Samsung caught flak for the Galaxy Buds 3. The corporate’s mimicry of Apple’s AirPods was all too apparent final yr when it opted for a stem or “blade” design after a number of generations of placing contact controls on the principle housing of its earbuds. The Galaxy Buds 4 and Galaxy Buds 4 Professional proceed that trajectory, as Samsung retains including new options with direct parallels to AirPods. The excellent news is, each fashions have been improved in varied methods, all whereas their costs keep the identical.
A refined design that’s nonetheless too acquainted
On final yr’s Galaxy Buds fashions, Samsung launched its “blade” design and general shapes that clearly took inspiration from Apple’s earbuds. Whereas all of that continues to be the identical on the Galaxy Buds 4 lineup, Samsung made some refinements that at the least provides its earbuds a extra polished look.
The angular “blade” is gone from each the open-fit Galaxy Buds 4 and silicone-tipped Galaxy Buds 4 Professional. That stem is now a flat panel with a skinny steel cowl, nevertheless it’s nonetheless referred to as the blade (thanks, Samsung). And thank the gods, the gimmicky blade lights on the final Professional mannequin are actually gone. The Galaxy Buds 4 and 4 Professional each have an indented space that accepts each swipes and presses for the onboard controls, a design selection that makes that space simple to seek out by contact alone. Other than that, the general form of each Galaxy Buds 4 fashions stays largely the identical, they usually’re each just about the identical measurement too.
One massive change for the Galaxy Buds 4 duo is the charging case. Because the buds now lay flat in there as a substitute of sitting vertically within the case on the earlier mannequin, Samsung has gone again to its rounded sq. form from older generations. The corporate did, nonetheless, hold the translucent lids, so you’ll be able to clearly see if the earbuds are within the case with out having to open it.
Along with their kinds (the Buds 4 are open match whereas the Professional have ear ideas), a notable distinction between the 2 is their ingress safety (IP) ranges. The Galaxy Buds 4 Professional is rated IP57, which is sweet sufficient for mud safety and full immersion in as much as three ft for half-hour, whereas the Galaxy Buds 4 is IP54. That latter quantity means you’re solely guarded towards mud intrusion and water splashes.
Helpful options, if in case you have a Samsung cellphone
Just a few years in the past, Samsung provided iPhone customers the identical suite of options as these onGalaxy telephones. These days are lengthy gone. Like Apple does with AirPods and Google with Pixel Buds, Samsung requires you to pair a Galaxy cellphone to get essentially the most out of a pair of Galaxy Buds 4 or 4 Professional. When you go for the open-fit mannequin although, you’ll must sacrifice a number of options.
Let’s begin with the instruments which are obtainable on each variations. You may anticipate Adaptive EQ 2.0, 360 audio with head monitoring, Auracast, computerized switching, head gestures and each contact and swipe controls throughout the board. Each fashions additionally provide AI help by way of both Bixby or Gemini.
Voice options are the place the 2 fashions primarily differ. The Galaxy Buds 4 Professional has voice detection that robotically lowers the amount and prompts ambient sound mode whenever you begin talking. The pricier model additionally affords hands-free entry to an AI assistant with out having to the touch the earbuds or your linked system.
Just about all of these items requires a Samsung cellphone. Certain, you need to use the fundamentals — ANC, onboard controls and ambient sound — from the likes of iPhones and Macs. However the extra superior objects like voice detection, head gestures and computerized switching gained’t be obtainable there. As earlier than, there’s an app for Android customers with non-Galaxy telephones, however issues like UHD audio and higher-quality calls aren’t obtainable on these gadgets. When you do have a Galaxy cellphone, all the pieces is baked into the Bluetooth menu, similar to Apple does with AirPods.
Shockingly good sound high quality
I’ve come to anticipate good sound from the Galaxy Buds line. I normally go into any new Samsung audio evaluate realizing I”ll be getting common audio high quality on the very least. On final yr’s Galaxy Buds 3, the sound efficiency was nicely above common for each units, and that continues on the 2 newest fashions. Nonetheless, if audio is your fundamental precedence, the Galaxy Buds 4 Professional is the higher decide.
Like Samsung did with the Galaxy Buds 3 Professional, this yr’s 4 Professional has a two-way driver setup with an 11mm “super-wide” woofer and a 5.5mm planar tweeter. Whereas the woofer is bigger than what’s inside the three Professional, the tweeter is smaller. These parts mix for shockingly good sound high quality for a pair of Samsung earbuds. I used to be really stunned once I put the Galaxy Buds 4 Professional in my ears for the primary time and performed aya’s electro-tinged hexed! The driving bass line on “off the ESSO” is energetic but nuanced, vocals are slicing and clear, whereas the synths and different percussive parts pierce by means of the combination. The Galaxy Buds 4 Professional deftly dealt with all the pieces I threw at it, from Spiritbox’s heavy steel to the mellow acoustic tunes on Muscadine Bloodline’s 2025 launch.
The Galaxy Buds 4 aren’t a sonic slouch by any means. It’s true you’ll get deeper bass and extra general readability and element from the Professional mannequin, however potential consumers who want an open match don’t must sacrifice an excessive amount of within the sound division. There’s nonetheless punchy bass and crunchy highs, with sufficient midrange to fill within the gaps adequately. I observed the most important distinction on that aya observe, the place the bass isn’t as deep or detailed and the remainder of the combination isn’t fairly as dynamic as it’s on the Galaxy Buds 4 Professional.
Energetic noise cancellation that also wants work
Whereas each Galaxy Buds 4 fashions provide lively noise cancellation (ANC), the Professional model has what Samsung calls Adaptive Energetic Noise Cancellation 2.0 versus simply Adaptive Energetic Noise Cancellation on the opposite. The corporate didn’t go into a lot element concerning the variations, aside from to say the ANC efficiency on the Galaxy Buds 4 Professional is superior. Therefore the two.0, I assume.
ANC efficiency was a significant difficulty on the Galaxy Buds 3 and that continues on the Galaxy Buds 4. Samsung simply hasn’t managed to crack the noise cancellation code on open-fit earbuds the identical method Apple has with its “common” AirPods. Actually, the ANC on this new mannequin makes such a modest distinction, I’d wager most clients would favor to commerce it for longer battery life (or a cheaper price). I solely saved it on within the curiosity of my battery rundown, in any other case I wouldn’t have used it in any respect. It’s undoubtedly extra like lively noise discount than outright cancellation.
Fortunately, noise cancellation is a unique story on the Galaxy Buds 4 Professional. It’s nonetheless not going to silence the world just like the second-gen Bose QuietComfort Extremely Earbuds can, however Samsung’s tech does simply sufficient to make it helpful in most circumstances. I discovered it significantly adept at blocking reasonable ranges of fixed noise, like a garments dryer, fan or white noise machine. It’s the sudden jolts of racket the place the Professional struggles. The Buds 4 Professional additionally does an honest job at muffling human voices, which brought about my household a lot frustration.
Calls and voice high quality
Each audio firm claims its particular sauce is the important thing to the clearest calls, and Samsung is not any completely different. The corporate boasts that its combo of a 16kHz tremendous wideband mode, DNN noise discount and customized beamforming mics provide “calls so clear, it’s gorgeous.” After all, that promise requires a Galaxy S26 sequence cellphone — not simply the earbuds.
I used to be shocked to find how nicely I sounded in quiet environments as each of those earbuds provide voice high quality that’s crisp and clear. When you transfer to a loud spot, each fashions will utterly block any background roar, however you’ll sound barely digitized on the opposite finish. This was extra obvious on the Galaxy Buds 4, nevertheless it’s noticeable on each variations. That’s because of all of the audio processing Samsung is doing to mute these distractions.
To prime all of it off, the ambient sound mode on the Galaxy Buds 4 Professional could be very pure, which suggests you gained’t be yelling to listen to your self throughout calls or conferences.
The competitors
When you’re on the lookout for the very best earbuds to make use of with a Samsung cellphone, the Galaxy Buds 4 and 4 Professional are your greatest choices. Once more, like Apple does with the AirPods and Google with the Pixel Buds, Samsung continues to supply essentially the most superior and most helpful options to the Galaxy trustworthy. When you don’t actually care about that synergy, the second-gen Bose QuietComfort Extremely Earbuds are at the moment my prime decide. That set gained’t wow you with options, however the mixture of wonderful sound high quality and the very best ANC efficiency make them laborious to beat. Plus, multipoint Bluetooth connectivity affords simple switching between a Galaxy S26 and a MacBook.
Wrap-up
With every passing yr, Samsung attracts nearer to providing Galaxy cellphone customers a real like-for-like AirPods rival. The corporate is actually solely lagging behind Apple in two areas: listening to well being and heart-rate monitoring. Samsung at the moment affords the choice to amplify voices on its earbuds, nevertheless it hasn’t constructed a listening to check or the listening to safety instruments Apple has. The most important replace on the AirPods Professional 3 was the addition of heart-rate monitoring final yr, which might be an amazing basis for a fitness-focused model of the Galaxy Buds.
Every thing else continues to enhance on a well-recognized formulation. Samsung has bolstered general sound high quality and ANC efficiency, even when the noise canceling skills of the Galaxy Buds 4 stay considerably lackluster. The design modifications provide a extra premium look and the gradual addition of contemporary options like head gestures assist the corporate hold tempo with the competitors. Whereas the Galaxy Buds 4 and 4 Professional are each good, Samsung actually must take greater swings with new options to make its earbuds the must-buy that AirPods are for iPhone customers.
This text initially appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/audio/headphones/samsung-galaxy-buds-4-and-4-pro-review-impressive-audio-imperfect-anc-190000202.html?src=rss