Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro review | Samsung’s best wireless earbuds yet

by W. Andrew Powell
Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro

Over the years I’ve tried all of Samsung’s earbuds, from the original Gear IconX, to the first generation Galaxy Buds, and the new Galaxy Buds Pro are a welcome addition to the lineup that are also a huge leap forward.

The Buds Pro are a perfect fit, they’re dependable, with excellent sound. They pair instantly, with features that I love, like muting audio when I start talking to someone, plus intelligent active noise cancellation, simple equalizer settings, and a gaming mode, among other things.

They’re excellent all around earbuds it starts with design, but includes a lot of little details too.

Here’s my full breakdown on the features, battery life, and sound that make the Buds Pro an excellent buy.

Fit & Features

Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro and case

The Buds Pro are an evolution that go a step beyond even what I was expecting. They fit well, work well, and sound great. They’re a big step up from the previous Galaxy Buds Live, and especially from the original Galaxy Buds.

With a thick base that slightly tapers down the ear canal, the Buds Pro fit snuggly and comfortably in the ear. Like other earbuds, you may have to adjust them once in an hour or so, but they are incredibly easy to wear for a couple of hours at a time. And maybe best of all, you don’t have to take them out to have a conversation, even when music is playing.

Intelligent Active Noise Cancellation does an excellent job of letting you focus, whether you’re listening to music or taking a call. The noise cancellation removes a fair bit of the most irritating noises like wind or traffic.

And with Voice Detect on, the Buds Pro will turn off ANC when you say anything, lowering the volume of whatever you’re listening to, and enhancing what you’re saying, and what others say to you. The feature makes conversations easy, and once you stop speaking, ANC waits a moment and then raises the volume of your music or other audio once again.

As far as killer features go, that’s my favourite, and it makes the Galaxy Buds Pro easy to leave in for as long as you want.

Similar to the Galaxy Buds Live, you can also use the earbuds as an audio source when recording in Pro Video mode, a feature I use a lot on my Galaxy Note 20 Ultra.

The Galaxy Wearable app is also excellent, letting you choose between ANC, ambient sound, or turning them off. You can also set the level of those features, change the default action when you press the left or right earbud, and a number of other sound options.

Plus, the Galaxy Buds Pro are rated IPX7 for water resistance, and they feature Bluetooth v5.0, touch sensitive controls, and you can turn Bixby voice commands on to control your Samsung phone without picking it up.

Sound Quality & Battery

After hours of using the Galaxy Buds Pro, I can safely say the earbuds were made for music lovers. And mobile gamers. And movie fans. The 2-way speakers sound amazing with anything thanks to an 11mm woofer, 6.5mm tweeter, and with supported content, Dolby Atmos.

The earbuds also feature dynamic 360 audio with Dolby Head Tracking for immersive sound.

As a music fanatic, listening to live tracks on Spotify has been very impressive. Sometimes jaw-dropping. Listening to Alicia Keys’ as she performed “Empire State of Mind” and Phil Collins’ epic “In The Air Tonight” was almost like being there. The sound was rich and full, with crisp highs, and a compelling mid-range. You can hear the crowd almost like they’re standing behind you.

From studio to live, or watching Netflix with Dolby Atmos, I was consistently impressed by the sound quality and lack of distortion, as well as the full, powerful bass.

For taking calls, the audio quality was great, and the microphone picked up my voice well. I also tested recording video, with the earbuds recording the audio, and the results were quite good. Not perfect, but excellent for earbuds, and a step up from the quality from Galaxy Buds Live.

Battery life was overall good, and for most uses I got close to the 5 hours, as Samsung promised, and well over 7 hours with ANC turned off. Charging was quick, with just 5 minutes delivering close to an hour of usage, and 60 minutes gave the earbuds a full charge.

Final Notes

For Samsung and Android users, I really recommend the Galaxy Buds Pro. The case fits almost anywhere in your pockets or a bag, the earbuds have a comfortable, firm fit, and I love the sound quality.

I’m also impressed with the IPX7 water resistance, and the fact that if you ever misplace them, you can track them down using SmartThings Find. For Samsung users, the earbuds are the best fit you’ll find, thanks to the features that were made for Galaxy phones or tablets. The design also looks great, so they’re sharper looking than some alternatives.

The Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro come in Phantom Black, Phantom Violet, and Phantom Silver and retail for $264.99 in Canada.

Watch my unboxing video:

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