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Australia

West Australians embrace clothes swaps, dress hiring and upcycling amid concerns about fast fashion

A woman with red hair and glasses in front of a clothes and make-up stand

In a world of mass-produced fast fashion, West Australians are increasingly turning to new initiatives to give their clothes a second life.

With each Australian throwing out more than 20kg of textile waste a year, some individuals, councils and companies in Western Australia are trying to reduce the amount of clothes being sent to local landfills.

Among the initiatives taking off in WA is trading garments through community clothes swaps, hiring outfits rather than buying them and upcycling or re-fashioning old clothes.

WA style counselor Ciara Lowe-Thiedeman said the second hand economy was booming.

“The number of people interested in these kinds of initiatives, in second-hand, in understanding how to get the best garments at the best price and how to keep things in circulation and how to earn money from your bad decisions as well – is hugely on the rise,” she said

A woman in a green dress sorts through a suitcase of clothes
Councils and communities are holding clothes swaps to cut back on textile waste.(ABC News: Jacqueline Lynch)

“Teenagers and young people are hiring much more often because hiring is also much more affordable.

“Lots of people are doing it, it’s becoming rife and I applaud it.”

Ms Lowe-Thiedeman said she was glad to see people moving towards greener fashion choices at a time when many were still embracing mass-produced, low-cost clothes known as fast-fashion.

“I think slowly but surely we are becoming more aware. [But] we’re not becoming aware fast enough,” she said.

“We’ve got this rise of little industries, you know, your clothes swaps, your second-hand shops and your op shops – because they’re making money off peoples excess or people’s bad mistakes.”

WA councils lend a hand

The Eastern Metropolitan Regional Council, which handles waste for several Perth councils, started holding community clothes swaps in an attempt to stop textiles ending up in landfill and recycling bins.

Vintage clothing on a rack.
Community clothes swaps are becoming increasingly popular.(ABC News: Kerrin Thomas)

Waste education coordinator Isabelle Marie said it was about getting more people interested in re-using garments and breaking down the stigma of second hand clothes

“People always proudly tell us when they’re wearing something that has come from the swap,” Ms Marie said.

She said the swaps were becoming more popular.

“From the very first swap, when we’re looking at our numbers, we have started to see them increase,” she said.

“More people are aware and more people are attending.”

It’s ‘cool’ to thrift and upcycle

However, the rise in popularity of these new thrifty initiatives had not dimmed visitation to local op shops.

Good Sammy chief executive Kane Blackman said stores were full of people buying clothes for themselves and even re-working them for a profit.

“It’s very cool to thrift right now,” he said.

“We’re seeing about 30,000 Western Australians coming into our stores every week.

“People come in and they see opportunities in some clothing, to make a small amendment, to make it into something new – we’re seeing a great demand for that.

A man in a blue jacket stands between two clothes racks
Good Sammy CEO Kane Blackman says customers often bought clothes and upcycled them into something new.(ABC News: Ashleigh Davis)

“Some of them do upcycle it and a number of people do sell those items online. So we’re creating secondary employment for people across the state.”

Mr Blackman said people were becoming more socially aware of the impacts of textile waste.

Textile waste rotting away in landfill

Data from Australia’s Department of Climate Change, Energy, Environment and Water showed the average Australian bought 27kg of new clothes each year and discarded about 23kg into landfill.

Curtin University School of Design researcher Dr Anne Farren said that it was “a massive amount” of textile waste to deal with locally.

“If we are all producing that level of waste and we just look at the WA situation, we’re getting up to around 60 million tonnes of garment waste produced in WA,” she said.

A woman in a green jacket at an opp shop
Experts say people are becoming more aware of the environmental impacts of fast fashion.(ABC News: Ashleigh Davis)

Dr Farren said anything that could be done to stop textile waste going to landfill was fantastic.

“A lot of the textile waste unfortunately doesn’t break down … synthetic material often has a plastic component to it and they just take forever to break down,” she said.

“It’s as bad as and similar to a plastic.”

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Categories
Technology

Security Researcher Raises Alarm After Detecting Possible Threat To macOS Version Of Zoom / Digital Information World

Security Researcher Raises Alarm After Detecting Possible Threat To macOS Version Of Zoom / Digital Information World

A security researcher has reportedly raised the alarm about a possible threat to the macOS version of Zoom.

The researcher claims to have found a new means through which attackers would now be able to enter into the whole operating system, thanks to a number of loopholes in the security offered by the platform.

New details surrounding the exploitation had to do with a presentation provided by Mac’s renowned security specialist named Patrick Wardle. He shed light on the matter in Las Vegas’s recent hacking conference that was held last Friday.

While some of the vulnerable bugs are gone, thanks to a quick interception by Zoom in this regard, it doesn’t mean everything is back to normal. The researcher has noted that there still remains one unresolved vulnerability that continues to affect all systems today.

As far as how the threat works are concerned, well, it has been detailed to target the installer involved in downloading Zoom. This is only possible when users give consent to allow a new Zoom to come forward or the old one to be removed from their device.

The installer needs the users to plug in their password when including the app in the system for the first time. When this occurs, Wardle realized that there was one function for auto updates that was continuing to run in the background after being given some great privileges.

When the app was seen releasing an update, the vulnerability would also get on board with the new version after making sure it was related to Zoom cryptographically. But the fact that there was now a bug being incorporated in the whole checking order means that if any file was provided with a similar name as that seen across the certificate of Zoom, it would pass this test with ease.

This way, so many attackers get the chance to replace any program on the app with malware and make it work thanks to the updater that gave it special privileges. And in the end, what you get is a privileged attack. This automatically thinks the attacker has entered the system and in the end, exploitation is conducted to get further access across the app.

At first, attackers start off as restricted users but within a short timeframe, they’re elevated to higher or superior statuses that are also commonly called superusers. This enables file addition, removal, and even deletion along the way.

Wardle was seen mentioning how he had warned Zoom last year in December regarding the major security threat. But to his dismay, their attempts at fixing it resulted in the addition of another major bug. This means there was still a bigger vulnerability at hand that could be exploited.

For this reason, I have waited for a good eight months, before publishing his recent research. This is after he told Zoom about the presence of a second bug.

Zoom provides a defense statement claiming that it gave a patch that would help rid the app but little did they know at the time that it wasn’t good enough to prevent the app from being exploited.

At the moment, the bug is definitely still working on Zoom but Wardle has mentioned how simple it is to fix. And that’s why his hopes of talking about it publicly can make all the difference.

As far as the latest update from Zoom is concerned, they have acknowledged the news with the firm’s head of security making claims of how they’re working hard to fix it diligently.

H/T: The Verge

Read next: Black Hat 2022 Security Researchers Reveal Hidden Loopholes In Tracking Devices

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Categories
Sports

Bombers-Hawks AFLW match moved to Docklands following ‘unprecedented’ ticket demand

Hawthorn AFLW players clap their hands as they leave the MCG in a preseason match.

The AFLW first-round match between Essendon and Hawthorn has been moved to the 53,359-capacity Docklands stadium due to a massive demand for tickets.

The historic match between the two AFLW newcomers — to be played on August 27 — was to be held at the 12,000-capacity North Port Oval in Melbourne, but the initial allocation of tickets sold out within 24 hours.

AFL general manager of women’s football Nicole Livingstone said the venue relocation was an indication of the increasing interest in AFLW.

“We’re in an incredible place coming into our seventh season and I couldn’t be prouder of every single person who got us here,” she said.

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AFL executive member Travis Auld said the demand for tickets was “unprecedented.”

“Quite simply the fans of both clubs, and supporters of women’s footy in general showed why we needed to move to a bigger venue by selling out the game so quickly,” he said.

“Two proud clubs, a historic occasion for them and another historic moment for the AFLW competition.”

Port Adelaide and Sydney join Essendon and Hawthorn as the new AFLW teams, meaning the competition will feature all 18 AFL clubs.

The AFLW season begins on August 25, with Carlton hosting Collingwood at Princes Park.

Adelaide and Melbourne meet in a grand final rematch the following evening at Norwood Oval.

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Categories
Australia

Family who fled Afghanistan reunited in Adelaide after a decade apart, after successful court case against Australian government

Family who fled Afghanistan reunited in Adelaide after a decade apart, after successful court case against Australian government

A family who fled Afghanistan after their daughter was killed in a missile attack has finally been reunited in South Australia.

The Rezaee family had been separated for more than a decade as they waited for humanitarian visas to be processed.

Abdullah Rezaee said he was granted permanent refugee status in Australia in 2011, after he was forced to flee his homeland.

