Samsung’s wireless earbuds were in need of a refresh, and the company has given us one of the most comprehensive overhauls of the product with the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro. There’s a bold and flashy new design, improved internals, and a big foray into Galaxy AI features.
They’re also $20 more expensive than their predecessor, which begs the question: are they worth the price tag? That’s precisely what we’ll be addressing in our Galaxy Buds 3 Pro review.
Design and fit
The Galaxy Buds 3 Pro are unlike any other wireless earbuds from Samsung. The company has opted for a stem design with sharp angles that give it a very futuristic look. It has also integrated “blade lights.” These flash in a few cases, such as when the battery is low or when you’re trying to locate the earbuds. They’re useful, but unfortunately, users have no way to control the colors of the lights.
There’s no complaining about the fit. The Galaxy Buds 3 Pro are great to wear for hours on end as you won’t feel uncomfortable. There are tips in the box that you can use to find the perfect fit and after conducting a very thorough head banging session to rock music, I can confirm that the fit is very secure.
Futuristic design, funky lights
We get an upgrade in terms of durability. The Buds 3 Pro get an IP57 rating, compared to IPX7 for their predecessors. This means your earbuds are better protected against water and dust. Keep in mind that the case doesn’t have an IP rating, so don’t take it with you to the pool.
The touch controls take some getting used to because they’re different from previous models. You pinch the bottom of the stem to play or pause media and swipe up or down the back edge of the earbuds to control volume.
The stem features a pinch-and-hold motion to launch apps like Bixby and Spotify. It all works very well, and the learning curve won’t exceed a few minutes. Good luck manually turning on those blade lights, though—you can do that by long-pressing both earbuds while they’re in your ears. And the charging case is open, but it’s incredibly random.
The case has also been redesigned and it’s unlike any other wireless earbud case we’ve seen from Samsung before. They have a clear lid so you can still see the earbuds in the case and there’s a quick pairing button on the bottom for easy use. The design itself is nicely rounded, so the case is still very easy to slip into a pocket.
Sound quality and performance
Samsung has significantly improved the sound quality of the Buds 3 Pro. It starts with more powerful internals. The Galaxy Buds 3 Pro feature a 10mm dynamic driver and an independent planar tweeter that delivers clear highs. Dual amps reduce hiccups and round out the robust package.
Punchy bass with a good sound signature
There’s no denying that the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro’s sound quality is impressive. The range of these audio speakers is incredible. They’re nice and loud without noticeable distortion. These are also Samsung’s first wireless earbuds to have the ability to stream 24-bit audio at 96kHz, making them a joy to use on high-resolution audio streaming services like Tidal.
The sound quality of the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro is on par with premium wireless earbuds. The bass and treble are very well balanced even in default mode, with smooth vocals, good track separation, and an overall robust sound signature. There are also a variety of presets that you can choose from and also tweak the EQ yourself to get the listening experience you want.
Just like their predecessors, the best listening experience is only possible when you use the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro with a Samsung Galaxy device, preferably a newer model, to take full advantage of Samsung’s transparent codec.
Samsung is keen for the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro to be part of its Galaxy ecosystem. But that doesn’t mean you can’t use the new earbuds with non-Samsung devices. They’ll work with any Bluetooth device you can pair the earbuds to.
The Galaxy Buds 3 Pro were already expected to be a decent upgrade in the sound department. I’d even go as far as to say that they exceed expectations. It’s worth noting that Samsung has a lot of premium audio brands under its umbrella, including Harman Kardon, allowing it to draw on all that industry knowledge to deliver an amazing personal audio product.
Active noise cancellation
Samsung has also made some improvements in the ANC department. It’s a decent upgrade, and the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro do a good job of drowning out the worst sounds when you’re on a train or on a busy city center sidewalk. They’re also very effective at reducing human chatter in a crowded room, a notable improvement over their predecessor.
Galaxy AI, now available on wireless headphones
What I did find was that the active noise cancellation struggled a bit when it was very windy outside. The ANC effect was still noticeable, but not as good as it could have been. Samsung has also added some of its Galaxy AI magic to the ANC. Adaptive noise cancellation intelligently increases or decreases noise blocking based on your environment. For example, it will dampen the effect if someone is talking to you while you’re listening to your favorite song.
The ambient sound or transparency mode works well. It lets ambient sounds through very clearly and they don’t sound robotic at all. Another smart feature you can enable is to automatically turn down the ANC if the headphones pick up the sirens of an emergency vehicle. This works well, but I noticed that in windy outdoor conditions, the emergency vehicle was often long gone before the ANC would turn back on.
Overall, the Buds 3 Pro give you the best ANC experience of any Samsung wireless earbuds. That’s one of the reasons why the price is justified and why we recommend buying a pair despite the price hike Samsung has implemented for this iteration.
Call quality
Samsung has significantly improved the microphones to improve call quality. The boom design also brings the microphone closer to the mouth, making it easier to pick up voices. However, it is thanks to this design that the microphone also picks up more wind. Wind noise is noticeable to the person on the other end of the line, although it is not as bad as on the previous model.
Further improvements have been made in other areas, contributing to better quality. The Super Wideband calling feature allows voice pickup at up to 16 kHz instead of the usual 8 kHz, contributing to better overall quality. Keep in mind that other factors, such as your network connectivity, play a role in how your voice sounds on the other end of the line. But overall, the experience will be more than satisfactory.
Connectivity and features
There are a few interesting connectivity features worth mentioning. The Auto Switch feature lets you seamlessly switch audio between your Galaxy phone and Windows PC. We found that it works very well. There’s no real lag, just like the similar feature that works to automatically switch between Galaxy phones and Galaxy tablets. Auracast support lets you connect multiple pairs of Buds to a TV or smartphone to stream audio to the connected devices.
Samsung’s ecosystem shines
As expected, the earbuds come with a Bixby hands-free feature. They also allow you to control basic functions like taking phone calls or changing songs using voice commands. SmartThings Find support is also included. You can easily locate the missing earbuds using the app, with the lights on the blades lighting up to help you find them in the dark.
Samsung always pairs its earbuds with great software features that further enhance the user experience. This is no different from the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro. Some familiar features like Bixby Voice hands-free wake-up, Game Mode, Easy Pair, etc. are all there.
Galaxy’s biggest AI-powered software addition to the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro is the real-time interpreter. In listening mode, the earbuds pick up the foreign language and read it back to you translated into your preferred language. Use your compatible Galaxy phone in talk mode to hear a real-time translation of your entire conversation. It’s a cool feature that works really well.
Battery life
Samsung tends to be pretty specific in its battery claims for its wireless earbuds. The Galaxy Buds 3 Pro are rated for 6 hours of use on a single charge with ANC enabled.
In our testing, we found that to be nearly accurate. Our unit was able to run for up to five and a half hours before needing to be recharged. That’s about an hour’s improvement over the previous model, another point that justifies the price increase.
Verdict
The Galaxy Buds 3 Pro are a solid pair of wireless earbuds. From the fresh, sleek design to the incredible sound quality, solid ANC, and new Galaxy AI features, these are Samsung’s most well-rounded wireless earbuds yet.
Should you buy the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro? They’re such an improvement that I’d even recommend Galaxy Buds 2 Pro owners make this $249.99 purchase. The Buds 3 Pro offer an improved user experience in every aspect of what makes a good pair of wireless earbuds.