Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro review – Colour me very impressed
Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro – Verdict
Samsung's Galaxy Buds 4 Pro are on par with some of the best for sound quality and noise cancellation.
The second best part? They're comfortable enough to wear for a few hours at a time.
So when Samsung says its latest Pro buds are its best ever, I can confirm there's real merit to that claim.
Now at $399, the Galaxy Buds 4 Pro sit firmly in premium territory. That said, they're still a bit cheaper than some of the other earbuds in this category.
The catch is that a fair chunk of what makes them special is locked to Samsung phones.
If you have a Samsung device, these are an easy recommendation. If you don't, you'll be missing out on features you're partly paying for.
The good stuff
- Excellent sound quality
- Strong noise cancellation
- Comfortable fit with a light, well-balanced design
What we don't love
- Full experience only possible on a Samsung phone
- Battery life is so-so
Design
On the outside, Samsung's gone for a clamshell design, moving away from the rectangular case of the previous generation.
The Galaxy Buds 4 Pro themselves keep the stemmed design but ditch last year's angular blade for a cleaner, flatter face, which I much prefer.
They also use a mix of squeeze and swipe controls on the stem, which are easy to find by feel and make it less likely you'll accidentally trigger something.
They're quite comfortable to wear for long stretches and have survived a fair few burpees without moving much.
How do they sound?
This is where the Galaxy Buds 4 Pro really offer the most bang for your buck. That's coming from me with no real frame of reference, too, since these are the first Pro buds I've tested from Samsung.
The audio quality is pretty darn great on the dual-speaker setup. I, of course, had to test it out with Highway to Hell as you do when you get a new pair of earbuds to take for a spin.
The iconic guitar riff comes through with proper bite and clarity. Then I switched to something bass-heavy like Smells Like Teen Spirit after tweaking the equaliser. The bass really kicks in and sounds fantastic.
Regardless of the genre, though, you can customise the sound to your liking. That said, for the most part, the balanced preset does a good enough job on its own.
And if you're anything like me and getting into your audiobook era, you're going to really enjoy listening to them on these.
Noise cancellation and ambient mode
Active noise cancellation on the Galaxy Buds 4 Pro is impressive for everyday use, including train commutes to and from work.
It's also great for a hot girl walk with your favourite audiobook or podcast in the evenings, especially when you're walking by the bay, and kids or big groups are chatting, laughing and squeezing in one last hurrah for the day.
That said, they're not quite at the top of the class like the Sony WF-1000XM6, but sounds like me typing on my keyboard are softened enough to not be bothersome. Plus, they're also cheaper than the Sony buds, which definitely helps.
The ambient (transparency) mode is strong too. It can automatically switch on when it detects someone speaking to you or a nearby siren, though you'll need to toggle this in the settings. The transition feels smooth, not jarring.
Battery life
Samsung promises up to 7 hours from the earbuds with ANC off, and up to 6 hours with it switched on. With the battery case, you can expect around 26 hours.
While these numbers hold up in real life, they are behind the likes of Sony WF-1000XM6 and even AirPods Pro 3.
This probably won't be a dealbreaker for most people, myself included, but it's worth keeping in mind if you're not great at regularly charging your earbuds.
The Samsung-only problem
The main catch is that the Galaxy Buds 4 Pro work best with Samsung devices. On these, you can easily access controls through the settings app.
For other Android phones, you'll need to download the wearables app. And while the earbuds can connect to iPhones, there's no app available, so you'll be limited to the standard sound profile.
Features like head gesture controls and 360 audio are also limited to Samsung phones.
Multi-point connectivity (connecting to two devices at once) is also gated behind the Samsung ecosystem if you want it to auto-switch.
Tl;dr, if you're using an iPhone or a non-Samsung Android phone, you'll still get decent earbuds, but not the full experience you're paying for.
All opinions expressed in this review are based on hands-on experience with the earbuds. Use this review for informational purposes only.
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