Odi Productions
In this article, I’m going to share my HONEST Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro vs Galaxy Buds 3 Pro comparison, as someone who has purchased both pairs of earbuds with my own money.
I’ve conducted thorough testing of both wireless earbuds, and I will break down a winner for each category including:
- Comfort and Fit
- Features
- Battery Life
- Microphone Quality
- Noise Cancelling Performance
- Sound Quality
- Value
I’ll be sharing my critical opinion with 10 years of experience as a professional music producer, audio engineer, and tech journalist. I also run the RecordingNOW YouTube channel with over 18,000+ subscribers and over 4 million+ views, where you can watch the video versions of all of our reviews and comparisons.
Let’s dive right in!
Samsung Galaxy Buds4 Pro vs Samsung Galaxy Buds3 Pro Comparison in Short
The newer Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro improves upon the previous-generation Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro in virtually every way including sound quality, noise cancelling performance, and microphone quality. The sound quality takes a massive leap towards the more audiophile earbuds in the class, due to an incredible bass response with detailed highs.
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Comfort, Features, Microphone Quality, and Battery Life
Comfort
The newer Samsung Galaxy Buds4 Pro comes with 3 pairs of soft silicone eartips.
The previous-generation Samsung Galaxy Buds3 Pro also comes with 3 pairs of soft silicone eartips.
Both the newer Galaxy Buds 4 Pro and older Buds 3 Pro have elite levels of comfort. They’re easy to slip on, don’t penetrate as deeply into the ear canal, and “forget you’re wearing them”. The Buds4 Pro is even slightly improved over the Buds3 Pro with less feeling of the earbud pressing against the ear.
Even though they’re easy to slip on, the fit is rather secure and works great in the gym while working out and doing various movements.
Features
When it comes to features, the Samsung Galaxy Buds4 Pro and Buds3 Pro share a lot in common, which is to be expected.
Both support the high-res codec exclusive to Samsung called “SSC UHQ”, or “Samsung Seamless Codec Ultra High-Quality”, which goes up to 24-bit/96kHz.
You do need a modern Samsung device such as Galaxy S23 or newer to unlock this.
I’d prefer a more accessible high-res codec like LDAC (supported on all modern Android phones) or aptX Adaptive (can be added via dongle), but I understand where Samsung is coming from.
Two new features of the Galaxy Buds 4 Pro is “AI head gestures” and Bluetooth 6.1, compared to Bluetooth 5.4 of the Buds3 Pro.
With the AI head gestures, you can nod to accept a call, or shake to reject it.
Microphone Quality
One area that is noticeably improved is the microphone quality of the newer Galaxy Buds4 Pro over the Galaxy Buds3 Pro.
While the Galaxy Buds3 Pro wasn’t bad in this department, the Buds4 Pro is now in the running for #1 best mic quality in the wireless earbud class, alongside the AirPods Pro 3.
Both earbuds employ the use of physical bone conduction sensors called “Voice Pickup Units”, in addition to a 3-mic array per earbud.
Battery Life
Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro Battery Life
- With ANC on: 6 hours of battery life on a single charge / 26 hours total with charging case
- With ANC off: 7 hours on a single charge / 30 hours total with charging case
- Fast Charge: 10 minutes = 85 minutes of playback
Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro Battery Life
- With ANC on: 6 hours of battery life on a single charge / 26 hours total with charging case
- With ANC off: 7 hours on a single charge / 30 hours total with charging case
- Fast Charge: 5 minutes = 1 hour of playback
Both the Galaxy Buds 4 Pro and Buds 3 Pro have relatively identical battery life on paper, the more power-efficient Bluetooth 6.1 of the Buds 4 Pro yields slightly higher battery life totals in my real-world testing.
Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro Score: 9.5 out of 10
Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro Score: 9.0 out of 10
Winner: Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro
Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro vs Buds 3 Pro Noise Cancelling Performance Compared
Another welcome improvement with the newer Galaxy Buds 4 Pro over the Buds 3 Pro is in its noise cancelling performance.
