AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation Vs. Samsung Galaxy Buds3

2024 brought the release of the Samsung Galaxy Buds3 and the Apple AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation. You can’t deny the physical design similarities between these products and the fact they both offer ANC without relying on an ear tip. Ultimately, your decision should come down to what type of device you use, but in this AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation vs. Galaxy Buds3 article, I’ll outline some key differences between these flagship earbuds.

Editor’s note: this article was published on Sept 25th, 2024, and is the first version of the article. Updates will follow as the market changes.

What’s it like to use the AirPods 4 with ANC compared to the Galaxy Buds3?

The AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation and the Galaxy Buds3 share a very similar design, although the Buds3 are a bit more angular-looking in some places. Without ear tips, both pairs offer a one-size-fits-all, unsealed fit. It’s not for everyone. Most people find they either love the fit or they hate it. Unfortunately, the best performance only comes with the best possible fit. This applies to both sound quality and ANC performance. For example, if you’ve had fit issues with previous generations of AirPods, there’s no guarantee that either pair of these new earbuds will be the solution. If it’s at all possible, you’ll want to try them before you buy them.

In terms of protection from the elements, the AirPods 4 with ANC are now IP54 rated, meaning they are protected from dust, splashes of water, and sweat. While this is an improvement from the outgoing generation’s IPX4 rating, the Galaxy Buds3 has them beat with an IP57 rating, meaning they can survive being submerged in water, up to a meter, for 30 minutes. Still, I’m not wearing either pair in the shower.

Both units operate via physical pinch controls found on the stem of each earbud.

Should you use the apps of either AirPods 4 with ANC or Galaxy Buds3?

The AirPods 4 with ANC integrate seamlessly with any iOS device without an app. You’ll find your controls, settings, and available listening modes within your iOS Settings, although there are still no custom EQ options. You can locate your earbuds in the Find My app if you lose them. The charging case of the AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation can also be tracked, thanks to the case’s built-in speaker.

If you use an Android phone, you’ll want to install the Samsung Galaxy Wearable app for the Samsung Galaxy Buds3. It’s the best way to access the earbuds’ basic controls and features, like toggling ANC on or off, changing your EQ presets, accessing AI features, and downloading firmware updates.

How do the AirPods 4 with ANC and Galaxy Buds3 connect?

The AirPods 4 with ANC connect to your device via Bluetooth 5.3 and support SBC and AAC codecs, with seamless pairing for Apple device users. However, they lack support for higher-quality codecs like aptX or LDAC.

The Galaxy Buds3 connects to your device via Bluetooth 5.4. In addition to SBC and AAC, if you own a recent Samsung device, you can also connect to your phone via the Samsung Seamless Codec. This codec offers higher bitrate listening, which should satisfy any picky listeners out there.

Is battery life better on the AirPods 4 with ANC or Galaxy Buds3?

This one is close enough to call a tie. In our battery testing, the AirPods 4 with ANC provided 6 hours and 21 minutes of playback off a single charge without its ANC feature enabled. By this measure, you should be able to hit the 30 hours of playback mark that Apple states you can achieve with charging case top-ups.

Believe it or not, the Galaxy Buds3 provided 6 hours and 20 minutes off a single charge. So close! While battery life will always be affected by factors like how loud you’ve been listening to your music and which listening modes you’re using, these are fairly average battery lifetimes and more than good enough for a few days worth of commutes.

Do the AirPods 4 with ANC or Galaxy Buds3 block noise better?

The variables of the “one-size-fits-all” design approach become apparent when comparing the isolation scores between these two pairs of earbuds. Without ear tips, both pairs struggle to reduce low-frequency noise—not great if you’re on an airplane. However, the AirPods 4 with ANC does an excellent job of blocking out mid and high-frequency noises, such as people’s conversations.

The Galaxy Buds3’s ANC, however, clearly has issues across the board. Ears come in all shapes and sizes. Without a proper seal, ANC performance and user experience will vary from person to person—case in point, the Galaxy Buds3 and its poor results. In the real world, the Buds3 will likely cancel noise better than our instruments can measure if you can get a good fit. But based on our testing data, the AirPods 4 have better noise canceling performance than the Galaxy Buds3.

Do the AirPods 4 with ANC sound better than the Galaxy Buds3?

Not to keep beating a dead horse, but the answer to this question relies on how well either pair of earbuds fit your ears. Let’s take a look at each earbud’s MDAQS results as an example.

Multi-Dimensional Audio Quality Scores (MDAQS)

When it comes to MDAQS, the AirPods 4 with ANC walks away with decent results across the board and an overall score of 3.6, which is about average among earbuds with an unsealed design.

Unfortunately, an extremely low Immersiveness score brings down the Galaxy Buds3 overall score to 2.8, which is below average for the category. That said, they are still capable earbuds. If you notice lacking audio quality, the culprit is your fit, not the internals of the earbuds.

Objective Measurements

The chart above shows our measured frequency response for both the Airpods 4 with ANC and the Galaxy Buds3, compared to our house curve. While the AirPods 4 lack some sub-bass frequencies below 100Hz, the Galaxy Buds3 are severely lacking in overall bass output. If you’ve made it this far in the article, you probably know what I’m about to say next. These are the variables that come with an unsealed fit. The highs from the Buds3 are also a little sporadic, with a spike around 8kHz. While it will help with the clarity of production-related details like reverberated vocal tones, it may prove to be too much for some Buds3 users during longer listening sessions.

Do the AirPods 4 with ANC or Galaxy Buds3 have a better microphone?

Our standardized microphone tests found the AirPods 4 with ANC to have the better microphone. While both pairs struggled to reject wind noise in our simulated outdoor setting, the Galaxy Buds3 samples are extremely quiet and slightly muffled. Not great if you’re taking calls or Zoom meetings regularly.

That said, the microphone performance will vary depending on what device you are connected to. The AirPods and Galaxy Buds have microphones that perform best when paired to an iPhone or Galaxy phone respectively.

AirPods 4 with ANC microphone demo (Ideal conditions):

Galaxy Buds3 microphone demo (Ideal conditions):

AirPods 4 with ANC microphone demo (Wind conditions):

Galaxy Buds3 microphone demo (Wind conditions):

AirPods 4 with ANC vs Galaxy Buds3: Price and availability

Both the AirPods 4 with ANC and the Galaxy Buds3 sell for $179, and are available through their respective manufacturers’ websites, major electronics retailers, and online marketplaces.

Should you get the AirPods 4 with ANC or Galaxy Buds3?

The AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation and the Galaxy Buds3 are both capable earbuds. As we’ve established, a good fit is critical to decent sound and ANC performance with the unsealed design, and that’s something only your ears can define for you.

That said, there’s no reason to complicate things and plague yourself with compatibility issues. Keep it simple. If you own an iPhone, buy the new AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation. If you have a Samsung phone, go for the Galaxy Buds3. Or better yet, take a look at our list of the best wireless earbuds on the market before making your decision.

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