In the autumn of 2021, Apple and Samsung each placed a bet on what the modern listener truly needs — one wagering on seamless integration and endurance, the other on silence and deeper platform loyalty. The AirPods 3 and Galaxy Buds Pro are less rivals than mirrors, each reflecting the priorities of the ecosystem that surrounds them. To choose between them is not to judge sound alone, but to reckon with the phone already in one's pocket and the life built around it.
AirPods 3 vs Galaxy Buds Pro: Which wireless earbuds win?
The real decision came down to ecosystem lock-in.
Mark
Why does the price difference matter so much when they're only twenty dollars apart?
Mimi
Because twenty dollars signals intent. Apple is saying the regular AirPods are for everyone; the Pro model is for people who need noise cancellation. Samsung is saying the Galaxy Buds Pro are the main event. The price gap tells you where each company thinks the value actually sits.
Mark
The AirPods 3 don't have noise cancellation. Isn't that a dealbreaker?
Mimi
For some people, absolutely. But the review found better noise-cancelling earbuds exist at the same price point. So it's not that the AirPods 3 are uniquely bad at it—they just don't try. That's a choice, not a failure.
Mark
What about someone with an Android phone who doesn't have a Samsung?
Mimi
They're in a bind. The Galaxy Buds Pro are optimized for Samsung devices and lose audio quality on other Android phones. The AirPods 3 work fine on Android but lose all the Apple-specific features that make them special. Neither is ideal if you're not in the ecosystem.
Mark
So it really does come down to which phone you own?
Mimi
Almost entirely. The technical differences matter, but they matter less than whether you're already living in Apple's world or Samsung's. That's the real story.
Mark
If I had to pick one for pure sound quality, which wins?
Mimi
The Galaxy Buds Pro, technically. But it's not a clear win—they're competent, not impressive. The AirPods 3 compensate with spatial audio, which is genuinely immersive for certain content. It's different, not worse.
O Pulso
- A $20 price gap masks a deeper divide: AirPods 3 offer longer battery life and spatial audio, while Galaxy Buds Pro counter with active noise cancellation — a feature many commuters consider non-negotiable.
- Neither earbud fits all ears equally well — AirPods 3 lack customizable tips, and Galaxy Buds Pro can feel bulky and loose, turning comfort into a genuine gamble.
- Audio quality is the Galaxy Buds Pro's quiet weakness: its soundstage feels cramped and detail-thin, while the AirPods 3 impress with spatial audio but offer nothing to block out the world around you.
- Ecosystem lock-in is the invisible hand guiding the decision — iPhone users gain native magic with AirPods, Samsung users unlock better audio codecs and noise cancellation with the Buds Pro.
- Neither pair claims the crown: Bose and Sony still outperform both on noise cancellation, leaving these mid-range contenders as strong ecosystem companions rather than category leaders.
In the autumn of 2021, Apple and Samsung each placed a bet on what the modern listener truly needs — one wagering on seamless integration and endurance, the other on silence and deeper platform loyalty. The AirPods 3 and Galaxy Buds Pro are less rivals than mirrors, each reflecting the priorities of the ecosystem that surrounds them. To choose between them is not to judge sound alone, but to reckon with the phone already in one's pocket and the life built around it.
Apple's third-generation AirPods arrived in late 2021 promising the feel of the Pro model at a friendlier price, while Samsung's Galaxy Buds Pro made a different argument — that active noise cancellation and tighter Samsung integration were worth a modest premium. At $179 versus $199, the gap was small, but what each company chose to include or omit told a larger story about their priorities.
Design reflected those philosophies clearly. The AirPods 3 kept Apple's signature stem silhouette, now shorter and more rounded, with IPX4 water resistance but no customizable eartips — a trade-off that left some users with a less secure fit. The Galaxy Buds Pro offered a stemless, glossy form with multiple eartip sizes, though testers found them occasionally bulky and prone to shifting.
Battery life went to Apple: six hours per charge and thirty total with the case, comfortably ahead of the Galaxy Buds Pro's five hours with noise cancellation active and twenty hours total. Both supported fast and wireless charging, but the AirPods 3 simply lasted longer.
On audio, the AirPods 3 delivered a genuine generational leap, with spatial audio creating an immersive three-dimensional soundscape that shone in film and music. The Galaxy Buds Pro sounded capable but unremarkable — narrow in soundstage and thin in detail — though they rewarded Samsung users with noticeably richer audio through the brand's proprietary Scalable Codec.
