Audio review
Galaxy Buds3 Pro Review: One Lab Measured 4h31m, Another 8.1 Hours
Three testers, three battery figures, against a six-hour claim. They agree on almost everything else, including that the ear tips tear.
By Paulo GerchonPublished 3 min read
Illustration, not a photo — we don’t have a licensed image of this product yet.
Samsung
Samsung Galaxy Buds3 Pro
Good · researched from 3 sources
Flat, even cancelling and a comfortable 5.4 gram earbud, sold into the Samsung ecosystem and largely pointless outside it. The battery figures span four and a half to eight hours depending on who measured, so treat the claim as a rough guide.
- Buy if
- Recent Galaxy phones, where the codec and AI features actually work · Long wear, on a measured 8.5 hours of comfort · Listeners who want even cancelling rather than a bass-heavy curve
- Skip if
- iPhone owners, which TechGearLab lists as a headline criticism · Workouts, on TechGearLab's stability finding · Anyone who needs a reliable battery estimate before a long flight
We don’t list prices, because Amazon’s change hourly.
Four and a half hours, or eight
Samsung claims six with cancelling on.
TechGearLab measured 8.1 hours. SoundGuys measured 4 hours 31 minutes. Hitech Century observed about 5.5 on a commute.
That is a spread of nearly four hours on the same product, and it is the widest disagreement about a single specification anywhere in this catalogue.
The explanation is almost certainly the test condition rather than the earbuds. SoundGuys runs a fixed output level that is louder than most people actually listen at. TechGearLab runs a percentage of the volume slider. Hitech Century just used them.
The practical translation: quiet listening gets you near eight hours, loud listening with cancelling on gets you closer to four and a half, and the six-hour claim sits in the middle where claims usually do.
The cancelling is unusually flat
TechGearLab: 26.2 dB low, 26.8 mid, 24.8 high.
Almost every other pair in this catalogue is lopsided. The 1MORE SonoFlow does 36.2 dB in the treble and 15.6 in the bass. The Pixel Buds Pro 2 run the other way, strongest at 28.0 in the low end.
These are within two decibels of each other across the whole spectrum, which means no particular kind of noise gets through disproportionately.
SoundGuys' total is roughly 76 percent of outside noise removed with cancelling on, and 57 percent from the physical seal alone, and they are careful to call that decent rather than amazing, naming the Jabra Elite 8 Active and the Sony WF-1000XM5 as better.
Hitech Century's one real complaint is that there is no intensity control at all.
Samsung, or don't bother
TechGearLab's first criticism is that these are not Apple-friendly.
The list of things that need a recent Galaxy phone is long: the Samsung Seamless Codec at 24-bit 96 kHz, the interpreter translation mode, siren detection, super wideband calling and Find My integration.
SoundGuys' closing advice is to buy something else unless you own a Samsung phone, and that is the correct read.
Comfortable, and not secure
TechGearLab scored comfort 8.1 out of 10 at 8.5 hours of continuous wear, on a 5.39 gram earbud.
In the same review, they flag stability during physical activity as a problem.
So: excellent for a working day, wrong for a run.
Two smaller things. TechGearLab found the ear tips tear easily, which matters more than it sounds because a torn tip loses the seal that 57 percent of the isolation depends on. And SoundGuys notes the controls sit lower on the new blade-shaped stems than most people expect, which produces mis-taps until you learn it.
The sound is good and the default is not
TechGearLab scored sound 7.9 out of 10, their second best category here.
SoundGuys measures the default as a 5 dB bass boost with a pronounced treble emphasis between 4 and 9 kHz, and reports that the Clear preset lands closest to their target curve with better distortion figures and only a small loss of immersiveness.
That is a specific, actionable recommendation: switch the preset before you form an opinion.
Underneath is a 10.5 mm dynamic driver paired with a 6.1 mm planar tweeter and two amplifiers per earbud, which is more hardware than almost anything at this size, and Hitech Century's description of exquisitely rich detail on classical material is what it buys.
How it scored
The overall 7.7 is the weighted average of these five criteria — we never adjust it by hand.
Sound quality
TechGearLab scored sound 7.9 out of 10. SoundGuys measures a 5 dB bass boost and treble emphasis from 4 to 9 kHz, and says the Clear preset lands closest to their target.
Value
SoundGuys scored 7.7 out of 10 and steers non-Samsung owners elsewhere. TechGearLab scored 77 out of 100, seventh of twenty-three. Hitech Century gave 3.9 out of 5.