The Galaxy Buds 3 Pro was decent for the class, but clearly below the “elite” tier of AirPods Pro 3, Sony WF-1000XM6, and Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds 2nd Gen.
The Galaxy Buds 4 Pro is much closer in noise cancelling performance to those elite options listed above.
That said, I still put it just below those 3, but it’s seriously impressive when considering how relaxed and comfortable the fit is.
Both earbuds also have Transparency Mode which works quite well, and this is also improved in the newer Buds 4 Pro to be the best transparency mode I’ve tested to date.
The Buds 4 Pro just sounds so natural like the earbuds aren’t even there when in transparency mode.
Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro Score: 8.5 out of 10
Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro Score: 8.0 out of 10
Winner: Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro
Sound Quality
The older Galaxy Buds3 Pro sounded decent for a “mainstream” earbud, but clearly a step below the audiophile options in the class.
So has the Galaxy Buds 4 Pro noticeably improved in this department as well?
Let’s start by discussing the technical details and hardware.
Both earbuds support Samsung’s exclusive high-res codec called “SSC UHQ”, accessible on a Galaxy S23 smartphone or similar modern device, like their tablets as well.
If you’re wondering what the sound quality boost or improvement is using the full SSC UHQ versus non-Samsung devices that default to AAC, I’d put this at 5-10% better sound quality.
Now, let me be clear that these earbuds still sound great without SSC UHQ, and casual listeners may not even hear a difference at all. It’s not enough to make or break their sound quality IMO, but more like a “nice to have”.
Both earbuds use a dual-driver, dual-amp setup, but this has been improved with the Galaxy Buds 4 Pro to a massive 11mm woofer for bass and mids, coupled with a 5.5mm planar tweeter to deliver high-end detail. The impact of this is that the bass response is much improved in the Galaxy Buds 4 Pro, and has now vaulted it to being one of the best bass performances I’ve heard in a wireless earbud to date.
I’m genuinely surprised with how deep the sub-bass goes down in the Buds 4 Pro, reaching some impressively low frequencies.
In contrast, this makes the Buds 3 Pro’s bass sound rather pedestrian.
In terms of sound profile, both earbuds lean consumer-friendly and V-shaped.
I think the Galaxy Buds 4 Pro handles this sound profile better, due to that massive bass and sharp detail from the planar tweeters.
I’m hearing more separation and layering effortlessly in the Buds 4 Pro, while the Buds 3 Pro has a bit more cohesiveness in the midrange, but less low-end.
Overall, I’m genuinely surprised with the jump in sound quality from the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro to the newer Buds 4 Pro, as they employ a relatively similar hardware setup.
If you’re an audiophile, or simply want to enjoy higher fidelity, clarity, and better bass, then the Buds 4 Pro is absolutely worth upgrading to.
Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro Score: 8.4 out of 10
Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro Score: 7.9 out of 10
Winner: Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro
Value
The newer Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro retails at $249.99 USD.
The Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro retails at a similar $249.99 USD, but is now found between $179 and $199 market price brand new.
Due to being older, the Buds 3 Pro is at a fairly attractive price, but I do think you’re getting what you pay for with the newer Buds 4 Pro.
With improved sound quality, noise cancelling, and mic quality, I actually find the Buds 4 Pro to be a stronger overall value when you compare it to earbuds of its caliber costing around $300 or more.
Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro Value Score: 9.0 out of 10
Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro Value Score: 8.5 out of 10
Winner: Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro
Overall Scoring Breakdown
- Best-in-class comfort
- Very fun and detailed sound
- One of the best mic quality
- Incredible bass response
- There is better noise cancelling
- There is slightly better sound quality
- 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
Our Verdict: Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro
The previous-gen Galaxy Buds3 Pro was a solid earbud all-around, but the newer Galaxy Buds 4 Pro improves upon it in virtually every way.
Aside from the improved noise cancelling and mic quality, it’s the sound quality of the Galaxy Buds 4 Pro that really took a massive leap for me.
If you can afford it, I highly suggest you upgrade to the Buds 4 Pro over the Buds 3 Pro, and I’ve received a ton of YouTube comments with people who are more than happy they made the switch.
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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