Get Them Here:
Galaxy Buds 2 Pro: https://amzn.to/48arwm7
Galaxy Buds 3 Pro: https://amzn.to/48arnPB
AirPods Pro 2: https://amzn.to/4h3ZAnV
So these are the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro… and unfortunatly, I feel that these are a big down grade from the Galaxy Buds 2 pro… and the Galaxy buds 3 Pro struggle to keep up with other premium ANC earbuds. And unlike a lot of other earbuds out there that work well with both Android and iPhones… for the best experience you do want to use the Galaxy Buds 3 pro with an android or a Galaxy device. Nonetheless, lets see what the Galaxy Buds 3 pro are all about, lets see if they’re worth upgrading and lets see how they compare to other ANC earbuds out there.
So first theres the price, the Galaxy buds 3 pro retail for $250 which is to be expected, and these earbuds are in direct competion with the AirPods Pro 3, Sony WF-1000XM5’s, Bose QC Ultra, pixel buds pro 2 or the Sennheiser Momentum 4 to name a few. Nonetheless, if you want to pick any of these earbuds up they’ll be linked down below, or you can always press on the YouTube shopping button.
So first theres the case, now the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro’s case is decently small so its not super noticeable when its in your pocket, it charges via a USB C port as it should and it has wireless charnging. But the form factor of this case is different from the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro and personally I feel that its a downgrade. Now the 3’s case is a little thinner than the 2’s case, but it has a larger foot print cause its a little wider. And to be direct, Samsung copied the AirPods Pro 2 case here. But Samsung’s version isn’t as refined as apple’s. First off this lid isn’t as easy to open cause theres now lip to grab on to, the spring is a little too strong, and also the lid is a little to tall. But also, when it comes to putting your earbuds away, these earbuds dont simply drop into their case like AirPods Pro 2’s do or especially the Galaxy Buds 2 pro. With the Galaxy Buds 3 pro, you gotta make sure that their stems are in. So from a usability standpoint, the experience isn’t as with these other earbuds on the market and more importantly it feels like a downgrade from the previous generation. But size wise, this case still ranks the same as the Galaxy Buds 2 pro. The AirPods Pro 2’s still have a smaller and sleeker case, and so do the Sony WF-1000XM5’s, this case is evenly matched to the Pixel Buds 2 pro, its smaller than the Sennheiser Momentum 4’s and Bose’s cases here are just huge by comparison.
Now like I said, I feel that the Galaxy Buds 3 pro’s case is a down grade from the previous generation, and I also think the design of the earbuds themselves is a downgrade as well. And the battery life isn’t all that different either. The Galaxy Buds 3 pro have a combined battery life of 26 hours with the ANC turned on… the earbuds themselves can go for 6 hours, and the case can supply 3 charges and a little bit. And with their ANC turned off, they have a combined battery life of 30 hours, the earbuds can go for 7 hours, plus those 3 charges from the case.
But for comparison sake, the Galaxy Buds 2 pro have a combined battery life of 20 hours with their ANC turned on. The Earbuds can go for 5 hours, and the case can supply 2 and a half charges. And with their ANC turned off, they have a combined battery life of 30 hours, the earbuds can go for 8 hours. So overall, these two earbuds have the same stamina if you use them with their ANC turned off, but the Galaxy Buds 3 pro have a reduced battery life to case size ratio… the only real upgrade here is that the Galaxy Buds 3 pro have better stamina with their ANC turned on.
And when compared to other earbuds out there, the Galaxy Buds 3 pro are still trailing behind the AirPods Pro 2, Sony WF-1000XM5’s or Google Pixel Buds Pro 2 which all have combined battery lives of 30 hours or more while have a smaller and more economic case. So battery life on the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro is decent if you only use the ANC on these earbuds when you have to… but there are plenty of other earbuds out there with better stamina and smaller cases.
