I don’t care that the Galaxy Buds3 Pro look like AirPods

The new Samsung Galaxy Buds3 Pro have been turning heads, not just for their features, but for their design. Yes, they’ve already been compared to AirPods countless times. Personally, I think they look more like mini Tesla Cybertrucks in your ears, with their silver color, sharp, angular edges, and thin blade lights. Even still, I don’t care – and neither should you. Imitation isn’t always just flattery, after all.

I’m a Samsung phone owner, currently rocking the Galaxy S23 Ultra as my daily driver. As such, I have gravitated towards Samsung Galaxy Buds for the past few generations to take advantage of Samsung’s scalable codec and UHQ audio. Starting with the Galaxy Buds Pro and now frequently wearing my Galaxy Buds2 Pro, I’ve seen the evolution of these earbuds firsthand.

The Galaxy Buds3 Pro looks dramatically different from its predecessor, the Galaxy Buds2 Pro. I wear the Buds2 Pro on the bus and for a walk, and I find them comfortable and secure. I felt the original Buds Pro were a bit too bulbous and protruded too much from my ears, sometimes becoming uncomfortable, but I found that the form factor was greatly improved the second time around and have no complaints there.

So, I was initially wary when Samsung decided to fix something I didn’t consider broken. However, I’ve warmed up to stem designs, particularly after trying the Nothing Ear (2) and the newer Ear. Pinch controls can be more intuitive and have less risk of compromising the seal or pushing the ear tips further into your ear canal. Samsung claims the switch to the stem design was based on “a variety of collected statistical data” showing better comfort and in-ear stability. While this matched my experience with other brands, my hands-on time with the Galaxy Buds3 Pro revealed some issues.

The stem is a tad too triangular with sharp edges. While there’s a tactile click when pinched, the shape isn’t very ergonomic for my thumb and finger to find, and I compromised the seal a few times when using it. I hoped this wouldn’t be the case, but it’s going to take some getting used to. If they had copied the AirPods Pro all the way and added a small indentation for where to pinch that would have helped. On the plus side, the swipe controls work much better as you run your finger up or down the flat edges.

The Blade Lights initially struck me as gimmicky, but seeing them in person changed my mind. They look cool and serve practical purposes, indicating pairing mode, music playback, and use of the new Interpreter feature. They might even help with visibility at night or finding them if you drop them in the dark. Don’t like them? You can turn them off. The case design is also a win in my book. When closed, it looks like a little spaceman’s dome — a fun, retro-futuristic touch reminiscent of the Moondrop Space Travel.

For Galaxy device owners, Samsung has consistently delivered top-tier performance and features. My first impressions of the sound quality were very positive. The Wearables app now includes a Custom equalizer (finally!) alongside the familiar EQ presets, which I’m eager to explore further. The default sound with Spatial Audio activated seemed a bit clearer but much more bass-heavy than what I’m used to with the Galaxy Buds2 Pro. Active noise cancelation didn’t completely block out my excited co-workers, but I’ll need to test it in various environments for a fair assessment.

While the Galaxy Buds3 Pro might share some visual DNA with AirPods, it’s what’s inside that counts. If they outperform the competition, the design similarities become less important. However, the ergonomic issues with the stem design are a legitimate concern that could impact user experience.

Innovation isn’t always about reinventing the wheel—sometimes, it’s about making it roll better. In this case, Samsung seems to be on the right track with features but may need to refine its physical design. Stay tuned for our full review, where we’ll put these space-age buds through their paces in our testing lab and see if they live up to the hype.