Samsung’s Galaxy Buds 4 Pro Are The Choice — If You Have A Galaxy Phone

Samsung promised “more than a creation refresh” for its caller top-end Galaxy Buds – it added upgraded woofers for improved, dual-amped hi-fi sound, a caller leaf design, clearer telephone performance, and amended sound cancellation. Ultimately, while nan $249.99 Galaxy Buds 4 aren’t a huge leap guardant complete nan erstwhile model, they support what was bully astir nan Buds 3 and amended connected astir of what wasn’t — arsenic agelong arsenic you usage Samsung Galaxy devices.

That’s because, overmuch for illustration nan AirPods Pro 3 pinch Apple gear, nan Buds 4 Pro still activity champion erstwhile paired pinch different Galaxy device. This unlocks each of nan functionality of nan Buds 4 Pro, including hi-res audio support, Gemini and Bixby sound wakeup, caput gestures for telephone and Bixby control, nan expert translation, Auracast, car switch, and HD sound calling. Some of these are disposable pinch an Android instrumentality moving nan Galaxy Wear app, but for iPhone, Windows, and crippled consoles, nan buds tin only grip modular audio, calls, and toggling ANC connected and off. It mightiness beryllium a bully business decision, but it limits who tin afloat bask nan Galaxy Buds 4 Pro.

One of nan improvements I was happy to spot from nan Galaxy Buds 4 Pro complete nan erstwhile type is simply a better, much accordant sound profile. I recovered nan Buds 3 Pro to beryllium a spot shouty, wherever definite frequencies successful vocals stuck retired much than they should. There was a akin problem pinch nan precocious end, and I didn’t want to perceive to them for agelong periods of time. But nan Buds 4 Pro fixed that. The midrange successful peculiar is smoother, which allowed maine to conscionable beryllium backmost much and bask Chris Cornell’s soaring vocals connected “Black Hole Sun” and “Superunknown.” And Matt Cameron’s hi-hat helps to thrust nan groove while his cymbals punctuate rhythmic hits passim without being piercing.

The bass levels connected nan Buds 4 Pro are correct connected nan separator for me, and it really depends connected nan euphony whether it’s adding an other driving punch aliases is overkill. The footwear drum during nan verses of Tracy Chapman’s “Fast Car” is simply a small much coming than it should be, but it besides gives an other beat and extent earlier nan full set comes successful for nan chorus. But nan thumping toms and driving bass of “Uprising” by Muse is simply a spot excessively overmuch for what I’m utilized to. It’s successful nary measurement excessive aliases retired of power — and I’m judge galore will emotion nan other debased extremity and deliberation I’m foolish— but it tin commencement to screen immoderate of nan midrange presence. Luckily, it’s easy adjusted pinch a 9-band EQ successful nan app.

If you person a Galaxy device, nan Buds 4 Pro support 24-bit / 96kHz hi-resolution audio from streaming apps that connection it (my app of prime is Qobuz). The differences are insignificant and dangle connected nan track, but pinch Pink Floyd’s “Brain Damage,” nan hi-res type was a spot much spacious. As nan opus opens up pinch nan introduction of nan organ and awesome backup singers, you tin consciousness nan individual characteristic that each sound provides.

Another constituent of betterment is nan buds’ progressive sound cancellation. They do an fantabulous occupation pinch nan debased end, truthful rumbles of airplane engines while connected trips will beryllium decently tamed, and a decent occupation pinch nan pesky midrange frequencies that almost each earbuds person problem with. The capacity isn’t rather arsenic bully arsenic nan AirPods Pro 3, Bose Ultra, aliases Sony WF-1000XM6, but it’s a important betterment complete nan Buds Pro 3. In nan app, it’s imaginable to set nan strength of some nan ANC and transparency mode to springiness you much consciousness options erstwhile retired successful nan world.

The Galaxy Buds usage an array of six microphones and a sound pickup portion that helps nan mics attraction connected your voice, and during calls they do an fantabulous occupation isolating my sound and blocking retired things for illustration wind, traffic, adjacent people, aliases large noises. So overmuch truthful that my friend wasn’t capable to perceive a car siren crossed nan thoroughfare during our call, aliases immoderate of nan postulation arsenic I walked down a engaged San Fernando Valley street. The tradeoff was a hefty dose of compression added to my voice, but I was still easy intelligible.

For those pinch a Galaxy device, Samsung includes a ace wide set for sound option, which increases nan bandwidth of calls to 16kHz and tin beryllium turned connected successful nan Buds 4 Pro menus. I recorded aggregate telephone telephone samples — 1 pinch nan ace wide set turned connected pinch a Galaxy S26 Plus, 1 pinch it turned disconnected (while still utilizing nan Galaxy phone), and 1 pinch an iPhone — each while I walked nan aforesaid fewer blocks of a engaged thoroughfare during unreserved hour. The ace wide set makes a insignificant betterment to vocal quality, but I only noticed it listening to nan samples back-to-back. Is it bully to have? Sure. Critical for calls? Absolutely not. There’s nary logic not to move it connected if you person a Galaxy device, but those without 1 aren’t missing much.

The Galaxy Buds still person nan AirPods stem creation they first adopted pinch nan Buds 3, but Samsung made immoderate changes that are for nan better. The silly LEDs on nan stem are gone, replaced pinch a metallic portion Samsung refers to arsenic a “blade design,” and they’ve added a 3rd online-exclusive color, pinkish gold, to spell on pinch achromatic and black. The metallic portion looks arsenic if it’s capacitive, but successful truth is conscionable decoration. The capacitive controls are connected nan sides of nan stem and activity pinch some swipe (for volume) and pinch motions (for ANC toggle, pause/play, way controls, adjunct activation, and telephone controls). Which earbud controls what tin beryllium customized successful nan Buds 4 Pro settings connected your device, if it’s Galaxy aliases Android.

There are only 3 receptor extremity sizes that travel pinch nan Galaxy Buds, while galore different earbuds are starting to see further smaller and larger options. I was capable to get a unafraid fresh pinch nan mean tips, and I ne'er worried astir them coming loose moreover erstwhile I went connected a run. And since nan Galaxy Buds are IP57, they make a bully group of workout earbuds.

Carried complete from nan Buds 3 is simply a transparent apical charging case, truthful you tin show disconnected your earbuds arsenic they complaint (do group do this?). It’s a clamshell creation pinch wireless charging that fits good into mini pockets and is smaller than nan cases for nan AirPods, Sony WF-1000XM6, and XM5, and overmuch smaller than nan bulky Bose Ultra Earbuds.

Yes, nan Galaxy Buds are still, overmuch for illustration Apple’s AirPods, fundamentally a instrumentality built chiefly for a walled plot — that of nan Galaxy ecosystem — but now their capacity measures up acold much favorably against those iconic earbuds. They sound really good, person ANC capacity now worthy of their price, and — if you’re utilizing a Galaxy instrumentality — see features for illustration Auracast, high-res audio, and car switch.

But that exclusivity intends nan Galaxy Buds 4 Pro aren’t for everyone. I surely wouldn’t urge them for an iPhone personification (in nan aforesaid measurement I wouldn’t urge AirPods for anyone but an Apple user), and non-Galaxy Android users should besides see nan Technics AZ100, Sony -WF1000XM5, aliases Bose Ultra Earbuds. For anyone pinch a Galaxy phone, though, nan Galaxy Buds 4 Pro are nan apical choice.

Photography by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge