external noise” if you happen to be in a loud spot.

The physical controls from the MW07 remain, with volume buttons on the left earbud and a multi-function option on the right for play/pause, skipping tracks and summoning your voice assistant. The MW07 Go doesn’t have proximity sensors though, so the earbuds won’t automatically pause when you take them out of your ears. They also lack the active noise cancellation and ambient sound mode found on the new MW07 Plus.

Like the MW07 Plus, the MW07 Go offers up to 10 hours of battery life on a charge. Again, that’s more than double what the first MW07 could manage. M&D swapped the shiny aluminum charging case for one that’s wrapped in knit fabric, but it kept the handy LED charging status indicators. It’s about the same size, but it’s much lighter, so stashing this case in your pocket won’t seem like a burden. The case offers an additional 12 hours of battery life and can charge the earbuds to 50 percent in 15 minutes — same for charging the entire thing with a cable. The company says a full charge in the case or for the entire set via USB-C takes 40 minutes.

The MW07 Go is available now from Master & Dynamic in red, black, blue and grey color options for $199. The earbuds will also be available at Best Buy starting October 20th.

The MW65 carries much of the same design and style from its predecessor, the MW60. There’s still a leather-wrapped headband, lambskin earpads and metal construction that give many of M&D’s headphones their premium look. Like many of the company’s other models, the MW65 will come in brown leather with silver metal and black leather with gunmetal color options at launch. M&D typically adds more colors later on, so if you prefer the red or navy leathers available on the MW60, those might arrive in the future.

Master & Dynamic tapped Bluetooth 4.2 for the wireless connectivity on the MW65, and promises up to 65 feet of range with the paired device. In terms of battery life, the company says you can expect up to 24 hours of listening time on a charge. What’s more, a quick-charge feature will get you back to 50 percent in 15 minutes. A battery-level indicator will show green when the battery is full, orange at medium level and red when you’re running low. All of these figures I’ll test during our full review.

Like many headphones these days, the MW65 has a dedicated button for your go-to voice assistant. The MW65 is optimized for Google Assistant, but based on my time using the headphones, the on-board controls work just as well for Siri. There’s also a dedicated button for ANC that allows you to toggle between three options: High (airplanes and noisy areas), Low (wind or quieter spots) and Off. And as you might expect, there are on-board controls for adjusting volume, skipping tracks, play/pause and answering calls.

At $499, the MW65 is a lot pricier than the popular noise-cancelling options from Sony and Bose. Both the Sony WH-1000XM3 and the Bose QuietComfort 35 II are $350, and you can often find them on sale even cheaper. The MW65 is only $50 more than the MW60 — a reasonable increase given the addition of ANC and the other features.