Samsung Galaxy Buds3 Pro vs Samsung Galaxy Buds3: Beleaguered buds

If you’re looking for a set of earbuds that make the most of Samsung’s newest mobile features, you’d naturally wonder what the company’s best efforts are capable of. But which product reigns supreme when you pit the Samsung Galaxy Buds3 Pro vs the Samsung Galaxy Buds3? Let’s go blow-by-blow.

Editor’s note: this article was published on August 16, 2024, and is the first version of the article. Updates will follow as the market changes.

What’s it like to use the Samsung Galaxy Buds3 Pro compared to the Samsung Galaxy Buds3?

Because both the Samsung Galaxy Buds3 Pro and Samsung Galaxy Buds3 share roughly the same design language, a ton of things inside and out will seem virtually identical. For example, both look extremely similar on the outside — The same pyramidal lollipop stem, the same smooth buds, and the same color-coded charging contacts. Additionally, both earbuds support many of the same features, including Samsung’s AI features on its latest phones. These earbuds both have an ingress protection rating of IP57, and can withstand your daily life even if you live in a rainforest. Both models support Auracast, Multipoint, and spatial audio.

The Samsung Galaxy Buds3 Pro and Samsung Galaxy Buds3 have a pretty similar user experience, provided you’re able to get the fit you want. The main differentiator here is that the Samsung Galaxy Buds3 Pro is a set of earbuds with tips that seal to your ear, and the Samsung Galaxy Buds3 do not. This has several consequences inherent to the design differences, such as poorer isolation on the Samsung Galaxy Buds3, greater difficulty getting bass emphasis, and a secure fit. Consequently, if you’re hoping to take your new buds on a run or high-movement exercise, you want the Samsung Galaxy Buds3 Pro. In that light, comparing these earbuds is a bit apples-and-oranges, so keep that in mind.

If you don’t have one of Samsung’s latest phones, a number of features will be inaccessible to you. Though you might not care all that much, going without the AI features and Samsung Seamless Codecs does mean that several other earbuds might be a better buy for the money when compared to the Samsung Galaxy Buds3 Pro and Samsung Galaxy Buds3.

The cases of both the Samsung Galaxy Buds3 and Samsung Galaxy Buds3 Pro offer wireless charging, are quite small, and have a transparent lid so you can see if you’ve left your earbuds elsewhere at a glance. While some users have reported issues with the earbuds being difficult to slot into the recesses, I found the angled stems to make insertion into the case easier than other buds.

Should you use the apps of either Samsung Galaxy Buds3 Pro or Samsung Galaxy Buds3?

If you would like to make the most of the Samsung Galaxy Buds3 Pro and Samsung Galaxy Buds3’s AI features, spatial audio, EQ presets, and more: you need to use the Samsung Wearable app. Though the equalization sliders aren’t much to perform your own custom EQ presets, this app is still head and shoulders above the usefulness of some of its competitors.

How do the Samsung Galaxy Buds3 Pro and Samsung Galaxy Buds3 connect?

Both the Samsung Galaxy Buds3 Pro and Samsung Galaxy Buds3 use the same version of Bluetooth (5.4) and the same array of codecs to connect to source devices. In addition to SBC and AAC, those of you with the most recent Samsung devices can also connect to your phones via the Samsung Seamless Codec. This codec offers higher bitrate transfer rates of far less-compressed audio files, which should satisfy even the pickier listeners out there. It’s not perfect, but a big step up from what was previously available on Samsung phones.

Each product also supports Auracast, which should unlock some doors for you as time passes. Though more and more earbuds will support this feature in the future, if you’re in the market for something that you want to last you a few years: it’s worth getting something that supports the latest Bluetooth features — especially when it’s something that will enable useful functions in more and more places.

Is battery life better on the Samsung Galaxy Buds3 Pro or Samsung Galaxy Buds3?

With ANC enabled, the Samsung Galaxy Buds3 outlasts the Samsung Galaxy Buds3 Pro by about 25 minutes in our standardized battery test. However, the earbuds only lasted about 4 hours and 56 minutes at normal listening volumes in our lab — though your mileage may vary. You might find that you can squeeze more listening time out of either set of earbuds by disabling ANC, or turning the volume down. However, it’s clear that these are not the earbuds you want for a long intercontinental flight or anything. They are, however, perfect for the everyday use of most people who commute to work.

Do the Samsung Galaxy Buds3 Pro or Samsung Galaxy Buds3 block noise better?

This is a tough comparison because we were unable to get a good representation of how well the ANC unit in the Samsung Galaxy Buds3 works under an ideal fit — not to mention isolation. However, that may also be our answer. Because the Samsung Galaxy Buds3 are unsealed earbuds, the variability in ANC performance will be considerable, while the Samsung Galaxy Buds3 Pro will be consistently head and shoulders above what you’d get from the Samsung Galaxy Buds3.

Though the Samsung Galaxy Buds3 Pro are not among the most effective ANC earbuds on the market, they do quite well — especially against the Samsung Galaxy Buds3.

The Samsung Galaxy Buds3 cancel noise better than our instruments were able to record, but even this result is better than that of the original AirPods’ isolation, so that bit of context is important. However, this might not be the choice for you if you want to take a bunch of flights soon.

Do the Samsung Galaxy Buds3 Pro sound better than the Samsung Galaxy Buds3?

Even when all issues are accounted for, the Samsung Galaxy Buds3 Pro sounds better than the Samsung Galaxy Buds3. Neither earphones are particularly bad, but the Samsung Galaxy Buds3’s audio quality can suffer from bad fit issues if the earbuds are dislodged.

Multi-Dimensional Audio Quality Scores (MDAQS)

Both earphones have pleasing timbre, and immersiveness scores, with high overall ratings. The Samsung Galaxy Buds3 Pro has a little bit of distortion, but not enough to be unpleasant. However, these scores plummet with the Samsung Galaxy Buds3 should you get a poor fit. If you notice lacking audio quality, that’s the culprit, and not the internals of the earbuds. All else being equal, the Samsung Galaxy Buds3 are perfectly capable as a personal audio product, but the fit is the main variable here.

Objective Measurements

With their best fit, the Samsung Galaxy Buds3 offers a decent sound, as do the Samsung Galaxy Buds3 Pro. However, the Samsung Galaxy Buds3 Pro is able to boost bass just a bit more easily owing to the sealed design. Additionally, the much better ANC of the Samsung Galaxy Buds3 Pro also makes its job of sounding good much easier. Though the Samsung Galaxy Buds3 is capable of decent results, it’s a lot more hit-or-miss than the Samsung Galaxy Buds3 Pro.

For example, if you get a busted fit with the Samsung Galaxy Buds3, the comparison looks much more like this:

You’ll notice a pronounced lack of bass in comparison to what the Samsung Galaxy Buds3 Pro offers. It’s just the nature of earbuds that don’t seal to your canal. If you liked AirPods, then you will probably not notice much of a problem, as your anatomy would be more conducive to a good fit than our test head. Using the bass boost EQ preset helps a lot, but you might not prefer this setting depending on your tastes.

Do the Samsung Galaxy Buds3 Pro or Samsung Galaxy Buds3 have a better microphone?

Both the Samsung Galaxy Buds3 Pro and Samsung Galaxy Buds3 have decent microphones, but can struggle with noise rejection. That said, you can hear for yourself what each sounds like in the samples below.

Samsung Galaxy Buds3 Pro microphone demo (Ideal conditions):

Samsung Galaxy Buds3 microphone demo (Ideal conditions):

Samsung Galaxy Buds3 Pro microphone demo (Office conditions):

Samsung Galaxy Buds3 microphone demo (Office conditions):

Both mics seem to struggle with noise rejection, but this doesn’t seem to pop up on calls or voice chats in my experience. Still, for earbuds, these results are pretty encouraging.

Samsung Galaxy Buds3 Pro vs Samsung Galaxy Buds3: Price and availability

The Samsung Galaxy Buds3 Pro is listed at $249.99 and is available pretty much anywhere you can buy earbuds, even after a pause in shipments earlier this year. The Samsung Galaxy Buds3 is listed at $179.99 and is also available at big box and internet vendors alike. As both of these earbuds are high-profile options from the second-largest audio company on the planet, it’s hard to conceive of any difficulties finding either model on sale.

That said, be mindful that earbuds often go on sale for holidays and the like, so you might be able to find either model online for less than sticker price if you wait a bit. Though the temptation to rush out to buy something can be great, if you can hold off a couple of months, you might be surprised at the discounts you can find.

Should you get the Samsung Galaxy Buds3 Pro or Samsung Galaxy Buds3?

Without respect to cost, the Samsung Galaxy Buds3 Pro are the superior earbuds. Not only are they designed to work much better in terms of ANC, but they also sound better than the Samsung Galaxy Buds3. However, if you don’t like anything being inserted into your ear, the Samsung Galaxy Buds3 isn’t a bad choice by any means. Just be aware that there are performance tradeoffs for using an unsealed design.

Given that both of these earbuds represent Samsung’s latest generation, be aware that they’re incomplete unless used with the company’s latest mobile phones. So if you have an iPhone, older Android phone, or even the previous generation of Samsung phones, you’ll be missing out on the AI features of the earbuds. Additionally, you won’t be able to use the higher-quality Samsung Seamless Codec either. If this describes you, then you may want to take a look at other active noise canceling earbuds.

Frequently asked questions