Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro Review : What you need to know!

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Galaxy Buds3 Pro features + verdict

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Samsung Galaxy Buds3 Pro Features

The Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro is targeted at audiophiles who want the very best features. Let’s delve into the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro’s key features

Improved Comfort

The Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro has an in-ear design with silicone tips. By default, they come fitted with medium ear tips, but the package includes small and large ear tips. Use the proper tips, and you will find that they are light and comfortable to wear for long periods of time.

The new stem design may put off some people, but the earbuds actually feel lighter and less obtrusive. On the other hand, the angular design of the stem makes it a bit uncomfortable to sleep or lie sideways wearing the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro. This, of course, isn’t an issue if you are lying down or sleeping on your back.

Improved Audio Quality

The Galaxy Buds 3 Pro features Samsung’s first-ever planar tweeter, as well as dual amplifiers to allow for independent control of the 10.5 mm woofer and 6.1 mm tweeter to reduce interference between speakers. The Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro definitely sounds superior to the Galaxy Buds2 Pro, with greater clarity and richer bass.

Samsung has also leveraged artificial intelligence in the Buds 3 Pro through AI-assisted Adaptive EQ/Adaptive ANC. Its AI-boosted algorithm analyses sound from both the inner and outer microphones in real time to optimise your listening experience by adjusting the sound output to conform to the earbuds fit in your ear.

The Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro comes with three microphones and a voice pickup unit (VPU), and leverages machine learning to improve phone calls, using a pre-trained model to restore the original voice of the speaker in various noise environments – a feature called Super-Wideband Call.

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Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro speakers and dual amplifiers

Samsung Seamless Codec Support

The Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro supports Bluetooth 5.4 connectivity, and common SBC and AAC wireless codecs. However, it notably does not support aptX.

Instead, it supports the proprietary Samsung Scalable Codec in both HiFi and UHQ (Ultra High Quality) versions. The UHQ mode allows for 24-bit sound at 96 kHz for superior audio quality and fidelity, but will only work with supported Samsung devices.

Adaptive Noise Control

The Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro takes noise cancellation to the next level with its Adaptive Noise Control feature, which automatically assesses and reduces unwanted external noise, while allowing important conversations and alerts to get through.

Its Voice Detect feature will automatically switch the ANC and Ambient modes on or off, so you can hear conversations without taking your Galaxy Buds 3 Pro off. Its Siren Detect feature will also automatically switch your earbuds to Ambient mode, so you can hear sirens and other important alerts even while listening to music.

Voice Controls

While Samsung hyped up its Galaxy AI-based Interpreter mode, its voice controls are likely far more useful, especially since you don’t need a wake word, like Hi Bixby!

You can simply command the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro to adjust the volume, play or pause music, skip forward or backwards, and answer or end your calls, by saying “Volume Up” or “Volume Down” or “Play Music” or “Next Song”.

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IP57 Water-Resistant

Unlike the Galaxy Buds2 Pro, the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro is now IP57 dust- and water-resistant. That means it is sufficiently protected against dust to prevent interference with its operation, and is rated to withstand immersion in fresh water up to 1 metre in depth for up to 30 minutes.

That said, I wouldn’t recommend running the earbuds under running water or using them in the shower – they are not rated to withstand pressurised water.

The charging case itself is not water-resistant, so please make sure you keep it dry. In addition, you must dry the earbuds before you put them back into the charging case.

Blade Control + Lights

The Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 series have angular stems (to differentiate from Apple AirPods?), which are called blades. They serve as touch controls – swipe up and down the black to adjust the volume. You can also pinch it to play or pause, or pinch and hold to change noise control, or to launch your favourite app.

The Pro version has an LED light strip in its stem, called Blade Light, that glows white. Its use appears to be limited to flashing when you use the Find My feature to locate your missing earbuds (they are visible even in the case!), or you can set them to light up while you’re wearing them as a fashion statement.

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Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 generic

Battery Life

The biggest problem I had with the Buds2 Pro was its short battery life of about 5 hours with ANC enabled. I could get about 8 hours with ANC disabled, but that was still on the low side for premium earbuds.

The good news is – the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro actually lasts longer even though it has a smaller battery (53 mAh vs 61 mAh in the Buds2 Pro) – about 6 hours with ANC enabled, and just over 7 hours with ANC disabled. Not quite as long as I would like, but I can live with that.

Its charging case has an internal 515 mAh battery that provides another 20 hours of extra battery life (ANC enabled), or 23 hours (ANC disabled) – roughly 3 full charges – another improvement over the Buds2 Pro. The case also supports both USB-C wired charging, as well as wireless charging.

The good news is – the Galaxy Buds Buds 3 Pro supports quick charging – a 5 minute charge will get you about an hour of ANC-enabled battery life.

Pro Tip : Get into the habit of popping these earbuds into their case whenever you are not using, and you will never run out of battery life.

 

Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro : Our Verdict

The Galaxy Buds 3 Pro is Samsung’s premium earbuds and it didn’t get off to a great start. Reviewers who received early samples reported that they had a poor quality finish, with wrongly positioned Blade Lights, and even uneven gaps!

To Samsung’s credit, it immediately stopped shipment and even we didn’t get our unit until more than 2 months later. Samsung appears to have properly resolved those manufacturing issues, so they would no longer factor in our review.

There is no doubt that Galaxy Buds 3 Pro is the best earbuds you can buy from Samsung. It has all the important features you would need – great audio for music, and good voice pickups, with adaptive ANC to automatically cut down on noise while letting in conversations and important alerts.

But it is obvious that it’s getting difficult for Samsung to differentiate the Buds 3 Pro from its competitors. Hence, the rather pointless Blade Lights, and emphasis on niche Samsung-only AI features like Interpreter (instead of the far more useful but generic voice controls).

They rather distract from the fact that the Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro are a great pair of wireless earbuds with excellent sound quality, active noise cancellation, and voice control. They are on the pricey side, but if you are on the Samsung ecosystem, the added Samsung-only features may be worth paying the premium.

 

Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro : Where To Buy?

The Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro is priced at US$249.99 / £159 / A$299 / RM999. Here are some online purchase options (prices as of 20 September 2024) :

 

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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

 

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