Samsung’s new line of Galaxy Buds is hardly a surprise thanks to a recent leak, but the company still had to officially debut its latest audio accessory at its Samsung Galaxy Unpacked event. Alongside new foldable phones, watches and even a smart ring, Samsung unveiled the Galaxy Buds 3 series. The new models have a more AirPods-like appearance thanks to their sticky or “blade” design, and Samsung is playing with features new as an Interpreter tool, Adaptive EQ and others.
So far, Samsung has chosen the most common and rounded headphone design that most companies prefer for their products. The stick-based look has become increasingly popular though, and most of Apple’s competition have debuted their own takes on the style. Now we can count Samsung among others. The company says its new “blade” design is based on “a variety of statistical data collected” and offers “a more intuitive physical experience” thanks to the grip and slide controls — another aspect of the AirPods Pro. The main difference is that the “regular” Galaxy Buds 3 are an open fit like “regular” AirPods, while the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro have a tip that completely encloses your ear canal. Despite this difference, both offer active noise cancellation (ANC), but only the Pro model has the ambient sound/transparency mode.
Another big difference between the two models is the double-sided speakers on the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro. Samsung has paired a dual-amplified 10.5mm dynamic driver and a 6.1mm planar tweeter that delivers “precise high-range sound reproduction”. Both Galaxy Buds 3 models support Ultra High Quality (UHQ) sound up to 24-bit/96kHz and 360 audio when paired with a compatible Samsung device. Both models also differ in terms of battery life. The Galaxy Buds 3 will last up to five hours with ANC on (24 hours total with the case), but you’ll get an hour more noise-canceling performance on the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro (26 hours total with the case).
As you might expect, Samsung is sprinkling artificial intelligence into its new headphones. Both models offer an Interpreter feature that works with compatible Galaxy devices, a tool that relies on artificial intelligence to do its translation. It’s similar to what Google has been doing in the Pixel Buds for a while now, and all the work is done by the connected device rather than the earbuds.
The company says the microphones in the Galaxy Buds 3 series monitor external noise in real time and apply changes with adaptive EQ and adaptive ANC. On the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro, the noise cancellation setup can also detect sirens and your voice, and when it catches the latter, it automatically lowers the volume and activates transparency mode. This feature, known as Voice Detection, was available on the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro, but it’s good to see the feature back.
Samsung has also added hands-free controls for music and other content with what it calls Voice Command. To improve the overall sound quality, the company added a Super Wideband calling tool that allows the Galaxy Buds 3 to transmit sound up to 16 kHz. Samsung says the previous headphones only use the 8 kHz band, but the Pixel Buds Pro also support Super Wideband. Of course, the company also uses machine learning models to combat background noise when you’re talking.
The Galaxy Buds 3 and Galaxy Buds 3 Pro are available for pre-order now for $180 and $250 respectively. Both models come in silver and white, and if you buy them from the company’s website before July 23, Samsung will throw in a free “clip case.”
Find out all the news from Samsung Galaxy Unpacked 2024 here!