Samsung Galaxy Buds 3

Design and Build Quality

The Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 marks a significant departure from the company’s traditional bean-shaped earbud design, adopting a stem-based form factor that bears a striking resemblance to Apple’s AirPods. This design shift was controversial among long-time Samsung fans, but it serves practical purposes including improved microphone placement and better touch control accessibility. The earbuds feature a sleek, modern aesthetic with a glossy finish that catches light beautifully, though it does attract fingerprints and smudges relatively easily. Each earbud is lightweight, weighing just around 4.7 grams, which contributes to comfortable extended wearing sessions without causing ear fatigue. The stems house the touch-sensitive controls and provide a convenient grip point for insertion and removal from your ears.

The charging case has been redesigned to accommodate the new stem-based earbuds, resulting in a more rectangular shape compared to the square cases of previous generations. The case features a transparent lid that allows you to see the earbuds inside, which is both aesthetically pleasing and functionally useful for quickly checking if both buds are properly seated. The hinge mechanism feels sturdy and well-engineered, opening and closing with satisfying precision. LED indicators on the front of the case display charging status and pairing mode, while the interior includes additional LEDs to show individual earbud charging status. The case supports both USB-C wired charging and Qi wireless charging, offering flexibility in how you power up your earbuds.

Build quality is generally solid, with tight tolerances and no rattling or loose components in well-manufactured units. The earbuds carry an IP57 rating for water and dust resistance, meaning they can withstand sweat, rain, and even brief submersion in water up to one meter deep. However, the charging case itself lacks an IP rating, so you’ll need to keep it away from moisture. Samsung includes multiple ear tip sizes in the box, allowing you to find the optimal fit for your ear canal, which is crucial for both comfort and sound quality. The materials used feel premium enough for the price point, though they don’t quite reach the luxury feel of some higher-end competitors. The color options typically include graphite and white, with the possibility of additional limited edition colors depending on the region and time of purchase.

Audio Quality and Sound Performance

The Galaxy Buds 3 deliver impressive audio quality that competes well within their price segment, featuring custom-designed dynamic drivers that produce a balanced sound signature with adequate bass response, clear mids, and crisp highs. Samsung has tuned these earbuds to appeal to mainstream listeners, resulting in a slightly warm sound profile that emphasizes vocals and makes them particularly enjoyable for pop, rock, and hip-hop genres. The soundstage is reasonably wide for true wireless earbuds, creating a sense of space and separation between instruments that enhances the listening experience. Bass response is punchy without being overwhelming, providing sufficient low-end presence for bass-heavy tracks while avoiding the muddiness that can plague consumer-oriented earbuds.

The highs are articulate and detailed, though they occasionally lack the sparkle and airiness found in more expensive audiophile-grade earbuds. Mid-range frequencies are well-represented, ensuring that vocals sound natural and are properly positioned in the mix rather than being recessed or overly forward. Samsung’s proprietary codec, Samsung Scalable Codec (SSC), provides high-quality audio transmission when paired with compatible Samsung devices, dynamically adjusting bitrate based on connection stability. For non-Samsung devices, the earbuds support standard Bluetooth codecs including AAC and SBC, though the absence of aptX or LDAC support may disappoint Android audiophiles with non-Samsung phones.

The Galaxy Wearable app provides a comprehensive equalizer with multiple preset profiles including Bass Boost, Soft, Dynamic, Clear, and Treble Boost, allowing you to tailor the sound to your preferences. You can also create custom EQ curves by adjusting individual frequency bands, giving you fine-grained control over the audio output. Adaptive EQ automatically adjusts sound based on how the earbuds fit in your ears and ambient noise levels, though results can be hit-or-miss depending on the listening environment. Overall volume output is sufficient for most users, easily achieving loud levels without significant distortion, though the maximum volume may not satisfy those who prefer extremely high listening levels. Sound leakage is minimal at reasonable volumes, making these earbuds suitable for use in quiet environments like offices or libraries without disturbing those around you.

Active Noise Cancellation and Ambient Sound

The Galaxy Buds 3 feature active noise cancellation (ANC) that performs admirably for the price point, effectively reducing low-frequency rumble from airplane engines, train noise, and air conditioning systems. The ANC system uses multiple microphones to detect external sounds and generate inverse sound waves to cancel them out, a process that happens in real-time with minimal latency. Mid-frequency noise reduction is decent, attenuating conversations and office chatter to more manageable levels, though it doesn’t completely eliminate these sounds. Higher frequency noises like keyboard typing, dishes clattering, or sharp sudden sounds are less effectively suppressed, which is typical for most ANC systems regardless of price.

The effectiveness of noise cancellation is heavily dependent on achieving a proper seal with the right ear tip size, as any gaps will allow sound to leak in and reduce ANC performance. Samsung offers an ear tip fit test within the Galaxy Wearable app that plays tones and measures how well your ears are sealed, providing recommendations if adjustments are needed. When properly fitted, the ANC on the Buds 3 creates a noticeably quieter environment that makes focusing on work, relaxing, or enjoying music easier in noisy surroundings. However, compared to premium competitors like Sony’s WF-1000XM5 or Apple’s AirPods Pro 2, the noise cancellation is a step behind in terms of both the depth of silence achieved and the breadth of frequencies cancelled.

Ambient sound mode, sometimes called transparency mode, allows external sounds to pass through the earbuds so you can hear your surroundings without removing them. This feature is particularly useful when crossing streets, listening for announcements at airports, or having brief conversations without taking out your earbuds. Samsung offers adjustable levels of ambient sound, letting you dial in exactly how much external noise you want to hear. Voice detect is an intelligent feature that automatically switches to ambient mode when you start speaking, pausing your music so you can have a conversation naturally. The system then returns to normal playback mode after a set period of silence, though the voice detection sensitivity can sometimes trigger accidentally from background voices or certain musical passages.

Battery Life and Connectivity

Battery performance on the Galaxy Buds 3 is competitive with other true wireless earbuds in this category, offering approximately 5 to 6 hours of continuous playback with ANC enabled at moderate volume levels. Disabling ANC can extend this to around 7 to 8 hours, while using high volumes or making frequent voice calls will reduce runtime. The charging case provides an additional 24 to 30 hours of total battery life, meaning you can go several days between needing to charge the case itself. Quick charging is supported, with just 5 minutes in the case providing about an hour of playback time, which is incredibly useful when you’re in a rush and need a quick boost.

Full charging of the earbuds takes approximately 1 to 1.5 hours when placed in the case, while the case itself requires about 2 hours to reach full capacity via USB-C cable. Wireless charging is slower, typically taking 2.5 to 3 hours for a complete charge, but offers the convenience of simply placing the case on a Qi-compatible charging pad. Battery degradation is inevitable with lithium-ion cells, so expect the maximum capacity to gradually decrease over one to two years of regular use. The Galaxy Wearable app displays battery percentages for both individual earbuds and the case, helping you monitor charge levels and plan charging sessions accordingly.

Bluetooth connectivity is provided by Bluetooth 5.4, offering improved range, stability, and energy efficiency compared to previous versions. The connection range is impressive, maintaining stable audio transmission up to approximately 30 feet in open spaces, though walls and interference can reduce this considerably. Pairing is straightforward, with Samsung devices offering seamless auto-pairing when you open the case near your phone, similar to Apple’s experience with AirPods. Multi-device connectivity allows the earbuds to remember multiple paired devices, though they can only actively connect to one device at a time, requiring manual switching through Bluetooth settings. Latency is low enough for casual video watching and gaming, though serious mobile gamers may still notice slight audio delay in fast-paced games. Connection stability is generally excellent, with rare instances of audio dropouts or stuttering in crowded wireless environments like busy city streets or packed gyms.

Features and Smart Functionality

The Galaxy Buds 3 come packed with intelligent features that enhance usability and convenience beyond basic audio playback. Touch controls on the earbuds’ stems allow you to play/pause music, skip tracks, adjust volume, answer calls, and toggle between ANC and ambient modes with various tap and swipe gestures. These controls are customizable through the Galaxy Wearable app, letting you assign different functions to single taps, double taps, triple taps, and long presses. Swiping up or down on the stem adjusts volume, which is more intuitive than the tap-based volume controls found on some competitors. The touch surface is responsive and accurate, though it can occasionally register unintended touches when adjusting the earbuds in your ears.

Voice assistant integration supports both Bixby and Google Assistant, accessible through a long press gesture or wake word if enabled. Bixby offers deeper integration with Samsung devices and services, while Google Assistant may be preferred by those embedded in Google’s ecosystem. Spotify tap is a convenient feature that lets you quickly resume your Spotify playback with a long touch, though it requires a Spotify account and proper setup. Find My Earbuds functionality helps locate misplaced earbuds by playing a loud chirping sound, visible through the SmartThings app or Galaxy Wearable app. However, this only works when the earbuds are out of the case and within Bluetooth range, limiting its usefulness if they’re truly lost.