Products in this video:
Apple AirPods Pro (2nd Generation) (Affiliate Link)
iPhone 15 Pro Max (Affiliate Link)
Learn More:
Samsung Buds 3 Pro Features breakdown
Apple AirPods Pro (2nd Gen) Features Break Down
Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro vs. AirPods Pro (2nd Gen)
When Samsung released the new Galaxy Buds 3 Pro this year, you might have noticed they look like Apple’s second-gen AirPods Pro. But is there feature parity between these two buds in their ecosystems? If you look at the Buds 3 Pro spec sheet, you’ll be inclined to say yes, but spec sheets, as we’ll soon find out, don’t always tell the entire story.
Sound Quality Comparison
First, let’s start with how these buds sound. You might think that by looking at the specs, the Buds 3 Pro would have better sound with their new dual amplifiers combined with the redesigned dual drivers Samsung put in. But in my experience, both of these buds sound pretty similar, and I think it ultimately just comes down to how each one was tuned. To me, the Buds 3 Pro felt a bit more flat and less dynamic than the AirPods Pro and seemed to be adjusted more to lean into bass versus the mids. Their sound stage was also slightly less wide than the AirPods Pro.
Adaptive Audio Features
Both of these have processors in them to help process sound and render details for your specific ear shape. Both have adaptive audio features that measure how the buds sit in your ears and personalize the sound just for you. Both have a feature that will adapt the buds when someone starts speaking to you or let emergency alarms and sirens come through to warn you of danger. The AirPods Pro also has a personalized volume feature that uses machine learning to understand your listening preferences in different environments. Then, it’ll automatically make adjustments based on your patterns.
Audio Codecs and Support
Now, in terms of audio quality, yes, Samsung has 24-bit audio support for certain apps like Tidal. Still, because support for the Samsung 24-bit codec is limited, you’re going to find most of the time these buds are going to be using the AAC codec, the same one used by the AirPods Pro second-gen, which does support lossless audio with ultra-low latency, but just when using them with the Apple Vision Pro.
Subjective Sound Preferences
I prefer how Apple tuned the AirPods Pro over the Buds 3 Pro. Now, this will be somewhat subjective, and it all depends on what type of music you listen to. You may very well like the sound signature of the Buds 3 Pro better than the AirPods Pro, and because of that, I can’t give you a definitive “yes, one of these buds kicks the other’s butt.” I can’t say that because they are pretty close.
Noise Cancellation and Transparency Mode
For noise cancellation, however, I think the AirPods Pro is slightly better. They take out background ambient sounds like a bathroom fan, or the AC is just a hair better. Also, both do support adaptive noise cancellation. Transparency mode is pretty much a tie. I’d say that maybe the AirPods Pro have a slight edge; it just sounds like the mic gain on these isn’t turned up as much as it is on the Buds 3 Pro, but it’s close. And, like, good job, Samsung, to be able to match what these can do because Apple’s just been running away with transparency mode on their buds and headphones now for several years.
Microphone Quality
For mic quality, I hear slightly more artifacts in my voice on the Buds 3 Pro than the AirPods Pro, but that’s the difference I’d only be able to pick up when wearing a good pair of noise-canceling headphones.
Battery Life
Next, let’s look at battery life. Here, things get a bit murky. Samsung claims 30 hours of listening time with a charging case for the Buds 3 Pro, but that’s not with active noise cancellation on. Given that Samsung makes you scroll down the page quite a bit to even see their slightly misleading battery life headline, and they don’t even say how long the battery life of the buds themselves will last, I think it’s probably less than the AirPods Pro. Apple clearly states 6 hours of listening time with the ANC on for the buds and 30 hours of listening with noise cancellation with the case.
