The Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro Truly Wireless are in-ear headphones with a good active noise cancelling (ANC) feature. They can isolate more noise than the Samsung Galaxy Buds Live Truly Wireless, although they still struggle to cut down bass-range noise like engine rumbles. They're also similarly well-built to other Samsung truly wireless headphones, and they have a higher IPX7 certification for protection against water immersion. Unfortunately, their 4.3-hour continuous battery life falls short of that of the Samsung Galaxy Buds+ Truly Wireless.
Our Verdict
The Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro are satisfactory for neutral sound. They have an excited, V-shaped sound profile, which delivers extra thump and boom while brightening vocals and lead instruments. If you prefer a more neutral sound, their companion app offers a few EQ presets to help customize them to your liking. They also have consistent bass and treble delivery and a comfortable fit.
- Comfortable and well-built design.
- EQ presets available.
- Sub-par battery performance.
- Bad passive soundstage.
The Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro are good for commute and travel. They're well-built and don't leak too much audio, so you can enjoy your audio at high volumes without disturbing others around you. They also have a comfortable fit, and they're easily portable. However, their ANC struggles to cut down bass-range noise like bus or plane engine rumbles. They also have a fairly short continuous battery life and may need to be recharged during longer trips.
- Comfortable and well-built design.
- Stable and very breathable fit.
- Sub-par battery performance.
The Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro are great for sports and fitness. Even though they lack stability fins, they have a stable fit that's suitable for moderate exercise. They're also lightweight, comfortable, easily portable, and have a very breathable design, so you shouldn't sweat more than normal while wearing them. They're certified IPX7 for protection against water immersion too. However, they lack volume controls by default and offer a limited control scheme.
- Comfortable and well-built design.
- Stable and very breathable fit.
- Sub-par battery performance.
The Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro are decent for office use. They're comfortable and have low leakage, so you can enjoy your audio at a high volume without disturbing others around you. They also have a good ANC, which can help cut down some ambient chatter. Unfortunately, their 4.3-hour continuous battery life won't make it through a full day at work without a recharge.
- Can isolate ambient chatter.
- Comfortable and well-built design.
- Sub-par battery performance.
- No multi-device or NFC pairing.
The Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro aren't recommended for wireless gaming. While you can connect them to a Bluetooth-enabled PC, the latency is likely to be too high for gaming. They also aren't compatible with Xbox and PlayStation consoles. That said, they offer a low latency 'Gaming Mode' if you want to play games on your mobile device.
The Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro are Bluetooth-only headphones that you can't use on a wired connection.
The Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro are passable for phone calls. Their integrated mic can capture your voice clearly, although it sounds a little muffled and distorted. However, it struggles to separate your voice from background noise, which could be a problem if you're talking in a loud environment. They can reduce some unwanted sounds around you thanks to their ANC feature, meaning you can focus on your call.
- Can isolate ambient chatter.
- Comfortable and well-built design.
- Mic has poor noise handling.
- Sub-par battery performance.
Changelog
- Updated Mar 06, 2023: These headphones can connect to the Galaxy Buds app on Windows. As a result, we've raised the scoring of App Support from '7.0' to '7.5'.
- Updated Oct 18, 2022: We've added a comparison between these headphones and the Samsung Galaxy Buds2 Pro True Wireless in Passive Soundstage.
- Updated Oct 14, 2022: We've added a comparison between these headphones and the Sony LinkBuds S Truly Wireless in Noise Isolation.
- Updated Oct 18, 2021: Updated review for accuracy and clarity.
Check Price
Differences Between Sizes And Variants
The Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro come in four color variants: 'Phantom Black', 'Phantom Silver', 'Phantom Violet', and 'Phantom White'. We tested the Phantom Black variant, and you can see their label here. However, we expect all color variants to perform similarly to our model.
If you come across another variant, please let us know in the discussions, and we'll update our review.
Popular Headphones Comparisons
The Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro are truly wireless headphones with an active noise cancelling (ANC) feature. This feature performs better than the Samsung Galaxy Buds Live Truly Wireless and can cut down a good amount of noise around you. They also support 360 Audio with compatible smartphones, which can help create a more immersive audio experience. However, their battery performance is sub-par and only lasts around 4.3 hours compared to the over 13 hours offered by the Samsung Galaxy Buds+ Truly Wireless.
Check out our recommendations for the best noise cancelling earbuds and in-ear headphones, the best wireless earbuds for Android, and the best true wireless earbuds.
The Samsung Galaxy Buds2 Pro are slightly better in-ear headphones than the Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro, but the differences are minor. While both buds are comfortable and well-built, the Buds2 Pro have a significantly better noise isolation performance, and their companion app offers more features.
The Samsung Galaxy Buds+ are better headphones than the Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro. The Buds+ have a more stable in-ear fit, a better-balanced sound profile, and longer-lasting continuous battery life with a standby mode to help conserve battery life when not in use. However, some users may prefer the Pro's ANC feature, which can help cut down some ambient noise around you.
