More Galaxy Buds have been announced and Samsung is once again mimicking Apple in design, ecosystem functionality and pricing. The Galaxy Buds 4 and Galaxy Buds 4 Pro retain the AirPods-style design of the Buds 3, but now have a flat metal finish along the outside of the stem.
The regular earbuds use a single 11mm dynamic speaker and don’t have silicone ear tips, while the Buds 4 Pro have a choice of silicone ear tips and a bi-directional design (meaning a woofer for lower frequencies and a tweeter for higher levels), just like the Buds 3 Pro. There’s a 5.5mm planar tweeter and a new 11mm “super wide woofer” with an effective area nearly 20 percent larger than the last generation, which Samsung says results in up to 50 percent less distortion.
Pricing will remain the same as the 3, with the Buds 4 available for $179 and the Pro version for $249. It is compatible with the AirPods 4 with ANC and the AirPods Pro 3. Pre-orders for both Galaxy Buds 4 begin today, February 25, with an on-sale date of March 11. Both are available in black and white, with a rose gold version for the online-only Pro.
Both headphones include active noise cancellation, ambient sound mode, adaptive EQ and adaptive ANC – although the Pro version has better adaptive ANC. Samsung says the Buds 4 Pro have a 3dB boost in ANC performance (but we’re not sure at what frequencies). As with the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro, the new Pro headphones also feature voice detection, which speeds up conversations when the user’s voice is heard, and siren detection, which alerts you to sirens and alarms by increasing the volume of your surroundings when they’re close.
There are tons of features just for Galaxy users, including quick pairing, hands-free access to Bixby or Google voice assistants, head gestures to call or interact with Bixby, and an Interpreter feature (live translation) with support for 22 languages. It’s all very reminiscent of AirPods features, but without the heart rate monitoring and hearing assistance that Apple added to the Pro line.
The headphones use Bluetooth 6.1 and support Auracast, as well as the proprietary Samsung Seamless Codec (SSC) with 24-bit/96 kHz ultra-high quality (UHQ) audio, AAC, SBC and LC3 codecs. UHQ requires models released during 2023 – such as the S23 series, Z Fold 5 and Z Flip 5, and the Tab S9 series – or later. Both headphones also support Samsung surround sound on phones running One UI 4.1.1 or later — basically everything from the S21 and up.
Samsung says both models should have slightly better battery life than the Buds 3 and Buds 3 Pro. This year’s Pro model provides up to seven hours of playback or six hours with ANC (the case provides an additional 30 hours or 26 with ANC), while the regular Buds 4 get up to six or five hours with ANC on (also 30 hours more with the case or 26 with ANC). The cases for both models support wireless charging. And this time, the case is a clamshell design instead of a flip case, although it also has a clear lid like the Buds 3.
Buds 4 have IP54 protection and Buds 4 Pro have IP57 protection. The case does not have an IP rating.
The Buds 4 and Buds 4 Pro will work over Bluetooth on non-Galaxy phones, but with some features — including noise control, adaptive EQ, pinch control, and firmware updates — requiring the Galaxy Wearable app on devices running Android 10.0 or higher, they won’t be the best choice for many non-Galaxy users.
However, using the Galaxy Buds with a Galaxy phone will offer faster and easier setup without having to install the Wearable app. The Buds connect when the case is opened, and a quick panel on the screen provides easy access to volume, EQ and ANC settings.
While the Buds 3 Pro offered great sound and call performance in an admittedly derivative design, their ANC performance wasn’t so hot. Hopefully the Buds Pro 4 can fix that. Regardless, the Galaxy Buds 4 and Galaxy Buds 4 Pro will surely be the right choice for Galaxy device users.
Photo by Allison Johnson/The Verge