I tested the Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro vs Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro: the winner is obvious
As of last week, there’s officially a new kid on the block. The Galaxy Buds 4 Pro, supposedly Samsung’s “best-ever” earbuds. Is that true? Yeah, I kind of think it is.
Samsung announced the Galaxy Buds 4 Pro as the successor to the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro, making them the tech giant’s new flagship earbuds. But are they the best earbuds on the market? And are they a worthy upgrade from the Buds 3 Pro?
Samsung
Galaxy Buds 3 Pro
The Galaxy Buds 3 Pro are the Buds 4 Pro’s predecessor. Samsung claims the new 4 Pro have improved sound, improved call quality, and better AI features. As you can see, the 4 Pro have a completely refreshed design.
Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro vs Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro: Specs
| Row 0 – Cell 0 |
Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro |
Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro |
|
Price |
$249/£219 |
$244/£219 |
|
Connectivity |
Bluetooth 6.1 |
Bluetooth 5.4 |
|
ANC |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Durability |
IP57 |
IP57 |
|
Battery |
7 hours (buds) / 30 hours (case) |
7 hours (buds) / 30 hours (case) |
|
Weight |
2 ounces |
1.6 ounces |
|
Dimensions |
2 x 2 x 1.2 inches |
2.3 x 1.9 x 1 inches |
|
Colors |
White, black, apricot |
Black, white |
|
Compatibility |
iOS, Android |
iOS, Android |
Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro vs Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro: Price
Although you can’t actually hold the Galaxy Buds 4 Pro until March 11, you can pre-order them from Amazon: it’s $249 in the U.S. and £219 in the U.K.This price is identical to AirPods Pro 3 and pretty standard for flagship earbuds.
Sony’s WF-1000XM6 are $329, and Bose’s QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds 2nd Gen are $299, so it’s nice to see Apple and Samsung neck-and-neck. Makes it a bit more exciting, you get me?
If you’d expected two-year-old earbuds to be majorly discounted, you’d be wrong. The Galaxy Buds 3 Pro are still $244 from Amazon U.S. and £219 from Amazon U.K.. Perhaps when the Buds 4 Pro are officially released this price will drop, but for now, the old model are still full price. Weird.
Winner: Galaxy Buds 4 Pro.
Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro vs Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro: Design
Samsung took a great leap with the Buds 3 Pro: gone was the Sony-adjacent pebble design, replaced with a smooth, hyper-modern ‘Blade’ aesthetic. While this leap paid off, I still think the design was a little too… “out there”.
Let me explain. I love it when a brand finds its identity, something that really connects and combines functionality with innovation. However, the 3 Pro aren’t hugely functional. They’re comfortable, yes, and the silicone ear tips help create that all-important ‘seal’ for ANC.
All that being said, the touch controls on the 3 Pro are quite frustrating to use. There’s only a tiny patch of stem that actually responds to touch; if you miss that, you have to try again. This means that adjusting volume is tricky — you have to slide your finger along the rear of the stem — and holding down to adjust ANC modes is tedious.
This is not an issue on the 4 Pro at all. While I wish the 4 Pro looked less like imitation AirPods and more like Samsung earbuds, I can’t lie — the 4 Pro are so much more attractive and functional. The touch controls are a breeze, and the design is so comfortable.
Winner: Galaxy Buds 4 Pro.
Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro vs Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro: Features & connectivity
One of the best ‘hidden’ features in the Buds 4 Pro is the inclusion of Bluetooth 6.1, a major upgrade from the Buds 3 Pro’s 5.4. Bluetooth 6.1 was only released last year, so Samsung has future-proofed the newest buds. If you keep these earbuds for five years, even if your 2031 cellphone is only compatible with Bluetooth 6.1 and up, you’ll still be able to use your old buds. This is great — especially as the AirPods Pro 3 are lagging far, far behind with Bluetooth 5.3.
Yes, that is the same version found in the AirPods Pro 2. This is a bizarre decision from Apple.
But, hey, we’re not talking about AirPods — we’re talking about Galaxy Buds. And the 4 Pro get a major thumbs-up from me here.
The 4 Pro have a plethora of additional features: Interpreter (live translation), Bixby/Gemini integration, improved call quality, Head Gestures, and a remote camera shutter.
However, all of these are locked behind the Galaxy ecosystem, so if you’re on a non-Samsung Android phone, you might as well stick with the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro.
