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The Galaxy Buds3 Pro's Siren Detect feature is completely redundant
It’s not uncommon for wireless earbuds to constantly implement new features to set their products apart. Samsung’s latest offering, the Galaxy Buds3 Pro, comes equipped with a novel safety feature called Siren Detect. On paper, it sounds impressive — an AI-powered system designed to alert users to potential dangers by allowing certain sounds, such as alarms and sirens, to penetrate the earbuds’ noise cancelation. However, after extensive usage and testing, this feature appears redundant due to the earbuds’ underwhelming noise cancelation performance.
The ANC performance is a notable downgrade from the Galaxy Buds2 Pro.
In my experience testing these earbuds, the ANC performance was notably subpar. Even with noise cancelation set to maximum, a wide range of external sounds easily penetrated my listening experience. But don’t just take my word for it. Our lab testing of the Galaxy Buds3 Pro found that the ANC only blocks about 76% of outside noise when enabled. For reference, the previous Galaxy Buds2 Pro blocked out about 84% of external noise, which is why I still wear them instead while walking to work.
To put this into perspective, I was fortunate to be standing at a busy intersection in downtown Vancouver as a firetruck passed by with its siren blaring. I happened to have Siren Detect turned off and ANC at full blast. Can you guess what happened next? The siren completely overtook my music. This wasn’t just an isolated incident, either. Everything from leaf blowers to buzz saws and bicycles consistently broke through the supposed noise barrier.
This is where the irony of Siren Detect becomes apparent. The feature is designed to selectively allow important sounds through the noise cancelation barrier. Theoretically, this would be a valuable safety feature if the ANC were highly effective. However, given the current performance of the ANC, Siren Detect becomes redundant. When sirens and other loud noises are already clearly audible despite ANC being enabled, there’s little need for an AI system to detect and allow them through.
Siren Detect is promising in theory, but superfluous in practice.
While AI-powered features make for exciting marketing points, they shouldn’t come at the expense of core functionality. Effective noise cancelation should be the primary focus in the case of noise canceling earbuds.
The Siren Detect feature on the Galaxy Buds3 Pro is emblematic of a broader trend in tech: the rush to implement AI features without fully addressing fundamental performance issues. It’s akin to installing a high-tech alarm system on a house with paper-thin walls — flashy and expensive but ultimately pointless.
It’s too bad because the Galaxy Buds3 Pro’s Siren Detect feature is innovative in concept. Perhaps instead of focusing on developing AI-driven safety features, Samsung would do well to redirect its efforts toward improving the earbuds’ core ANC capabilities. Unfortunately, they are worse than the last generation earbuds.
Ultimately, Samsung’s Siren Detect feature succeeds in keeping users aware of their surroundings – but not by design. The Galaxy Buds3 Pro offers unintended situational awareness simply because their ANC doesn’t cancel much noise. In trying to outsmart sirens, Samsung seems to have forgotten how to silence them.
What do you think about the Siren Detect feature on the Galaxy Buds3 Pro?
