It’s a battle of ecosystems — but is one truly better? Here’s my verdict after testing both ahead of Black Friday.
The first-party advantage is real.
The most obvious example of why first-party products are worth considering is the AirPods lineup, led by the latest AirPods Pro 3. These headphones offer way more features when connected to an Apple device than when connected to other devices.
But Apple isn’t the only one to take advantage of its multi-device ecosystem. Samsung does it too, with its Galaxy Buds 3 Pro earbuds heading its audio lineup.
But has one company done a better job building out its feature set? Are one pair of earbuds actually better than the other, or does it just depend on the ecosystem of devices you choose to use? I’ve used both the AirPods Pro 3 and the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro pretty extensively, and here’s my take. Specifications
Apple AirPods Pro 3
Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro
Battery life
8 hours (up to 24 hours with charging case)
6 hours (up to 20 hours with charging case)
Audio modes
ANC, Transparency Mode, Adaptive Audio
ANC, Ambient Sound, Adaptive
IP rating
IP57 (earbuds only)
IP57 (earbuds only)
Bluetooth version
Bluetooth 5.3
Bluetooth 5.4
Additional features
Hearing aid mode, live translation, Automatic Switching, Spatial Audio, heart rate monitor
Hearing enhancements, Interpreter, Auto switch, 360 audio
$249
$250 You should buy the AirPods Pro 3 if.
This one’s obvious — the AirPods Pro 3 work best with Apple products. Technically, you can pair the AirPods Pro 3 via Bluetooth to non-Apple devices, but you’ll have a pretty limited experience and won’t be able to use advanced features like spatial audio, Find My, and automatic wearing detection.
With Apple products, you can use automatic switching to seamlessly connect to an infinite number of compatible devices logged in to your iCloud account.
