Samsung Galaxy Buds3 Pro review

11 August 2024

Introduction and unboxing

The Samsung Galaxy Buds have always been the safe choice for Android users - they're well made, they sound better than most other buds, and they're fully featured.

It's safe to say that none of this has changed although the buds themselves look dramatically different in their sixth generation. This is the first time that Samsung's earbuds have a stem design and it's made them better, even if it lost a lot of character and brought them close to the Apple AirPods Pro.

The Galaxy Buds3 Pro cost $250 / £220 / €250 and ship in Silver and White. Inside the box, you'll find a USB-C cable and S, M, and L silicone ear tips.

Let's dive into Samsung's biggest update to the Galaxy Buds yet.

Design and features

Superficial observers will insist that the Samsung Galaxy Buds3 Pro is a blatant Apple AirPods Pro 2 copy from the form 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 has a completely different design from its predecessor. What used to be bulbous and stemless buds are now more slender buds with long flat-sided stems.

The case has a transparent top and tiny blue or cyan and orange color accents to show you where the matching-accented bud belongs. The buds nestle inside the case in the opposite way of the AirPods Pro 2 - facing outward, whereas the Apple Pro buds sit in the same way you would wear them in your ears.

The direction you place the buds in the case is generally something you get used to after a while, the issue with the Galaxy Buds3 Pro's way of returning to charge has to do with the flat-sided stems. You need to align the stem correctly with the angled tunnel in the case and that is an uncomfortable finger gymnastic that doesn't get easier with time. Put simply - these buds are hard to put back into the case each and every time.

On a positive note, the new angular stems on the Galaxy Buds3 Pro open up a world of possibilities for control that didn't exist on previous models in the series.

Similar to how the AirPods Pro and the Nothing Ear work, you squeeze the stem to control playback. But here, you can also slide your finger up and down for precise volume control. The flat side of the Galaxy Buds3 Pro stem makes this possible in a way that isn't on those other buds.

A word on the reported quality issues that forced Samsung to temporarily halt Galaxy Buds3 Pro sales. It has to do with changing the ear tips, which attach to the buds via a plastic cradle, which some users reported breaking on their units. Our Galaxy Buds3 Pro don't seem to have this issue. We removed the tips multiple times to make sure, without hassle.

The stems on the Galaxy Buds3 Pro feature a Blade Light that illuminates when you put the buds back in the case. You can set the lights to be on all the time with a long squeeze on the stem. It's a different design, but we can't say that it adds anything to the experience.

The case has a USB-C port and supports wireless charging. There's a small LED in the center of the case to give you battery and charging indication, and there's a button on the bottom for pairing.

We find this case design to be more comfortable to use. The smaller lid is easier to close gently than the big flap of the previous Galaxy Buds case.

The buds themselves are rated IP57 for moderate dust and solid water protection.

The in-ear feel of the buds is something strictly indvidual. This editor found them just a bit too loose, regardless of the tips.

They were fine for most activities, but eating lunch and watching a movie resulted in a few drops. Pushing the buds further into the ear helped, though it made the fit slightly less comfortable.

The stem controls are excellent on the Galaxy Buds3 Pro. Tapping the previous models was a tedious experience. And they would constantly think I was tapping them when I wanted to readjust them.

The stems on the latest model makes this a thing of the past. Squeezing once to pause, twice for the next track, and three times to repeat the current one worked without a hitch.

Having buds like the Nothing Ear and the Galaxy Buds3 Pro with their excellent controls, it's hard to go back to the stemless models.

The stems are also handy for taking out the buds or adjusting them in-ear. Taking the buds out pauses whatever you're playing.

Sound quality, active noise cancellation, and battery life

The Galaxy Buds3 Pro comes with adaptive noise control - a smarter ANC than before. The buds will monitor for noise to eliminate but can detect your voice and will switch ANC off if you enter a conversation. The buds will also leverage AI to detect an alarm or siren and will stop ANC so you can hear the warning.

You can adjust the strength of the noise cancellation in the Galaxy Wear app. At the maximum strength, the noise reduction is pretty solid. We've tested these buds against the typical office environment, as well as outside and during a three-hour flight.

The Galaxy Buds3 Pro does a fine job of eliminating constant noise from a jet engine but will naturally struggle with the frequencies of human voices or random noises.

Keeping a snug fit helps ANC a lot.

Before we talk about the sound quality, a word on the underlying technology. The Galaxy Buds3 Pro uses a 2-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 and then decodes the sound at the same quality using what Samsung calls its Seamless Codec.

The Galaxy Buds3 Pro may very well be the best earbuds for calls. The six mics provide excellent quality without the "speakerphone feel" you get with most buds of this sort. All callers were surprised when we told them we were using buds.

If you're using these buds with a Galaxy phone, you can also enjoy 360 Audio (spatial audio), which simulates a multi-speaker system in a physical room. You can also use the Galaxy Buds3 Pro with Galaxy AI's Interpreter mode. There's also a sort of multi-point connection mode, but it seemingly only works with other Galaxy devices.

Finally, you can control the buds with your voice with commands like Volume Up, Play Music, Previous Song, Answer or Reject the call. But this too only works with Galaxy phones.

The Galaxy Buds3 Pro sounds impressive. There's a noticeable increase in volume and an uptick in overall soundstage and dynamics compared to the Galaxy Buds2 Pro.

Bass is present from the sub-bass frequencies and grows throughout the range. Set these to the Bass Boost equalizer setting and you'll get a lovely rumble throughout the range.

But it's the midrange where the Galaxy Buds3 Pro shines. The instruments and melody are nicely defined. Vocals also come out natural and there's just the right amount of presence and brilliance in the higher frequencies.

One issue with the Galaxy Buds3 Pro is the equalizer. The custom equalizer is quieter than the preset ones - even if you make them identical. For instance, if you duplicate Bass Boost as a Custom EQ setting and toggle between them, your custom one is around 10% quieter.

We expect this to be a software issue that will be fixed with an update.

Battery life was good on the Galaxy Buds3 Pro. We got around 4 and a half hours of playback with ANC and around 80% volume. We charged the case twice in two heavy weeks of testing these buds.

Conclusion

The Galaxy Buds3 Pro is another excellent showing from Samsung and a fine, if controversial entry into a solid lineup of earbuds.

The AirPods Pro comparisons and the unfortunate quality issues that have already been resolved mean they stumbled out of the gate, but they remain a strong upgrade to the very good Galaxy Buds2 Pro. The Galaxy Buds3 Pro introduces a radical new design, which adds multiple levels of functionality and comfort.

Beyond the design changes, the Galaxy Buds3 Pro makes subtle but meaningful updates to the sound quality, resulting in a better sounding product. We'll even say the Galaxy Buds3 Pro sounds better than its mainstream rivals like 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 on the expensive end, but it is a bit cheaper than Apple's AirPods Pro 2.

Pros

• Great sound quality
• Stems open up worlds of possibility for control
• Comfortable
• A step up in ANC quality

Cons

• Some reported quality issues
• No multipoint connection

If you're a Galaxy owner, these are probably the best earbuds you can buy for your phone with the added features making the purchase worthwhile. Other Android users can look elsewhere for a similar sound and set of features for less - the new and cheaper Nothing Ear is worth a look.