“I was working in an association and, because of that, my life was being threatened by the Taliban and I was at risk, so I couldn’t feel safe in Afghanistan, so I had to flee,” he said.

“That time was very hard for me, I was upset and sick.”

A young man in a maroon top hugs a small child wearing a red shirt
Fida Rezaee, 17, with her sister, Maliha, two.(ABC News: Che Chorley)

After moving to Pakistan as refugees, Abdullah’s wife, Fatima, and their surviving children applied for Australian visas in 2017.

Earlier this year, they still had received no response, so the family took the Australian government to court over the delay.

Their lawyer, Josephine Langbien, said the court case argued that the government had failed its legal responsibility to determine visa applications within a reasonable time.

“They had been waiting [more than] four years and I think anyone can agree that it is simply an unreasonable length of time to have to wait,” Ms Langbien said.

The Australian government granted the case and issued the family with permanent visas.

Weeks later the family were reunited in Adelaide.

A man wearing a black jacket and white shirt looks directly into the camera
Abdullah Rezaee and his family lived apart for a decade.(ABC News: Che Chorley)

Zamin Ali, 20, said there were tears of joy when he first saw his father.

“I was waiting for the moment of the reunion with my father. It was like a dream come true,” he said.

“It was as if I was waiting my whole life to be reunited with my father because we were apart for many years.”

Mr Ali now dreams of becoming a professional soccer player or a doctor.

His younger sister, 14-year-old Frozan, has been taking English lessons for new arrivals.

Mr Rezaee said it was “very important” that his children could go to school.

“In Pakistan and in Afghanistan they cannot go to school. They have a lot of problems,” he said.

“Now, here, they are going to school. I am very happy.”

A young smiling girl stares out of a window covered with a thin white curtain
Frozan Rezaee, 14, has been taking English lessons.(ABC News: Che Chorley)

The family’s four-year visa order is not uncommon.

Ms Langbien — who works at the Human Rights Law Center — said thousands of Afghan families remained separated while waiting for visas.

“After two decades of war, Australia owes a moral obligation to the people of Afghanistan,” she said.

“We have a responsibility to do more to help. We can do more to help.”

“We need the new government to increase its commitment to supporting families who are separated between Australia and Afghanistan and work so much faster to bring those families back together.”

The Human Rights Law Center said 211,000 Afghans have applied for humanitarian visas in Australia since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan a year ago.

Ms Langbien said more than 7,000 people from Afghanistan were currently waiting for family visas to be processed, and close to 5,000 of those have been waiting longer than two years for an answer.

“We promised additional humanitarian visas, but we know that only a few thousand of those visas have actually been issued,” she said.

A smiling woman wearing a gray hijab
Fatima Rezaee’s family were one of many waiting for visas to be processed.(ABC News: Che Chorley)

Federal government figures show that, in the past year, more than 1,700 Afghan partner and family visas have been granted.

Some of these applications were lodged back in 2012.

Arif Hussein from the Refugee Advice and Casework Service said the scale of the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan was reflected in the number of people who have sought protection from the Australian government.

“It’s important to remember [that] many of these applicants are immediate family members of those in Australia: wives, husbands and children,” he said.

“Our new government must take the opportunity for concrete action for other people from Afghanistan by committing to, and implementing, a one-off, 20,000 humanitarian intake of the most vulnerable people.”

A Department of Home Affairs spokesperson said a total of 31,500 places would be available for Afghan nationals over the next four years.

“The Australian government remains committed to supporting the Afghan community at this distressing time,” the spokesperson said.

“The department is working to ensure that visa options continue to be available to Afghan nationals, both within Afghanistan and those who have been displaced from their home country.”

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Categories
Business

Mitsubishi Recalling More Than 75,000 Outlander Sports After Dozens Experience Engine Failure

Mitsubishi Recalling More Than 75,000 Outlander Sports After Dozens Experience Engine Failure


Those who drive a 2019 or newer Mitsubishi Outlander Sport might want to park them for the time being. Back in May of 2019, three such SUVs either failed to start or stalled while driving. After a lengthy investigation and a bunch more dead Outlander Sport engines, Mitsubishi is recalling more than 75,000 examples to ensure that no more cases occur.

It was more than a year before a fourth stalling occurrence took place. Analysis of the returned engines indicated that an exhaust valve had tried to share the same physical space as a piston. That’s never a good thing but despite its best efforts, Mitsubishi couldn’t determine a root cause for the issue.

