Which One Should You Choose?

At the Galaxy Unpacked July event, Samsung unveiled two new earbuds: the regular Buds 3 and the souped-up Buds 3 Pro. As the names suggest, the former offers basic functionality at a lower price, while the latter packs in all the flagship features. To clear out the confusion and help you make the best decision, here’s a detailed comparison between the newly launched earbuds.

Price & Availability

Both the Galaxy Buds 3 and the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro are available to purchase via Samsung’s official website, as well as other leading retailers. While the Buds 3 cost $179.99, the Buds 3 Pro, with a couple more features, cost $249.99. To kick off the list of similarities, both models come in two colors: White and Silver.

When buying the Galaxy Buds 3, Samsung offers a maximum trade-in credit of $100 for the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro. However, if you’re purchasing the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro, you can get the same value for the Galaxy Buds Pro or Apple AirPods.

Both Earbuds Feature A Revamped Design

Right from the first Galaxy Buds released in 2019, Samsung has followed a rather unique design approach. The tip of the earbud sits inside users’ ears, and the rest of it (the chassis that houses all the sensors and drivers) hangs outside. While the design made for an excellent fit, users of the latter-generation Galaxy Buds often complained about unclear calls, something that Kris Wouk of How-To Geek also highlights in his review of the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro.

To fix that and to align the Galaxy Buds with a mainstream TWS design (dominated by the AirPods), Samsung has revamped the Galaxy Buds 3 series. Instead of a round-body design, both earbuds in the lineup now ship with a stem that places the microphone closer to the user’s mouth. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that the Buds 3 resemble Apple’s AirPods (3rd Generation), and the Buds 3 Pro look like the AirPods Pro, respectively. Even so, Samsung ships them in a charging case with a transparent lid.

That said, let’s discuss the most striking difference between the Buds 3 and the Buds 3 Pro: ear tips. On the one hand, the more affordable Buds 3 don’t feature silicone tips; they fire the sound through an opening in the earbuds that hook onto the ear canal. Although I don’t hold anything such a design, users often complain about the earbuds falling off their ears. Since there are no ear tips to direct the sound in a particular direction, a sound bleed is more common in earbuds with an open design.

On the other hand, the Buds 3 Pro ship with silicone ear tips, which provide a more comfortable wearing and listening experience. Since the ear tips can absorb some sound, the earbuds should offer better passive noise cancelation. Besides ear tips, the only difference is the LED Blade Lights on the Buds 3 Pro’s stem, which can be used to locate the buds at night and indicate the battery status. Last but not least, both earbuds feature an IP57 dust and water- and sweat-resistant rating.

Galaxy Buds 3 Pro Feature Two-Way Speakers

The Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 feature a one-way 11mm driver in each earbud, which can produce 24-bit Hi-Fi sound Quality (at 96KHz sampling rate). There’s a 1.5x amp-enhanced diaphragm, which Samsung claims can “step up your sound from dull to dynamic.” Users also get 360 Audio, which is Samsung’s version of Spatial Audio. Even though the Buds 3 offers active noise cancelation (ANC), it doesn’t include a transparency mode—or what Samsung likes to call the Ambient Sound mode—which is weird since the $100 Galaxy Buds FE come with the feature.

If you go with the Pro version, you get a couple of additional features. First, there is a two-way woofer and tweeter setup that includes a 10.5mm dynamic driver and a 6.1mm planar driver. The Buds 3 Pro offers adaptive ANC, which increases or decreases the intensity of cancelation based on the ambient noise. And yes, you get the Ambient Sound feature to let in the environmental sounds. All in all, the extra $80 gets you better sound quality and more flexibility in terms of noise cancelation.

Call Quality, Connectivity, and Galaxy AI

Both the Buds 3 and the Buds 3 Pro come with three microphones. However, it’s worth pointing out that the Pro version has two microphones with a higher signal-to-noise ratio for capturing clear and cleaner audio, especially during video calls. Regarding connectivity, both models feature Bluetooth v5.3 and Auto Switch (works on smartphones and tablets running One UI 3.1 or newer).

With Galaxy AI, one can use the Interpreter in Listening Mode, which directly translates what a person says through the Galaxy Buds. However, the feature only works when the buds are paired with compatible Samsung Galaxy models. The fine print on the company’s website suggests that the availability of supported languages could also vary based on the user’s region.

Buds 3 Pro Offers A Better Battery Life

Another difference between the two earbuds is battery life. The regular Buds 3 have a 48 mAh cell on the earbuds and a 515 mAh cell on the charging case. Battery capacities aside, the buds can last up to six hours with their teeny tiny battery and up to 30 hours with the charging case. However, these numbers will hold true if you use the device without ANC. With ANC, the buds and the charging case will last up to five and 24 hours, respectively.

While the Buds 3 Pro feature a slightly larger 53 mAh battery on the earbuds, the charging case, like the Buds 3, ships with a 515 mAh cell. With ANC off, the earbuds may last up to seven hours, and the charging case takes the total playtime up to 30 hours. With ANC, the earbuds can last up to six hours, while the charging case can add a total of 26 hours. Moreover, we’re looking at an hour of additional battery life on the Buds 3 Pro over the Buds 3.

Which Is Right for You?

Well, there is no one-fits-all recommendation here. The right device for you would be the one that provides all the required features and, more importantly, fits your budget. While the Buds 3 offers all the basic functionality, plus ANC, at a relatively affordable price, putting in another $80 gets you all the good-to-have features like adaptive ANC, an ambient mode, and slightly better sound/microphone quality. Hence, if budget isn’t a concern, you can’t go wrong with the Buds 3 Pro.

It’s not very often that I get to include this part in comparison articles, but if you need new earphones immediately, you’d have to go with the Galaxy Buds 3. Due to some unforeseen quality control issues, Samsung has delayed the delivery of the Buds 3 Pro to late August. You might be able to grab the earbuds off the shelves in a Samsung store near you, but there’s a chance that they could have a rather delicate ear tip that tears apart when removed from the earbud; it’s just something to keep in mind. Nonetheless, Samsung has already acknowledged the issue and started working to fix it.

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  Samsung Galaxy Buds 3

  $180 $210 Save $30

  The Galaxy Buds 3 are Samsung’s everyday earbuds, offering high-end features without the premium price tag of the Buds 3 Pro. They include 11mm dynamic drivers, active noise cancellation, and impressive battery life.

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  Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro

  Samsung’s Galaxy Buds 3 Pro are the company’s newest flagship earbuds, featuring AI smarts like interpreter mode and voice detection. Expect top-notch audio quality with 10.5mm dynamic drivers paired with 6.1mm planar drivers.