Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro Review: A certified banger

Samsung honestly isn't the first manufacturer that comes to mind when I think of audio brands, especially not headphones. In my head, it's much more of a TV and smartphone company. Maybe fridges. But thanks to my time with the Galaxy Buds Pro, that's starting to change. Samsung is getting pretty damn good when it comes to sound.

The Galaxy Buds Pro are Samsung's latest wire-free earbuds, and a shot across the bow aimed directly at Apple's AirPods Pro. Like Apple's similarly monikered noise transducers, the Galaxy Buds Pro features an in-ear fit, noise-cancelling, and seamless pairing within the ecosystem. Better yet, they're also $50 cheaper.

Let's start with audio quality; the Galaxy Buds Pro genuinely sound great. They offer up crisp, clear, detailed audio. It's easy to hear individual instruments across frequencies, even on downright chaotic songs like Pupil Slicer's "Wounds Upon My Skin". The Galaxy Buds Pro also boasts the deepest sub-bass I've experienced on a pair of wire-free earbuds. The low-end hits on Childish Gambino's "3005" are full and reverberant in a way I'd typically associate with over-ear headphones. It's genuinely impressive. All in all, it's hard to fault the Galaxy Buds Pro on sound quality - especially at $349.

The Galaxy Buds Pro also delivers when it comes to noise-cancelling - they do a bang-up job of drowning out the real world. While you don't quite get the same level of quiet you'll get with over-ear cans, the Galaxy Buds Pro is powerful enough to block out the din of a bustling train carriage and drown out the mediocre playlist at my gym. The Galaxy Buds Pro also features a transparency mode that lets you filter in real-world noise without taking off your headphones, but it's very artificial. Everything sounds louder than it should in an uncanny valley kind of way. To date, Apple is the only headphone manufacturer to have made a transparency mode worth using. At the same time, you should really just take out your headphones if you're talking to people.

The Galaxy Buds Pro are a more conventional pair of headphones than the bean-shaped Galaxy Buds Live and tout a rather subtle design. The gem-like buds jut out from your ears just a little but aren't immediately obvious like AirPods. Front on, someone might not even notice you're wearing earbuds. More importantly, the Galaxy Buds Pro is comfortable to wear - even over extended periods of time. Some wire-free buds can be a tad too heavy, which leads to fatigue or pain with longer listening sessions. I also found the fit very secure. With the default tips, the Galaxy Buds Pro never felt loose. Even when running, I didn't have any issues with them falling out.

You also don't need to worry about the Galaxy Buds Pro getting too sweaty while working out. The pair are rated IPX7 for water resistance, which means they can survive being submerged in up to a metre of fresh water for as long as 30 minutes. This makes the one of the most water-resistant pairs of wire-free headphones around; the AirPods Pro are only rated IPX4, for comparison. Just be aware that the Galaxy Buds Pro charging case isn't water-resistant, and that the buds should be completely dry before you pop them back in.

Like most headphones these days, the Galaxy Buds Pro features touch controls. Tapping either bud will pause or resume your music, while a long press will toggle transparency mode. Personally, I find the controls just a tad too sensitive; it's too easy to pause your music if you're adjusting the fit. They can be disabled with a companion app, but this isn't available to iOS users. In the same vein, the Galaxy Buds Pro works best with Samsung handsets, netting functionality like instant pairing. They will still work on any other device, however.

In terms of battery, you get about five hours per charge from the Galaxy Buds Pro with noise cancelling switched on, or 18 hours before you need to recharge your case. That's about average for wire-free buds. Turning off noise cancellation brings this up to eight hours per charge, or 28 with the case.

Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro - Final Thoughts

Samsung's Galaxy Buds Pro are honestly hard to fault. They deliver on every key aspect you'd expect from a pair of wire-free headphones: sound quality, noise cancellation, and comfort. While they're best for those who already have a Samsung smartphone, the Galaxy Buds Pro are easy to recommend to anyone who's after high-end wire-free buds to go with an Android device.

Alex Choros

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Alex Choros is the Managing Editor of WhistleOut Australia and an award-winning journalist. He's been writing about consumer technology for over a decade and is an expert on the Australian telco sector, to the point where he knows far too many phone and internet plans by heart. In addition to leading the WhistleOut editorial team, Alex is responsible for ruining the office Sonos with his troubled taste in music.

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