From May 2020 through April 2021 more instances continued to trickle in. They continued to show piston to exhaust valve contact but it wasn’t until bench tests and on-site investigations determined that the control logic of the CVT-ECU might be at the heart of the issue.

Read More: Ferrari Recalls Almost Every Car It Sold In The US Since 2005

Beginning in January of this year Mitsubishi began further in-depth analysis and simulations with a focus on the CVT-ECU. It found that in rare instances, the CVT-ECU briefly loses its power supply, and when the unit resets it sends the target gear ratio to the lowest “gear” possible. Imagine being on the highway and then forcing your car into first gear. That’s similar to what happens in the case of these Outlander Sports.

When that happens, the engine speeds up beyond what it can tolerate and the piston and exhaust valves meet which stalls the engine. Clearly, that’s a safety hazard and so a total of 76,508 Outlander Sports will need a software update to eliminate the risk.

Mitsubishi has concluded that there are two classes of Outlander Sport that don’t need to worry about this recall. That includes any equipped with a manual transmission (duh) and those that use a push-button start.

The automaker has received a total of 21 field reports and 29 potential warranty claims (19 of which were also field reports). Owner notification letters should be mailed by August 24th but if you own an Outlander Sport and want to confirm whether or not your vehicle is included before that you can simply call your local dealer or the NHTSA.

Categories
Technology

Relief for customers: Now broken screen of these Samsung phones will be converted to ₹2300

Relief for customers: Now broken screen of these Samsung phones will be converted to ₹2300

The cost of repairing expensive phones is also high, but Samsung has given great relief to customers of its high-end smartphones. We’re talking about Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Galaxy Z Flip 4 customers. The company launched these two new foldable phones to the world at the Unpacked event this week. To encourage customers to purchase the new foldable phone, the company is significantly repair costs under the Samsung Care+ reducing subscription plan this year. The Samsung Care+ plan includes coverage for drops, spills, and cracked screens. Eligible customers can replace the damaged screen of the new foldable phone by paying $29 (around Rs 2,300).

Samsung’s foldable phones come with one year of Samsung Care+ accidental damage protection. As mentioned, it covers devices against accidental damage, including screen replacement, water damage, and back cover replacement. However, after the warranty period, users will need to pay the full price for the folding screen replacement.

Also Read – 10 Cheapest Smartphones on Flipkart-Amazon: With Up to 6000mAh Battery and Up to 4GB RAM

This is the out-of-warranty screen repair cost
As reported by The Verge, new Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Galaxy Z Flip 4 repair costs now start at $29 (around Rs 2,300) to fix a broken screen. The screen repair cost for the previous generation Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Galaxy Z Flip 3 is around Rs 19,800 for those without standard warranty. According to Samsung’s support page, Samsung Care+ without out-of-warranty screen repair costs up to $480 (around Rs 38,200) for these models.

Price and features of the new foldable phone
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Galaxy Z Flip 4 are expected to hit stores in the coming weeks with minor upgrades over their previous Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Galaxy Z Flip 3 models. India will start from noon on August 16th. Both new phones are powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chip and support variable refresh rate. The screen and back glass have Corning Gorilla Glass Victus Plus protection and are IPX8 rated for dust and water resistance. The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 starts at $1,799.99 (around Rs 1,42,700), while the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 starts at $999 (around Rs 79,000).

Categories
Sports

Motorsports world stunned by ‘incredible’ eight-car crash in Formula E at Seoul Grand Prix

There was a huge pile-up in the Formula E race in Seoul.

An extraordinary eight-car crash has brought the second last race of the Formula E championship to a halt in Seoul on Saturday.

The chaos occurred on the opening lap of the Seoul E-Prix as the field went into the last corner, led by Jaguar driver Norman Nato.

Watch Every Practice, Qualifying & Race of the 2022 FIA Formula One World Championship™ Live on Kayo. New to Kayo? Start your free trial now >

After Nato came Sebastiaen Beumi, who was then followed by Nick Cassidy, Dan Ticktum, Oliver Askew, Andre Lotterer, Nyck De Vries and Oliver Turvey.

Nato and Cassidy were the only drivers able to continue their race after they managed to remove themselves for the messy pileup.

The race was red flagged but motorsport fans couldn’t believe their eyes as a car became perched on top of the Mercedes of De Vries, who was protected by the halo.

