Samsung wants to put artificial intelligence in your ears, at least that's what its new ad says. Galaxy Buds 3 and Galaxy Buds 3 Pro Headphones Wireless headphones.
The two new Galaxy Buds, unveiled at Samsung Galaxy Unpacked on July 10, 2023, feature a new design: both pairs of earbuds now feature an AirPods-like stem that is used to physically control the volume on the earbuds by swiping up or down. Additionally, the Buds have a case that is oriented more vertically than the horizontal rounded rectangle of the Galaxy Buds 2.
The standard Galaxy Buds 3 have an “open-type” design, in that they don’t have tips to enter your ear canal (like the third-generation AirPods), while the new Galaxy Buds 3 Pro have in-ear tips (like the AirPods Pro 2), which should result in better passive blocking of unwanted external noise to help boost its active noise cancellation.
Let’s start with the specs. The Galaxy Buds 3 have an 11mm dynamic driver to deliver the sound, 3 microphones, support for 24-bit Hi-Res Audio when used with compatible Galaxy devices, and can handle 360 Audio spatial sound with head tracking. Active noise cancellation is also present, though we’ll have to see how well it works in an open design without an internal tip to isolate the outside world.
The Galaxy Buds 3 Pro are basically the same, just with a two-way speaker design featuring a 10.5mm dynamic driver and a flat 6.1mm tweeter. ANC has ambient sound detection and the ability to detect voices and let conversations through without the user having to stop the music or remove the earbuds from their ears – a feature we’ve seen before on Sony earbuds and the AirPods Pro 2, to varying degrees of success – so we’re hoping Samsung has improved in these other areas.
As for battery life, the Buds 3 have a 48mAh capacity, while the Buds 3 Pro have a 53mAh battery capacity. The cases for both contain a 515mAh battery, but it’s worth noting that the Buds Pro have “Blade Lights,” which are strips of light on their stems that light up to indicate things like the earbuds’ pairing mode is active or can help you find misplaced earbuds. Such lighting might soak up a bit more electrical usage than the standard, non-light Buds, in addition to the dual-speaker system and more advanced processing.
So far, the new Galaxy Buds don't have much to set them apart from the best wireless earbuds you can buy right now. And having seen them in person, I wasn't immediately wowed by their build quality.
An ace up AI's sleeve
However, AI could be the secret ingredient in these wireless earbuds. Not only can smart audio sensing provide an adaptive EQ feature on the Buds 3 Pro, but it can also intelligently adjust the active noise cancellation filtering based on your environment. Say you’re walking past a busy workplace with lots of heavy machinery, the active active noise cancellation will kick in to keep the noise at bay – but if an alarm goes off, the smart tech will know to let the alarm filter past the noise cancellation as it’s probably important for you to hear it.
Then, there's an 'Interpreter' feature in the listening mode of the new Galaxy Buds 3 and 3 Pro, which will automatically detect when a supported foreign language is being spoken and provide a direct translation right to your ears.
I haven't had a chance to try this out, but it could be a way to break down language barriers without the complicated process of learning another language – the only caveat is that there are a limited number of languages supported at launch, so don't expect to be able to visit a restaurant in Wales and understand what “mochyn tew” means.
Another clever addition is the Super Wideband Calling feature, which uses a pre-trained AI model to allow the Buds 3 and 3 Pro to restore the voice of a caller whose real-time audio is affected by background noise, which Samsung says will make calls made through the earbuds similar in quality to those made directly through a smartphone.
Overall, the new Galaxy Buds 3 and Galaxy Buds 3 Pro appear to be notable improvements over the previous Galaxy Buds, offering better audio and smarter features. Both are available in silver and white colour options, and are available to pre-order today (July 10) with general availability on July 24; the Buds 3 cost $179 / £159 / AU$299 and the Buds 3 Pro cost $249 / £219 / AU$399. Pre-orders for Australia begin on July 11, with the Buds going on sale on July 31.
We'll have to test the new Galaxy Buds 3 to see if Samsung's improvements and smart features are enough to beat out the competition. But these new wireless earbuds do look promising.
