The Samsung Galaxy Buds4 Pro are the brand's 2026 flagship earbud launch paired with the release of their Galaxy S26 phone lineup. Similar to Apple's flagships, the Korean brand walls off some of the buds' functionality in Samsung ecosystem exclusives like 360 Audio and the Samsung Seamless Codec's Ultra High Quality mode for Hi-Res Bluetooth audio. Still, the buds have plenty going for them even if you don't own a Samsung device: active noise cancellation, upgraded hybrid drivers, and a new and improved design and case.
Our Verdict
The Samsung Galaxy Buds4 Pro are great for sports and fitness. Their IP57 rating means they can handle wet and dusty environments with ease. Coupled with their impressive stability, the Samsung are a fitting fitness companion, whether you're pushing for a PR in the gym or going on a scenic morning hike. Their sound signature has a bit of extra bass relative to our preference curve, so you can count on punchy kick drums to keep you pedaling if you're training endurance. You can also choose to cancel out background noise with ANC or remain aware of your surroundings with transparency mode, depending on your needs. Their battery life is a little short at 6 hours, but you can always pop them in the charging case if you're commuting to the gym after work.
Comfortable and stable fit.
IP57 rating for dust and water exposure.
Mediocre 6-hour continuous battery life.
The Samsung Galaxy Buds4 Pro are excellent for impressive. They have remarkable noise isolation performance, so they'll cancel out bus or plane engines if you're commuting to the office or flying to a destination wedding. The buds have a comfortable, stable fit; their bodies aren't very bulky, and the tips don't go very deep into your ear canals, so you can keep these on for hours without discomfort. However, the time you can keep them in your ears is limited by the Samsung buds' six-hour battery life. While you can charge them between legs of a shorter journey, the buds will run out of juice on longer transcontinental flights.
Fantastic noise isolation performance.
Comfortable and stable fit.
Mediocre 6-hour continuous battery life.
The Samsung Galaxy Buds4 Pro are impressive for office work. If you need to lock in for a productivity sprint, they can keep you remarkably isolated from your surroundings thanks to their remarkable noise attenuation. And you can toggle their conversation detection feature so they switch to ambient/transparency mode, so you can have a quick chat about your lunch order. The buds are also comfortable to wear for long periods, but you'll find their six-hour battery falls short of a full workday, especially if you need to take calls (which drains the battery). Still, their mic sounds much better than it scores and renders your voice comprehensible, even if your surroundings are noisy.
Fantastic noise isolation performance.
Comfortable and stable fit.
Mediocre 6-hour continuous battery life.
The Samsung Galaxy Buds4 Pro don't have a low-latency wireless dongle, but you can achieve sub 100ms latency if you have an LC3 codec-enabled device, which won't result in too much A/V desync for some casual gaming.
The Samsung Galaxy Buds4 Pro can't be used wired.
The Samsung Galaxy Buds4 Pro have great audio reproduction accuracy. They have a smooth, warm sound signature with minimal frequency response fluctuations. The lack of significant peaks and dips keeps instruments and vocals in neighboring bands sounding consistent in presentation and makes the buds' sound easier to tweak (with an in-app, 9-band graphic EQ). The slightly elevated bass and small dip in the mid-treble render kicks and deep synths with a bit of extra oomph while taking the edge off cymbal sibilants, resulting in a pleasant, unfatiguing listening experience. Our unit's L/R hybrid drivers are amazingly well matched, so panned instruments are accurately positioned in the stereo image. There's no audible coloration caused by harmonic distortion, either.
The Samsung Galaxy Buds4 Pro have superb noise isolation performance. Chatty coworkers, rumbly construction machinery, and revving engines are all easily handled by the buds' combination of passive isolation and active noise cancelling. If we had to give a criticism, their treble attenuation might let more HVAC hiss through than other flagships that use foam ear tips to boost their treble-range isolation. Still, the buds have outstanding performance overall and don't leak much of your audio, either.
The Samsung Galaxy Buds4 Pro have a much better microphone than the score indicates. Because our test rig interacts with the buds, their on-board noise suppression isn't active, so the mic system picks up all sorts of background noise. In real calls, the buds handle noise very well, separating your speech from your background without making you sound overly processed. Recording quality isn't at the level of most boom mics, but you'll still sound natural and intelligible in conversation.
