Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Professional: Are They Nonetheless Value Shopping for With Buds 4 Professional’s Launch?

Are the Galaxy Buds Professional 3 nonetheless value it in 2026?

Samsung has launched the Galaxy Buds 4 Professional ($250), which have an arguably sleeker design, a barely higher match and improved sound high quality and noise canceling. Nonetheless, their function units are basically the identical, and the Buds 3 Professional have LED lights of their stems whereas the Buds 4 Professional do not.

The upgrades to the Buds 4 Professional’s sound and noise canceling aren’t enormous, however they’re noticeable, notably in sound high quality. Just like the Buds 3 Professional, the Buds 4 Professional are outfitted with twin drivers, together with a separate 11-millimeter woofer and a 5.5mm planar tweeter. Samsung says each drivers have been upgraded and highlighted the woofer as “tremendous large,” with improved bass efficiency, despite the fact that it is the identical measurement because the Buds 3 Professional’s woofer (11mm).

My full evaluate of the Galaxy Buds 4 Professional affords an in-depth analysis. Spoiler: They gained a CNET Editors’ Alternative award and at present sit close to the highest of our greatest wi-fi earbuds listing. Moreover, I reviewed 2025’s Galaxy Buds 3 FE, which additionally acquired a CNET Editors’ Alternative award and are a good worth at round $130 on-line. 

I usually steer of us towards the newer Galaxy Buds 4 Professional, particularly if Samsung is working a deal on them with a trade-in or buy of a brand new Galaxy telephone. 

However yow will discover the Galaxy Buds 3 Professional, notably the worldwide model (no guarantee for US consumers), properly marked all the way down to round $140 on-line. For those who simply cannot fairly afford the Buds 4 Professional, the Buds 3 Professional are value contemplating in the event that they’re effectively discounted. 

Learn extra: Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Professional vs. Sony WF-1000XM6: High Android Earbuds In contrast  

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Editor’s be aware, March 11, 2026: What follows is my unique evaluate from July 24, 2024.

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Samsung’s Galaxy Buds 3 and Galaxy Buds 3 Professional are the corporate’s first earbuds to function stems of their designs, and a few of us are mocking Samsung for creating one other Apple AirPods clone in a sea of AirPods clones. There’s some reality to that, however finally, what issues is how effectively these earbuds match, sound and carry out. They get excessive marks in these departments, although I did have a couple of small gripes.

The 2 buds are related in some ways — they share plenty of the identical options — but additionally have some key variations. The Galaxy Buds 3 ($180) are open buds just like the AirPods 3 and are designed for individuals who do not like having eartips jammed of their ears. The Galaxy Buds 3 Professional ($250), then again, are noise-isolating earbuds just like the AirPods Professional 2.

Learn extra: Finest wi-fi earbuds of 2024

Each can be found in silver or white, and their costs are similar to these of corresponding AirPods fashions, which places them in premium earbuds territory. In addition they have related battery life scores to the AirPods. The Buds 3 have as much as 6 hours of battery life with noise canceling off and 5 hours with it on, whereas the Buds 3 Professional last as long as 6 hours with ANC off and 5 hours with it on.

Each units are outfitted with Bluetooth 5.4, are IP57 water- and dust-resistant and assist LE audio together with the brand new Auracast function (Samsung’s 360 audio function can be on board). An IP57 score means the buds aren’t totally waterproof, however they’ll stand up to a sustained spray of water.

Galaxy Buds 3 Professional design

All earbuds with stems look fairly related, so it is simple to complain that the Galaxy Buds 3 Professional’s design seems to be just a little generic and is brief on wow issue. Some have stated they’re just a little cheap-looking, and which may be true, however the case feels strong, and the buds themselves do not look any cheaper than the AirPods.

Samsung has tried to differentiate its stems — it calls them blades — from the AirPods’ rounded pipes by giving them an angular design with a little bit of a Tesla Cybertruck vibe, particularly within the silver ones. 

From what Samsung has informed me, it merely discovered, by testing, that the blade design labored greatest for most individuals. Plenty of of us had match points with Galaxy Buds Stay and the Galaxy Buds Professional 2 (I had to make use of my very own bigger eartips with them), and from my put on checks, the brand new design will probably be a greater match for extra individuals. I discovered them light-weight and cozy to put on, and so did fellow CNET editor Lisa Eadicicco, who reviewed Samsung’s newest foldable telephones, the Z Flip 6 and Z Fold 6. 

Getting a decent seal is essential for optimum sound high quality and noise-canceling efficiency. The Galaxy Put on app checks seal high quality, and I handed with the most important eartips, although a barely bigger choice would’ve been good, particularly because the eartips are custom-designed for the buds, making it tough to seek out different suggestions that work. The identical is true for the AirPods Professional 2. Sarcastically, I used to be capable of get third-party foam suggestions made for the AirPods Professional 2 to click on onto the Buds 3 Professional’s posts, however they did not present a decent seal in the course of the seal take a look at.

