The Samsung Galaxy line of wireless earbuds has never exactly blown us away. Even if you’re a dedicated devotee with the latest Samsung phone in your pocket, a Samsung TV in your living room and a spiffy set of Samsung pyjamas to keep you cosy at night, we would usually be advising you to steer clear of the South Korean brand’s wireless earbuds and to snaffle a pair of more competent alternatives from the likes of Bose or Sony instead. Sonically, they’ve always been pretty unremarkable.
Now could be the moment all that changes. Even before hearing them, it’s clear that the Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro are different to their predecessors; they look different, they have different features, they probably even smell different to the bean-shaped buds whose place they have confidently taken. If they can also sound different (by which we mean ‘better’) than previous generations, Samsung might have a pair of buds ready to sit at the big boys’ table.
Price
Priced at £219 / $249 / AU$399, the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro are Samsung’s flagship, and thus most premium, wireless earbuds. That’s just a smidge below the premium territory occupied by the Sony WF-1000XM5 (tested at £259 / $299 / AU$419) and the Apple AirPods Pro 2 (tested at £249 / $249 / AU$399), though they may end up competing more directly with their outstanding rivals thanks to discounts dropping their competitors’ RRPs down to roughly the Buds 3 Pros’ launch figure.
Build & comfort
“Oh, I thought you were wearing AirPods.” That’s a phrase to which you might have to become accustomed if you’re thinking of purchasing a new pair of Samsung’s latest flagbearers – it was certainly uttered within the halls of our offices on more than one occasion.
There really is no getting around it: when sporting an all-white finish, Samsung’s newest buds look like a pair of AirPods. Gone is the round bean shape of their predecessors, replaced by a new configuration which blends a triangular, prism-shaped stem topped with a removable silicone ear tip. The charging case, too, puts us in mind of an Apple-made product, although its transparent lid is a key point of differentiation when placed side-by-side with the all-white, all-opaque pebble case of the AirPods Pro 2.
Bluetooth 5.4
Codec support AAC, SBC, SSC UHQ
Noise-cancelling? Yes
Battery life 7 hours on buds, 30 hours with case (ANC off); 6 hours on buds, 26 with case (ANC on)
Finishes x 2 (silver, white)
Weight 5.4g per bud
Charging case weight 46.5g
If you can look past the inevitable Apple comparison, the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro aren’t badly made. Admittedly, we're somewhat underwhelmed by how cheap and plasticky the USB-C charging case feels, while the earbuds themselves feel a little insubstantial and that stops them from coming across like a truly premium product. Those vertically placed ”Blade Lights" on each unit's spine are a fun addition, though, indicating key vital signs such as battery life and connectivity status and even flashing on command if you lose your buds in a dark room. Useful for miners and security guards on the night shift, perhaps.
Samsung’s latest are easy to get along with, feeling like an upgrade on their small, bean-shaped predecessors, although personal preference will play a part. The removable eartips are angled in slightly, allowing for a decent seal, while those lightweight stems offer decent ballast and anchorage. If you are struggling to get the security you crave, Samsung does offer an easy-to-navigate fit test via the Wearable app, confirming whether you’ve obtained an adequate seal with a simple scan of your lugs.
Still, a disappointingly small number of ear tip choices (three really isn’t enough at this level, most rivals offer four sizes now) may mean you’re always a little forced to make a compromise in obtaining an acceptable seal rather than a perfect one. We also notice that certain facial movements – in particular smiling and yawning – can cause the buds to come loose, whereas a vigorous session on the gym assault bike saw a single unit come loose as the session got truly intense. They’re not a sport-centric design, we admit, but it’s something to note if you’re planning on using the Buds 3 Pro across the full gamut of potential use cases.
Features
As hinted above, you’ll need the Samsung Wearable app to gain proper control of your new buds, which is crucially only available on Samsung Galaxy and Android 11 and above smartphone and tablet devices. Apple users, sadly, get no app support at all, with the Buds 3 Pro offering the most rewarding experience when used with a compatible Samsung device.
Noise cancelling is one of the key areas in which Samsung aims to compete with the class leaders. You can go down the more traditional routes of picking either Ambient Sound or active noise cancelling (ANC), or you can opt for Samsung’s “Adaptive” sound mode which constantly monitors the environment and automatically switches to the ambient mode when certain noises are detected. The buds are certainly good at adapting to voices on the fly, flipping immediately to the requisite setting when we engage in an impromptu office conversation, though note that generally tends to be triggered by the user’s voice rather than external speech.
Whichever mode you pick, you’ll receive solid ANC performance. While not quite at the top of the noise cancelling mountain, Samsung’s flagship buds do a fine job of dampening down the general clamour of the world, ably handling the whoosh and rush of nearby traffic while effectively softening the surrounding chatter of a busy office. Bose’s QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds remain the kings, but as they’re a more expensive proposition (officially priced at £299 / $299 / AU$450), Samsung’s effort remains strong by comparison.
There’s also support for Samsung’s take on spatial audio with head tracking, both of which can be switched on or off via the companion Wearable app and require a Samsung device in order to work. 360 spatial audio works well enough, providing a noticeable difference in giving tracks greater space and openness, if not quite managing to rival the truly exceptional performances offered by the likes of Apple or even the Jabra Elite 10. Head tracking is competent, although when we turn our head sideways there’s sometimes a small but perceptible delay before the position of the music changes accordingly.
