Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro review: Not quite AirPods Pro rivals, and not ready for prime time

Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro

The Galaxy Buds 3 Pro might offer an AirPods-inspired design and great sound quality, but they have big problems that caused Samsung to postpone their release.

Pros

• Improved design
• Great ANC support
• High-quality music playback
• Amazing voice calls
• Some Galaxy AI support

Cons

• Design quality issues
• The lights
• The stem controls

Samsung unveiled two new wireless earphone models during its Unpacked press event last week: Galaxy Buds 3 and Galaxy Buds 3 Pro. The Korean giant also announced the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Galaxy Z Flip 6 , its new flagship foldable phones that were the stars of the show in Paris, France.

From the moment they were unveiled, the new Galaxy Buds 3 models were immediately compared to Apple’s AirPods. That is, it was obvious that Samsung chose to depart from the stem-less Buds design it used for several years and adopt a form factor similar to AirPods and AirPods Pro.

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Beyond that, the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro offers several features that were clearly inspired by AirPods Pro 2, to put it diplomatically. After having used the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro for two weeks, I’m even more convinced that Samsung did the right thing by copying the AirPods with its Galaxy Buds designs and features.

Although the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro gets everything right in terms of sound, the actual design leaves something to be desired. Before this review came out, Samsung had to postpone the release of its Galaxy Buds 3 Pro because the wireless earphones suffer from various quality issues. Even if that hadn’t happened, though, I noticed a few concerning problems with the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro review unit that Samsung provided.

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Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro design has big problems

Let’s get one thing straight: the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro isn’t an exact copy of the AirPods Pro 2. Samsung would not do that. But it’s very clear where the inspiration comes from. The case is about as big as the AirPods Pro’s case, though it features a clear lid that lets you see the two buds and part of their stems.

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Galaxy Z Flip 6, Galaxy Z Fold 6, Galaxy Buds 3 Pro, and Galaxy Watch Ultra on a table. Image source: Chris Smith, BGR

The stems are not cylindrical like the AirPods Pro. Instead, they’re prism-shaped, and Samsung calls them blades.

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I used the white version, so if you get this one, it’ll give you AirPods Pro deja vu. The silver variant (pictured above) gives the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro a slightly more unique personality. Maybe Samsung would have been better served by sticking solely with silver and black colorways.

The Galaxy Buds 3 Pro have other design details intended to make them stand out. Each blade has a color accent on the bottom that matches the one on the case. Blue is for the left bud, and orange marks the right one.

Also, both blades feature LED lighting, which is cool to see unless you’re like me and you don’t like it at all. I think the lights are pointless and will consume battery life, but others might disagree.

Thankfully, you’ll only see the lights when you place the buds in the charging case by default, not during music playback or while on phone calls. It’s mostly a gimmick that gives Samsung more ammo if and when it has to defend against accusations that it copied Apple.

Galaxy Buds 3 Pro outside of the case.

I take no issue with Galaxy Buds 3 looking more like AirPods Pro than any other pair of wireless earphones Samsung ever made. It’s not like you have that many designs to choose from. The stem lets Samsung add more touch controls to the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro, though you can also use voice to control them. I’d also speculate you get more space for battery life and other internal components.

What I take issue with are the design problems, starting with the stems.

Swiping up or down on the blades should help you change the volume. In practice, I had to fumble with it a bit before I got it right. Then, I found a workaround for it. Rather than using one finger, I use two, and it seems to work better. But then I might accidentally pinch on the stem and trigger other commands.

Galaxy Buds 3 Pro inside the case. Image source: Chris Smith, BGR

Both blades let you pinch (play/pause), double pinch (next track), triple pinch (previous track), and pinch-and-hold (switch active noise canceling or start a separate app). The problem is that when you pinch, you hear a click in the ear, which is annoying. It also gives me the impression that I might crush the stem if I squeeze too hard, though I realize that’s not going to happen.

Functionality aside, I’ve also noticed an issue with the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro’s appearance. The components of the buds, where the stem meets the earphone, aren’t perfectly aligned. You can see and feel it.

Some Galaxy Buds 3 Pro testers have complained about this issue in Korea. It’s as if the parts don’t fit perfectly. It doesn’t compromise the sound quality, but you’ll notice the issue. I didn’t expect such imperfections for a pair of earbuds that cost $249.99.

On the plus side, I had no issues with replacing the silicon tips. I didn’t break any. But then again, I was familiar with reports saying that can happen. I couldn’t get a perfect fit with any of the three sizes for my left ear, at least according to the Galaxy Wearable app.