“A couple of big hits at the back,” the commentator said.

“Everyone piles into the back, a really weird accident that. Very strange incident there.”

Motorsport writer Hazel Southwell tweeted: “Buemi, Askew, Lotterer, Ticktum, Turvey, Cassidy, Nato and De Vries in the wall. Buemi also on the Mercedes. simply incredible Formula E stuff (red flag, they all seem to be OK, just no one seemed to be able to brake).”

Several of the cars had to be taken away on the back of trucks, much to the amusement of viewers.

Nato said the slippery surface on the wide part of the track, which weaves through Seoul’s Olympic Stadium, was his undoing.

“In the middle of the pack the visibility in the last sector was quite poor,” said Nato, who was able to restart the race.

“One guy in front of me, I don’t even know who he was to be honest because I couldn’t really see, he was really cautious and braked.

“The two cars in front of me, they tried to avoid him and when I arrived I got a bit surprised and I had to avoid, going on the left-hand side of the apex.

“The tarmac is really different at this part and that’s why we saw so many cars (in the wall) because so many people tried to do the same to avoid the inside because of one car.

Formula E crash or parking bay? Photo: Twitter.Source: Twitter

“On the outside, you have no chance to turn. Six cars or seven cars out in one corner is not what we expected.”

Lotterer added: “Basically, it was super slippery out there.

“Same, like the other guys, just touched the brakes and it was just like ice. Nothing you can do from that point on.

“I don’t think it’s braking too late, it was where there was paint, maybe some cars just happened to be on those patches of paint and lock up and that’s it.

“I managed to find a little gap and not hit another car but I still hit it, but not full on.”

The race restarted with Mitch Evans in the lead, who went on to claim victory in the penultimate race of the season ahead of Oliver Rowland and Lucas di Grassi.

It means the championship battle will go down to the last race of the season as Evans attempts to chase down Stoffel Vandoorne.

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Categories
Australia

You boss of Judith Neilson Institute seeks legal advice over dismissal

You boss of Judith Neilson Institute seeks legal advice over dismissal

The ousted boss of Judith Neilson’s embattled journalism institute has obtained legal advice about suing the organization over his dismissal as executive director.

Mark Ryan, a former adviser to Paul Keating and long-time adviser to the Lowy family, led the Judith Neilson Institute for Journalism and Ideas since its inception, and was working with lawyers to negotiate his exit after Neilson requested his removal.

Billionaire Judith Neilson and the executive director of her journalism institute, Mark Ryan, have parted ways.

Billionaire Judith Neilson and the executive director of her journalism institute, Mark Ryan, have parted ways.Credit:James Brickwood/Judith Neilson Institute

In an email sent to JNI’s international advisory council early last week, seen by this masthead, Ryan says he still has not been provided with reasons for his removal.

“It’s been a very disappointing episode to say the least, made more so by the fact that no coherent rationale has been provided for what was a totally unnecessary disruption to the Institute and its hard-working staff,” Ryan said in an email last Tuesday .

“I’m advised by Australia’s pre-eminent employment law firm Clayton Utz that I have strong grounds to pursue an adverse action claim and am reserving my rights in that regard.”

Ryan did not respond to requests for comments for this article. His exit de ella came more than two months after the Institute’s four independent directors received a letter from Neilson outlining plans to remove him from his position de ella, and appoint her daughter Beau Neilson and lawyer Daniel Appleby as directors.

The letter, which Neilson conceded may have surprised the board, backpedaled on long-term plans for a coveted international prize for ideas, which was about to be announced and was initially her idea.

It led to the departure of its independent directors – former NSW Justice Jim Spigelman, Free TV chief executive Bridget Fair, former Victoria State Library CEO and current boss of the Peter MacCallum Cancer Foundation Kate Torney, and The Australian’s editor-at-large Paul Kelly – who were concerned about the independence of the organisation.

For their part, sources close to the institute said staff members have clarity on Neilson’s new vision and have not raised issues internally.

Categories
Business

Delayed interest rate pain for some home buyers set to drop in time for Christmas

Delayed interest rate pain for some home buyers set to drop in time for Christmas

Aird said this delay would probably have a macroeconomic impact.

“There is a lag between changes in the cash rate and the impact it has on monthly cash flow for borrowers on a floating rate mortgage,” he said.

