Samsung Galaxy Buds3 Pro review | Infinium-tech

Introduction and Unboxing

The Samsung Galaxy Buds have always been a safe choice for Android users – they’re well made, they sound better than other buds, and they have all the features you’d expect.

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

Galaxy Buds 3 Pro Price $250 , £220 , €250 and will 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 take a look at the biggest update to Samsung’s Galaxy Buds so far.

Design and Features

Superficial observers will insist that the Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro is a fantastic Apple AirPods Pro 2 mimics the shape of the buds from the size of the case to the shape of the case. We don’t agree with this, the Galaxy Buds have a different shape and look, especially if you buy the silver model.

Apple similarities aside, the Galaxy Buds3 Pro have a completely different design from their predecessor. What used to be bulbous and stemless buds are now slim buds with long flat-sided stems.

The case has a transparent top and tiny blue or cyan and orange accents that show you where the matching-accented bud is. The buds sit inside the case in the opposite way to the AirPods Pro 2 — facing out, while the Apple Pro Buds sit the same way you would when you wear them in your ears.

While the direction in which you place the buds in the case is usually something you get used to after a while, the problem with the way the Galaxy Buds3 Pro return to charging has to do with the flat-sided stem. You need to align the stem correctly with the angled tunnel in the case and it’s an inconvenient finger gymnastic that doesn’t get easier over time. Simply put – it’s a pain to put these buds back in the case every time.

On the positive side, the new angular stems on the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro open up a world of possibilities for controls that weren’t present on previous models in the series.

Just like the AirPods Pro and Nothing Ear, you press the stem to control playback. But here, you can also slide your finger up and down for precise volume control. The flat part of the Galaxy Buds3 Pro stem makes this possible in a way that isn’t on the other buds.

A word about the reported quality issues that forced Samsung to temporarily halt sales of the Galaxy Buds3 Pro. This relates to replacing the ear tips, which attach to the buds via a plastic cradle, which some users reported breaking on their units. Our Galaxy Buds3 Pro do not have this issue. We removed the tips multiple times to ensure no discomfort.

The buds themselves

The stem of the Galaxy Buds3 Pro features a blade light that lights up when the buds are placed back in the case. You can keep the light on all the time by long-pressing on the stem. It’s a different design, but we can’t say it adds anything to the experience.

The case has a USB-C port and supports wireless charging. There’s a small LED in the middle of the case that gives you battery and charging indication, and there’s a button at the bottom for pairing.

We think the design of this case is more comfortable to use. The smaller lid is easier to close gently than the large flap on the previous Galaxy Buds case.

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

The in-ear feel of the buds is entirely personal. This editor found them to be a bit loose despite the tips.

They were fine for most activities, but I did manage to get a few drops while eating lunch and watching a movie. Pushing the buds further into the ear helped, although it did make the fit a little less comfortable.

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

The latest model’s stems make this a thing of the past. Pressing once to pause, pressing twice for the next track, and pressing three times to repeat the current track works seamlessly.

With buds with great controls like the Nothing Ear and the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro, it’s hard to go back to a stemless model.

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

Sound quality, active noise cancellation, and battery life

The Galaxy Buds3 Pro feature Adaptive Noise Control – a smarter ANC than before. The buds will monitor to cancel out noise but can also detect your voice and turn off ANC if you engage in a conversation. The buds will also leverage AI to detect alarms or sirens and turn off ANC so you can hear the warning.

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

The Galaxy Buds 3 Pro do a good job of eliminating constant noise from jet engines, but will naturally struggle with the frequencies of human voices or random noises.

Staying fit helps ANC a lot.

Before we talk about sound quality, a word on the underlying technology. The Galaxy Buds 3 Pro use a 2-way driver with an independent woofer and tweeter in each bud. Speaking of software, the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro encode audio up to 24-bit/96kHz and then decode the sound at the same quality using Samsung’s own seamless codec.

The Galaxy Buds3 Pro might be the best earbuds for calls. The six mics deliver great quality, without the “speakerphone feel” you get in most buds of this kind. When we told our callers we were using the buds, they were surprised.

If you are 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. It also has a kind of multi-point connection mode, but it only works with other Galaxy devices.

Finally, you can control the buds with your voice with commands like increasing the volume, playing music, previous song, answering or rejecting calls. But this too only works with Galaxy phones.

The sound of the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro is impressive. There’s a noticeable increase in volume and a jump in the overall soundstage and dynamics compared to the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro.

The 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 beautiful rumble throughout the range.

But it’s the midrange where the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro shines. Instruments and melodies are well defined. Vocals also come out natural and the high frequencies have the right amount of presence and sparkle.

One problem with the Galaxy Buds3 Pro is the equalizer. The custom equalizer is quieter than the preset one – even if you make them the same. For example, if you duplicate Bass Boost as a custom EQ setting and toggle between them, your custom equalizer is about 10% quieter.

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

conclusion

The Galaxy Buds 3 Pro are another excellent showing from Samsung and a controversial entry in a solid lineup of earbuds.

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

Apart from the design changes, the Galaxy Buds3 Pro also feature subtle but meaningful updates to sound quality, resulting in a better sounding product. We would even say that the Galaxy Buds3 Pro sound better than its mainstream rivals like the Apple AirPods 2 Pro and Nothing Ear, with a stronger bass and a more dynamic soundstage.

Galaxy Buds 3 Pro Price $250 , £220 , €250 Which is expensive, but it’s slightly cheaper than Apple’s AirPods Pro 2.

If you’re a Galaxy owner, these are probably the best earbuds for your phone, with extra features that make the purchase worthwhile. Other Android users can look elsewhere for a similar sound and set of features at a lower price – the newer and cheaper Nothing Ear are worth a look.