The Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro offer improved active noise cancellation and an IPX7 water resistance, but their flat sound and awkward fit stunt what was otherwise a promising pair of buds.
When talking about the Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro, the easiest way to explain them is that they’re pretty much the Apple AirPods Pro equivalent for the new Samsung Galaxy S21 series of phones… and yet, that doesn’t quite encapsulate everything these true wireless earbuds can do. Yes, both earbuds offer active noise cancellation. Yes, they both have some form of spatial audio support that can make TV shows and movies more immersive. And yes, they both have five hours of battery life before they need to be recharged. But the Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro goes far beyond that for folks who own a Samsung phone and tablet – for those folks these earbuds are the missing puzzle piece that ties everything in Samsung’s world together. To cater to that audience, the Galaxy Buds Pro offers multipoint pairing, hands-free Bixby support (but not Google Assistant) and the Samsung Galaxy Wearable app that’s only available on Android that you’ll need to use to unlock the Buds’ best features. They can also use Samsung’s proprietary Scalable Audio that supports UHQ audio streaming over Bluetooth at up to 24-bit / 96kHz, SmartThings Finder and multi-mic recording that allows you to use the Buds as a lapel mic stand-in when you shoot videos on your Samsung phone. The double-edged sword of the Galaxy Buds Pro being so highly tailored to Samsung devices is that they don’t work as well with other devices, both other Android phones and iOS devices that currently don’t have an updated Galaxy Buds app. (And yes, we admonished Apple for the same thing in our Apple AirPods Pro review.) The upside is that, if you’re looking for full-featured wireless earbuds that sound good, fit well and are going to work well with your Samsung smartphone – and don’t mind spending a bit more money on them than, say, for the Samsung Galaxy Buds Live – the Buds Pro are a significantly better option, and are worth recommending to your friends and family who absolutely love their Samsung smartphones. The Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro launched alongside the Samsung Galaxy S21 smartphone on January 14, 2021 (the day it was announced at Samsung Unpacked) on Samsung’s website and became widely available starting on January 15, 2021. In terms of price, the Galaxy Buds Pro will set you back $199 / £219 / AU$349. That’s pricey, but it makes sense that they’d cost a little more than their predecessors, the Samsung Galaxy Buds Live, which cost $169.99 / £179 / AU$319 at launch. Considering how much better these are, they’re well worth the upgrade. Of course, Samsung’s putting us in a weird position releasing these true wireless earbuds so close together – the Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro’s release date comes just five short months after the South Korean company launched the Samsung Galaxy Buds Live, and less than a year after the launch of the Samsung Galaxy Buds Plus. It’s unclear why Samsung is in such a rush to get these out the door, but it’s causing a bit of a traffic jam. That said, if you’re looking for cheaper alternatives, you don’t have to look far: the Sony WF-SP800N and Jabra Elite 75t both offer active noise cancellation for $50 less if you don’t mind skipping out on the Samsung-specific features, and there are more new arrivals (like the Anker Soundcore Liberty 2 Pro and Philips Audio T8505) coming everyday. The Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro are available in three colors: Phantom Black, Phantom Silver and Phantom Violet to match the new Samsung Galaxy S21, and the color of the Buds will match the color of the charging case that comes along with them. Speaking of the case, it’s sort of shaped like a little treasure chest – there’s a concave lid that unhinges in the middle and flips up. It’s fairly compact, which is nice when you want to slip it into your pocket, and has a status LED on both the inside and outside of the case that turns green, yellow, and red depending on how much battery is left in the case itself. As for the Buds themselves, they’re a far cry from their bean-shaped predecessors. The Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro are back to their usual form as eartip-equipped funnels of sound. Funnel is probably the appropriate word to describe them as they’re fairly long for earbuds, measuring in at just under an inch (20.