“At CBA, for example, by December the impact of already announced rate rises on monthly cash flow for mortgage holders on variable rate loans will be a four-fold increase compared to July.

“As such, there is a strong case to slow the pace of rate rises given we expect consumption growth to slow significantly as the lagged impact of rate hikes impacts many households.”

Financial markets expect the official cash rate to peak at 3.6 per cent by March and then edge down by Christmas 2023.

The RBA board has six meetings between now and March. To reach 3.6 per cent, it would have to lift the cash rate by half a percentage point at one meeting and then a quarter percentage point at each other meeting.

It would amount to the fastest, and most aggressive, increase in interest rates since before the 1990-91 recession, when the bank had interest rates at 17.5 per cent.

Aird, who was one of the first economists to tip the RBA would start tightening monetary policy in 2022, believes the central bank – which has increased rates by half a percentage point at its last three meetings – may slow its increases to a quarter of a percentage point.

He said official interest rates would probably peak at 2.6 per cent before the RBA cut them in the second half of next year, predicting a combined half percentage point reduction in the cash rate at that time.

Data from National Australia Bank suggests the combination of higher interest rates and inflation is starting to bite.

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Its measure of financial hardship showed the proportion of Australians struggling with the cost of living rose sharply to 35 per cent in the June quarter. It was at a survey-low of 29 per cent in the March quarter.

Hardship is most widespread in Western Australia, at 43 per cent, and has been climbing in the state since the start of last year. Inflation in Perth is at a nation-high of 7.4 per cent.

The biggest increase in hardship was in NSW and ACT, where it jumped from 26 per cent to 38 per cent.

NAB’s personal banking group executive, Rachel Slade, said while most of the bank’s customers were in a good financial position, there were some pockets of concern.

“Seventy per cent of NAB customers are ahead on their home loan payments but we do know there are some people who are feeling the pressure of an increased cost of living,” she said.

Cut through the noise of federal politics with news, views and expert analysis from Jacqueline Maley. Subscribers can sign up to our weekly Inside Politics newsletter here.

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Technology

Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro early review: Most comfortable wireless earbuds yet?

Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro early review: Most comfortable wireless earbuds yet?

Galaxy Buds 2 Pro in their case with a phone showing the app

Jason Cipriani/ZDNet

Earlier this week Samsung announced a handful of new devicesall slated to begin arriving on Aug. 26. There are new Galaxy ZFold 4 and Galaxy ZFlip 4 smartphones, the Galaxy Watch 5 and Watch 5 Proand Galaxy Buds 2 Pro wireless earbuds. Shortly after the event ended, I received a review sample of the Buds 2 Pro.

For the past 48 hours, I’ve been using them as much as I could, listening to music and watching a few YouTube videos on a Z Flip 4. Thus far, the Buds 2 Pro are delivering on the promise of high-end wireless earbuds, with one exception.

Specifications

microphones 3 in each earbud
speaker Custom coaxial 2-way speaker
connectivity Bluetooth 5.3
Battery life w/ANC 5 hours listening, 18 hours total with case
Battery life w/ANC off 8 hours listening, 29 hours total with case
Features: Active noise cancellation, ambient mode, 360 audio, voice detection
Colors Bora Purple, Graphite, White
Water and sweat resistance IPX7
Price $229

Comfort is key

After 48 hours, I can say that the Buds 2 Pro just might be the most comfortable wireless earbuds I’ve worn yet. I was able to use the default medium-size ear tips that come installed on the earbuds. There are small and large tips included in the box, along with a USB-C to USB-C charging cable.

Comparing the Buds 2 Pro with the Pixel Buds Pro and AirPods Pro, Samsung’s earbuds have a unique shape to them. There’s the ear tip, then a small bump that fits nicely into my ear, with a larger area on the outside that houses the touchpad.

Review: Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4: Lighter, brighter, and more user-friendly

I’ve been able to wear them for several hours nonstop without having to take a break because my ears are sore or feel uncomfortable. I also don’t feel as if the Buds 2 Pro are going to fall out of my ear. Maybe that’s because they feel much lighter than the Pixel Buds Pro. Each individual Buds 2 Pro earbud weighs 5.5 grams, while the Pixel Buds Pro earbuds weigh 6.2 grams each. It’s not a lot, but I can feel the difference (to be clear, I didn’t look up the weight until I started writing this, so it’s not a placebo effect).

