Review: Galaxy Buds 3 Pro are Samsung’s AirPods in all of the best ways

Name: Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro
Item: Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro
Rating: 4

Ben Schoon | Sep 27 2024 - 1:00 pm PT

Samsung has been putting out pretty solid earbuds for years now, but took a new approach with the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro – shamelessly copying the competition. And, you know what? It totally works.

The Galaxy Buds lineup has been ongoing for a few years at this point with some memorable releases. The Galaxy Buds+ from 2020, for example, offered some of the best battery life on the market, the Galaxy Buds Live took an extremely unique approach to design, while the Galaxy Buds Pro series has offered pretty stellar audio quality. But, for the past couple of years, the lineup has started to feel a little stagnant. Designs weren’t changing or addressing ongoing problems. They were still pretty good, but there was clearly room for improvement.

This year’s Galaxy Buds 3 Pro delivers on those improvements.

We have to start with the hardware, of course.

The Galaxy Buds 3 Pro do away with the “bean” design in exchange for a smaller earpiece that has a stem that comes out of your ears a bit. There’s an angular profile to the stem which is used for touch gestures and contains some lights too – which are utterly pointless, basically just turning on when you open the case to show battery life – while the ear tip still uses a silicone piece to seal in the sound and offer some passive noise cancellation.

If the design looks familiar, it’s because it’s the same thing Apple uses on the AirPods Pro. In fact, the design here is remarkably similar, save for Samsung’s metallic gray color and the sharper parts of the stem.

I think this change in design was for the best.

Not only are the microphones noticeably better as a result of physically being closer to your mouth, but the “touchpads” are also easier to use. Samsung has opted for a “squeeze” gesture on the stem (like Apple’s AirPods Pro) which I actually rather like. It’s not as fast as a simple tap, but it’s more accurate and doesn’t get unintentionally triggered. The side of the stem can also be swiped up or down to adjust the volume, always an appreciated option.

I’ve also found that I can wear Galaxy Buds 3 Pro for longer than past generations before they start to get uncomfortable thanks to the new design and comfortable eartips.

But there is something to note with the earbuds. The silicone tips this year are super fragile, which led to a brief pause in shipments. Samsung seems to have made improvements, but if you need to change the eartips, keep in mind there’s a small chance they’re going to break. This should be covered under warranty, though.

The case has also been updated, again moving to something more similar to Apple’s AirPods Pro. The new case has a vertical orientation, leading to a lid that’s smaller and easier to open, as well as a size that’s overall more convenient to slip into your pocket. It’s a huge upgrade in my book. Though I’m not pleased with how easily it scratches.

What about sound?

Galaxy Buds 3 Pro have stellar sound quality across the board, put simply. They have a balanced profile that’s heavy on bass if you want it to be, and it brings out the details of every song perfectly. I’ve loved using these for casual listening and drowning out an airplane on a trip, as the ANC is top-tier.

Samsung touts that these earbuds were made for “true audio lovers.” That feels a bit exaggerated, but it’s not far from the truth. I’m no audiophile, though, so for a deeper dive, I’d recommend this analysis from This is Tech Today.

There are also some smart features here, like the ability to automatically drop the volume and ANC when you start talking to someone. This isn’t groundbreaking, but it really works well.

But as much as I’ve enjoyed these earbuds, they’re not without flaws.

My biggest issue with Galaxy Buds 3 Pro is the battery life.

With ANC enabled, these generally last about 3-4 hours before needing a recharge, with one of the two earbuds usually dying a little bit before the other. It’s shorter than past generations, less in my experience compared to Samsung’s 6-hour quote, and feels disappointing compared to Google’s Pixel Buds Pro (even more so the upcoming sequel) and even the Nothing Ear. However, that figure I landed at is probably reduced in part because I’m often testing these earbuds in one of the toughest conditions – running ANC on an airplane.

Then, of course, there’s the continued sound quality problem. By using standards that only work when paired to Galaxy devices, Buds 3 Pro will never sound quite as good when paired to other smartphones or tablets, which is a bit frustrating. It was understandable a couple of years ago, but something Samsung should really be past by now as industry standards have gotten a whole lot better. The only exception is the 96 kHz mode, called “Ultra high quality audio,” which provides a somewhat noticeable bump to quality, and is understandably locked to Samsung devices.

Of course, there’s another half to the Buds 3 lineup, the standard Galaxy Buds 3. These ditch the silicone ear tips for an open design. I’ve not yet tried them, but if you prefer a more open design (like Apple’s base AirPods), they deliver on many of the same great parts of the Pro, and at a lower cost too.

Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro are available today for $249 (or 25% if bundled with one of Samsung’s latest foldables).