Samsung Galaxy Buds3 Pro

Introduction

Samsung’s new Galaxy Buds3 Pro have been out now for a couple of months and is the successor to the Galaxy Buds2 Pro. Since there aren’t that many audiophile reviews focusing on the sound of these earbuds, I figured I’d do my part and throw in my two cents.

I’ve had the Galaxy Buds3 Pro for around 2 months now, having received them mid-August after the shipment delay due to QC issues. Namely, the eartips which were reported to be susceptible to tearing and the seams of the plastic chassis. I can’t really comment of how they have improved since mine was a standard pre-order batch and not an early review sample, but I have not encountered any such issues with those so far.

For my critical listening and evaluation, I used my Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra as my source via the default SSC codec to listen to my usual mix of MP3, FLAC, M4A and WAV files with the maximum level of ANC switched on (not adaptive).

For iOS users, the Wearables app, which is a core function of these earbuds, is absent on the App Store. As such, software features such as the in-app EQ, customization features, etc., won’t really be applicable. The sound quality, however, will still be since they can still be connected via Bluetooth.

Unboxing, Build Quality, and Comfort

The earbuds come in a fairly small, unassuming package; which is good to see because it does cut down on storage space and waste.



Cutting the seal and lifting the box cover simply reveals the earbuds and case itself along with an envelope containing the typical paperwork plus minimal accessories.



And by minimal, I mean one USB type-C cable for charging the case, and two pairs of eartips of different sizes. Frankly, I’m quite disappointed Samsung didn’t put more eartips in the package for earbuds this price, especially after the reports of fragile eartips and since they’re proprietary. It’d be nice to see foam eartips or redundant ones of the same sizes for a premium TWS such as this.



Having said that, the build quality of both the earbuds and the case itself is pretty good. The earbuds themselves feel light yet reassuringly solid and premium, while the case is well balanced and appropriately weighted. The seams connecting the stem-like chassis to the rest of the buds containing the rest of the sensors and ANC mics can still be felt, but it’s smooth to the touch and shouldn’t cause any major irritation, especially since they’re facing outwards and don’t touch the ear at all. Everything else looks and feels like how premium TWS earbuds should. Nothing to complain about here.



Personally, I dislike the Airpods-like shape, or flat-head earphones in general since they don’t isolate noise as well as in-ear buds do. In my case, even with the L-sized tips, the earbuds will shift every time I move my jaw to talk or eat, breaking the seal and requiring constant readjustment. Of course, your mileage may vary, so take this with a grain of salt. If possible, I recommend trying the fit out if a demo set is available near you.

Usability and Features

The Galaxy Buds3 Pro come with a slew of software features associated with the Samsung Galaxy Wearables app, more so if you’re using a modern Samsung smartphone. It’s somewhat disheartening to see arbitrarily software-locked features in this day and age. Even my own Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 isn’t even supported by the Galaxy Wearables app. Sure it’s a bit old, but these kinds of anti-consumer decisions are not a good look for a capitalistic megacorporation pushing consumers slowly into a tech dystopia. Anyway, I digress. I’ll do my best to keep this section succinct, so I’ll just be jotting my thoughts down in bullet style and skip over some lesser features I feel aren’t worth mentioning.

Hardware Controls – The two main gestures would be the single, double, or triple pinching of the stem (Samsung calls it a “blade”, but I’ll call it what it is) to play/pause, fast forward, and skip tracks respectively and sliding a finger up or down the stem to adjust volume. The pinching took me a few days to get used to since there’s a sweet spot but felt natural once I did. Sliding to adjust the volume on the other hand took a bit longer due to the awkward bevels of the stem to the point that I resorted to using the physical volume buttons on my phone most of the time instead. These gestures can be individually toggled on or off, but not remappable.

White LED – I can’t even see it, and it wastes battery. I kept it off mostly the entire time, and I imagine 99% of people who bought this would too. The only practical instance to have this switched on is if you want to keep yourself visible at night for safety purposes.

ANC – Not amongst the best, but maybe a step or two below that. Which I suppose is still pretty good. I’m not sure if it’s just my unit, but high frequency noises get amplified with the ANC level maxed out. Sounds like high-pitched wind, clicky keyboard presses, rain, etc. come through cleaner compared to 75% or even 50%. It’s as if the ANC missed out on a narrow range of high frequency noises, causing any abrupt sound to pierce clean through my ears. Without any songs or media playing, there’s also a constant high-pitched hiss on the max level, like the ANC is trying to overcompensate for certain noises. They do the job during commute on buses and trains especially when something’s playing, but definitely don’t get these for the ANC performance. It makes me wonder if these ANC issues are linked to the mics being overly sensitive to high frequency sounds and compensating for noises that aren’t perceivably there.

Ambient/transparency mode is good. Probably one of the better ones you can find on the market. Voices, including my own, are more or less natural, albeit slightly boosted for clarity. This comes with a trade-off, however. While ambient noises sound realistic, there is persistent white noise in the background – most likely air. It’s not blatantly obvious, and most people can probably ignore it, but it’s there.

