From buds to case, the Galaxy Buds 3 might be an AirPods doppelganger

Summary

• The upcoming Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 series is likely to feature an AirPod-like design with extended stems and silicone tips.
• Leaks suggest that the Buds’ charging case will also resemble Apple’s AirPods Pro case, with a metallic gray color scheme.
• The Buds 3 series may debut at Galaxy Unpacked on July 10, offering seamless pairing with Samsung devices and high-quality audio.

Samsung is working on the Galaxy Buds 3 series, and that is no longer a secret. We’ve long expected Samsung to switch up the Buds’ design, and the South Korean tech giant is indeed moving in that direction with the Buds 3 and Buds 3 Pro.

We’ve previously reported on leaks suggesting that the upcoming Galaxy Buds will have an Apple-esque touch to them. Thanks to a bunch of pixelated images leaked by Evan Blass earlier this month, we know that the Buds 3 series will sport an AirPod-like design, with an extended stem and silicone tips. If you were to imagine the upcoming buds, think of a lovechild between Apple’s 1st-gen AirPods with the long stems and Apple’s AirPods Pro with the silicone tips.

Subsequently, Blass’ leak was corroborated by Samsung itself, when the company listed the Buds 3 and Buds 3 Pro in the diagnostics section of the Samsung Members app. Unlike the pixelated images shared by Blass, the app displayed silhouetted icons of the upcoming buds, revealing a clearly-AirPods-inspired design. This confirms the Buds’ departure from the bean-shaped design.

Now, a new leak suggests that the buds themselves aren’t the only surprise in this design shift saga. The Buds 3 series’ cases, too, will sport an AirPod-like aesthetic.

A different, yet familiar case design

Images of the upcoming charging case made their way to a Korean retail website, Coupang, with a listing for a silicone cover for the upcoming buds, as shared by X user @TEQHNIKACROSS (via 9to5Google). The case looks identical to Apple’s AirPods Pro charging case, albeit with a different color scheme. At first glance, the case appears to be metallic gray in color, though it could also be silver. The earbuds, too, appear in a similar metallic gray shade with black silicone tips.

Additionally, the top of the case appears to be transparent, or translucent, as it offers a glimpse at the Buds sitting snug inside. The case also has a tiny light front and center, which might indicate battery and charging status, identical to the AirPods Pro case.

Elsewhere, the inside of the case gives us a glimpse at two small light strips on each bud’s charging station. We haven’t seen these in any of the previous leaks. We’re speculating that these might indicate each buds’ charging status and alternate between red, white and green. Red would denote that the bud isn’t charging, as seen in the image above. White would mean that the bud is actively being charged, while green would denote that the bud has been charged to 100 percent.

Whatever might be the case, pun intended, we expect the Galaxy Buds 3 series to be unveiled at Galaxy Unpacked on July 10, alongside a stacked lineup of wearables and foldables. We expect to hear a few more leaks about Samsung’s vision for the A̶i̶r̶P̶o̶d̶s̶ Galaxy Buds before the grand unveiling.