Samsung Galaxy Buds4 Pro Review

I’ve used Apple AirPods for years as my main on-the-go buds, and I’ve always thought they sounded great. But after spending a month with Samsung’s Galaxy Buds4 Pro, now paired with the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra, I think Samsung’s sound quality has won me over.

The first thing I noticed when I put the buds in my ears was the bass. It’s much more noticeable than what I was used to with my AirPods Pro 3, giving all the music I listened to a fuller sound that hit me almost immediately. I never thought I had been missing bass, but you don’t notice what you’re missing until you hear or see a difference.

Samsung also gives you much more control over your sound with nine equaliser options to adjust things to your liking. You can ignore it if you don’t want that level of adjustment, but I played around with it depending on whether I was using the Buds for music, watching movies, or playing games. The default sound is already very good, but I appreciate the ability to fine-tune it, and I’m sure audiophiles would too.

I had a good chance to test out the noise cancellation here while travelling, especially on a flight with a screaming baby nearby. I listened to a mix of music and podcasts, and the Buds4 Pro managed to block out a surprising amount of the noise around me. It wasn’t completely silent, of course; that’s not what I’d expect, but it did a considerably good job blocking out a loud level of noise in an aircraft.

I’ve spent most of my time with the Samsung Buds4 Pro using them with the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra, and they work extremely well together, unlocking pairing and higher quality thanks to the phone’s features and capabilities. I also tested them with another device, the Steam Deck, and switching between the two devices is easy, though it doesn’t support Bluetooth multi-device support, so you can’t easily switch between devices.

The most important thing for me in clarifying the sound quality difference was switching between the Galaxy S26 Ultra and the Steam Deck. Everything worked fine, and the sound quality was still good, but it didn’t sound as good as it did when paired with the S26 Ultra. The bass didn’t have the same impact I’d got used to when testing with just the phone. Samsung adds audio technology between Galaxy phones and the Buds4 Pro, including support for higher-quality audio up to 24-bit/96kHz through its own Bluetooth codec, which could explain the difference in what I heard. It isn’t really a negative for the Buds themselves, since most people will use them with a Samsung phone, the same way most people buy Apple AirPods to pair with Apple devices. Still, it’s also a testament to how these devices are designed to work together.

As for comfort, I was happy with the Buds4 Pro straight out of the box. They fit my ears well, and I never had any issues wearing them for hours at a time, moving around, or doing some light power-walking and jogging; I never felt them wiggling around or worried they’d fall out. Samsung also includes small, medium, and large silicone tips, so there are options for different ear shapes. I was lucky enough that the standard ones worked just fine for me.

All that said, one thing I still don’t like about the Samsung Galaxy Buds in general is the case. I still prefer Apple’s cases, and I’ve used three variations: the AirPods case, the Samsung Galaxy Buds2 case, and the Buds4 Pro case. I find it much easier to flick open the AirPods case and grab the buds, but the Samsung case is a little harder to handle because of its flat design. It’s not a huge complaint, and it’s a minor reality to note, but it is something I think about anytime I’ve used the Buds4 Pro or my Buds2 in the past. I’m also not a fan of the transparent case design that Samsung likes, but that’s more preference than an actual critique.

However, I feel the opposite about the earbuds’ controls. I much prefer Samsung’s controller, which feels like pressing an actual button. And there’s a noticeable response when I squeeze the stem, whereas I don’t get that same level of tactile feedback with the AirPods. They work, but I’d prefer Samsung’s approach. Swiping up and down for volume control is also easier with this stem design than the oval design Apple prefers. You can change the pinch-and-hold button to suit your use, add Bixby for AI assistance, or set a different response for each bud. But this is the only customisation you get; you can’t change how the other inputs respond.

I’ve taken calls while walking along busy streets in windy conditions, and the feedback from those on the calls has been nothing but positive. On some of those days—when it was very windy —I was impressed that there was no noticeable feedback on the mic for those on the other side.

Battery life is great, but I could use some improvement, and it’s my main complaint, aside from the case design. It hasn’t been bad, but I’ve felt like I’ve needed to charge the Buds4 Pro more often than my AirPods Pro 3, and after looking at the specifications, that makes sense. Samsung advertises up to six hours of listening with active noise cancellation turned on, while Apple lists up to eight hours for the AirPods Pro 3. Samsung offers up to 26 hours with the charging case, compared with Apple’s 24 hours, but that doesn’t help much when I want to keep listening without stopping to charge the earbuds.

After using the Galaxy Buds4 Pro for a while, I’m still impressed by the sound quality. The bass caught my attention first, but the adjustability, noise cancellation, and how well the device works with the Samsung ecosystem are what’s most impressive. 360-degree audio with head-tracking and Auracast are features you’ll miss if you’re not using a Samsung device, along with live translation. So keep these in mind when buying the Samsung Buds4 Pro if you plan to use them with a phone or device that won’t deliver the full feature set. Of course, Apple likes to do the same and keep its users within their own ecosystem, but I do think shoppers looking at Samsung devices are more likely to assume you’d be able to get all of the features and use them with another type of phone or device; for Apple, everyone expects that closed ecosystem.

My main takeaway is that for listening to music on my phone, I’ve been reaching for the Galaxy Buds4 Pro over my AirPods Pro 3. I wasn’t expecting that when I started testing them, especially after using Apple’s earbuds for so long.

If you have a compatible Samsung Galaxy phone and want a premium pair of wireless earbuds, I think the Buds4 Pro are an excellent choice. There are a few things I’d change with the Buds themselves as a whole: delivering fantastic audio quality, great battery life that only comes up short, and delivering a device that’s going to be perfect when paired with a compatible Samsung phone, I’d think a little bit longer before you commit to these as buds you’re using primarily with some sort of other device.

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