Samsung Galaxy Buds3 Pro review: Match cut

There's no getting around the elephant in the room that is the design of the Galaxy Buds3 Pro. Rather than the bud-shaped form factor of older efforts or the short-lived (but lovably bean-shaped) Galaxy Buds Live, the Galaxy Buds3 Pro embrace a more stem-centric shape in line with Apple's AirPods Pro.

Even if this choice isn't exactly a telltale sign of ambitious innovation and the final result isn't quite as comfortable as its biggest inspiration, Samsung's best set of premium earbuds still has something to offer those looking for an AirPods alternative.

Regardless of how you feel about the form-factor, the Galaxy Buds3 Pro earbuds get enough right that its far from the only thing worth talking about.

In Australia, pricing for the new Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro starts at $399 respectively. That figure puts it $100 higher than the asking price for the standard Galaxy Buds 3 and on par with Apple's own AirPods Pro 2.

As per usual though, you can always save by shopping around. Check out the table below for a round-up of deals for the Galaxy Buds Pro 3.

More than just competing with the AirPods, Samsung's latest set of high-end earbuds are a dead-ringer for their Apple equivalent. Still, if you're going to steal, then it's probably smart to steal from the best. For many users though, the biggest gains to this gambit are going to have less to do with fidelity and more to do with functionality. 

Like the AirPods Pro, the Galaxy Buds3 Pro rely on a set of button-like touch sensors built into the stems of the earbuds. Rather than vaguely and vainly fumble at these inputs whenever you want to change the volume, your primary inputs here are pinching and swiping. Both of these inputs are customisable but easy enough to pick up fresh out of the box.

Honestly, this continues to be my favorite style of controls for true wireless earbuds. It's one of the best bits of the AirPods Pro so I'm more than happy to see it outside of Apple's walled garden. If anything, I'm shocked that more earbuds haven't emulated the feature.

You don't have to look that hard for the differences between the Galaxy Buds3 Pro and its inspirations though. There's an eye-catching set of of LED lighting strips on the side of each bud that do most of the work for you. The charger case also comes with a transparent lid, which does a lot to contrast against the stark minimalism seen elsewhere.

If you're in it for the aesthetics, it's worth noting that there are a few different lighting modes you can toggle between. Meanwhile, the more practically minded may benefit from the utility that the lights provide as a shorthand to let you know when a given earbuds has fallen below 30% battery life. The latter is a nifty touch, though a little undercut by the reality that if you're wearing the earbuds then you're not likely to see the warning signs before its too late.

On top of the usual premium perks like active noise cancellation and an adaptive EQ, the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro are also Samsung's first set of earbuds to support voice controls. This allows you to play and pause music using hands-free commands. As with the LED lights, this is as neat as it is novel. That said, your mileage is going to vary based on how quickly you can retrain your brain to remember it's a feature that you can make use of. It was fun to mess with but it didn't take me long to forget it was there.

A fresh fit and a few new tricks aren't the only thing that Samsung's latest set of true wireless has going for them.

Under the hood, the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro are packing double the sampling rate and frequency response range of the previous model, with a dual amplifier setup that augments an enhanced two-way speaker system. For those less at home with audiophile specs like the above, these hardware improvements should translate into higher fidelity and more lifelike audio playback.

Better sound quality is just table stakes though. The Galaxy Buds3 Pro also come with an IP67 rating for water resistance and support for Samsung's equivalent to Apple's Find My functionality. All told, the laundry list of features and specs here go a long way to helping you reconcile the reality that these are some of the most expensive true wireless earbuds you're likely to find on store shelves in 2024.

Even so, what's here can't compete with heavier hardware like the Sonos Ace. The noise-cancelling here isn't quite as accomplished as what's available through Apple's AirPods. However, the battery life is a little better at 7 hours on a single charge with another 30 hours of playback available through the carry case.

That said, if you're in the market for a comfortable and crisp set of earbuds you can do a lot worse than the Samsung Galaxy Buds3 Pro. Subject to our usual testing playlist, Samsung's latest set of premium earbuds lived up to their moniker.

The Galaxy Buds3 Pro earbuds delivered more than serviceable results when it came to bassy ballads like Carly Rae Jepsen's "I Didn't Come Here To Dance" and Childish Gambino's "3005" and never didn't lose the beat when it came to Nina Simone's "Feeling Good" and "As My Guitar Gently Weeps" by The Beatles'. The earbuds also failed to disappoint when it came to the broad but distinct soundscapes of The Weeknd's "Blinding Lights and the cacophonous "Swerve City" by Deftones. 

The quality of the microphone setup on the Samsung Galaxy Buds3 Pro was similarly impressive. It's hard to know how much of what's here is down to the AI algorithms that Samsung say it's using to clean up the results and how much is just the baseline benefits of having a microphone pointed at your mouth rather the an alternative.

Still, the results are easy to like even if they aren't quite as impressive as the hardware you can find on a larger set of headphones. To listen for yourself,  click the button below.