4 days ago
11
Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro
pros and cons
Pros
- Comfortable
- Incredible dependable
- Great Galaxy integration
Cons
- No upgrades to artillery
- Few notable bundle upgrades
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I commented a fewer weeks agone that Samsung's caller Galaxy Buds 4 Pro are boring. And, they are, but that's not an inherently atrocious thing. Compared to the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro from 2024, the Buds 4 Pro's astir noticeable enhancements are their refined plan and the instauration of caput gestures, portion incremental improvements to sound cancellation, durability, and audio tuning don't spell unnoticed.
Some features marque a comeback, including 360 audio, unrecorded translation, and Galaxy AI integration.
Also: If Samsung's Galaxy Buds 4 bore you, I anticipation you're acceptable for camera-equipped earbuds
After a week of utilizing the buds, my verdict is that there's nary uncertainty these are the champion Samsung buds truthful far, and they lone get amended erstwhile utilized wrong the Galaxy ecosystem. Are they worthy upgrading if you person the Buds 3 Pro? Maybe not, but you'll beryllium pleased if you do.
Sophisticated dependable for earbuds
Starting with sound, Samsung upgraded the Buds 4 Pro's acoustic makeup, featuring a two-way plan with a 10.5mm dynamic operator and a 6.1mm planar magnetic tweeter. Compared to their predecessors, the Buds 4 Pro reproduce a wider, much airy soundstage that's incredibly enjoyable.
I recovered the Buds 4 Pro's bass effect to beryllium choky with constricted distortion astatine precocious volume, but it's not arsenic contiguous arsenic the Buds 3 Pro oregon their contemporaries from Bose, Apple, oregon Sony.
So, if you similar a much pronounced bass response, you'll privation to set the EQ settings. Mids and highs are much contiguous successful the Buds 4 Pro; I'd crown the Buds 4 Pro arsenic sonically adjacent to Apple's AirPods Pro 3 and Sony's WH-1000XM6.
Audio features
The Galaxy Buds 4 Pro enactment hi-fi listening astatine up to 24-bit/96kHz resolution, adaptive sound cancellation, super-wideband calling, LE Audio, and ambient mode. Samsung promises improved sound cancellation, with the Buds 4 Pro canceling an further 3 dB much than their predecessors.
Also: JBL's latest headphones connection an Auracast loophole Apple won't beryllium blessed about
Samsung's sound cancellation excels astatine dampening little frequencies, specified arsenic the rumble of engines and aerial conditioners. However, the dependable of voices, particularly erstwhile they're close, is harder for the Galaxy Buds 4 Pro to handle.
Samsung's noise-cancellation capabilities are astir akin to those of Sony's WH-1000XM6, portion Apple's AirPods Pro 3 and Bose's QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds II are amended equipped astatine filtering quality voices.
The Buds 4 Pro's ambient (transparency) mode is stellar, offering a quieter sound level than Sony's and delivering a much earthy mentation of the satellite astir you, akin to Apple's.
LE Audio is connected deck, allowing you to pat into nationalist Auracast broadcasts, commencement your ain broadcast to stock audio with friends, and entree the LC3 codec. Samsung offers its proprietary Samsung Seamless Codec (SSC) erstwhile the Buds 4 Pro are connected to a compatible Samsung device; I urge listening via SSC oregon AAC.
Accessing LE Audio and LC3 with the Buds 4 Pro gave maine each kinds of connectivity issues, apt due to the fact that the exertion is inactive successful improvement and Samsung prioritizes much unchangeable codecs.
I connected the Galaxy Buds 4 Pro to my iPhone 17 and my Google Pixel 9 Pro, and the telephone prime didn't get maine immoderate aggravated complaints from my friends and family, but harsher outdoor conditions required maine to task my voice. Samsung provides enhanced sound processing for calls wrong the Galaxy ecosystem, truthful I can't accidental overmuch astir it.
Design
The Galaxy Buds 4 Pro follow the erstwhile generation's bud-and-stem design, but this clip swap angular, LED-lit accents for muted, rounded edges with metallic accents. The Buds 4 Pro buds acceptable my ears overmuch much comfortably than the 3 Pro, and person a much mature plan that appears little plasticky, adjacent if it isn't.
Overall, the Buds 4 Pro's plan is the astir notable upgrade implicit their predecessor, and if you skipped the Buds 3 Pro for their absorbing design, the Buds 4 Pro mightiness beryllium much appealing.
Also: Sony WF-1000XM6 vs. Apple AirPods Pro 3: I tested some earbuds, and this brace wins
Additionally, a insignificant durability upgrade means the Buds 4 Pro tin withstand being submerged successful h2o up to 3 feet heavy for up to 30 minutes. Though I don't urge confirming this feature, it provides bid of caput for your tiny earbuds that tin easy autumn retired of your hands and ears.
ZDNET's buying advice
The Galaxy Buds 4 Pro present palpable upgrades successful design, comfort, audio quality, and sound cancellation implicit the Buds 3 Pro. However, the Buds 4 Pro are an incremental upgrade, truthful they won't beryllium peculiarly mind-blowing for anyone who bought the 3rd procreation successful 2024. If your Buds 3 Pro are successful bully condition, you tin get a $75 trade-in recognition from Best Buy.
If you're a Pixel idiosyncratic who isn't thrilled with Google's Pixel Buds, I urge avoiding Samsung's earbuds and opting for Sony oregon Bose. Samsung's Buds 4 Pro support excessively galore invaluable features wrong the Galaxy ecosystem, and you'll beryllium overpaying for features you can't access.
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