EDIT: With the latest firmware update (R630XXU0AXJ1), the hissing at high ANC levels is gone, though the white noise in ambient mode is still there. A very welcome improvement nonetheless.

360 Audio – Switching this on boosts the midrange frequencies to shoutiness whilst adding a room reverb effect. Vocals become unnaturally loud and overwhelm other instruments, which sound. I don’t recommend it. Contrary to its purpose, it doesn’t really improve spatial qualities. Might work on some live tracks.
The head tracking gimmick is fun to use for the novelty once in a while. Not very practical however, if you’re out and about since the earbuds lose tracking quite easily if you turn your body or move your head frequently. This feature’s best used when sitting down or stationary.

Dolby Atmos – Now I know this is a pretty niche feature, but for smartphones that support it and those who have access to those files and listen to them (e.g., TIDAL, Apple Music, etc.), I think it’s something still worth mentioning since the Buds3 Pro does support decoding Dolby Atmos files.

With the feature enabled on my smartphone, music becomes much more immersive. Soundstage is expanded with instruments floating past the earbuds, and imaging becomes extremely precise and dare I say, nearly holographic. Closing my eyes, I can easily imagine myself watching a live performance at a front row seat. Dolby and Samsung together have managed to create a convincing virtual surround experience for their users, so kudos to them. Do note that virtual surround is sometimes hit-or-miss for some people due to the multitude of factors involved in audio perception, so my experience may not represent all.

Sound Quality

I’d say the Buds3 Pro’s sound quality is the star of the show. In short, it sports a very Harman-like tuning but with even more bass. It executes its tuning without sounding shouty; the midrange and treble are smooth, and its bass decadent – making it for an extremely pleasant and engaging listen.

It has an indulgent amount of bass that’s pleasing for most consumers but may be excessive for some. I feel there’s a touch too much mid bass to keep itself completely free from bloat by nature of its Harman-like tuning. Bass texture isn’t the most well-defined though most drums notes still come through with convincing slam and satisfying punch.

As for the midrange, stringed and wind instruments sound balanced without any unnaturalness or irregularities to be heard. For example, electric guitar riffs come with sufficient body and weight, while flutes are projected as smooth without any sharpness or peaks. Vocals are slightly emphasized in the upper mids as expected but as mentioned before, don’t sound shouty. There’s just enough to have both male and female vocals be heard through busy tracks.

Likewise for the treble, there’s an appropriate amount to indicate presence and air without being too fatiguing or shrill. A case of Goldilocks’ “just right”. No sharp treble peaks, no unnatural timbre, and no tonal weirdness to be found. Everything here in this frequency range blends in together with the midrange well to produce a smooth and natural listening experience.

In-app Equalizer

The Wearables app features a customizable 10-band fixed EQ with 6 presets, which I’ll go through quickly below. One good thing about the EQ is that the settings are saved directly on the earbuds themselves, so it’ll universally apply to all connected devices. Nice.

Balanced – The default preset and the best option in most cases.

Bass Boost – Adds a bass shelf (and more bloat) from 250Hz and below. Usable if you want more bass I guess, but not for me.

Smooth – Reduces treble and bumps up the bass and lower mids to make a non-fatiguing signature. Another nope from me. Would be better if they just dipped the mids around 1Khz onwards.

Dynamic – A V-shape preset that increases both bass and treble. Alright if you like that type of sound.

Clear – Boosts vocals to high heaven. Too shouty for music listening, maybe useful for dialogue in movies.

Treble – Does what it says on the tin. Same as the Dynamic preset without the bass boost. An okay preset if you want more detail and clarity in the treble.

Technicalities

Resolution is in the ballpark of average. Detail retrieval extends past the surface level ever so slightly to describe bass texture and reveal minute details in vocal recordings when I’m listening for it. However, once tracks start getting busy, it’s a lot harder to notice them due to the overarching bass, especially in rock/metal songs. While notes may be slightly blunted in its attack, they decay naturally, giving live music a lifelike presentation.

Soundstage width is above average, with most instruments occupying the width of my head and high-hats/cymbals extending comfortably past the earbuds themselves. There’s distinctive space between instruments so the staging doesn’t sound congested. As for height and depth, there’s little of those, but they’re generally hardly conceivable in IEMs and earbuds for me.

Luckily, imaging paints a better picture. Panning vocals and instruments feel present, making them easy to locate in any track. Sure, they’re not the most pinpoint accurate, but for a pair of TWS earbuds, it holds its own. The Buds3 Pro is no analytical beast, but it projects instruments well enough for genuine enjoyment.

Conclusion

All in all, the Samsung Buds3 Pro with its tuning and technical performance is an easy recommend from me for Android users at the asking price. Though it may not have the best ANC (or fit, in my case), its sound and build quality is enough to compete with the best TWS earbuds around. Yes, I am a little salty about Samsung’s decision to shift to the Airpods-like form factor (which is why I titled this review so), but I’ll give credit where credit is due; I have no doubt most purchasers will be satisfied with the Galaxy Buds3 Pro.

Side note: For more budget-conscious Singaporean buyers looking for alternatives, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that the previous gen Galaxy Buds2 Pro, which is still excellent in its own right, can be easily found brand new on Carousell for around S$100.