The Galaxy Buds 2 Pro and a closed Galaxy Z Flip phone

Jason Cipriani/ZDNet

Sound quality and Pro features

The Buds 2 Pro have all of the staple features that now come with the Pro nomenclature for wireless earbuds. That means quick pairing, active noise cancellation (ANC) to block out background noise and some form of ambient or transparency mode that lets in background noise. All of those features work as expected, and are on par with the AirPods Pro or Pixel Buds Pro.

The ANC is strong enough to block out my very loud mechanical keyboard and office air conditioner when it’s running, while ambient mode lets all of that through while not drowning out the music I’m listening to.

The Buds 2 Pro, however, have a Voice Detect feature that turns on ambient mode and lowers the volume of whatever you’re listening to once it detects that you’re talking. The assumption is that you’re talking to someone, and adjusting the sound will make you better able to hear the person. After 10 seconds of the earbuds no longer detecting your voice, the sound settings revert to their previous state.

In a couple of quick tests, I found voice detection works well. It’s fast to respond when I start talking, and turns everything down low enough that I can hear someone across the room. You can customize the 10-second timeout to either 5 or 15 seconds, but not any longer than that. I wouldn’t mind a 20-second option.

Samsung also added 360 Audio to the Buds 2 Pro. It’s a feature that’s similar to Apple’s Spatial Audio that creates the effect of being surrounded by the music you’re listening to or the video you’re watching. Samsung’s 360 Audio is not as aggressive as Spatial Audio, but there have been times when I forgot 360 Audio was turned on and I’d turn my head and hear different instruments singled out.

Both Voice Detect and 360 Audio are features that you have to turn on in the Wear app — they aren’t enabled by default.

As for sound quality, Samsung added 24-bit Hi-Fi sound to the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro, but you need to have an audio source or streaming service that also supports 24-bit Hi-Fi. I don’t have access to either, so all I can speak to is the standard audio experience. As with ANC and ambient mode, the sound quality of the Buds 2 Pro is in line with other high-end wireless earbuds.

Battery life thus far has been good, but I need more time in order to get a real feel for how long the earbuds last, and how often I have to charge the case itself. More on battery life in the coming weeks, but as of right now it’s not something I’m worried about.

Galaxy Buds 2 Pro case, closed

Jason Cipriani/ZDNet

Automatic switching doesn’t seem to work

Or at least, I can’t figure it out. Samsung promises that once you pair the Buds 2 Pro with a Samsung device, the rest of your Samsung devices will automatically switch to the Buds 2 Pro if they’re in use and you start playing audio or receive a call. The caveat here is that you have to be signed in to both devices with the same Samsung account.

I did the initial setup and pairing of the Buds 2 Pro with the new Galaxy Z Flip 4, using the one and only Samsung account I have. On a few occasions, I’ve been listening to music on the Z Flip 4, and then tried to start streaming music or watch a YouTube video on my personal Z Fold 3 and a review model Z Fold 4. Not once has the audio switched away from the Flip 4 to either Fold device.

This is similar to my experience with the feature in the past with Samsung’s wireless earbuds. Am I doing something wrong?

I’ve reached out to Samsung about the apparent lack of auto-switching and will provide an update.

You can use the Buds 2 Pro with non-Samsung devices by pairing them via the traditional Bluetooth method. You need to place both earbuds in the charging case, and then long-press on both touchpads until the status light starts flashing red, green, and blue.

The Buds 2 Pro don’t support multipoint connections like the Pixel Buds Pro do. That means the Buds 2 Pro can only stay connected to one device at a time. If you want to switch from, say, a MacBook Pro back to your Galaxy phone, you’ll need to unlock the phone, open the Settings app, go to Connections and then Bluetooth, and select the earbuds.

For anyone who has multiple devices made by multiple companies, it’s a cumbersome and inconvenient process. And that’s unfortunate.

To be fair, Apple’s AirPods Pro (and the rest of the AirPods lineup) work in a similar fashion when in use with non-Apple devices. However, automatic switching between Apple devices is seamless.

Bottom line… for now

Early impressions are important, but I won’t pass final judgment after a couple of days of testing. Instead, I plan on updating this hands-on/early review over the course of the next two weeks, leading up to the full launch on Aug. 26. I have a couple of flights before then, which will be a great test of battery life and how well active noise cancellation blocks out noise.

Plenty more to eat.