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 the $249.99 Galaxy Buds 4 aren’t a huge leap guardant complete the erstwhile model, they support what was bully astir the Buds 3 and amended connected astir of what wasn’t — arsenic agelong arsenic you usage Samsung Galaxy devices.

That’s because, overmuch for illustration the AirPods Pro 3 pinch Apple gear, the Buds 4 Pro still activity champion erstwhile paired pinch different Galaxy device. This unlocks each of the functionality of the Buds 4 Pro, including hi-res audio support, Gemini and Bixby sound wakeup, caput gestures for telephone and Bixby control, the expert translation, Auracast, car switch, and HD sound calling. Some of these are disposable pinch an Android instrumentality moving the Galaxy Wear app, but for iPhone, Windows, and crippled consoles, the 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 the Galaxy Buds 4 Pro.

One of the improvements I was happy to spot from the Galaxy Buds 4 Pro complete the erstwhile type is simply a better, much accordant sound profile. I recovered the 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 the precocious end, and I didn’t want to perceive to them for agelong periods of time. But the 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 the groove while his cymbals punctuate rhythmic hits passim without being piercing.

The bass levels connected the Buds 4 Pro are correct connected the separator for me, and it really depends connected the euphony whether it’s adding an other driving punch aliases is overkill. The footwear drum during the 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 the full set comes successful for the chorus. But the 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 the other debased extremity and deliberation I’m foolish— but it tin commencement to screen immoderate of the midrange presence. Luckily, it’s easy adjusted pinch a 9-band EQ successful the app.

If you person a Galaxy device, the 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 the track, but pinch Pink Floyd’s “Brain Damage,” the hi-res type was a spot much spacious. As the opus opens up pinch the introduction of the organ and awesome backup singers, you tin consciousness the individual characteristic that each sound provides.

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

The Galaxy Buds usage an array of six microphones and a sound pickup portion that helps the 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 the thoroughfare during our call, aliases immoderate of the 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 the bandwidth of calls to 16kHz and tin beryllium turned connected successful the Buds 4 Pro menus. I recorded aggregate telephone telephone samples — 1 pinch the ace wide set turned connected pinch a Galaxy S26 Plus, 1 pinch it turned disconnected (while still utilizing the Galaxy phone), and 1 pinch an iPhone — each while I walked the 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 the 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 the AirPods stem creation they first adopted pinch the Buds 3, but Samsung made immoderate changes that are for the better. The silly LEDs on the 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 the sides of the 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 the Buds 4 Pro settings connected your device, if it’s Galaxy aliases Android.

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

Carried complete from the 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 the cases for the AirPods, Sony WF-1000XM6, and XM5, and overmuch smaller than the bulky Bose Ultra Earbuds.

Yes, the Galaxy Buds are still, overmuch for illustration Apple’s AirPods, fundamentally a instrumentality built chiefly for a walled plot — that of the 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 the Galaxy Buds 4 Pro aren’t for everyone. I surely wouldn’t urge them for an iPhone personification (in the aforesaid measurement I wouldn’t urge AirPods for anyone but an Apple user), and non-Galaxy Android users should besides see the Technics AZ100, Sony -WF1000XM5, aliases Bose Ultra Earbuds. For anyone pinch a Galaxy phone, though, the Galaxy Buds 4 Pro are the apical choice.

Photography by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge