Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 review

With a redesigned, stem-style design and more reliable touch controls, Samsung’s $179.99 Galaxy Buds 3 aim to justify the price hike from their $149.99 predecessors. We can attest that the changes significantly improve the experience and we enjoy their above-average active noise cancellation (ANC) and excellent protection against dust and water. However, their drivers struggle to reproduce some high-frequency audio details and their battery life is unimpressive. If you have a Samsung phone and want to take advantage of the Galaxy AI-based translation features, the Buds 3 are a decent option, though most listeners should check out the $149 Nothing Ear earbuds, which sound better and have a more unique design for a slightly lower price.

Design: Comfortable and easy to control

Samsung has completely overhauled the design of the Galaxy Buds for this generation, ditching the bean-like look for a more traditional earpiece with a stem that improves in-ear fit and on-ear control. The Galaxy Buds 3 Pro ($249.99) look almost identical (save for an LED strip), though unlike this standard version, they sport an in-ear seal.

I would be remiss not to mention the design similarities with Apple’s AirPods, which have an open design, although there are some differences. For example, the Galaxy Buds 3 are available in silver (the version I tested) or white. Moreover, the stem (or blade, as Samsung calls it) is triangular rather than curved. This shape creates two touch surfaces for control. A single pinch on the front of the stem controls playback, a double pinch skips to the next track, and a triple pinch skips to the previous track. Adjusts volume by swiping up or down on the back of the stem. Controls are the same on both earpieces and mostly locked, though you can choose what the pinch-and-hold gesture does on either side. This gesture toggles ANC by default, but you can set it to activate Samsung’s Bixby voice assistant or AI-based interpreter feature. I found the touch controls relatively easy to use and liked the separation of functions. The earphones also support hands-free voice control for basic operations.

Each earbud has a single 11mm dynamic driver, although Samsung doesn’t advertise frequency response. To get a fancier setup with a planar driver, you’ll need to upgrade to the Pro model.

The Bud supports Bluetooth 5.3 and AAC, Samsung Scalable (SSC), and SBC codecs. SSC enables playback up to 24-bit/96kHz, though only on Samsung phones. By comparison, the Nothing Ear and Anker Soundcore Liberty 4 NC both support the more widely available LDAC codec for high-quality streaming on Android devices. Otherwise, the Buds 3 offer Google Fast Pair and automatic switching between Samsung devices and PCs, but not multipoint connections.

The earbuds have the same IP57 rating as the Pro model, meaning they are moderately dust-resistant and can be submerged in water at a depth of up to 1 meter for 30 minutes. Sweat or heavy rain will not cause any problems. This is a big improvement from the IPX2 rating of their predecessors. The charging case is not water-resistant at all, so be sure to dry the earpiece before docking. If you want ultimate durability for running or other intense exercise, the IP68-rated Jabra Elite 8 Gen 2 earphones ($229) come with an IP54-rated case.

Samsung says the Galaxy Buds 3 can last up to 5 hours per charge with ANC on, and the case provides an additional 19 hours of battery life. With ANC off you get a more respectable 6 hours of listening, including 24 hours on the charging case. To charge, you can plug the included cable into the USB-C port on the bottom of the case or place the case on a wireless charger.

These estimates aren’t great, considering that the cheaper Soundcore Liberty 4 NC can last up to 8 hours with ANC on, an additional 32 hours on a charge.

App Experience: Well designed with a useful EQ

The Galaxy Buds 3 work with the Samsung Wear app, which is available for all Android devices. However, if you don’t have a Samsung phone, you won’t have access to any Galaxy AI features or SSC codecs. If you have an iPhone, you can still pair the earbuds through your phone’s regular Bluetooth menu, although you won’t be able to change the controls or EQ.