Winner: Galaxy Buds 4 Pro.
Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro vs Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro: Sound quality
Don’t get me wrong, the sound quality on the Buds 3 Pro is great. But the Buds 4 Pro truly are on the next level.
The Buds 3 Pro have fantastic clarity across the entire frequency range, with deftly layered vocals and high-frequency sound effects. I listened to Gretel’s album ‘Head of the Love Club’ while testing the Buds 3 Pro, and the earbuds handled the heavy, grungey guitar-led tracks and the softer, atmospheric tracks well.
‘DANCE’ by Slayyyter felt a little too crisp at the top of the mids, as if sharpened just past perfection. Equally, ‘Man in a Box’ by Alice in Chains felt a little lackluster, as if the low-end couldn’t quite get to the finish line. As if it were, pardon the pun, in chains.
However, the Buds 4 Pro have that spark. That je ne sais quoi. There’s a confidence to the bass that’s missing from the Buds 3 Pro.
In ‘Heart-Shaped Box’ by Nirvana, the grungey bassline and distorted guitars were layered perfectly with Kurt Cobain’s raspy vocal. No instrument dominated, but no part of the song left me longing, either. This track sounded immense.
Similarly, ‘The Dark Side (Alternate Reality version)’ by Muse was bombastic, with a carefully layered arpeggio piano riff and a delicate string section combining to create a complex, expansive atmosphere. Every rasp in Matt Bellamy’s voice scraped the inside of my brain — in the best way possible.
I’ll say this until I’m blue in the face, but the Buds 4 Pro are genuinely some of the best earbuds — sound-quality-wise — I’ve ever had the pleasure of putting in my ear holes.
Winner: Galaxy Buds 4 Pro.
Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro vs Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro: ANC
The Galaxy Buds 4 Pro have near-perfect ANC. I’d say it equals the AirPods Pro 3 and is better than the Sony WF-1000XM6. The only earbuds that exceed the Galaxy Buds 4 Pro are the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds 2nd Gen.
Comparatively, the Buds 3 Pro have great ANC, but it’s not quite as adept at blocking out high-frequency sounds. When comparing the 3 Pro and 4 Pro side-by-side, I could hear myself typing and hear office conversations only with the 3 Pro.
Winner: Galaxy Buds 4 Pro.
Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro vs Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro: Call quality
The call quality on the Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro is excellent. During testing, my voice was crystal clear, and the buds did a phenomenal job of eradicating environmental noise. The person on the other side of the phone couldn’t hear any sirens or traffic noise at all.
Similarly, the call quality on the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro is great for casual calls, and our reviewer reported that the people he spoke to couldn’t hear a difference between the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro and his usual earbuds.
Winner: Draw.
Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro vs Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro: Battery
Both the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro and Galaxy Buds 4 Pro have a 7 hour (buds), 30 hour (case) battery life. I’m a little disappointed to see no major battery improvements from model to model, especially seeing as the new Sony WF-1000XM6 boast 12 hours in the buds.
Even so, this battery life is still better than Bose’s 6-hour/24-hour and Apple’s 8-hour/24-hour rating.
Winner: Draw.
Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro vs Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro: Verdict
If you already have a pair of the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro and you’re not particularly fussed about improved sound or more AI integration, then I don’t think upgrading to the Buds 4 Pro is completely necessary.
However, if you take sound super seriously, you’ll be really impressed with the Buds 4 Pro. These premium earbuds genuinely sound as good as AirPods Pro 3 and Sony WF-1000XM6. The only buds that sound “better” are the Bose QC Ultra Earbuds 2nd Gen. The Buds 4 Pro have put Samsung audio on the map.
The Galaxy Buds 4 Pro win this face-off, and I leave you with this: If you’re an Android user, you will not be disappointed. I would grab a pair ASAP.
Ratings scorecard
| Header Cell – Column 0 |
Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro |
Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro |
|---|---|---|
|
Price and value (5) |
3 |
4 |
|
Design (15) |
9 |
13 |
|
Controls (10) |
5 |
9 |
|
Sound quality (25) |
19 |
23 |
|
Active noise cancelation (20) |
15 |
19 |
|
Call quality (10) |
9 |
9 |
|
Connectivity (5) |
4 |
5 |
|
Battery life (10) |
7 |
7 |
|
Total Score (100) |
71 |
89 |
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