[Review] Samsung Galaxy Buds3 Pro touch controls, audio & price

Stating the obvious, the Samsung Galaxy Buds3 Pro probably has the most different design choice when it comes to the brand’s earbuds lineup.

I’ve always been particularly fond of stemless cute earbuds as opposed to ones with stems, simply because I feel the former tends to be a bit lighter and thus more comfortable for longer hours of wear.

But all that aside, I definitely think that audio-wise, these are Samsung’s best earbuds to date.

Here’s what else I liked about them, and what I think could be better.

Design, comfort, and fit

Samsung calls the stems “blades” on the Buds3 Pro, and each one has a blade of light that’s most useful for letting you know when the earbuds have at least 30% battery.

Other than that, they’re mostly stylistic, and you can opt to have the lights remain on in a blinking, fade in/out, or steady manner. 

I kind of wish there was more utility to it, whereby the light would decrease as battery life decreases for a clear visual indicator without having to check your phone or the Galaxy Wearable app.

The blades give you more control than ever over Samsung’s earbuds, with a variety of pinches and holds and swipes. The best part of it all is that both earbuds share the same basic controls, so you can use just one earbud and still access all the controls:

• Pinch to play/pause
• Double pinch for next track
• Triple pinch for previous track
• Swipe up and down to control volume

I will say though that I found the touch controls a bit finicky due to the sloped, triangular shape of the blades. It seems like the sensor for the pinches is along the edge of the blades, not the planes.

It was hard to get the pinch controls working every single time, and I often had to pinch harder than I expected, but I suppose that ensures you don’t keep accidentally activating the controls.

Volume is easier to control, but as the sensor is on the backwards-facing blade, you’ll probably have to use your thumb to swipe up and down.

The case’s transparent top is a design you’ll either love or hate. Personally, I do like being able to tell at a glance if my earbuds are in the case or not.

With the new blade design, the case itself is much taller with a narrower base, and it can be stably placed right side up or upside down.

This next part might just be a me problem, and isn’t unique to Samsung earbuds. I’m convinced that I have much smaller and narrower ear canals compared to others, as any bulbous earbuds tend to not seamlessly fit my ears.

When using the default ear tips (medium), one of the Buds3 Pro earbuds quite literally popped out of my ear. I wasn’t doing any rigorous activities either, but I was moving around my room getting ready.

I’ve since switched to the smallest ear tips, but even then I can’t say it’s the most comfortable fit. 

If you’ve been able to get comfortable with most kinds of earbuds, then you’ll probably be just fine with the Buds3 Pro.

Audio and mic quality

I’m loving the rich sound that I’m getting from the Buds3 Pro. I’m no audiophile so I don’t know the right terminology, but it performed well across genres that were vocally-focused and instrumental.

I felt as though the different layers in a track were clear and distinct, giving each piece depth. 

The only area where I felt as though the audio was slightly muddy was with rock songs, but it could very well be an issue with the mix itself.

There are preset equaliser settings that I found worked pretty well, and you can customise your own too.

The 360 audio feature isn’t new or unique to the Buds3 Pro, and neither is the head tracking feature. Having 360 audio on immediately adds a loudness and depth to what I’m listening to.

The head tracking feature basically mimics what audio sounds like if you were playing it from your phone’s loudspeaker, so if you turned away from your phone, you would hear the audio coming from behind. 

It was fun to try out, but not very practical in my use cases, since repositioning my phone doesn’t automatically reposition/reset the centrepoint of the head tracking.

The earbuds didn’t disappoint in calls, as the six mics really amp up the clarity of the user. Your environment could still have some impact on the clarity (in an empty room, it could sound more reverb-y or echoey, while in a noisy environment, you will still hear some bustle in the background), but the overall voice pickup was good.

From what I can see, there’s no quick control on the earbuds themselves to access the Galaxy AI-powered Interpreter feature for live translations. What it can currently do is basically play audio of the live translation through the earbuds, and act as a mic for your own voice input.

Verdict

The experience of using the Buds3 Pro is quite a departure from using Samsung’s past earbuds, but a welcome one nonetheless. 

Though I’m not the biggest fan of the stem design, I do see and appreciate their value in giving me more convenient control over how I want my audio to play.

Not to mention, the audio is great to my ears, and the call quality from the mics is simply crisp.

Pairing with the Buds3 Pro is super seamless and easy if you have a Samsung phone, so it’s a no-brainer purchase if you’re in the market for new earbuds and are already in the Galaxy ecosystem. 

The Buds3 Pro currently retail for RM999.

• Learn more about the Samsung Galaxy Buds3 Pro here.
• Read more VP Verdicts here.

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