Build quality
IP57, which allows brief immersion but not swimming. TechGearLab reports the ear tips tearing easily, and Hitech Century notes the case is not compatible with earlier models.
Comfort
TechGearLab scored comfort 8.1 out of 10 at 8.5 hours and 5.39 g per earbud. SoundGuys notes the controls sit low on the stem, which can confuse placement.
Noise cancelling
TechGearLab measured 26.2 dB low, 26.8 mid and 24.8 high. SoundGuys puts total attenuation at about 76 percent with cancelling on and 57 percent from the seal alone.
Pros and cons
What we liked
- TechGearLab measured 8.1 hours of battery against a six hour claim
- TechGearLab measured a flat 26.2, 26.8 and 24.8 dB across low, mid and high
- TechGearLab scored comfort 8.1 out of 10 at 8.5 hours and 5.39 g per earbud
- A 10.5 mm dynamic driver and a 6.1 mm planar tweeter with two amplifiers per earbud
- Samsung Seamless Codec at 24-bit 96 kHz on recent Galaxy phones
- IP57, which allows brief immersion rather than only splashes
What we didn’t
- SoundGuys measured only 4 hours 31 minutes under their standard test
- TechGearLab reports the ear tips tearing easily
- Both TechGearLab and SoundGuys found voice isolation on calls underperforming
- Hitech Century notes there is no way to adjust cancelling intensity
- The interpreter and AI features need a recent Galaxy flagship
- TechGearLab notes stability during physical activity is a problem
Specifications
| Battery | 8.1 h measured by TechGearLab; 4 h 31 m by SoundGuys; about 5.5 h observed by Hitech Century; 6 h claimed |
|---|---|
| With case | 26 hours total with cancelling on |
| Noise cancelling | 26.2 dB low, 26.8 mid and 24.8 high per TechGearLab; about 76 percent of outside noise per SoundGuys |
| Passive isolation | About 57 percent without cancelling per SoundGuys |
| Drivers | 10.5 mm dynamic and 6.1 mm planar tweeter, with two amplifiers per earbud |
| Codecs | SBC, AAC, Samsung Scalable and Samsung Seamless at 24-bit 96 kHz, over Bluetooth 5.4 |
| Water resistance | IP57 |
| Weight | 5.39 g per earbud per TechGearLab |
| Comfortable listening | 8.5 hours per TechGearLab |
| Samsung only | Interpreter mode, siren detection, super wideband calling, 360 audio and Find My |
How we researched this
We have not had this unit on the bench. This review synthesises the manufacturer’s published specifications, independent measurements and owner reports listed below. Every figure on this page comes from one of those sources rather than our own measurement.
3
sources reviewed
SoundGuys supplies the attenuation percentages with and without cancelling, the frequency response measurement and EQ preset recommendation, one measured battery figure, the driver and codec detail, the IP rating and the control placement observation, and scored 7.7 out of 10. TechGearLab tested against twenty-two other earbuds and supplies the attenuation by frequency band, a second measured battery figure, the comfort duration, the weight, the category scores and the ear tip and stability criticisms, ranking them seventh of twenty-three at 77 out of 100. Hitech Century supplies a third real-world battery observation, the commute cancelling assessment, the driver detail, the interpreter requirement and the criticism about fixed cancelling intensity, scoring 3.9 out of 5. The three battery figures differ substantially and the FAQ explains the likely cause rather than averaging them.
What we read
Common questions
How long does the Galaxy Buds3 Pro battery actually last?
How good is the noise cancelling?
Do they work properly with an iPhone?
Are they comfortable, and do they stay in?
How do they sound?
The bottom line on the Samsung Galaxy Buds3 Pro
Flat, even cancelling and a comfortable 5.4 gram earbud, sold into the Samsung ecosystem and largely pointless outside it. The battery figures span four and a half to eight hours depending on who measured, so treat the claim as a rough guide.
More tech & gadgets reviews
Audio
1MORE SonoFlow
SoundGuys measured almost seven hours beyond the claim. TechGearLab's frequency breakdown shows 36.2 dB of reduction in the highs and 15.6 in the lows.
Audio
AKG K371
Sonarworks measured up to ±4 dB of channel imbalance and ±3 dB of bass variation between units. That is a bigger difference than most of the arguments about how it sounds.
Audio
Apple AirPods Max
One lab scored comfort 4.6 out of 10 and found glasses cut wearable time to less than sixty minutes. Everything else about them is very good, which is the frustrating part.