The main focus of Samsung's Unpacked presentation was on the new Galaxy Fold6 and Galaxy Flip6 folding smartphones, as well as the Galaxy Watch Ultra and Watch7 smartwatches. However, the company also pleased with the new TWS headphones Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 and Galaxy Buds 3 Pro, which turned out to be surprisingly interesting.
Radical design update
Samsung has decided to completely rethink its wireless headphones and moved away from the compact form factor used in previous models. Both the headphones themselves and the charging cases for them have changed significantly. Now it's TWS in a version with a leg a la AirPods, and the cases have transparent covers.
In addition to differences in technical specifications, Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 and Galaxy Buds 3 Pro differ in form factor. Galaxy Buds 3 are in-ear, and Galaxy Buds 3 Pro are in-ear. The cases are made of plastic that looks like polished metal. The dimensions of both models are medium, and they fit comfortably in the ears, although the fit of Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro would be a bit deeper.
The main part of the headphones has an ergonomic streamlined shape. The legs have flat surfaces and sharp corners. There is a decorative stripe along the bottom. The older Galaxy Buds 3 Pro model also has a backlight. Although, of course, it can be turned off. At the bottom of the legs, in addition to the microphones, there are blue and red marks for the left and right earpiece, respectively.
The cases of both models are vertical and quite thin. Therefore, they should fit nicely in your pocket. The main part of the cases also has a coating that looks like metal. Unusual features include transparent top covers.
Inside, there are black headphone jacks with blue and red markings. There is a single LED indicator on the front. The only button on the case is responsible for activating the pairing mode and it is located at the bottom, next to the Type-C connector for charging the headphones.
The headphones themselves are IP57-rated for dust and water resistance, so even a light rain shouldn't damage them. The charging case, on the other hand, should be kept in a dry place.
Sound and functionality of Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 and Galaxy Buds 3 Pro
The sound is interesting, especially in the top model. Both models support 24-bit Hi-Res sound (24-bit/96 kHz). But I suspect that only with Samsung's own codec. And, accordingly, it will be available only with Samsung smartphones.
In the younger Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 model, a single 11 mm dynamic emitter is responsible for the sound. Given the design of the earbuds, which practically does not provide sound insulation, this is quite enough.
Galaxy Buds 3 Pro is even more interesting: it uses a dual amplifier and a hybrid configuration with two drivers: 10 mm dynamic and 6.1 mm planar magnetic. It is hard to say, maybe there is a mistake in the press materials, because it is strange to see a planar emitter in a mainstream model. Usually this type of radiators is more typical for expensive audiophile models.
We managed to listen to both models for a while. And while Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 sound pretty good in general, Galaxy Buds 3 Pro have a really nice sound, reminiscent of Sony's top in-ear models. But, of course, we will study the sound of the headphones in more detail and meticulously during the full review.
Functionally, both models have everything, or almost everything, that modern top TWS should have: Multipoint support with automatic switching, streaming to other Auracast devices, and 360° virtual surround sound. Moreover, both playback and recording: when shooting video on Samsung Galaxy smartphones, you can choose headphones as an audio source.
Other familiar features include automatic pause if the earbud is not in your ear, support for voice commands, headphone search, and a custom equalizer. Both models have active noise cancellation, but its effectiveness in the younger Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 will not be very high due to the design.
The headphones have also received some integration with the Galaxy AI platform. The younger model supports a voice translator and adaptive equalizer. The older model adds adaptive noise reduction, as well as voice and siren detection. In this case, the transparency mode will be automatically activated.
It's too early to talk about the battery life, but it's worth noting that it supports fast charging with a cable and wireless charging.
Conclusions
The first impression of the new Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 and Galaxy Buds 3 Pro TWS headphones was mostly positive: both models have a pleasant sound, support a bunch of useful features, including Multipoint, ANC, auto-pause, virtual surround sound, and more. The radical redesign is rather controversial. On the one hand, the new headphones look good. On the other hand, the previous compact models were very comfortable. In any case, we will draw final conclusions during testing.