Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro(Image: Samsung)

Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro review: comfortable fit, quality sound and AI smarts

05 Nov 2024, 06:00 by Mark Kavanagh · Irish Mirror

Samsung Galaxy’s earbuds line-up has missed the target on many occasions, in my opinion, but the firm came up trumps on the Galaxy Buds Pro 2 which I really enjoyed using.

But even then I would not have recommended them ahead of the best in-ear noise cancelling buds from Sony, Apple, Sennheiser or the current active noise cancellation (ANC) kings, Bose.

However, this year’s Galaxy Buds 3 Pro have nailed everything from the audio tuning to the ANC, and from the Ambient Sound mode to the firm’s take on Spatial Audio.

And on top of that you get a snazzy re-design (with flashing lights on the stems), a super comfortable fit and 30 hours of battery life.

Key Galaxy Buds 3 Pro features

The earbuds boast some smart AI-based features when paired with Samsung devices(Image: Samsung)

Galaxy Buds 3 Pro ditch the stem-less design of the predecessors and the new short angular stem approach results in better mic placement, more intuitive touch controls and a better fit in-ear. You can buy them in white or a more eye-catching silver which is the model I reviewed.

You get three extra sets of silicon tips in the box. As advised with all earphones, make sure you try them all out to get the most secure fit as it greatly impacts both ANC and audio quality.

Tech fans like me generally love any gadget with flashing lights. The stems on Galaxy Buds 3 Pro feature LEDs. You can toggle these lights and customise them to stay steady, blink or fade in and out. The LEDs also blink to show a successful placement of the buds in the charging case.

The earbuds bring some AI-based features to other apps on Samsung devices. The Interpreter app, for example, can play translated speech from you through your phone's speakers and relay translated words from another party through the earbuds when using its Conversation mode. While the Listening mode can send translated speech from videos and lectures through the earbuds. These features work well.

AI is also employed in the Adaptive Noise Cancellation mode, automatically adjusting to your surroundings. However, I found the regular active noise cancellation did a more pleasing and effective job. It’s Samsung’s best ANC yet but not quite matching the current ANC kings, Bose QuietComfort Ultra.

The Ambient Sound mode is decent too.

Audio experience

If you use a phone such as Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6, these are a no-brainer as you get access to the full feature set(Image: Samsung)

Each earpiece has a 10.5mm dynamic driver and a 6.1mm planar driver that enhances the audio’s high-end frequencies. Together, they deliver a frequency response of 20Hz-40kHz.

Audio codecs supported are limited to AAC, SBC and SSC. The latter stands for Samsung Seamless Codec, which supports Hi-Res 24-bit/96kHz playback but only on Samsung smartphones or tablets.

Samsung’s tuning, the dual drivers and the snug fit of the buds combine to deliver impressive sound right out of the box.

And the buds’ Android-only app includes a nine-band equaliser so you can customise the sound to suit your own preferences - a feature all earbuds should have but don’t.

Other features

The earbuds support Bluetooth 5.4 and Google Fast Pair.

The buds work with iOS but on a limited scale. Only Android users get access to the useful Wearable app while Samsung users also enjoy seamless integration with the firm’s other devices.

The buds are rated IP57 for dust and water resistance which means they are reasonably dust-resistant and can survive submersion in water at depths of up to one metre for up to a half an hour.

Battery life

Battery stamina is on a par with other ANC earphones such as high-end Bose QuietComfort Ultra.

The buds last for six hours while the charging case offers an additional 20 hours of stamina.

For comparison, Sony’s WF-1000XM5 last for 32 hours in total.

Verdict

Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro offer excellent audio quality, effective noise cancellation and clever AI features.

If you are a Samsung user, these are a no-brainer as you get access to the full feature set. For the same reason, Apple users should ignore these and stick with AirPods Pro 2. While Google Pixel phone owners should head straight for Pixel Buds Pro 2.

Other Android users will find better options elsewhere, such as Sony’s feature-rich WF-1000XM5 which you can get at a better price.

Pricing and availability

Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro 3 cost €259 from Samsung. You can also buy them at Amazon for €261.

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