But with the case out of the way, lets talk about the earbuds themselves, and honestly, I was shocked to see that Samsung moved to the stem design, cause I remember how much fun Samsung used to pock at apple for going with a stem design, and I remember a lot of Samsung and android fan boys saying how much better Samsungs earbuds were… and honestly I highly prefer the sculpt of the Galaxy buds 2 pro’s over the Galaxy Buds 3 pro. First off, if we were to simply compare the sculpt of of the Galaxy Buds 3 pro to the AirPods Pro 2’s or the AirPods 4… these things just feel way bulkier and they look like knock off AirPods. But also from a fit standpoint, the Galaxy Buds 3 pro feel bulky as well. Now the Galaxy Buds 3 pro are shallow fitting in ear earbuds just like the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro, or the AirPods Pro 2’s. As in they dont go in super deep into your ear canals like either the Sennhesier Momentum 4’s or the Sony WF-1000XM5’s. But unlike the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro or AirPods Pro 2, the Galaxy buds 3 pro’s dont sit as naturally in the bowl of your ear… so these earbuds just feel bulkier cause of their new scruplt. But from a performance standpoint, since these earbuds do have silicone ear tips they are going to create a seal with your ear canals so they are going to passively block out noise and they do a good job of staying in place. But from a comfort standpoint, I feel the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro fit much more naturally, and a from a design standpoint these things look very bulky and they look like knock off AirPods.
But when it comes to connectivity, each earbud establishes a connection with your phone, so if you just want to use one earbud at a time you can use either one, it doesn’t matter. Latency is not an issue for these earbuds so you can use them to watching videos with on your phone, and when it comes to audio codecs, these earbuds have support for SBC and AAC, but if you use them with a Galaxy device then you’re going to have support for Samsung’s ultra high quality audio codec, which is going to upscale your music, but that is going to take an additional toll on the battery life.
But when it comes to sound quality, the Galaxy Buds 3 pro have a very similar set up and sound to the Galaxy Buds 2 pro. Both of these earbuds have a 2 way woofer and they both have a tweeter, but the woofer and the tweeter and the Galaxy Buds 3 pro are larger. But besides that both of these earbuds have the same great instrument separation which is achieved thanks to the woofer and tweeter set up, and they both the have same great resonance in their bass and the highs are very crisp. However, something that I did notice is that the Galaxy Buds 3 pro get louder than then Buds 2 pro… but also, the Buds 3 pro have an even brighter sound signature than the Buds 2 pro. Cause with the Buds 2 Pro, if always said that you have to go in and lower the highs on these earbuds, and with the Buds 3 pro, you gotta go in an lower the highs even more cause the tweeter and the new amp on these earbuds are working over time. But once the highs on these earbuds have been lowered, these earbuds sound great and when compared to other earbuds out there like either the AirPods Pro 2, Sony WF-1000XM5, Bose QC Ultra or Sennheiser Momentum 4, these earbuds excel when it comes to instrument separation and openess. However when it comes to bass, the bass doesn’t resonate as much or hit as hard. So as with Samsung’s past earbuds, these are going to be better suited for someone that like a more vocals focused sound signature. Just keep in mind that you can only go in and directly change the EQ on these earbuds if you have an android device, cause you cant down load the necessary app on an iPhone.
But then there are the media controls on these earbuds and they are completely different from the Galaxy buds 2 pro. Now we have these stems, and just like with AirPods, if you squeeze them you can skip through your music and accept or reject calls, and just like the AirPods Pro 2’s, if you swipe up or down you can adjust the volume on these earbuds. Now in general I dont like squeezing on the stems cause it feel akward. But also, in order to adjust the volume you have to swipe on the back portion on the stem which feels more awkward than on the AirPods Pro 2 where its on the front. Again, this feel like Samsung copied apple, but it feels like a knock and clunky by comparison. And again, I prefer the media controls on the previous earbuds cause it feels sleeker. But I will admit, taping the edge or the galaxy buds 2 pro to adjust your volume could have been a little difficult for some people, but I feel that once you get the hang of it, you’re good.
But then theres the active noise cancelation on these earbuds, now I feel that Samsung has always struggled with their active noise cancelation on their earbuds, and that’s still the case with the galaxy buds 3 pro.
