At its annual Unpacked event, Samsung not only revealed the latest Z Fold and Flip handsets but also its newest earbuds, the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro.
Promising to deliver “a new communication experience” with a “premium audio experience”, how do the new Buds 3 Pro compare to Apple’s own AirPods Pro, which we awarded a near-perfect 4.5-stars?
We’ve compared the two premium earbuds below, so you can determine which set might be better for you.
Samsung or Apple
Unsurprisingly the biggest deciding factor may lie between whether you’re a dedicated Android or Apple user. While both are Bluetooth earbuds, so theoretically can be connected to any compatible device (although the Buds 3 Pro does boast the upper hand with Bluetooth v5.4 compared to the AirPods Pro’s v5.3), both offer extra features when paired with their respective smartphone.
For example, when you pair the AirPods Pro with a compatible iPhone, you can utilise Personalised Spatial Audio which works with the TrueDepth iPhone camera to create a custom profile based on your head’s geometry.
Plus when you place your AirPods Pro near your iPhone it will seamlessly pair with every device in your iCloud account. Similarly, with PC Auto Switch, the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro will detect and transfer the connection to your Samsung Galaxy devices for seamless connection.
The Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro look similar to the AirPods Pro
While Galaxy Buds have historically been a fully in-ear offering, Samsung has now shifted to a stemmed design, which resembles the Apple AirPods form. This new design is embellished with accented Blade Lights along the stem, which is an aesthetic touch that’s missing from the AirPods.
Samsung explains the Blade Lights “satisfies both aesthetics and functionality” and helps users to control music without needing to use their phone. For example, if you swipe up/down along the Blade you can intuitively adjust the volume. The Buds 3 Pro also has “Pinch Control” which allows you to pinch the stem to play and pause music.
Although the AirPods are missing Blade Lights or any aesthetic feature, they still boast similar touch controls to the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro, including swiping up and down to adjust volume and a press to play/pause or mute/unmute yourself on calls.
The Galaxy Buds 3 Pro uses Galaxy AI
Galaxy AI features are infused throughout the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro, including the AI-boosted Noise Control which identifies and prevents unnecessary noise, and then readjusts the balance between ANC and Ambient mode to correspond to your surroundings.
Similarly, the AirPods Pro feature Adaptive Audio which Apple explains “magically delivers the right mix of sound for any environment” by “automatically prioritising sounds […] by seamlessly blending Active Noise Cancellation with Transparency Mode”.
Back to the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro, there’s AI-assisted Adaptive EQ/Adaptive ANC which optimises your listening experience based on your individual ear shape, wearing habits and by any sound detected through the inner and outer microphones. The AirPods Pro also has Adaptive EQ which tunes music to your ears in real time, based on how they fit.
Finally, if you have a Galaxy-AI compatible smartphone, you can receive real-time language interpretation through your earbuds. When speaking with someone in another language, you can see the translation on your Galaxy smartphone while simultaneously hearing the conversation in real-time. This is a feature that is missing entirely from the AirPods Pro.
The Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro are slightly cheaper
From 24th July, the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro will be available in two colours (Silver and White) for £219/$249.99.
The AirPods Pro are available now in just one colour (White), although if you buy directly from Apple you do get a choice of free engraving, and have an RRP of £229/$249.