The Beats Fit Pro True Wireless are slightly better in-ears than the Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro. The Beats have a more stable in-ear fit, their default sound profile is more neutral, which some users may prefer, and they support Spatial Audio on iOS devices for a more immersive sound. They also have a better battery performance and have an H1 chip for seamless pairing with your Apple devices. However, the Samsung headphones are more comfortable, and their companion app offers EQ presets to help you customize their sound.
The Sony WF-1000XM4 Truly Wireless are slightly better headphones for most uses than the Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro. The Sony are better-built, have a somewhat better noise isolation performance, and a longer continuous battery life. Their companion app also offers a graphic EQ to help adjust their sound to your liking. However, the Samsung have a more bass-heavy sound profile and are more comfortable.
Test Results
The Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro look somewhat similar in design to the Samsung Galaxy Buds+ Truly Wireless and the Samsung Galaxy Buds2 Truly Wireless. They have a sleek, rounded earbud design with a glossy finish. They're also small and don't protrude too much out of your ears. If you prefer a different look, they come in four color variants that can better match your style.
The Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro are comfortable headphones. They're lightweight and have a similar fit to the Samsung Galaxy Buds+ Truly Wireless but go a little deeper into your ear. However, like the Samsung Galaxy Buds Live Truly Wireless, there's a little bump on the top of the earbuds that puts some pressure on your ear, which could be fatiguing after some time.
The Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro have passable controls. There's a touch-sensitive surface on both earbuds, and they're easy to use. However, some users may find the surface overly sensitive, and you may accidentally register a command if you're adjusting the buds' fit. The control scheme also lacks volume controls by default, and although you can remap controls via their companion apps, you can lose out on other controls instead. There are different beeps to let you know when you've registered a command, but there are no voice prompts.
On either bud:
- One tap: Plays and pauses audio.
- Double-tap: Skips a track forward. Also, answers or ends calls.
- Triple-tap: Skips a track backward.
- Touch and hold for two seconds: Cycles through ANC on and talk through mode, which allows you to better hear your surroundings without taking out the earbuds. This command also declines calls. You can remap this control if you want volume control, voice commands, or if you want the buds to launch Spotify on command so that you can listen to your favorite tracks.
The Samsung Buds Pro have outstanding breathability. Like the OnePlus Buds Pro Truly Wireless, their in-ear fit shouldn't trap in too much heat or make you sweat more than normal while you're wearing them.
These headphones are very portable. They can easily be tossed into most pockets when you're on the go. Their carrying case is also fairly small, so you shouldn't have a problem taking them with you.
The Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro have a great charging case that supports Qi-enabled wireless charging and is very similar in design to that of the Samsung Galaxy Buds2 Truly Wireless. It feels solid, lightweight, and has a sleek satin finish to match the color scheme of your headphones. There's a light inside the case to indicate the battery life of the buds. There's also another light on the outside of the case to indicate the case's charge. It turns orange when the earbuds are charging and becomes green when fully charged.
The Samsung Buds Pro have a good build quality. They're made of dense matte plastic with a glossy finish on their exterior side and silicone-like ear tips. They feel sturdy enough to survive a couple of accidental drops without too much of a problem. Unlike the Samsung Galaxy Buds Live Truly Wireless or the Samsung Galaxy Buds+ Truly Wireless, they're also certified IPX7 for protection against water immersion.
The Samsung Buds Pro have a stable fit. Unlike the Samsung Galaxy Buds+ Truly Wireless, they lack stability fins. However, they still have a stable fit, and they come with three differently sized pairs of ear tips to help create a good seal. They should stay in place during moderate physical activity.
The Samsung Buds Pro have an excited, V-shaped sound profile. They deliver a thumpy, boomy bass while vocals are bright and sparkly. However, some users may find their mixes sound a bit muddy. If you prefer a different sound, there are EQ presets available via their companion apps.
Like most in-ear headphones, the frequency response consistency is outstanding. Once you achieve a proper fit using the included tips, you should experience consistent bass and treble responses every time you use them.
The Samsung Buds Pro have good bass accuracy. It's overemphasized across the entire range, which adds extra thump, punch, and boom to your tracks. However, some users may find their mixes sound muddy.
These headphones have great mid accuracy. There's some overemphasis coming from the bass range, which makes the low-mid sound muddy and cluttered. However, the rest of the range is very balanced and neutral, resulting in accurate and detailed vocals and lead instruments.
The Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro have great treble accuracy. The low-treble is very flat and neutral, so vocals and lead instruments are present and detailed. However, overemphasis in the mid-treble makes sibilants like S and T sounds piercing.
The Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro's peaks and dips performance is good. There's a large peak between the high-bass and low-mid that makes mixes sound muddy and cluttered, while a dip in the mid-mid nudges vocals and lead instruments to the back of the mix. Another peak in the mid-treble makes sibilants like cymbals piercing.
The Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro have outstanding imaging. The entire group delay response is well within the audibility threshold, resulting in tight bass and transparent treble reproduction. Our unit's L/R drivers are also extremely well-matched in amplitude, frequency, and phase response, creating a stereo image with accurate placement and localization of objects (like voices, instruments, and video game effects). However, these results are only valid for our unit, and yours may perform differently.
The Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro have a bad passive soundstage, which is very common for closed-back, in-ear headphones. Creating a large and out-of-head soundstage is heavily dependant on sound activating your outer ears. By design, they bypass the outer ear, resulting in a small soundstage that seems like it's coming from inside your head. Since they're also closed-back, they won't sound as spacious as open-back headphones.
These headphones only support 360 Audio technology when paired with a compatible Android system. This feature is advertised to deliver 360-degree audio through the earbuds, so objects like footsteps or voices sound like they're coming from precise areas rather than from all around you. It also has a head tracking feature, so even if you look away from your phone or tablet, they can detect your head's movement and play the audio as if you're watching your device.
The Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro have a great weighted harmonic distortion performance. All frequencies fall within good levels, resulting in clear and pure audio reproduction.
These are the settings used to test these headphones. Our results are only valid when using these settings.
The Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro have a decent noise isolation performance. With their ANC set to 'High', they cut down a sub-par amount of bass-range noise like bus or plane engines, which isn't great if you commute a lot. However, they do a better job of cutting down ambient chatter as well as a significant amount of high-pitched noise like the hum of an AC unit. If you're looking for buds with a better noise isolation performance, check out the Samsung Galaxy Buds2 Pro True Wireless or the Sony LinkBuds S Truly Wireless.
We have also tested these headphones using firmware update R190XXU0AUA5. However, there wasn't a significant change in the ANC's overall performance. You can see the graph of our measurements with both the previous firmware and the new firmware here. Although our original results used small ear tips, there has been user discussion that noise isolation performance may differ depending on the size of ear tips used. We've run some passes using the medium ear tips, and you can see a comparison of both performances here. However, the small and medium ear tips deliver a similar noise isolation performance.
The Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro have an excellent leakage performance. Leakage is mostly concentrated in the treble range, and escaping audio sounds thin. However, even if you're listening to audio at high volumes in a moderately noisy environment like a busy office, you shouldn't bother others around you.
The integrated mic has a decent recording quality. Your voice sounds clear but a little muffled and distorted. However, you shouldn't have too much of an issue being understood.
The noise handling of this microphone is poor. It struggles to separate your voice from ambient noise, even in moderately loud environments. If you're taking a call from a busy street, your voice may be drowned out by noise around you.
The Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro have sub-par battery life. They're advertised to last five hours continuously with their ANC on, and we measured over four hours. This is still shorter than the continuous playback time offered by the Samsung Galaxy Buds Live Truly Wireless. On the upside, their carrying case holds roughly 2.5 extra charges, and you can even use one bud while the other one charges. They're also advertised to deliver one hour of playtime with only five minutes of charging. However, battery performance can vary depending on your usage, so your experience may vary. If you're looking for a pair of truly wireless headphones with a longer total battery life, try the TOZO NC2 Truly Wireless.
Like the Samsung Galaxy Buds2 Truly Wireless, these buds are compatible with the Samsung Wearables app. It's only available on Android, and it allows you to change EQ presets, remap controls, manage voice controls, and activate Bixby, Samsung's virtual assistant. You can also activate 'Gaming Mode', which the manufacturer advertises to help lower their latency while gaming, and adjust talk-through, so you can keep listening to audio while talking to others.
If you're on a Windows PC, you can also connect these buds to the Galaxy Buds app, which offers many of the same features as the mobile app such as EQ presets and noise control. However, you won't be able to access the 'Gaming Mode' feature.
The Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro have decent Bluetooth connectivity. Like other truly wireless Samsung headphones like the Samsung Galaxy Buds2 Truly Wireless, they support Scalable, Samsung's proprietary codec for high-quality audio. However, you can't pair them with more than one device at a time. They also don't support NFC pairing. While they have high latency on PCs, their latency on iOS and Android is lower, which is great if you like to stream video. They also have a 'Gaming Mode' via their mobile companion app that's advertised to lower their latency. We measured 69ms of latency on Android using this mode, which is low. However, the companion app is only available on Android devices. That said, some apps and devices compensate for latency differently, so your real-world experience may vary.
You can't use the Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro wired. They come with a USB-C to USB-A charging cable to recharge their carrying case.
These wireless headphones are fully compatible with Bluetooth-enabled PCs. Unfortunately, you can't connect them to your PC in any other way.
The Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro's carrying case provides around 2.5 additional charges. It can be recharged using its USB-C cable or wirelessly via a Qi-enabled charger. You can also place it on the back of a compatible Samsung Galaxy smartphone for wireless charging. It doesn't have any additional inputs, though.