Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 review: One step below premium

Three years. It’s been three years since Samsung released the Galaxy Buds 2. During that time, Samsung went back to the lab and completely redesigned the earbuds, giving us the mid-tier Samsung Galaxy Buds 3. But the Buds 3 are more than a hoity-toity redesign. They’re more durable, sound better, and even have some AI baked in for good measure. And despite being open-air, Samsung threw in some solid ANC for those moments when you need to turn the world down a bit. And thanks to the mics embedded in the blades, you get excellent call quality.

A derivative design and short battery life are some of the bigger flaws to consider when thinking about purchasing the Galaxy Buds 3. Then there’s that nagging concern (real or imagined) about one or both of the buds sliding out of your ears. They’re not the cheapest, but for people looking for a pair of reasonably priced earbuds designed exclusively for the Samsung ecosystem, there’s nothing better.

Pricing, availability, and specs

The Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 are currently available on Samsung’s website, Amazon, and Best Buy for $180. They’re not as expensive as their flagship brethren, the $250 Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro. Instead, the Buds 3 has its stems firmly planted in the mid-tier range. That means its main competition will come from the AirPods 3 ($200), Sennheiser Accentum True Wireless ($200), Anker Soundcore Liberty 4 NC ($100), and Google Pixel Buds Pro ($150).

What’s good about the Samsung Galaxy Buds 3?

The Buds are pretty comfortable. I wore them for a little over five hours without any discomfort. I love that Samsung upped the durability factor on the Buds 3 to IP57 (dust and water resistance) from the last generation’s IP52 (limited dust and water resistance). I like Samsung’s choice to mix clear and opaque plastics for the charging case. Out of the two colorways, I prefer the white, although for the buds themselves, I’m going with silver.

Listen. No, seriously, listen. The Galaxy Buds 3 sound great. These, along with the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro, are some of the best-sounding earbuds Samsung has made to date. That stated, the Buds 3 Pro are the better among the two, but still, don’t count the Buds 3 out. For the purpose of my audio testing, I left the in-app equalizer on Balanced while streaming tracks from Tidal with the audio quality at the Max setting.

Although the bass was a little diffused on Childish Gambino’s “Survive” (feat. Chlöe), the synthesized keyboard and piano weren’t overcrowded. Gambino and Chlöe’s vocals were clean, and there was just enough soundstage for an airy reverb. I swapped out the boomy bass for the docile tones of Allison Russell’s guitar and the clean clarinet on “Persephone.” The artist’s robust alto was just a warble away from a yodel with just a slight hint of plosives.

The spatial audio is good, but it doesn’t hold a candle to the likes of the Sony WF-1000XM5. Then again, the Sony buds cost $300. I will say when I listened to 112’s classic “Come See Me,” there was a fullness that I hadn’t heard sans 360 audio. It was more pronounced in the Bee Gees’ “How Deep Is Your Love” as I felt like the keyboard was on my left, with the strings on my right, and the Gibbs brothers were front and center.

It’s a little oxymoronic for the Buds 3, a pair of open-ear buds, to have active noise cancellation, but here we are. I’m definitely not going to poo-poo the feature as I firmly ascribe to replacing New York City’s natural symphony with my own – soundtrack of life and all that. With the ANC enabled, the Buds 3 thread the needle, quieting down the noisy city enough to qualify as a dull roar while being present enough to hear the angry, insistent horn of an electric scooter. So, while they’re not the best ANC earbuds, they’re effective.

The call quality on these things is amazing. I went on a call with my brother for 1 hour and 10 minutes, during which time I took the dogs for a walk and then returned home and turned on the television. While the open-ear design does allow some noise bleed from the outside world, it was very minimal, according to my bro. He described vaguely hearing a passing ambulance siren as I walked home and the murmurings of my TV, but only after I turned it up to maximum volume.

Just about every piece of tech you encounter these days has some type of AI. The Galaxy Buds 3 are no different; both the Buds 3 and Buds 3 Pro have some Samsung AI juice. However, the Buds 3 has decidedly less AI than the Buds 3 Pro. Some of the features, like Interpreter Mode, only work with the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 and Z Fold 6 for now. But no matter the phone, you can access the adaptive ANC and EQ, which automatically adjust according to ambient sound levels. Voice activating Bixby is accurate, but honestly, I’m not a big digital assistant, whether it’s Bixby or Google.

What’s bad about the Samsung Galaxy Buds 3?

Samsung has gone from shiny beans to matte irregular Mentos Mints to glossy chunky AirPods impersonators. Personally, I think Samsung should have stuck with the deformed Mentos design. It’s not that they don’t look cool — they do — I just wish the Buds 3 had LED lights in the blades like the Buds 3 Pro.

However, as soon as I slipped them into my ears, I felt a familiar insecurity. I couldn’t shake the feeling that if I moved too vigorously or sweated a little too much, one or both buds would go flying into the wild blue yonder never to be seen again — Find My Buds feature be damned. And sure enough, both earbuds stealthily slid from my ears during a walk, thanks in no small part to dripping sweat in the muggy NYC summer heat.

Samsung has rated the Buds 3 for six hours with ANC on and seven hours without. Combine that with the charging case, and that translates to 26 hours ANC on and 30 hours with the feature off. That’s not bad, per se, but when you have the Google Pixel Buds Pro (7 hours ANC/11 hours ANC off) and the Anker Soundcore Liberty 4 NC (8 hours ANC/10 hours ANC off) out there, Samsung really needs to step its game up.

Should you buy it?

If nothing else, the Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 prove that not everything needs a yearly release. Samsung took its time with the Buds 3 to make a pair of buds that exponentially improved on its predecessors. Despite biting the AirPods design, but in a chunkier, more angular fashion, the Buds 3 have better sound and call quality and durability. Plus, they’re bringing solid ANC and spatial audio to the mix with some light AI features. And they’re actually pretty comfy.

But I wish Samsung could have found a better design than knock-off AirPods, especially since I’ve always worried about AirPods just sliding out of my ears. That is, of course, until Apple threw some ear tips on the Pros. But the more egregious flaw is the battery life. The Galaxy Buds 3 have similar battery life to its predecessor, which, after three years, is a letdown. Ultimately, the Galaxy Buds 3 are some of the best Samsung earbuds available if you don’t want to shell out $250 for the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro.