Samsung’s Unpacked event revealed a number of new devices in the Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Galaxy Watch 5, but among those announcements was a new wireless earphone in the Galaxy Buds Pro 2.
The earbuds come support a new Samsung proprietary technology called Seamless Hi-Fi Codec that, in short, claims to enable a higher quality listening experience over Bluetooth.
For more on how it works and which devices it works with, read our explanation of Samsung’s Seamless Hi-Fi Codec.
What is Samsung Seamless Hi-Fi Codec?
The latest Galaxy Buds Pro earphones come stocked with features such as 360 audio, but what caught our eye was the reveal of Samsung’s updated Seamless Codec.
Called Seamless Hi-Fi Codec, it builds on the Scalable Codec Samsung introduced a few years ago. According to South Korean brand, the codec is able to encode full 24-bit audio, transmit it to the Galaxy Buds Pro 2, which is then able to decode the signal and maintain the 24-bit high quality sound throughout the device chain.
24-bit compared to 16-bit allows for higher resolution, more detail, clarity and improved dynamic range (i.e. the loudness of music). 24-bit is a truer representation of how music was recorded and mastered, retaining more information in the audio signal than 16-bit lossless is able to. From a technical standpoint, sound quality in a 24-bit file should be better.
Samsung hasn’t gone into much more detail about its Seamless Hi-Fi Codec, but the headphones only support SBC and AAC codecs with no aptX HD, LDAC or LHDC support.
What devices does the Seamless Hi-Fi Codec work with?
There is a caveat with the Seamless Hi-Fi in that it only works with Samsung devices. A Samsung Galaxy device with One UI 4.0 or higher is required to listen to 24-bit audio with the earphones.
It also requires audio that’s in 24-bit to transmit it to the Galaxy Buds Pro 2. The likes of Spotify and Deezer won’t provide that, but potentially Tidal Hi-Fi and definitely Qobuz have tracks in 24-bit.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.