The sharpest contrast was noise cancellation: the Galaxy Buds Pro had it, the AirPods 3 did not. For anyone navigating loud commutes or open offices, that omission loomed large. Yet even Samsung's noise reduction fell short of what Bose offered at comparable prices.
In the end, the choice was less about specifications than allegiance. iPhone users found the AirPods 3 deeply woven into Apple's world — Siri, audio sharing, spatial FaceTime and all. Samsung users gained noise cancellation and better native audio quality. Neither pair was a class leader in absolute terms, but each made quiet, convincing sense for the person already living inside its ecosystem.
Apple's third-generation AirPods landed in late 2021 with a straightforward pitch: the sound and convenience of the pricier Pro model, but at a price closer to what most people might actually pay. Samsung's Galaxy Buds Pro, arriving around the same time, made a different bet—that active noise cancellation and deeper integration with Samsung phones would justify a modest premium. The question facing anyone in the market wasn't which was objectively better, but which aligned with the phone already in their pocket.
The AirPods 3 cost $179, undercutting the Galaxy Buds Pro by twenty dollars. That price difference matters less than what it signals: Apple kept the regular AirPods affordable while reserving the Pro designation—and the $249 price tag—for the noise-cancelling tier. The Galaxy Buds Pro, at $199, positioned themselves as a middle option between budget earbuds and the premium offerings from Sony, Bose, and Sennheiser. Both were solidly in the mid-to-high range, but the AirPods 3 offered a clearer entry point.
Design revealed the philosophical split between the two companies. The AirPods 3 kept the distinctive stem design that had become Apple's signature, though the stems were shorter and the overall housing more rounded than before. They gained an IPX4 water resistance rating suitable for gym use, though without customizable eartips, the fit wasn't as secure as some competitors. The Galaxy Buds Pro took a different approach—a rounded, glossy design available in three colors that sat closer to the ear without protruding stems. They measured just under an inch long and came with multiple eartip sizes, though some users found them bulky and occasionally loose during testing.
Battery life favored the AirPods 3. They delivered six hours of playback per charge, extending to thirty hours with the case—a comfortable margin over the Galaxy Buds Pro, which managed five hours on a single charge with noise cancellation enabled, or seven to eight hours without it. The case added thirteen hours with ANC on, or twenty hours total with it off. Both supported fast charging and wireless charging, but the AirPods 3 simply lasted longer between charges.
Audio performance told a more complicated story. The AirPods 3 impressed with spatial audio, a feature that placed sound in a three-dimensional sphere around the listener, creating an immersive effect particularly striking for films and music. The sound quality itself represented a clear step up from the previous generation, powered by custom-made drivers and high dynamic range amplifiers. The Galaxy Buds Pro sounded competent but uninspiring—lacking detail and offering a soundstage that felt too narrow. The Samsung Wearable app allowed EQ adjustments, but couldn't widen the soundstage itself. When paired with non-Samsung devices, both earbuds defaulted to lossy codecs, though the Galaxy Buds Pro showed noticeably better audio quality when connected to Samsung phones using the company's proprietary Scalable Codec.
Noise cancellation was the Galaxy Buds Pro's defining feature and the AirPods 3's most glaring omission. The Samsung earbuds offered solid noise reduction, though not the absolute silence some users might expect. The AirPods 3 had none at all—a significant trade-off for anyone commuting on loud transit or working in noisy environments. Yet even this advantage came with caveats: reviewers found better noise-cancelling options available from Bose and others at similar or lower prices.
The real decision came down to ecosystem lock-in. iPhone users gained seamless integration, hands-free Siri activation, audio sharing between devices, and group FaceTime with spatial audio—features that made the AirPods 3 feel native to Apple's world. Samsung phone owners got better audio quality, Bixby voice assistant support, and the noise cancellation that Apple's entry-level model lacked. Neither pair was class-leading in absolute terms. Neither would satisfy an audiophile. But each made sense for the person already committed to its respective platform, and that commitment—more than any single technical specification—would likely determine which earbuds ended up in someone's ears.
Citações Notáveis
The choice largely depends on the phone you have.— TechRadar review conclusion
Quer a matéria completa?
Leia o original em TechRadar ↗
Technology