Odi Productions
In this article, I’m going to share my HONEST Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro review for those who are wondering whether they are WORTH IT. I’ll also be comparing the Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro vs AirPods Pro 3, AirPods Pro 2, Sony WF-1000XM5, Google Pixel Buds Pro 2, and more!
I’m going to do my best to share whether these headphones are worth it, and ideally who these headphones are for. I’ve owned these headphones for a while now and have quite a few thoughts.
I’ll be sharing my critical opinion with 10 years of experience as a professional music producer, audio engineer, and tech journalist.
Let’s dive right in!
Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro Review in Short
The Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro is a serious contender to all the mainstream brands like Apple, Sony, Bose, and Google, on account of its excellent comfort and fit, strong noise cancelling performance, and fun bass-forward sound signature. Competes in the wireless noise cancelling earbuds class with the likes of Apple AirPods Pro 3, AirPods Pro 2, Sony WF-1000XM5, Google Pixel Buds Pro 2, and Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds 1st Gen.
Pros and Cons
- Amazing comfort and fit
- Strong noise cancelling performance
- Fun sound profile
- Relatively good value
- No native iOS or Apple support
- No high-res codec support
- Not audiophile-level sound quality
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Comfort + Features
Comfort
Prior to writing this review, my last review was the Google Pixel Buds Pro 2, which aimed to be the “most comfortable earbuds in the market”, a claim that I would agree with.
To my surprise, I find the Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro to be equally comfortable to the Pixel Buds Pro 2, if not slightly more so.
I love the ease of the fit and physical seal that I can achieve with the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro, and it reminds me of a hybrid between the in-ear Apple AirPods Pro and the regular AirPods.
The key difference with the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro versus most in-ear earbuds is that it doesn’t seem to go as deep into the ear canal, but is still able to form a solid physical seal.
I would rate the comfort of the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro to be better than the AirPods Pro 2nd Generation, and about equal or slightly better than the newer AirPods Pro 3rd Generation.
Features
The Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro was originally released in July 2024, so it has many modern wireless earbud features:
- IP57 dust and water resistance rating
- Samsung Seamless Codec (SSC) UHQ (up to 24-bit/96kHz with compatible Samsung S23 series or newer)
- Built-in beamforming microphones for taking calls
- Spatial Audio with head-tracking
- Bluetooth 5.4
- Multi-point connection
- Supports Galaxy AI
- Adaptive Noise Cancelling
- Transparency Mode
- Custom EQ
The most notable features missing from the Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro are no support for high-res codecs like LDAC, aptX Lossless, or aptX Adaptive, and no native iOS app for iPhone and Apple users.
Overall, I give the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro perfect marks for comfort, but take off a couple points for the lack of lossless codec support and Apple-user support, as that alienates a large iPhone user base. That said, if you’re a Samsung S23 user or newer, then you can disregard this and will actually receive the benefit of Samsung’s Seamless Codec that is near-lossless.
Battery Life
The Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro have 6 hours of battery life on a single charge and 26 hours total with charging case when noise cancelling is turned ON, and 7 hours on a single charge with 30 hours total with noise cancelling OFF.
This battery life is average for the class.
Comfort + Features Score: 8.5 out of 10
Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro Noise Cancelling Performance
The Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro has rather impressive noise cancelling performance for the wireless earbud class.
You’ve probably seen “AI” being plastered on every product these days, including the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro, but I genuinely believe that the AI technology helps improve the active noise cancelling in real-time.
The transparency mode is also very good. I might even say that it might even be a little too loud in accentuating ambient noises around you, like giving a person superpower hearing.
I like that these have the ability to also turn OFF either the noise cancelling and transparency modes, and here is where I can hear a pretty decent passive noise isolation from the physical seal.
Considering how comfortable and easy it is to get a good seal, I find the noise cancelling of the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro to be quite consistent and practical for everyday use.
The Galaxy Buds 3 Pro’s ANC is superior to the AirPods Pro 2, but I do believe the newer AirPods Pro 3 has regained the crown for its ANC performance.
Noise Cancelling Score: 8.0 out of 10
Sound Quality
Upon first listening impressions, I could hear that the Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro was most likely designed to go directly after the uber-popular Apple AirPods Pro 2nd generation.
I love the natural stock tuning of the AirPods Pro 2, and I found the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro to be more consumer-friendly emphasizing the bass and treble instead.
That said, I could hear a touch more fidelity and clarity with the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro as a whole, and its sound profile is the more “fun” to listen to, especially for modern genres of Pop, Hip Hop, and EDM.
The bass is the most impressive aspect of the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro for me, as it has a visceral impact and fullness that is very satisfying.
Where the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro fall short is in not having the most realistic timbre or expansive soundstage.
Although I think the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro sounds great against the mainstream competition from Apple and Sony, there is a class of audiophile earbuds above these that include brands such as Technics, Bowers & Wilkins, Denon, and Soundpeats to name a few.
You need to be a Samsung S23 user or newer to take advantage of Samsung’s Seamless Codec (SSC). Without that, there is no high-res codec support such as LDAC and aptX Lossless/Adaptive.
That said, I find the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro pretty fun to listen to due to its bass response, so if you listen to mostly modern genres, these can be quite satisfying.
Sound Quality Score: 7.9 out of 10
Value
At just under $200, the Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro undercuts both the AirPods Pro 3 and Sony WF-1000XM5 by about $50 when comparing market prices.
The Google Pixel Buds Pro 2 is slightly cheaper than the Buds 3 Pro, but I slightly prefer the Samsungs as a whole.
Overall, I think the relatively cheaper price of the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro makes it a better value than Apple or Sony.
But there are some even better value standouts in the wireless noise cancelling earbud class such as the SoundPEATS H3 at under $130 retail.
Value Score: 8.5 out of 10
Overall Scoring Breakdown
Comfort + Features (15% of score): 8.5 / 10
Noise Cancelling (25% of score): 8.0 / 10
Sound Quality (50% of score): 7.9 / 10
Value (10% of score): 8.5 / 10
Total: 8.1 out of 10
Is the Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro Worth it?
As someone who is a big fan of the AirPods Pro 2, mainly due to its sound, I actually walk away being more impressed by the Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro, which I think is superior in almost every way.
The competition is much stiffer with the newer AirPods Pro 3, which I think boils down to which ecosystem you’re in – Apple or Samsung/Android.
That said, I can wholly recommend the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro as a strong value option that is cheaper than its competition, but every bit as competent.
Lastly, if you’d like to save some money and keep supporting RecordingNOW.com’s 100% independent, unbiased reviews, do consider using some of our affiliate links below to shop and even just compare prices. We purchase all products we review with our own money to maintain the highest level of integrity, and your support goes into that plus a continuously improving site experience.
Order HERE for the LOWEST PRICE AVAILABLE (Do NOT pay retail):
Disclosure: These affiliate links may provide a discount and in return, give us a commission in order to keep this website 100% independent to ensure honest unfiltered reviews 🙂
How We Tested and Our Methodology
RecordingNOW.com is a 100% independent publisher with over 10 years of experience testing and reviewing consumer electronics and headphones.
We currently purchase the products we test with our own money, and are not paid by any company or manufacturer to influence our opinions or decisions.
After purchasing the product, we conduct up to hundreds of hours of detailed hands-on testing in a controlled, acoustically-treated environment.
ODi Productions is our resident expert and author of this article, with 10 years of experience as a professional music producer, tech journalist, and audiophile.
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