The Buds 3 Professional have lights of their blades whereas the Buds 3 do not. I like them, although it might be cool in the event that they modified colours (they solely glow white). They let when the buds are in pairing mode and flash whenever you use the Discover My function, whereas the buds make a chirping noise, making them simpler to seek out in a darkish room. It’s also possible to simply activate the lights by pinching and holding every bud for a couple of seconds and put on the buds round with the lights on if that is your factor. They will stay totally lit or fade out and in. 

These earbuds have pinch controls much like the AirPods and swipe controls for quantity adjustment. You simply run your finger up the aspect of both bud to boost or decrease the amount. The buds’ pinch-and-swipe controls work effectively.

Galaxy Buds 3 Professional options

The Galaxy Buds 3 and Buds 3 Professional share many options, together with lively noise canceling. In addition they have equivalent circumstances that assist wi-fi and USB-C charging, together with a devoted Bluetooth button that makes pairing any Bluetooth audio system simpler. Nonetheless, the Buds 3 Professional do have a few further options and a extra sturdy function set total. 

They’ve ear-detection sensors (your music robotically pauses whenever you take away a bud out of your ear) and assist LE audio together with the brand new Auracast function that means that you can hear Bluetooth broadcasts in public locations like gyms. Samsung’s 360 audio function additionally helps head-tracking, much like the AirPods 3 and AirPods Professional 2’s spatial audio.

I used the Galaxy Buds 3 Professional with an iPhone 14 Professional and Samsung’s Galaxy Flip 5. The audio would not robotically change between my iPhone and Flip 5, however Samsung customers get computerized pairing and switching between their Galaxy units, together with laptops, so I used to be capable of pair the buds with my Galaxy Tab 8 Plus and Flip 5 and have the audio robotically change forwards and backwards between them.

The Buds 3 Professional’s ambient mode, which lets sound into the buds, additionally appears superb. You may alter the degrees, however I believed it sounded fairly pure within the center setting with no audible hiss.

Moreover, the Buds 3 Professional have options much like the AirPods Professional 2’s Adaptive Audio. Samsung says the buds “consistently acquire and determine surrounding sound and robotically alter the optimum degree of noise and sound with out guide adjustment by Adaptive Noise Management, Siren Detect and Voice Detect.”

Buds 3 Professional’s Voice Detect function (it may be toggled on or off within the Galaxy Put on app) is much like Apple’s Dialog Consciousness mode that lowers the amount of the music or any audio your listening to and prompts the buds’ ambient mode whenever you begin speaking to somebody. As a substitute of pausing your music, it simply reduces the amount to a low degree. It is a helpful function.

On the voice entrance, the Galaxy Buds 3 Professional have a reasonably cool function that Samsung most likely would not hype sufficient: built-in voice controls that allow you to increase and decrease quantity, pause and play your music, skip tracks ahead and again, and reply and finish calls. No wake phrase is required (you may arrange the buds to make use of Samsung’s Bixby voice assistant if you’d like, however I did not). For instance, you merely say, “play music,” “subsequent music” or “quantity down.” There are a restricted variety of voice instructions, and also you do need to have an Android system to activate the function within the Galaxy Put on app. However when you toggle it on, it labored simply wonderful on my Galaxy units and my iPhone. 

Samsung highlights that the Buds 3 Professional work with its Galaxy-exclusive Interpreter function that is a part of Galaxy AI. However the function would presumably work with any buds. “For those who’re attending a category in a overseas language, you may activate Interpreterin Listening mode on the Galaxy Z Fold 6 or Flip 6 with Buds 3 sequence plugged into your ears,” Samsung says, citing one instance of the best way to use the function. That means that you can hear the lecture translated straight by your Buds.

Galaxy Buds 3 Professional noise-canceling efficiency

The Buds 3 Professional’s lively noise canceling is nice, at the least on par with the Galaxy Buds 2 Professional’s and possibly barely higher. That stated, it seems to be barely behind the ANC on AirPods Professional 2, Bose QuietComfort Extremely Earbuds and Sony WF-1000XM5 buds.

Except for utilizing them in varied environments, together with the New York Metropolis subway, I examined the noise-canceling with an HVAC unit working in my condo. These competing fashions had been capable of muffle only a tad extra noise from the unit. After all, how good a seal you get from the eartips you are utilizing is essential to noise-canceling efficiency, so be sure you have a decent seal.

For these of you questioning how the Galaxy Buds 3’s lively noise canceling compares to the Buds 3 Professional’s, there actually is not a comparability. Like Samsung’s earlier Galaxy Buds Stay (aka The Beans), the Buds 3 have some lively noise canceling, but it surely simply would not do a lot as a result of ANC usually would not work effectively with open buds. I could not actually inform a distinction after I turned it on with the Buds 3, although I did discover the sound modified a bit after I engaged ANC. Possibly there is a little bit of ambient sound filtration, however for those who’re on the lookout for actual noise canceling, you need the Galaxy Buds 3 Professional.

