AirPods Pro 3 vs. Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro: Why I'm looking past brand ecosystems now

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Premium wireless earbuds are getting amended each year, and portion the AirPods Pro and Sony WF-series earbuds get a batch of attention, Samsung has its ain high-end earbuds, and they're beauteous impressive. The Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro outgo the aforesaid arsenic the AirPods Pro 3 and purpose for a akin goal: being the champion wireless earbuds for a peculiar acceptable of customers. 

Also: I replaced my Sony WH-1000XM6 with the AirPods Max 2 for a week - and didn't miss a beat

Both dependable great, some cancel sound well, and some battalion successful a increasing database of features that agelong mode beyond simply listening to music. They each person antithetic strengths and weaknesses, though, truthful the "right" prime truly depends connected what you attraction astir most. Here's however they compare.

Specifications

You should bargain the Apple AirPods Pro 3 if...

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1. You privation the champion sound cancellation

The AirPods Pro 3 present what mightiness beryllium the astir implicit sound cancellation bundle you tin get successful a brace of wireless earbuds. They're precise bully astatine sidesplitting low-end rumble, similar connected planes, and they grip trickier, little predictable sounds similar thoroughfare sound and java store chatter truly well, too. 

They're besides notably amended than astir competitors astatine clamping down connected sharp, abrupt large noises, which is thing a batch of earbuds inactive can't fig out. In fairness, the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen) inactive person a flimsy borderline successful axenic ANC performance, but the spread is tiny capable that it astir apt shouldn't plaything your buying determination connected its own.

Also: AirPods Pro 3 vs. Bose QuietComfort Ultra 2: I listened to both, and there's a sonic difference

Where the AirPods Pro 3 truly abstracted themselves, though, is Transparency Mode. Apple's implementation is inactive the champion successful the business, offering the astir natural-sounding pass-through of immoderate wireless earbuds. Adaptive mode works good too, intelligently tweaking sound absorption depending connected what's happening astir you. 

Samsung's Ambient Sound mode connected the Galaxy Buds 4 Pro, by comparison, has a noticeable inheritance hiss and doesn't grip higher frequencies arsenic accurately. If what you attraction astir is the full bundle erstwhile it comes to sound modes, the AirPods Pro 3 are the ones to beat.

2. You are heavy successful the Apple ecosystem

If you've already got an iPhone, iPad, and Mac, the AirPods Pro 3 necktie into your devices successful ways nary third-party earbud tin touch. Automatic Switching whitethorn beryllium an aging feature, but it's inactive easy 1 of my favourite features, seamlessly handing disconnected your audio transportation betwixt Apple devices based connected whichever 1 you're actively using. 

You tin beryllium watching thing connected your iPad, instrumentality a telephone connected your iPhone, past leap into a FaceTime telephone connected your Mac, each without ever manually switching Bluetooth. It's 1 of those features you don't afloat admit until you've lived with it, and past going backmost feels impossible.

Review: AirPods Max 2

Spatial Audio with caput tracking is different payment of Apple's first-party advantage. Instead of algorithmically spatializing a stereo premix (which tin dependable beauteous mediocre), Apple taps into existent Dolby Atmos mixes for a overmuch much convincing situation acquisition -- particularly with movies and TV shows. Charging is convenient too, arsenic the lawsuit works with USB-C, MagSafe, and adjacent Apple Watch chargers, truthful if you already person tons of Apple accessories, keeping your AirPods charged up is simple.

3. You privation precocious wellness and proceeding features

The AirPods Pro 3 task deeper into health-tracking territory than immoderate different wireless earbuds. The large header diagnostic is bosom complaint monitoring. A customized sensor wrong each earbud pulses infrared airy 256 times per 2nd into your receptor to work your bosom rate. Thus, you tin way bosom complaint during workouts without wearing an Apple Watch, utilizing the accelerometers and gyroscopes already wrong the earbuds to screen much than 50 workout types. 

Also: 5 AirPods Pro features that made maine ditch my aged brace instantly - and however to entree them

If you bash deterioration an Apple Watch, Apple combines information from some devices to capable gaps and present adjacent much precise readings. That said, the AirPods aren't a afloat Watch replacement; you'll inactive request an Apple Watch if tracking metrics specified arsenic steps, sleep, humor oxygen, and ECG are important to you.

Beyond fitness, the proceeding wellness features are genuinely meaningful. Hearing Test, Hearing Assistance, and Hearing Protection modes fto you measure your proceeding successful a substance of minutes, use a personalized illustration that compensates for immoderate proceeding loss, and adjacent acceptable up a Hearing Aid diagnostic that boosts the circumstantial frequencies you person occupation with.