Battery life figures are strong, clocking in at seven hours from the buds’ single charge and a total of 30 with the charging case with ANC turned off, with our set only around halfway depleted after more than a week’s worth of testing. With ANC turned on, the battery life is six hours and 26 hours respectively, which is on par with the current competition.
Customisable touch controls work well, too, letting you summon your voice assistant, control the volume and adjust playback via a series of pinches, squeezes and swipes. They take a bit of getting used to, especially with regard to the requisite pinch force required and which area of the bud will be responsive to your swipes and prods, but once you become acquainted with the system, it’s reasonably well-implemented and hassle-free.
If you’re planning on using the Buds 3 Pro for work as well as play, you’ll be pleased to hear that voice calls are handled expertly. Samsung promises 15kHz of bandwidth and yes, advanced voice-tracking AI algorithms, to make you sound your best, and it’s hard to argue with the results – the new buds sound solid, clear, natural and with pleasing levels of vocal depth during a team Zoom meeting.
Another Samsung-only feature is the inclusion of a proprietary SSC UHQ hi-res codec (which is, the Samsung Seamless Codec Ultra High Quality). This allows for transmission of up to 24-bit/96kHz music files over Bluetooth, but you’ll need the latest Galaxy devices (S24 and S23, latest two generations of Z Flip/Fold and the Tab S9) to take advantage of this codec.
Sound
It appears that Samsung has taken our comments about previous wireless earbuds on board. We criticised the company’s previous Galaxy Buds 2 Pro for sounding unengaging, even listless during testing, but that’s hardly a criticism one could level at this powerful, front-footed sequel. Instead of the dual dynamic driver configuration used in the previous generation, this latest version swaps the high-frequency driver for a new planar unit. There are also dual amplifiers to power the drivers, with Samsung promising a more comprehensive, detailed sonic performance as a result.
The improvements are clear from the get-go. A touch on the lean side, it’s space, speed and spark which are clearly strengths of Samsung’s latest, offering a sonic personality that comes across as clean, zippy and entertaining. Songs are conveyed with attack and energy, with fast tunes especially benefitting from the buds’ sparky, relentless temperament.
They’re not just flat-track bullies, either, and when paired with the right equipment and fed a decent file to get their teeth into, the Buds 3 Pro are capable of sounding seriously impressive. A Tidal recording of Soundgarden’s Bleed Together played through the Galaxy Z Flip 6 smartphone feels layered and packed with detail, with the buds doing a sterling job of pulling out varying textural hues and shades rather than simply pounding out a monolithic block of sound. The central guitar is imbued with a meaty crunch beneath screeching high notes, with fast, aggressive drums pounding beneath Chris Cornell’s incomparable wail.
We’re keen to check out just how well the Buds 3 Pro perform when using Samsung’s hi-res SSC UHQ codec through the same Flip 6, picking out a 24-bit/96kHz hi-res file of Muse’s Madness to test their credentials further. The resultant effort is impressive: detail levels remain strong, bringing out Matt Bellamy’s slightly hushed, sibilant vocals while keeping the track’s accompanying synthy throbs from becoming overly blobby or unwieldy. It’s the space and breadth that shines through, revealing the track’s open, pulled-apart nature and giving Bellamy’s vocals room to shine.
A little more solidity wouldn’t go amiss when pulling out tunes that require a bit of wallop, though. Tool’s Forty Six & 2 again showcases those pleasing levels of space and detail, but a comparative listen to the Sony WF-1000XM5 provides us with more of the substance we’re after. If you’re keen to rock out, the Samsung buds are great at latching onto the scratchiness and crunch of an electric guitar – we just wish they’d add a touch more force and heft to proceedings. Pairing them with an iPhone makes the Galaxy buds sound more compact and together, but not enough to change their spacious, lean but slightly lightweight character.
The Sony rivals are more adept rhythmically, too. When using the WF-1000XM5 with Tidal and an iPhone 15, the pulsating drums of Gareth Coker’s adrenaline-fuelled The Road from the Halo: Infinite soundtrack are conveyed with force and power, while the track’s complex string rhythm is nimbly reproduced. The Buds 3 Pro’s rendition is still enjoyable, it’s just that it doesn’t quite keep up with Sony’s effort in conveying those tricky rhythmic patterns with the same insight or authority.
Whatever source we use, we also feel that the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro could be a touch more engaging dynamically. Whether it's the basic bass and snare pattern of Madness or the restless, undulating guitar on Bleed Together, we’d like more differentiation in volume and force to add a greater sense of contrast across each note played. The Samsung buds are fast and immense fun, yet they can occasionally make performances feel just a little one-route.
Still, it’s immensely hard to be po-faced about the Buds 3 Pro. Like a Jack Russell puppy that occasionally soils the carpet and eats your favourite pair of slippers, they could do with a little training and refinement to temper their relentless, energetic temperament. Yet all of that attack and power, not to mention decent levels of detail and breadth, make for an engaging listen that really clicks with the right genres – in short, the new Galaxy buds are good boys rather than candidates for the kennel.
Verdict
For perhaps the first time, we can confidently state that we wouldn’t dissuade you from picking up a pair of Samsung earbuds. Naturally, the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro are designed for Samsung users, but if you don’t tire of their forward, have-at-it nature, you’ll find them to be an inescapably likeable pair of entertainers. Samsung isn’t quite there yet, but this is the closest evidence we’ve seen that it could one day chase down the major players in this space.
SCORES
- Sound 4
- Features 4
- Comfort 4
MORE:
Read our review of the Sony WF-1000XM5
Also consider Apple AirPods Pro 2
Best in-ear headphones: top earbuds tried and tested
