Galaxy Buds Pro: Meet the best True Wireless earbuds for Samsung users

Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro are the equivalent of AirPods Pro for Samsung Galaxy S21 series phones. Like AirPods, they have active noise cancellation and support for spatial audio. You can enjoy movies or shows with a more immersive experience, and take them anywhere without worrying about external noise.

Both models also feature integrated batteries that provide up to five hours of continuous playback. However, the Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro headset offers many extra features, especially for Samsung phone or tablet users. They are the final piece that ties the entire Samsung ecosystem together.

They offer multiple syncing, support for Bixby (though not Google Assistant) and the Samsung Galaxy Wearable app. This application is only available for Android devices, and you need it to enjoy all the benefits of Samsung wireless headphones.

Galaxy Buds Pro use Samsung's Scalable Audio technology. They support UHQ audio streaming via Bluetooth with resolutions up to 24bit/96kHz, SmartThings Finder and multi-microphone recording, allowing you to use the Buds Pro as microphones when recording videos with your Samsung phone.

Overall, the Galaxy Buds Pro sound and fit well for any user. They are a great option for Samsung phone owners. In this article we tell you about all their features, pros and cons.

Design

The Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro, like the Galaxy S21, are available in three colors: black, silver and purple. The carrying case/charging base has the same color as the earbuds. Speaking of the case, it's very compact and integrates LED lights on the inside and outside that light up in green, yellow or red, depending on the battery status.

The cup design abandons the grain shape of previous models. The Galaxy Buds Pro look like little sound funnels. They have a glossy finish in resistant plastic. The cups are a bit long (20.8mm), although the size is necessary to integrate all components: touch controls, three microphones, 6.5mm tweeters and 11mm woofers.

They have a futuristic look and fit the wearer well. The design reduces ambient noise and equalizes ear pressure. They are large and you can't use them to sleep, but they stay fixed and secure. In addition, the package comes with two additional sets of tips to help you get a better seal. They also come with the USB-C charging cable.

Overall, the Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro headphones feel very comfortable and you can wear them for hours without discomfort or pressure. Not the most attractive In Ear True Wireless headphones, but one of the most comfortable.

As for the controls, they are very easy to learn. One tap plays or pauses, two taps advances songs or answers calls, and three taps rewinds songs. Holding down the control switches between ambient sound mode and active noise cancellation, although you can also customize the controls with the Samsung Wearable app.

IPX7 certification and active noise cancellation

The two most notable features of the Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro are active noise cancellation and IPX7 certification, the highest among Galaxy Buds wireless earbuds. Previous models had IPX2 or IPX4 ratings, meaning they could only withstand a little sweat and a few drops of rain. But now, Galaxy Buds Pro can withstand immersion in fresh water for up to 30 minutes at a depth of 1 meter.

Is the noise cancellation active? Yes, especially for Samsung. Thanks to the three microphones built into the Galaxy Buds Pro, they are much better at reducing outside noise than the Galaxy Buds Live. Of course, they don't compare to the best noise-cancelling headphones, such as the Bose or Sony.

When we tested them at home, we noticed that they drastically reduce the noise of humidifiers or air conditioners, although they do not isolate you when someone else plays music at high volumes. The ANC is good enough not to hear nearby conversations, but they cannot turn off louder sounds.

Another useful feature is audio amplification, also known as audio passthrough. Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro can take outside audio and amplify it in your ears by up to 20 dB, something very useful when you find yourself waiting for your flight announcement at an airport, for example.

Features for Samsung users

Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro also offer specific features for Samsung users, such as Bixby hands-free mode and Find My Earbuds. The SmartThings Find feature, found within the SmartThings app, shows you a location map for your devices, even when they are turned off or unplugged. This helps in case the earphones are lost or stolen.

Finally, if you have other Galaxy products, you can switch on the Buds Pro synchronization between different devices automatically with the Auto Switch function. For example, if you listen to music with a tablet and want to answer calls with the phone, the feature allows you to let the headset automatically sync to the phone for the call and reconnect to the tablet when you end the call.

Sound quality

AKG helped with the tuning of these headphones to provide the best possible equalization. This is not surprising, as AKG is a subsidiary of Harman Kardon and HK of Samsung. That said, the attention to detail is noticeable, and the sound balance is very well achieved. The bass is perceived as deep and the treble sounds quite crisp, while the mids maintain a good presence. No layer overshadows the others.

However, we find that the mids and treble lack a bit of clarity. Likewise, the sound spatiality is not very wide. This is to be expected, as the Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro are cheaper than the best HiFi in-ear headphones.

On the other hand, if you like to equalize the sound to your personal taste, the Samsung Wearable app allows you to do so. We especially liked the dynamic adjustment. Galaxy Buds Pro also support Samsung's 360 audio. This means you can enjoy any piece in virtual surround sound, similar to the spatial audio of the AirPods Pro.

Performance is better when used with a Samsung device thanks to Samsung's scalable codecs. If you are not using a Galaxy phone, Bluetooth audio will be transmitted in SBC or AAC, both lossy codecs. This is a plus for Samsung phone users, but it's too bad they do not support Qualcomm's aptX codecs or the new Bluetooth LEDs.

Voices come through clearly when you use the Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro as a handsfree. We think they sound a little better with the phone's microphones, but this is to be expected. Most In Ear headsets do not sound as good as phones when making calls.

Battery life

The batteries in the Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro Bluetooth headphones last up to five hours with noise cancellation active and seven hours with ANC off. That's decent capacity for a noise-cancelling headset, though nothing revolutionary.

The case gives you an additional 13 hours with the ANC or 20 hours without the ANC. In addition, they charge very fast through the USB-C port. Five minutes of charging is enough to use the Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro for more than an hour. They also support wireless charging, although the process is a bit slower.

What do we like about the Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro?

If you are a Samsung Galaxy phone user, Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro are the ideal companion. This model also features IPX7 certification and noise cancellation, plus very useful options such as SmartThings Find.

What don't we like about them?

Active noise cancellation is not the best. It's decent, but it doesn't totally isolate you from noisy environments. The sound is well balanced, but detail and spatiality leave something to be desired. In addition, they do not support Google assistants or Siri. Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro work with Bixby. If you are an Apple user, we recommend the AirPods Pro.

Conclusion on Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro

The new Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro are much better than the Galaxy Buds Live. They offer better sound, superior microphone quality, support spatial audio and multiple synchronization. Noise cancellation is not as noticeable as the Bose or Sony models, but it's decent. They are excellent value for money. Interested? Find the best price on Amazon.

We also recommend you check out the excellent Huawei FreeBuds Pro 2.

Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro reviews

This model has an average rating of 4.2 out of 5 stars on Amazon. More than 60% of users give them the best score and are generally satisfied with their purchase. Below we have copied a few reviews so that you can be guided by their users:

• Jose: “The best headphones I've ever had. They fit well, the case is compact and the sound very decent.”
• ALFONSO FRAILE: “The sound is very good for its price and the best thing is the noise cancellation, but the ear pads do not fit my ears well.”
• Juanjo JJC: “The True Wireless are not for me. I prefer wired Bluetooth headsets. I find that the touch controls are too sensitive and when you want to take them off something is triggered.”