Notice how the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro parts don’t seem to fit perfectly. Image source: Chris Smith, BGR

Sound quality and battery life

I’ve tested the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro with the iPhone, MacBook, and the Galaxy Z Flip 6 . The sound was amazing in the three instances, though I favor the latter. That’s because you get a Galaxy Wearable app on Samsung phones that lets you customize the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro experience in ways you can’t on the other devices.

The app is where you’ll set up your gestures and see details about the battery charge. You’ll also be able to set the ANC level, and I’ve found myself switching back and forth between adaptive and full ANC.

Advanced sound options, such as enabled ultra-high quality (UHQ) and super wideband speech, are also available in the app. These support 96kHz music playback and clearer sound on voice calls (16kHz bandwidth). You’ll want to enable both of them.

The same app lets you customize the equalizer, enable a gaming mode, and update the software. If enabled, there’s even a feature that will nudge you to stretch your neck. The Galaxy Buds 3 Pro will check whether you’re leaning forward while at the office and tell you to adjust the position when you’ve done it for 10 minutes. Samsung’s earphones do not feature other health-related tricks, however.

Galaxu Buds 3 Pro earbuds on top of Galaxy Z Flip 6. Image source: Chris Smith, BGR

You can enable the lights during calls and music playback. Just pinch both stems when the buds are out of the case to turn on the visual effects. I’d encourage you not to do it, though. As the settings app notes, the feature is available if you have at least 30% battery life left. That is, the lights use up battery life, which is a waste.

Regardless of the device, you’ll pair the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro immediately. The connection is nearly instantaneous on the Galaxy Z Flip 6 every time. I’d also be able to switch between Samsung devices seamlessly, as long as I use the same Samsung account.

With all that in mind, you’ll benefit the most from the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro if you’re using them with a Samsung phone. The ANC is amazing both during music playback and calls. You can listen to high-quality music, assuming the source supports it, and the calls I’ve been on were simply amazing.

The Galaxy Buds 3 Pro isolated all outside sounds, and the other person on the call only heard my voice without interruptions. Meanwhile, a massive storm was brewing outside.

Galaxy Buds 3 Pro next to the Galaxy Z Flip 6. Image source: Chris Smith, BGR

Features like Siren Detect will allow sirens to go through when you’re outside. That’s the kind of sound you want to break ANC. So is Voice Detect. The volume and ANC will be reduced if you talk to someone in real life. In practice, if you’re singing along, Voice Detect will ruin that experience by lowering the sound of the music.

Galaxy AI also plays a role in ANC, including Adaptive ANC, and is responsible for features like Voice Detect and Siren Detect.

Interpreter is a Galaxy AI feature that performs on-device translation on select Galaxy phones. Interpreter has a great feature for Galaxy Buds 3 earphones. It’ll offer you voice translation almost in real time of a foreign language spoken near you.

I’ve tried it with a video from Korea detailing the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro quality control issues , and it worked amazingly well. The problem is that I heard both the original video and the translation.

Battery life is a key aspect in all of this, particularly considering the ANC functionality and the high-quality music playback support. Samsung says the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro will last up to 6 hours with ANC on and up to 26 hours when you factor in the case. If you turn off the ANC, it goes up to 7 hours (the buds) and 30 hours in total.

For voice calls, Samsung says the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro will last for 4.5 hours (20 hours with the case) when ANC is on and up to 5 hours (22 hours) with ANC off.

Samsung’s cheaper Galaxy Buds 3 wireless earphones. Image source: Chris Smith, BGR

In real life I never really worry about wireless earphones battery life. I do not wear them continuously and put them back in the case promptly if I don’t need them. That way, they are always ready.

The most intense use-case while testing them factored in a nearly 3-hour ANC call followed by a 2-hour run with ANC music playback. In between those, I placed them in the case for a quick 40-minute top-off. The earphones had between 30% to 40% battery life left.

I will say that most of the time, I use Adaptive ANC or no ANC when running with earphones. I like hearing the sound around me in addition to the music.

Samsung doesn’t specify charging speeds, but the case has a USB-C port, so you’ll find a cable everywhere. The case also supports wireless charging, just like the AirPods Pro. As for the buds, a 5-minute session will get you between a 3% to 15% charge. The lower the charge left, the faster they recharge. A 15-minute top-off can give you some 40% of battery life.

Should you buy the Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro?

Well, you can’t buy the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro yet, as shipping has been delayed to August or later as Samsung tries to fix the aforementioned problems. Assuming Samsung fixes the issues and releases them soon, you should check them out. But you’ll want to test them thoroughly and even consider returning them if issues persist.

For the time being, I’m only giving these earbuds 2.5 stars. If and when Samsung fixes all the issues I discussed, I’ll revisit my rating.

The cheaper $179.99 Galaxy Buds 3 could always be an alternative, though I haven’t tested those. You can also get the actual AirPods Pro earphones instead, depending on your ecosystem preferences.

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