Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro review: Top-notch sound, iffy AI

Despite being one of the biggest brands in tech, Samsung isn’t afraid to steal many of its ideas from some of the best wireless earbuds. Case in point: the brand-new Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro, which take a ton of design and performance cues from the Apple AirPods Pro 2. 

Despite taking some cues from Apple, the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro are still impressive in their own right. Fitted with a multitude of awesome AI enhancements and features, like interpreter integration and hands-free voice controls, they make a particular statement, albeit one that hinges primarily on the use of an Android phone. (Sorry, iOS users.)

I’ve been using the Buds 3 Pro for about two weeks now, and while there’s a lot I love about them, there’s still so much that could have been improved. Read the rest of my Galaxy Buds Pro 3 review to see what I liked.

Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro review: Cheat sheet

• What is it? A new set of premium earbuds with ANC and loads of extra features.
• What does it cost? $249 
• Who is it for? Android and Samsung users looking to upgrade their buds to a pair of top-of-the-line new entries, or those looking to get serious ANC support in a small package.
• What should you use them for? To get the most out of these buds, you’ll want to take advantage of its Samsung Galaxy AI integrations, including interpreter mode and hands-free controls, as well as the SSC (Samsung Scalable Codec) for improved audio resolution.
• What are their weaknesses? The Buds 3 Pro aren’t the best for iOS users or for anyone looking for an affordable pair of Android-compatible earbuds.

Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro review: Price and availability

The Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro cost $249, and have gone through quite the rollercoaster of a release. July 24th was the original target date, but that was pushed back to August 28 after early users found that the buds’ eartips broke rather easily.

In terms of price, $249 is a bit steep compared to some of its less-expensive counterparts. The Nothing Ear (2024) come in at $149 and the Pixel Buds Pro are $140. You could also opt for the cheaper Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 that come in at $179, but you’ll be sacrificing the ANC and audio quality by doing so. Finally, you could go for the Sony WF-1000XM5 that are also $249 after their most recent discount and offer better audio quality and fit.

Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro review: Design and fit

I found the fit of the Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro to be wanting. Despite trying all of the included eartips, I couldn’t shake the feeling that they might fall out of my ear at any notice.  I’m not alone in this: One of the biggest complaints you’ll see online (specifically in regards to the cheaper Samsung Galaxy Buds 3) is their lack of a firm fit.

At least they look nice. The Pros come in a sleek white and a chrome silver finish, sporting light-up stems and a pair of wind shields. While they do invite comparisons to Apple’s earbuds, the stems of the Buds 3 Pro are more angular, so it’s not a complete design ripoff.

Inside is an enhanced two-way speaker system with an independently controlled 6.1mm planar tweeter and 10.5mm woofer on its dual amplifier — the first of its kind for Samsung.

The last point that’s worth mentioning here is the Buds’ IPX rating. The earbuds themselves have an IP57 rating, which makes them dust- and sweat-proof, but the case itself offers no kind of protection from the elements. That means you’ll have to be careful with them when you throw them in your bag, but at least the buds will be protected if you’re caught out in the rain with them.

Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro review: Touch controls and voice assistant 

A key attraction for the Buds 3 Pro is their long list of AI enhancements and features, which make themselves known in hands-free controls. This allows you to speak aloud certain commands, like “Stop music” or “Answer call.” You could obviously gain similar functionality by using Google Assistant, but it’s pretty neat having these hands-free controls available at the start of the experience. However, a Samsung phone, like the Galaxy Z Flip 6, is required for this functionality. Samsung does make a note of this on its website, but the compatibility is a bit all over the place.

When this review went live, there was no integration of the earbuds on either the Samsung Wear or Samsung Galaxy Buds apps on iOS, and we’ve reached out to Samsung to see when the apps might be updated with Buds 3 Pro compatibility. Unfortunately, until those apps get an update,  most (if not all) of the AI and other functionalities aren’t available on iOS, while some Galaxy AI features won’t be available to all Android users. We’ll update this review when we hear back from Samsung.

What isn’t problematic, though, are the Buds 3 Pro’s touch controls, which are actually kind of cool now that Samsung is leveraging the use of its light-up stem, which it’s calling the “Blade.” In addition to pinch controls to play, pause, and even launch apps, you can also swipe to adjust the volume. It’s quite a nice touch, no pun intended, and works well when you don’t want to loudly call out “Stop music” in a quiet room.

Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro review: Sound quality

There’s no doubt the Buds 3 Pro have particularly good sound, but for the price you’re paying, it could be so much better. Take the Sony WF-1000XM5, which are the same price and use Sony’s LDAC codec, as a prime example of truly awesome sound quality (go check out our Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro vs the Sony WF-100XM5s for more on how the two buds stack up against one another). 

Unfortunately, the best way to listen to music with them is locked behind the Samsung ecosystem with its proprietary SSC, which is similar to LDAC in that it allows for high quality 24-bit/96kHz streaming over Bluetooth alongside compatible services, such as Tidal or Qobuz, but is limited to Samsung Galaxy devices. Without it, these earbuds lose grander details, but are still quite good thanks to their dual 10mm drivers. These make the treble on the Buds 3 Pro in certain audio stand out, plus music is generally clearer and provide better sound accuracy.

