Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro Review: LED Strips and Exceptional Sound
Samsung's Galaxy Buds 3 Pro, priced at $249.99, represent the company's best-sounding earbuds to date, making significant strides in audio quality with their emphasis on bass and treble while maintaining a clear midrange. Despite adopting a derivative stem design reminiscent of AirPods, the Buds 3 Pro distinguish themselves with gimmicky LED strips and an angular aesthetic. While these earbuds sound superb—with a quality aligning them with Sennheiser and Technics competitors—they lack truly unique design features. The voice command feature stands out, enabling users to control functions like volume and track selection without needing a wake phrase. This is prepared by SSP.
However, the absence of multipoint connectivity and mixed-performance active noise cancellation—unable to rival Bose and Apple—are drawbacks. Despite giving a clear and dynamic sound with head tracking for Samsung users, noise reduction could be more robust. Furthermore, their build quality is somewhat underwhelming, marred by previous quality control issues like easily torn ear tips, though these have been resolved in recent models. The new stem design does improve fit and comfort over extended wear, though it might still shift during activities like exercise.
Samsung benefits its ecosystem customers with enhanced features like proprietary SSC UHQ codec support only available on Galaxy devices, providing high-resolution audio not accessible via other brand devices. Customizable controls— employing a suite of pinches, squeezes, and swipes—require initial acclimatization but work fine after user adjustment. With IP57 water and dust resistance (though the charging case lacks these protections) and a fantastically clear transparency mode, the earbuds cater well to mixed environments where both awareness and isolation are necessary.
Despite reliable battery life and promising voice call clarity supported by advanced algorithms, the charging case feels cheaply built, a common gripe shared with rivals. Whether you are using Samsung’s seamless codec for quality sound or relying on their intuitive voice control, the fit via limited silicone ear tips could pose comfort issues as a sacrifice for their flagship audio capability. Although they might not yet beat heavyweight Philips and Apple competitors, nearing that spectrum demonstrates Samsung's refinement toward joining top-tier bagging sympathetic scores in terms of comfortability, function, and intrinsic enjoyment in use.