Mar 16, 2026
3 min read
The Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro have improved ANC performance and great sound as well as some nifty features, but they only work best when paired with a Galaxy device.
Samsung promises "more than just a design update" for the new top-of-the-line Galaxy Buds. It's added an upgraded woofer for improved hi-fi sound with two amplifiers. New blade design Clearer call performance And finally, better noise reduction. While the $249.99 Galaxy Buds 4 aren't a huge leap forward from their predecessors, they still retain the Buds 3's good points and improve on most of the ones that aren't. As long as you're using a SamsungGalaxy device
The Samsung Galaxy Bud 4 Pro is the choice - if you have a Galaxy phone
Sound and ANC performance improve with the Buds 4 Pro, but you still need a Galaxy phone for full functionality.
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That's why, like the AirPods Pro 3 with Apple devices, the Buds 4 Pro still work best when paired with another Galaxy device.This unlocks all the functionality of Buds 4 Pro, including Hi-Res Audio support, Gemini and Bixby voice wake-up, head gestures for calling and Bixby control, translation, Auracast, automatic switch and HD voice calling.Some of these are available with Android devices running the Galaxy Wear app, but for iPhone, Windows, and game consoles, the buds can only handle standard audio, calls, and turning ANC on and off.This may be a good business decision, but it limits who can fully enjoy the Galaxy Buds 4 Pro.
One of the Galaxy Buds 4 Pro's improvements over the previous version is a better, more consistent sound profile.I found the Buds 3 Pro to be a little shouty, where certain vocal frequencies stood out more than they should have.I had a similar problem with the top end and I didn't want to listen to them for long periods of time.But the Buds 4 Pro solved that.The midrange range is especially smoother, allowing me to just sit back and enjoy Chris Cornell's soaring vocals on "Black Hole Sun" and "Superunknown."And Matt Cameron's hi-hat helps drive the groove, while his cymbals deliver rhythmic beats without breaking the bank.
The bass level on the Buds 4 Pro is right on the edge for me, and whether it adds extra drive or is overwhelming depends on the music.The kick drum on Tracy Chapman's "Fast Car" verses is a bit louder than it should be, but it adds an extra beat and depth before the full band enters the chorus.But the pounding toms and driving bass of Muse's "Uprising" are a little too much for me.was used.It's not overpowering or out of control by any means - and I'm sure a lot of people will love the extra low-end and think I'm stupid - but it can start to obscure some of the midrange.Fortunately, it's easy to adjust with the app's 9-band EQ.
If you have a Galaxy device, the Buds 4 Pro supports 24-bit/96kHz high-resolution audio from streaming apps that offer it (I prefer Qobuz).The differences are subtle and track dependent, but with Pink Floyd's "Brain Damage" the hi-res version had a bit more spaciousness.As the song opens with an organ intro and fantastic backing vocals, you can feel the individuality of each voice.
Another point of improvement is the active noise cancellation of the buds.They do a great job with the low end, so the rumble of airplane engines while traveling is adequately controlled, and a decent job with the pesky midrange that almost all headphones have problems with.There is a noticeable improvement. Both ANC and Transparency mode intensity can be adjusted in the app to give you more opportunities to raise awareness in the world.
The Galaxy Buds use an array of six microphones and a voice recording unit that helps the microphones focus on your voice, and during calls they do a great job of isolating my voice and blocking out things like wind, traffic, people nearby, or loud noises.So much so that during our conversation my friend couldn't hear the car alarm across the street, or the traffic as I walked down the busy San Fernando Valley street.The downside was that it added a good amount of compression to my voice, but I was still easily understood.
If you have a Galaxy device, Samsung includes an Ultra Wideband for Voice option that boosts call bandwidth up to 16kHz and can be turned on in the Buds 4 Pro menu. I recorded multiple call samples. One with Ultra Wideband on my Galaxy S26 Plus, one off (still using my Galaxy phone), and one on my iPhone. All on the same busy street for several blocks during rush hour.while walking.Ultraband improved vocal quality a bit, but I only noticed it when listening to samples in sequence.Would you be happy to have it?Of course.Does it matter for calls?Absolutely not.If you have a Galaxy device, there's no reason not to enable this feature, but if you don't, it's still not very useful.
The Galaxy Buds still retain the AirPods stem design first used in the Buds 3, but Samsung has made some changes for the better.The virtual leads on the stem are gone, replaced by a metal band that Samsung calls a "blade design," and they've added a third online-exclusive color, rose gold, to go with the white and black.The metal strips look capacitive, but are actually just decorative.Capacitive controls sit on the side of the stem and work with swipe motions (for volume) and pinch motions (for ANC switching, pause/play, track control, Assistant activation, and call control).Which earbuds control what can be customized in the Buds 4 Pro settings on your device, whether Galaxy or Android.
There are only three earbud sizes that come with the Galaxy Buds, while many other earbuds are starting to include additional smaller and larger options.I was able to achieve a secure fit with the mid-tips and never had to worry about them coming loose even when I went for a run.And since the Galaxy Buds are IP57 rated, they make a good set of headphones for training.
Carried over from the Buds 3 is a transparent charging case on top, so you can show off the earbuds while they're charging (do people do this?).It's a clamshell design with wireless charging that fits nicely in small pockets and is smaller than the cases of the AirPods, Sony WF-1000XM6 and XM5, and much smaller than the bulky Bose Ultra earbuds.
Yes, there are still Galaxy Buds, like Apple's AirPods, in fact they are devices designed specifically for the walled garden - of the Galaxy ecosystem - but now their performance has reached the best of these popular earbuds.They look great, have ANC functionality that's worth the price, and - if you're using a Galaxy device - include features like Auracast, high-quality audio, and automatic processing.
But that difference means the Galaxy Buds 4 Pro isn't for everyone.I definitely wouldn't recommend them to iPhone users (in the same way I don't recommend AirPods to anyone but an Apple user), and non-Galaxy Android users should consider the Technics AZ100, Sony -WF1000XM5, or Bose Ultra Earbuds.For anyone with a Galaxy phone, though, the Galaxy Buds 4 Pro are the number one choice.
Photo by Amelia Holloway Kreless/The Verge
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