Galaxy Buds 3 Professional sound high quality

Samsung owns Harman, which has manufacturers like JBL and AKG underneath its umbrella. However there isn’t any longer “Sound by AKG” stamped on these Galaxy Buds circumstances, so Samsung appears to have moved away from that little branding tie-in. 

Whereas the Galaxy Buds 3 have a single 11mm driver, the Buds 3 Professional function twin drivers — a 10mm dynamic driver paired with a Planar tweeter that enhances treble efficiency. Samsung additionally says the Buds 3 Professional have twin amps, which helps cut back wi-fi hiccups.

In comparison with the Galaxy Buds 2 Professional, the Buds 3 Professional do sound higher. I just like the sound of the Buds 2 Professional, however the Buds 3 Professional’s treble readability and bass definition are superior, and so they sound cleaner and extra correct total. 

In truth, I believed the Buds 3 Professional even sounded just a little higher than the AirPods Professional 2. They seem to be a contact extra dynamic and sound barely punchier total, with extra sparkle to their treble. They’re fairly well-balanced at their default setting with good stereo separation and first rate openness. Android customers can tweak the sound utilizing the Galaxy Put on app’s equalizer, however there isn’t any app for iPhone customers. (I do not advise that iPhone customers purchase these buds except they’ve an Android system to pair them with as a result of all updates and settings are solely out there by way of the Galaxy Put on app.)

A few of my take a look at tracks embody Spoon’s Knock Knock Knock, Athletes of God’s Do not Wanna Be Regular, The Doorways’ Contact Me – Take 3, Orbital’s Soiled Rat, Taylor Swift’s Vigilante Shit, Prince’s Situation of the Coronary heart, Jvke’s Golden Hour and Bjork’s Hole.

Each new Galaxy Buds fashions assist the Samsung Seamless Codec, which Samsung says can now ship 24-bit/96kHz high-resolution streams by way of an HD music streaming service like Qobuz or Tidal. That codec is simply out there with sure Galaxy units, however the buds’ default audio codec is AAC, which tends to sound simply wonderful.

I listened to tracks on my Galaxy Flip 5 utilizing Qobuz and, frankly, solely heard a really refined distinction in sound high quality from listening to the identical tracks on my iPhone utilizing Qobuz and Spotify. You must be a reasonably refined listener to listen to any variations.

Galaxy Buds 3 Professional voice-calling efficiency

I used to be actually impressed with the voice-calling efficiency. Samsung has, for probably the most half, carried out a superb job with voice-calling efficiency in its earlier Galaxy Buds fashions, however these new Sequence 3 fashions ship even higher voice-calling efficiency with top-notch noise discount.

Every bud has three microphones and a voice pickup unit. Earbuds with a stem design deliver the microphones just a little nearer to your mouth, which helps with voice calling. Throughout calls with the Galaxy Buds 3 Professional within the noisy streets of New York (with some wind), callers stated they may barely hear any background noise and that my voice was largely clear, with solely minimal warbling. Take a look at my companion video evaluate for a pattern name I recorded with a CNET colleague. 

Galaxy Buds 3 Professional last ideas

For those who’re capable of get a decent seal with one of many three sizes of included eartips, there’s little to complain about with the Galaxy Buds 3 Professional. Sure, the noise cancellation could be a contact higher, however the earbuds’ sound high quality is clearly improved over the Buds 2 Professional. Plus, they’ve a strong function set, and their voice-calling efficiency is actually top-notch. Hopefully, Samsung will add some options with future firmware updates, as Apple has with the AirPods Professional 2.

The $250 listing worth is just a little excessive. However Samsung usually runs trade-in offers or has reductions on equipment like earbuds whenever you purchase a brand new Galaxy telephone, so most individuals will not pay anyplace close to full worth for these — and also you should not both. It is onerous to say what they’re actually value, however most likely about 30% much less. 

As I stated in my first tackle the buds, a few of you could be just a little disillusioned that Samsung gave in and adopted Apple’s earbuds method after figuring out the stem design labored greatest for most individuals. For what it is value, I most well-liked the match of those to that of the Galaxy Buds 2 and Buds 2 Professional, in addition to the newer Galaxy Buds FE. And they’ll match a wider vary of ears.

For these of you debating whether or not to get these or the Galaxy Buds 3, on the proper worth, I’ve no drawback recommending the Buds 3 to Samsung Galaxy homeowners and different Android customers who do not like having eartips jammed of their ears. However the Galaxy Buds 3 Professional are extra particular and compete effectively with different premium noise-canceling buds of their worth vary, notably in sound high quality and voice-calling efficiency. 

For those who’re considering upgrading from the Galaxy Buds 2 Professional, the Buds 3 Professional are higher. Nonetheless, there’s not an enormous distinction from a efficiency standpoint, so I believe it actually comes all the way down to what sort of deal you may get on the Buds 3 Professional. A number of the trade-in offers are fairly tempting, however I am certain a few of you should still favor the Buds 2 Professional’s stemless design, in order that makes it a tougher selection.