Now when it comes to my 2024 ANC earbuds ranking list, in first place we have the Sennhesier momentum 4 which block out a ton of noise, but they also go in super deep into your ear canals. right below them are the AirPods Pro 2 which are a lot more comfortable. Below them are the Sony WF-1000XM5’s which aren’t as comfy cause of their foam ear tips, right below them are the Bose QC earbuds, below them are the AirPods 4 and below them are the Bose QC Ultra earbuds.
Then right below them are the Sony Linkbuds S, below them are the Pixel Buds 2 pro, below them are the Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro, followed by the Galaxy Buds 2 pro, below them are the Galaxy Buds 3, below them are the Sony Linkbuds Fit, below them are the Galaxy Buds 3 and below them are the Beats Studio Buds Plus.
So obviously, these aren’t all of the ANC earbuds on the market cause there are a lot, but I think that these are some of the most important ones for late 2024. And more importantly, the ANC on the Galaxy Buds 3 pro is still trialing behind a lot of other premium ANC earbuds. Now the ANC on the Galaxy Buds 3 pro is useful while on a bus, but if active noise cancelation is very important to you, then you should look at something else.
but then theres the ambient mode on these, now it gets the job done and this microphone array does a great job of blocking out wind noise when walking out doors. But just like with the ambient mode on the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro, there is a very slight hissing in the background and people’s voices still dont sound as natural as id want them. But regardless this ambient mode is good and its also the active kind, so its going to actively protect you from sudden loud noises, just like the Galaxy Buds 2 pro.
Mic 2 pro Quiet
But finally heres the microphone test, and this is something that has been upgraded on the Galaxy Buds 2 pro to the Galaxy Buds 3 pro. And for some people. It could be worth upgrading.
Mic 3 pro Quiet
Now while in a quiet room, these microphones sound very similar to one another. I sound good, but I sound a little far away.
Mic AirPods Quiet
Where as with the AirPods Pro 2, these do a much better job of focusing on my voice.
Mic 5 AirPods Road
But something that both the AirPods Pro 2 and the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro do very well is dealing with noise pollution.
Mic 3 Pro Road
Cause right now both the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro and AirPods Pro 2 a doing a great job of blocking out all of this road noise. Cause for comparisons sake, if we were to switch over to my lapel microphone you’re going to clearly hear all of this road noise, but if we were to switch over to the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro it is severely reduced. The main difference here is, the AirPods Pro 2 do a much better job of focusing on my voice than the Galaxy Buds 3 pro.
Mic 2 pro Road
And then here are the Galaxy Buds 2 pro and these are doing a decent job of reducing all of this road noise, but you can still hear some noise pollution in the background.
Mic 2 pro Chatter
And its the same thing when it comes to blocking out chatter, the Galaxy Buds 2 pro a reducing this noise pollution, but you can still hear some chatter in the back.
Mic AirPods Chatter
Where as the AirPods Pro 2 a doing a better job of blocking out this chatter, and my voice is still very clear.
Mic Galaxy Buds 3 chatter
And then here are the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro, which are also going a great job of blocking out all of this noise pollution, cause again if we were to switch over to my lapel microphone you’re going to clearly hear all of this chatter, but if we were to switch back over to the Galaxy Buds 3 pro, it is severely reduced. But again, the AirPods Pro 2 do a better job of focusing on your voice. But nonetheless, the microphone on the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro is good and it blocks out a lot of noise pollution.
But with all of that being said, I still cant help but feel that the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro are a down grade from the Galaxy Buds 2 pro. If you already have the galaxy Buds 2 pro there is no need to upgrade and if you’re thinking about getting the Galaxy Buds 3 pro, I would actually get the 2 pro and save some money while you can. With the Galaxy Buds 3 pro, the active noise cancelation and the ambient mode aren’t all that different. The battery life performance isn’t all that different, and the sound isn’t all that different. The only real upgrade is the mic. But the main reason why I wouldn’t upgrade is cause of the new for factor. These earbuds feel and look like knockoff AirPods, they dont fit as well as the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro, and I think their media controls are a down grade from the Galaxy Buds 2 pro.