You should bargain the Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro if...

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1. You privation superior full artillery life

Battery beingness is wherever the Galaxy Buds 4 Pro person a wide advantage. Turn ANC off, and you're looking astatine up to 7 hours of continuous listening from the buds themselves, with a full of 30 hours erstwhile the charging lawsuit is factored in. With ANC on, that drops to six hours per complaint positive 26 other hours from the case. 

The AirPods Pro 3, meanwhile, connection 8 hours of continuous listening with ANC connected but lone 24 hours total, including the case. So the AirPods really past longer connected a azygous charge, but the Galaxy Buds 4 Pro's lawsuit has a bigger battery, which is apt much important for astir people.

Review: Galaxy Buds 4 Pro

That quality matters astir during extended question oregon erstwhile charging the lawsuit isn't easy. The AirPods Pro 3's lawsuit is simply a spot much compact and portable, which is simply a trade-off immoderate radical volition happily take, but if full endurance is what you're after, Samsung wins this one.

2. You similar customizable dependable

The Galaxy Buds 4 Pro dependable fantabulous close retired of the box. They're clean, crisp, and detailed, with bass show that's precise impressive. Their dual-driver setup, pairing an 11mm woofer with a dedicated tweeter, delivers outstanding textural clarity and deep, creaseless sub-bass that astir wireless earbuds simply can't match. 

Where a batch of earbuds person bass that feels crudely bolted on, the Galaxy Buds 4 Pro grip debased frequencies with a level of refinement that's genuinely striking. The highs are crisp, too, and the soundstage is wide capable to make a existent consciousness of immersion.

Also: Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro vs. Galaxy Buds 3 Pro: I tried some - here's who should upgrade

The AirPods Pro 3 dependable very, precise bully too, but they're not arsenic customizable. The Galaxy Buds 4 Pro springiness you an eight-band EQ successful the companion app, implicit with six presets and a customized enactment for tweaking frequencies from 63Hz to 16kHz. 

The AirPods Pro 3 conscionable don't connection thing similar this; there's nary existent mode to EQ your audio beyond toggling presets buried successful Accessibility settings, and Apple intelligibly expects astir radical to unrecorded with the default tuning. If you're the benignant of listener who wants to fine-tune your dependable signature, the Galaxy Buds 4 Pro springiness you that power portion the AirPods Pro 3 don't. 

3. You usage a Samsung device

Just similar the AirPods Pro 3 are purpose-built for Apple's ecosystem, the Galaxy Buds 4 Pro are designed to enactment champion with Samsung Galaxy devices. Pair them with a Samsung phone, and you unlock 24-bit/96kHz Hi-Res audio via Samsung's proprietary codec, which matters to audiophiles with entree to high-res files. 

You besides get exclusive features similar 360-degree spatial audio with caput tracking, Interpreter mode for unrecorded translation, and automatic switching betwixt Samsung Galaxy devices — nary of which are disposable connected non-Samsung phones.

Also: Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro vs. Bose QuietComfort Ultra 2: I tested both, and here's the winner

However, this ecosystem dependency cuts some ways. Samsung users are little apt to ain a afloat lineup of Samsung devices than Apple users are to beryllium all-in connected Apple products, and the Galaxy Buds 4 Pro besides deficiency Bluetooth Multipoint -- meaning you can't enactment connected to 2 non-Samsung devices astatine the aforesaid time. That's a beauteous notable omission astatine this price, wherever astir wireless earbuds bash person Multipoint support. 

The earbuds bash enactment the LC3 codec for amended telephone prime connected immoderate Android phone, and they link via Bluetooth 6.1, truthful they're acold from useless extracurricular Samsung's ecosystem, but they're intelligibly astatine their champion wrong it. If you're a Samsung idiosyncratic who wants earbuds that integrate tightly with your phone, tablet, and different Galaxy devices, the Galaxy Buds 4 Pro are the evident prime and arguably the champion wireless earbuds for that purpose.

Writer's choice

Both the AirPods Pro 3 and the Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro are fantabulous earbuds, but I similar the AirPods for 1 large reason: the ecosystem. With an iPhone, Mac, and different Apple products, it's casual to power betwixt devices successful my home, positive I mostly usage earbuds for podcasts and audiobooks, and instrumentality to over-ear headphones for listening to music, truthful the quality to customize the audio prime of the Galaxy Buds 4 Pro doesn't substance rather arsenic overmuch to me.