Sony WH-CH720N / Samsung Galaxy Buds2 Pro

Sony WH-CH720N: WH-CH720N closed over-ear wireless headphones; black, white, blue and pink. The WH-CH710N (previous generation), WH-CH520 (no ANC) and the WH-1000X series are separate models.

Samsung Galaxy Buds2 Pro: Galaxy Buds2 Pro (2022); Graphite, White and Bora Purple. The Galaxy Buds Pro (2021), Buds2 and Buds3 Pro are separate models.

SpecificationSony WH-CH720NSamsung Galaxy Buds2 Pro
Release year20232022
Noise cancellingActive noise cancelling with Integrated Processor V1 and Dual Noise Sensor; Ambient Sound mode

Microphones inside and outside each cup sample noise to generate an inverse signal; Ambient Sound mode lets you hear surroundings without removing the headphones.

Sony		ANC; 3 high-SNR microphones (2 outer + 1 inner); Ambient Sound; Voice Detect

According to Samsung, cancellation is 40% better than the Buds Pro (50 Hz–1 kHz average). Voice Detect switches to ambient mode and lowers media volume when you start speaking.

Samsung
Driver and frequency30 mm dynamic driver; 7–20,000 Hz (JEITA); 20–20,000 Hz over Bluetooth (44.1 kHz) Sony—
Bluetooth and codecsBluetooth 5.2; A2DP, AVRCP, HFP, HSP; SBC and AAC; about 10 m range

AAC works well as the default codec on iPhones; no high-bitrate codec is listed.

Sony		—
MultipointConnection to two Bluetooth devices at the same time

For example, you can switch between a phone and a laptop without re-pairing.

Sony		—
BatteryMusic up to 35 hours with NC on, 50 hours off; calls up to 35 hours NC on, 40 hours off; about 3.5 hours to charge over USB SonyEarbuds 61 mAh, case 515 mAh (typical); with ANC on 5 hours / 18 hours with case; ANC off 8 / 29 hours Samsung
Wired useDetachable cable of about 1.2 m with gold-plated L-shaped 3.5 mm plug; passive operation

When the battery runs out you can keep listening passively over the cable.

Sony		—
Microphone and processingPrecise Voice Pickup beamforming mic; wind noise reduction structure; DSEE

DSEE tries to restore high frequencies lost in compressed music files.

Sony		—
Impedance and sensitivityNC on 325 Ω / off 31 Ω (1 kHz); NC on 108 dB/mW / off 99 dB/mW Sony—
WeightAbout 192 g Sony—
Driver—Custom coaxial 2-way speaker (tweeter + woofer)

In a coaxial design the tweeter and woofer share one axis, aiming to keep sound from coming from two separate points.

Samsung
Sound quality—24-bit Hi-Fi; 360 Audio with Direct Multi-Channel

24-bit audio only works with Samsung Galaxy devices running One UI 4.0 or later and in supported apps. 360 Audio positions sound according to head movement.

Samsung
Connectivity and codec—Bluetooth 5.3; Auto Switch; Samsung Seamless Codec HiFi, AAC, SBC

The Seamless Codec is only used with Samsung phones; other phones fall back to AAC or SBC. Android 8.0 and more than 1.5 GB of RAM are required; some features are missing on non-Samsung devices.

Samsung
Talk time—With ANC on 3.5 hours / 14 hours with case; ANC off 4 / 15 hours Samsung
Sensors—Accelerometer, gyro, proximity, Hall, touch, Voice Pickup Unit (VPU) Samsung
Water resistance—IPX7 (earbuds; up to 30 minutes in 1 m of fresh water)

The charging case is not water resistant; beach and pool use is not advised.

Samsung
Size and weight—Earbud 19.9 × 21.6 × 18.7 mm, 5.5 g; case 50.1 × 50.2 × 27.7 mm, 43.4 g Samsung