Bassier songs, like hip-hop tracks from Gunna’s newest album “One of Wun” and Don Tolliver’s “Hardstone Psycho,” sounded crisp and punchy. The Buds 3 Pro prove a step above their predecessors in terms of bass performance and definition, plus I noticed treble was also largely improved over yesteryear’s model, as experienced in tracks like “Making of a Cyborg” by Kenji Kawai (from the movie “Ghost in the Shell”) and Pink Floyd’s “TIme.” 

You may find it to be a bit too bass-heavy though, which isn’t too hard a fix with its deep EQ settings. On the mids-front, I couldn’t help but give jazz songs like Paul Jackson Jr.’s “That’s What She Said” and Al Hirt’s “The Girl from Ipanema” a listen, and I must say the Buds 3 Pro handled them pretty well. You’ll still want to maybe cut the bass down a bit, but most listeners may not even notice the variations. 

What helps is the full range of additional EQ settings at your fingertips, letting you customize your audio and fine-tune it to the best possible frequency for your ears (that would be “Clear” by my testing). Overall I found its audio performance pretty good, but works best on a compatible Android or Samsung smartphone. Without it, you lose those EQ settings and SSC, which means you don’t have as much control over the potential quality provided.

Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro review: Active noise canceling and transparency mode

The Buds 3 Pro have some serious ANC built in, which covers a total of three modes: Adaptive, Noise Canceling, and Ambient sound. 

Ambient sound was quite interesting and although I fear this mode will get used the least across all modes, I do find it helpful in times where you just need to shut out the world and experience your own form of white noise. Moving past that, though, both Adaptive and Noise Canceling proved incredible. 

Of course, ANC on earbuds will be nowhere near as powerful as that found on one of the best noise-canceling headphones, as certain louder sounds still leaked through the buds, like close-by sirens and car horns. For the most part, the Buds 3 Pros had excellent ANC for their form factor, and the Adaptive iteration, which uses Galaxy AI to pinpoint specific sounds, like talking voices, worked wonders for me.

Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro review: Battery life

Battery life for the average pair of wireless earbuds sits at around five to six hours, and that’s no different with the Buds 3 Pro. According to Samsung, the Buds 3 Pro are rated for up to 7 hours of playback per charge and 30 hours with the case with ANC turned off and up to 6 hours per charge and 26 hours in the case with ANC on. 

While I would have liked to see a slightly higher number compared to the competition (especially for what you’re paying), I think it’s still adequate enough compared to the Sony WF-1000XM5’s 8 hours per charge and it’s even better than the 5.2 hours per charge you’d get from the Nothing Ear.

In my testing, I found the Buds 3 lasted a bit over the five-hour mark with ANC turned on and SSC enabled. This can be amended by turning off ANC and not using other features, like live interpretation, or even playing at high volumes. 

When it comes time to get some more charge, the Buds 3 Pro’s case does offer wireless charging with compatible chargers, plus the handy PowerShare technology, which allows the buds to charge when placed on the back of a Galaxy device. Overall, I think battery life on the Buds 3 Pro is more than sufficient for most users, but definitely could be slightly better.

Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro review: Call quality and connectivity

I had no problems with call quality on the Buds 3 Pro. In fact, most of the people I spoke with didn’t even notice a change in quality, and with its internal microphones limiting outside sound, I was able to hear those on the phone much more clearly compared to cheaper buds. 

While I might not recommend them for business calls in an office setting, the Buds 3 Pro’s call quality is more than good enough for casual conversations, even if you’re out on a busy street. 

To sync the earbuds up with your Galaxy device, all you need to do is have them open near one another. That should trigger a prompt on your Samsung device for pairing. Pairing with iOS devices is slightly trickier and will require you to press and hold the button on the case until the earbuds pop up on the Bluetooth connections screen. The fact that these are designed primarily for Galaxy devices makes them work seamlessly together, but that seamlessness will be lost when you go to pair them with, say, an iOS device.

To that end, if you’re an iPhone user, you’re much better off picking up something like the Nothing Ear or even Sony’s WF-XM5s.

Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro review: Verdict 

The Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro are serious competitors in the race for the best wireless earbuds, but do they hold up to the standards presented by the AirPods Pro 2? It’s a tough quandary, and one worthy of its own article. However, while the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro might provide great ANC and a string of amazing features for Samsung and Android users, the AirPods Pro 2 are still the better buy due to their superior sound quality and improved fit.

Comfort should come first and the fact that Samsung is now moving the release date back due to quality control concerns over its removable eartips is quite telling. 

While I do think the Buds 3 Pro have terrific ANC and audio quality, most of the reasons you would want to buy these buds are because you already own a Samsung Galaxy device and want seamless integration between the two devices. 

If you don’t own a Samsung device — or you’re willing to compromise on some of those features like live interpretation — the Sony WF-1000XM5 offer better performance for their $249 sticker price. For now, the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro are rock-solid earbuds for the Galaxy owners out there, but not the overall best wireless earbuds on the market.