Design and Controls
When it comes to design, both have similar controls. You can pinch to control media and cycle through transparency mode and noise cancellation. Both have volume control: you slide your finger in front of the AirPods Pro and toward the back of the Buds 3 Pro blade to adjust the volume. I prefer the Buds 3 Pro here. They have just a little bit more surface area to slide your finger up and down compared to the AirPods Pro, which you just got to flick your finger on a little bit more. However, I found a big downside with the Buds 3 Pro design: the ear tips can rip when you replace them, even when you follow Samsung’s instructions, which happened to my pair. Definitely, a point goes to the AirPods for more durable ear tips.
Water Resistance
Another notable difference between these two buds is that the Buds 3 Pro has an IP57 water resistance rating, while the AirPods Pro has an IP54 rating. The main difference between those ratings is while the AirPods Pro is protected from limited dust ingress and water spray from any direction, the Buds 3 Pro can handle water immersion between 15 cm and 1 m in depth.
Physical Design and Case
Shape-wise, the Buds 3 Pro is almost identical to the AirPods Pro, except the stem or blade, as Samsung calls it, is triangular and includes what Samsung calls the blade light. What’s the purpose of the blade light? Um, to look cool, I guess. It’s a bit gimmicky, and the LED they use for it has a pretty low refresh rate, so you can see it flicker when the buds move.
The case designs are quite different. One thing I dislike about the Buds 3 Pro design is how they fit into the case. They face outward instead of inward. Unlike the AirPods Pro design, you’ll always have to flip them around to put them in your ear. The Buds 3 Pro case also gives off this alien spacecraft and Cybertruck had a baby vibe, which is a choice. You can’t just say they ripped off the AirPods Pro after looking at the case design.
Spatial Audio and Special Features
Both support spatial audio, though I found the spatial audio performance better on the AirPods Pro. One interesting feature the Buds 3 Pro has is the ability to record videos with 360° sound, which I don’t know how useful that’ll be to most people.
Find My Feature
Now, another thing that looks similar on paper with these buds is how you find them when they’re lost. For the AirPods Pro, you’ll use Apple’s Find My app. The buds have Apple’s U1 chip-enabled precision location, which works faster and is way more precise than the Samsung Find, which, for me, took one or two minutes just to acquire a signal when trying to locate the buds. Plus, the AirPods Pro case has a speaker that’s way louder than the noise the Buds 3 Pro makes when you’re trying to find them.
Voice Commands and Assistants
For voice commands, you can trigger the Google Assistant on the Buds 3 Pro or use Bixby, which I still don’t think is as capable of an assistant. The Buds 3 Pro also has voice commands you can say without any trigger words, which is pretty cool. The AirPods Pro has nothing like that and just uses Apple’s assistant. Both buds have auto-switch capabilities within their ecosystem of devices.
Multi-Device Connectivity
The one unique thing to the Buds 3 Pro is they include Bluetooth Auracast support, so you can connect multiple pairs of these buds to a TV or smartphone and stream the audio to them. For the AirPods Pro, Apple supports streaming up to two pairs of AirPods simultaneously from one Apple device, like an Apple TV.
Pricing
Price-wise, both buds are listed at $249, but the AirPods Pro are often on sale at a great discount, and I’d expect the same for the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro as the year goes on, especially during the holidays.
Conclusion
So, has Samsung really created their own AirPods Pro equivalent with these buds? In some respects, they have, but I’d still give the AirPods Pro and their overall package the win and declare them the winner over what the Buds 3 Pro offers. Spec comparisons aren’t everything. While both buds have a similar feature, Find My with the AirPods Pro works faster and more accurately. Their case has a speaker, which helps when trying to locate them. The AirPods Pro don’t have the same ear tip durability issues that the Buds 3 Pro experienced at launch, and they also don’t seem as gimmicky. There’s no blade light, which cheapens the look a bit. The AirPods Pro design is slightly less bulbous and, at least to me, more comfortable. The AirPods Pro has better battery life, and Dolby Atmos sounds better on AirPods Pro. And for those who want to listen to pop, acoustic soundtracks, classical music, basically any music genre that isn’t really focused on a ton of bass, I think you’ll probably like the AirPods Pro’s sound signature better.