The Samsung Galaxy Buds4 Pro have excellent frequency response consistency. Thanks to the multiple sizes of included tips and an in-app seal test, you can expect consistent audio between wears that matches our frequency response measurements well.
Performance Usages
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
The Samsung Galaxy Buds4 Pro are available in three colors: 'White,' 'Black,' and 'Pink Gold' (Samsung online store exclusive). We tested the 'Black' version, and you can see a photo of the label here.
If you find another variant, please let us know in the comments, and we'll update the review.
Popular Headphones Comparisons
The Samsung Galaxy Buds4 Pro are yet another entry in a sea of flagships from familiar brands like Sony and Apple. They're an upgrade over the previous Samsung Galaxy Buds3 Pro in some respects, but some performance aspects have stagnated with the 4th generation of this product line. While ergonomics have improved thanks to the latest iteration's design, noise attenuation performance and battery life remain the same. In contrast, competing releases in the Apple AirPods Pro 3 and Sony WF-1000XM6 continue to push the envelope with cutting-edge noise isolation, and eke out victories in battery life as well. Still, there are reasons to stick with the Samsung. For one, the Sony's worse ergonomics overall and higher launch price may not be a worthwhile tradeoff depending on how much you value their slightly better noise cancelling. Meanwhile, going with the Apple earbuds means entering the brand's walled garden ecosystem and sacrificing compatibility with Windows and Android devices. While the Samsung buds aren't completely free of brand-exclusive features either, locking their Hi-Res Samsung Seamless Codec and Ultra High Quality mode behind compatible Samsung devices, they at least offer expanded functionality with other devices via an Android/Windows-compatible app that works with most of the earbuds' features.
If you're in the market for earbuds, check out our picks for best wireless earbuds and best noise cancelling earbuds. And if you don't mind the larger form factor, consider our recommendations for the best wireless headphones.
The Sony WF-1000XM6 and Samsung Galaxy Buds4 Pro are both flagship earbuds released in 2026. The Sony have better noise isolation performance and a slightly more comprehensive app that includes additional features like location- and activity-based profiles. They also have a longer 8.6-hour continuous battery life, compared to Samsung's six hours. Still, the Samsung are more comfortable, stable, and better built. If you care about connectivity, the Sony have ecosystem-agnostic multipoint pairing and access to LDAC for Hi-Res audio. Samsung instead locks their own Hi-Res codec and auto device switching functionality to only work with their own compatible products.
The Apple AirPods Pro 3 and Samsung Galaxy Buds4 Pro are similar products technologically, but they cater to two different audiences. While you can use either device on Android or iOS devices, each locks most customization and functionality unless you're in the corresponding ecosystem. The Apple lock most customization, live translate, and their heart-rate monitor behind iOS, while Samsung's Hi-Res Samsung Seamless Codec only works with compatible devices from the brand. If you don't care about the brand-exclusive features, both are still neck-and-neck. The Apple have better noise isolation performance and longer battery life, while the Samsung have a somewhat smoother sound profile and better overall build.
The Samsung Galaxy Buds4 Pro are an incremental improvement over the Samsung Galaxy Buds3 Pro. The newer generation has a redesign that improves the fit, case, and build, but there aren't many differences in performance. The Buds4 Pro's sound signature is a more subdued, tweaked version of the Buds3 Pro: warm, but with less bombastic bass. Not much else is different: battery life is nearly identical at six hours of continuous playback; both devices support the same codecs; and noise isolation performance hasn't improved between generations. The Buds4 Pro are the better pickup if you can find them at a similar price to the Buds3 Pro.
The Samsung Galaxy Buds4 Pro and Technics EAH-AZ100 are similar earbuds. Both have solid noise isolation performance, though the Samsung are slightly better at dealing with bass and treble noise. They're both comfortable and stable, though the Samsung are more suitable for outdoor and sports use thanks to their IP57 certification for dust and water exposure. On the other hand, the Technics are your best bet for work; they support Bluetooth multi-point with up to three devices and have over double the battery life of the Samsung, which sits at only 6 hours of continuous playback.
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You can also discover how we produce recommendations like this one so that you can find the best headphones (or earbuds!) for your needs.
Test Results
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