Samsung phones should immediately recognize the earbuds when you open the charging case lid and set up the connection. From the Samsung Wear app, you can toggle ANC, tweak some on-ear controls, and access features like in-ear detection and location-based SmartThings Find. The built-in EQ has nine bands for tweaking the audio signature to your liking. A number of presets are also available, including the default balanced choice. An optional Adaptive Equalizer tool promises to use AI to tailor the listening experience to your ears.

On Samsung phones, the earbuds enable AI-based features outside of the Wear app For example, you can use them with the Interpreter app’s conversation mode, which translates spoken words between two parties. That app also has a listening mode that can translate videos, speech and more. These features worked fairly well in testing, although some translations were a bit unnatural.

Noise Cancellation: Effective for open-style earbuds

Unlike other open-style earbuds, the Galaxy Buds 3 offer noise cancellation. This feature doesn’t work as well for models that make an in-ear seal, like the Nothing Ear or the Soundcore Liberty 4 NC, but it still exceeds expectations. Note that you can’t manually set the ANC level and don’t get the Buds 3 Pro’s AI-based adaptive noise cancellation feature.

For starters, the earbuds did a pretty good job of canceling out plane noise. I can still hear some low-end rumble, but much less than with the ANC off. On a bus, the ANC was a little less effective; I can still hear the engine and some other low-end sounds. Again, however, this is still a big improvement over noise cancellation turned off. Moving into a more complex setting like a busy cafe, the Galaxy Buds 3 did well enough that I could easily focus on my music.

Note that the position of the earbuds in your ears greatly affects the performance of ANC. Therefore, you may need to adjust them to get the best performance. This is often the case with earbuds that don’t make a seal.

The Galaxy Buds 3 don’t have a dedicated ambient mode, although their naturally transparent design lets you monitor your surroundings more accurately than any digital mode.

Sound Quality: Palpable bass, but limited high-end clarity

The Galaxy Buds 3 Pro’s dual-driver setup delivers better detail and more low-end oomph, so it’s the Samsung pair to get if you care about audio quality in particular. The Galaxy Buds 3 don’t sound bad by any means, though they’re definitely less exciting. Note that enabling ANC makes the sound response a little less rich; Ideally, this will have no effect on sound quality.

Bill Callahan’s “Drover” with earbuds conveys the rich tone of his voice and plenty of thump from the kick drum, though acoustic guitars and other percussion elements (like hi-hats) are absent. Thus, the overall tone is slightly muddy.

This tendency creates more problems on tracks with heavy bass, such as The Knife’s “Silent Scream.” Here, drivers don’t give other devices enough room to breathe. Everything comes together in a way that doesn’t particularly come together.

Kendrick Lamar’s “Loyalty” sounds slightly better. Some devices would benefit from a boosted high-end, but the lo-fi feel of the Beat fits the sonic tone of the earbuds well. The bass comes across fairly well, with only the lower sub-bass tones falling away Both Lamar and Rihanna’s vocals sound natural and clear enough to stand out from the beat.

On an orchestral track, like the opening scene of John Adams “Another is the Gospel according to Mary,” the strings are mostly present. However, the drivers cut off some of the high-end response from the violins, and the brass instruments don’t come through as clearly as they should. There’s still enough separation in the mix to allow for an overall pleasant listening experience.

Microphone quality is good but not stellar. The earbuds pick up voice very well without much in the way of Bluetooth artifacts, meaning they should be fine for calls. But the AirPods have a particularly clear mic.

Verdict: A fine choice for Samsung users

The Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 are more comfortable and easier to control than older models thanks to their stem-style design, and their noise cancellation is surprisingly good considering the open design. If you want the best earbuds for the Galaxy ecosystem, the Buds 3 Pro offer higher audio quality, longer battery life, and a more interesting mix of features, but they cost significantly more. If you don’t want to spend that much, the standard Buds 3 are a reasonable option. If you don’t have a Samsung phone, the Nothing Ear earphones offer a more elegant look, a cross-platform app, and better overall codec support than the Buds 3 for slightly less cash.