Introduction and Unboxing
The Samsung Galaxy Buds have always been a safe bet for Android users — they’re well-made, sound better than most other earphones, and have a full feature set.
It’s safe to say that none of that has changed, although the headphones themselves look dramatically different in the sixth generation. This is the first time Samsung’s in-ear headphones have featured a stem design, which has improved them, even if they’ve lost a lot of their character and come closer to the Apple AirPods Pro.
The Galaxy Buds3 Pro cost $250 / £220 / €250 and come in silver and white. In the box, you’ll find a USB-C cable and silicone ear tips in sizes S, M, and L.
Let’s take a look at Samsung’s biggest Galaxy Buds update yet.
Design and Features
Superficial observers will argue that the Samsung Galaxy Buds3 Pro are garish Apple AirPods Pro 2 copy the shape of the buds to the shape of the case. We don’t necessarily agree with that, the Galaxy Buds have a different shape and look different, especially if you buy the Silver model.
Apple similarities aside, the Galaxy Buds3 Pro have a very different design than their predecessor. What were once bulbous, stemless buds are now sleeker buds with long, flat stems.
The case has a clear top and tiny blue or cyan and orange accents that show where the matching bud should be placed. The buds nestle into the case in the opposite way to the AirPods Pro 2 — facing outward, while the Apple Pro buds sit the same way you would wear them in your ears.
While the direction you place the earphones in the case is something you usually get used to after a while, the problem with the way the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro charge has to do with the flat sides of the stems. You have to align the stem correctly with the diagonal tunnel in the case, which is an awkward finger exercise that doesn’t get easier over time. Put simply, these earphones are a pain to get back into the case every time.
On the positive side, the new, angular stems of the Galaxy Buds3 Pro open up new control options for the user that were not available in previous models in this series.
Like the AirPods Pro and Nothing Ear, you squeeze the stem to control playback. But here, you can also swipe up and down for precise volume control. The flat side of the Galaxy Buds3 Pro’s stem lets you do that in a way that other buds don’t.
Word on the reported quality issues that have forced Samsung to temporarily halt sales of the Galaxy Buds3 Pro. The issue involves replacing the ear tips, which are attached to the buds by a plastic holder that some users have reported as being damaged on their devices. Our Galaxy Buds3 Pro don’t seem to have this issue. We removed the tips multiple times to make sure, without any issues.
Just the buds
The stems on the Galaxy Buds3 Pro have a Blade Light that lights up when you put the buds back in their case. You can set the lights to stay on all the time by squeezing the stem. It’s a different design, but we can’t say it adds anything to the experience.
The case has a USB-C port and supports wireless charging. There’s a small LED in the middle of the case that shows battery and charging status, and a pairing button at the bottom.
We found this case design to be more comfortable to use. The smaller cover is easier to gently close than the large flap on the previous Galaxy Buds case.
The buds themselves are rated IP57, meaning they have moderate dust protection and solid water protection.
The feel of the buds in your ear is highly individual. This editor found them to be a tad too loose, regardless of the tips.
They were fine for most activities, but eating lunch and watching a movie caused a few drops. Pushing the buds deeper into the ear helped, although it made the fit a little less comfortable.
The stem control is excellent on the Galaxy Buds3 Pro. Tapping on previous models was a tedious experience. And they kept thinking I was tapping them when I wanted to adjust them.
Thanks to the stems on the latest model, that’s a thing of the past. Pressing once to pause, twice to skip to the next track, and three times to repeat the current track worked flawlessly.
With headphones like the Nothing Ear and Galaxy Buds3 Pro and their excellent controls, it’s hard to go back to standless models.
The stems are also useful for removing the buds or adjusting them to fit your ear. Removing the buds pauses the song.
Sound quality, active noise cancellation and battery life
The Galaxy Buds3 Pro feature adaptive noise control – a smarter ANC than before. The buds will monitor noise to eliminate it, but they can detect your voice and turn off the ANC if you get into a conversation. The buds will also use AI to detect an alarm or siren and stop the ANC so you can hear the warning.
You can adjust the noise-cancelling strength in the Galaxy Wear app. At maximum strength, the noise-cancelling is quite solid. We tested these headphones in a typical office environment, as well as outdoors and on a three-hour flight.
The Galaxy Buds3 Pro do a great job of canceling out the incessant noise of a jet engine, but they naturally struggle to respond to human voice frequencies and random sounds.
Maintaining a tight fit helps the ANC a lot.
Before we talk about sound quality, a word about the technology. The Galaxy Buds3 Pro uses a two-way driver with an independent woofer and tweeter in each bud. On the software side, the Galaxy Buds3 Pro encodes audio at up to 24-bit/96kHz, then decodes the audio at the same quality using what Samsung calls its Seamless Codec.
The Galaxy Buds3 Pro may be the best headphones for calls. The six microphones provide excellent quality without the “loud sound” that most buds give off. All the callers were surprised when we told them we were using headphones.
If you use these buds with a Galaxy phone, you can also enjoy 360 sound (surround sound), which simulates a multi-speaker system in a physical room. You can also use the Galaxy Buds3 Pro with Galaxy AI Interpreter Mode. There’s also a kind of multi-point connection mode, but it apparently only works with other Galaxy devices.
Finally, you can control the headphones with your voice, using commands like Volume Up, Play Music, Previous Song, Answer or Reject Call. But this also only works with Galaxy phones.
The Galaxy Buds3 Pro sound impressive. Compared to the Galaxy Buds2 Pro, the volume and overall soundstage and dynamics have increased noticeably.
The bass is present in the sub-bass frequencies and increases throughout the range. Set them to the Bass Boost EQ setting and you get a beautiful rumble throughout the range.
But it’s in the mid-range that the Galaxy Buds3 Pro shines. Instruments and melodies are nicely defined. Vocals also come out naturally, and there’s just the right amount of presence and sparkle in the higher frequencies.
One issue with the Galaxy Buds3 Pro is the EQ. The custom EQ is quieter than the presets — even if you make them identical. For example, if you duplicate Bass Boost as a Custom EQ setting and switch between them, your custom EQ will be about 10% quieter.
We assume this is a software issue that will be fixed in an update.
Application
The Galaxy Buds3 Pro are another great product from Samsung and a successful, if controversial, addition to their solid line of in-ear headphones.
The AirPods Pro comparisons and the unfortunate quality issues that have now been addressed mean that they stumbled from the start, but they are still a strong improvement on the very good Galaxy Buds 2 Pro. The Galaxy Buds 3 Pro introduce a radical new design that adds multiple levels of functionality and comfort.
In addition to the design changes, the Galaxy Buds3 Pro introduce subtle but significant improvements to sound quality, resulting in a better-sounding product. We’d even go so far as to say that the Galaxy Buds3 Pro sound better than their main rivals, such as the Apple AirPods 2 Pro and Nothing Ear, with stronger bass and a more dynamic soundstage.
The Galaxy Buds3 Pro cost $250 / £220 / €250, which is a pretty hefty price tag, but they are slightly cheaper than Apple’s AirPods Pro 2.
If you’re a Galaxy owner, these are probably the best earbuds you can buy for your phone, and the extra features make it worth it. Other Android users may want to look elsewhere for a similar sound and feature set for less – the new and cheaper Nothing Ears are worth considering.
