Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro review

Samsung’s top-of-the-line Galaxy Buds 3 Pro make a change for the better, adopting the AirPods Pro’s stem-style design. Highlights of the $249.99 noise-canceling true wireless earbuds include a snug fit, fine sound quality with exceptional clarity, and average protection against dust and water. However, their limited codec support for non-Samsung Android phones and poor battery life meant they missed out on our Editors’ Choice award. Our top honors go to the $249 AirPods Pro for their unlimited Apple device support, the $299 Bose QuietComfort Ultra earbuds for their unbeatable active noise cancellation (ANC), and the $299.99 Sony WF-1000XM5 for better codec options. If you own a Samsung phone and find the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro’s AI features interesting, they’re definitely worth considering.

Design: Angular stems and a more comfortable fit

The Galaxy Buds 3 Pro has a stem-style design. Samsung notes several reasons for the switch from previous models, including improvements in comfort and weight distribution. I’m a fan of this change because the stem allows for a smaller in-ear component, better microphone placement, and a more convenient touch-control surface. I also agree that these earphones are more comfortable than their predecessors. Three sets of silicone eartips round out the box to further ensure you achieve a secure fit.

I appreciate Samsung’s effort to differentiate the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro from obvious alternatives like the AirPods Pro. For example, the earphones are available in either white or silver (the model I tested). The finish on the latter looks pretty nice and I like that it extends to the case. Additionally, the stem of the earbuds is angular rather than smooth. It took me a while to adjust to this shape, but it results in two flat control surfaces instead of one. These surfaces require a little more pressure to work than the AirPods Pro, but adjusting to this change is easy enough.

The multi-surface approach means you can access all the controls on just one earbud, so the layout is the same on both sides. In fact, you can’t set separate controls for the left and right earbuds, except for the pinch-and-hold gesture. Out of the box, you pinch the outer stem surface once to play or pause audio, twice to go to the next track, or three times to go to the previous track. Swipes on the back of the stem control volume.

The stems also feature LEDs. You can toggle these lights and customize them to stay on, blink, or fade in and out. When the battery level of each earbud drops below 30% the LED turns off and blinks to indicate successful placement in the charging case.

Each earpiece has two drivers: a 10.5mm dynamic driver and a 6.1mm planar driver that enhances high-end. Together, they provide a frequency response of 20Hz-40kHz. The earbuds support Bluetooth 5.4, AAC, SBC, and SSC codecs and Google Fast Pair. That last codec option, the Samsung Seamless Codec, supports 24-bit/96kHz playback. However, it’s proprietary to Samsung phones, and I would have preferred a more extensive LDAC option for hi-res playback on other Android devices. The Sony WF-1000XM5 earphones offer both LDAC and multipoint connectivity with up to two devices, another omission from the Buds 3 Pro.

An IP57 rating means the earpieces are reasonably dust-resistant and can be submerged in water at a depth of up to 1 meter for 30 minutes. They’re not meant for underwater use, but if you drop them in the sink or you sweat a lot during exercise, you don’t have to bother. That’s a better rating than you get with most noise-canceling options, but the IP68-rated Jabra Elite 8 Active Gen 2 earphones at $229 are a better bet if you want the ultimate in durability.

Since the charging case doesn’t have an IP rating, you’ll need to dry the earpieces before putting them inside. The case is portable and slightly larger than the AirPods Pro. Its lid is transparent, so you can see the earbuds and their LEDs while they’re inside I’m nitpicking a bit, but I found that the long, triangular stems of the earpieces made it a bit awkward to slot them in. For charging, you get an included USB-C-to-USB-C charging cable and a USB-C port for wireless charging support.

Samsung says the earbuds should last up to 6 hours per charge with ANC turned on, and the case holds an additional 20 hours of battery life. Your real-world results may vary depending on your typical listening volume level and codec choice. For comparison, the Sony WF-1000XM5 earbuds provide up to 8 hours per charge with ANC turned on and can pull another 24 hours from their charging case.

Software experience: Full featured with some AI tricks

The Galaxy Buds 3 Pro works best with Samsung phones like the Galaxy Z Fold 6. They also work with non-Samsung Android phones, albeit with some limitations. You can’t download the Samsung War app at all on an iOS device, though you can always connect them as standard Bluetooth headphones if you don’t mind losing the ability to customize the experience.

Once you open the charging case lid, the Samsung Phone earbuds should be recognized immediately. Then you set them up and control them with the Galaxy Wars app It’s the same app needed to operate Samsung’s other wearables, such as the Galaxy Watch Ultra.

From the Wear app, you can choose between different noise modes (active noise cancellation, adaptive, ambient sound, and off) and adjust some options. The app has a nine-band EQ that lets you customize the audio to your liking. An optional Adaptive Equalizer tool uses AI to adjust sound based on how the earphones sit in your ears.

The earbuds also bring some AI-based features to other apps on Samsung devices. For example, the Interpreter app can play translated speech from you through your phone’s speakers and relay the translated words from the other party through the earbuds in its conversational mode. Meanwhile, listening mode can send translated speech from video and speech through the earbuds. These features worked decently in testing, although speech could sound odd at times.

The Wear app is available on non-Samsung Android devices through the Google Play Store. It has the same features and settings as a Samsung phone, though it doesn’t include the above AI-focused features. Whether this is a deal breaker depends on how much you want to use.

Noise Cancellation: Good, but not the best

Samsung uses Buds 3 Pro’s AI-tuned Adaptive Noise Cancellation feature, which is supposed to automatically adapt to your surroundings. I was expecting it to basically default to noise cancellation and important sounds like sirens or voices. This mod does the opposite, which is good, but I had it more aggressive. For example, the earbuds didn’t fully engage their ANC mode when a noisy bus passed by, so it still sounded plenty loud. Loud sound reduction option for AirPods Pro works very well in such situations. The earphones seem to be a bit confused with the voice detection option, as they tend to limit the level of noise cancellation even when no voice is present. In the end, I switched back to regular ANC mode to get the most consistent performance.

In more general noise cancellation situations, the Galaxy Buds performed well, but not to the level of the AirPods Pro or the Bose QuietComfort Ultra. They cut out most of the low-frequency noise from a plane cabin recording, but the Apple and Bose models bring back a deeper rumble. But all three were effective against mid and high frequencies.

On a bus, the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro dampened sounds across the frequency range, though some engine noise was still audible. The AirPods Pro performed well in both areas. Finally, in a busy cafe, the Galaxy Buds put out most of the commotion. However, the Apple and Bose models handle lower frequencies better.

Ambient sound mode works well but doesn’t represent your surroundings as naturally as the AirPods Pro. It introduced some hiss and didn’t reproduce high-frequency sounds quite as crisply as I’d have liked in testing, though it still made it possible to conduct a conversation without removing the earbuds.

Sound Quality: Stunning and clear

Between their dual-driver setup and Samsung’s tuning, the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro sound great. Just remember that enabling ANC detracts from the detail and clarity of higher frequencies. I stuck with the default EQ settings for my evaluation below and enjoyed a fuller, higher-quality experience.

On Bill Callahan’s “Drover,” the earbuds highlighted rich vocal tones and made sure instruments like guitars and percussion still had just the right amount of detail. The deep, pounding kick drum has a lot of definition without ever sounding overwhelming. I did notice a slight dip in some of the high mids, but that didn’t detract from the track’s presentation.

Tracks with more bass, like The Knife’s “Silent Scream,” sound great. This song can often sound muddy, but the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro keep the bass frequencies under control. This allows the high-frequency synths to break through and the percussion to add a subtle complement.

For more mainstream tracks, like Kendrick Lamar’s “Obeyment,” the vocals are rich, the percussion sounds detailed, and the track gets plenty of body. Sub-bass is a highlight. The Galaxy Buds 3 Pro do better than most at perfectly reproducing sub-bass tones, only returning to the deepest notes.

Orchestral track, similar to the opening scene of John Adams Another is the Gospel according to Mary, full and natural sound. There is good clarity in the upper strings and ample separation of the strings with an appreciable body from the lower strings. The brass on the track comes through brightly, while the vocals have plenty of space.

The voice mic array is merely okay. It picked up my voice decently in a test recording I made from a Samsung phone, though I sounded a bit unnatural and slurred. This should be fine for calls, but you may need to repeat yourself sometimes.

Verdict: A smart choice for Samsung users

Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro offers excellent audio quality, effective noise cancellation and some interesting smart features. We also love how their revised design makes them more comfortable and easier to control than before. Their battery life could be better, though, and many features are exclusive to Samsung devices. Thus, our Editors’ Choice winners for high-end true wireless earbuds are the AirPods Pro for their deep Apple ecosystem connectivity, the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds for their class-leading ANC, and the Sony WF-1000XM5 for their LDAC and multipoint support. . Still, for Samsung users, the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro is a worthy option with top-notch audio, unique AI features and classy looks.