Your new best Buds: Samsung announces Galaxy Buds3 series
Samsung has updated its Galaxy Buds lineup with the new Galaxy Buds3 and Buds3 Pro.
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It's been a few years since we've seen a major update to the Galaxy Buds lineup, so it's nice to see Samsung turning on the charm for the earbud family.
The new Buds 3 series comes with both standard and Pro models, and like the new Galaxy Z phones, are packed full of AI features.
The redesigned earbuds come in two colour options: Silver and White. The Standard Buds3 have an open design (like AirPods), which offer extended comfort without getting nice and deep into your waxhole.
The Buds3 Pro, meanwhile, are all about deep-diving into your ear canals to give you deep, immersive sound.
Both models feature Samsung's new Blade design, with a sleek, sharp stem that offers touch controls, as well as LED lighting to help you easily identify which earbud goes in which ear.
AI features
Getting the AI stuff out of the way, there are a bunch of software driven features for the Buds3. The first is Interpreter, which uses your Galaxy smartphone's chip to translate in one direction, so you can attend lectures or go on tours with other languages, and the phone will pipe translated information into your ears via the Buds3.
If you opt for the more premium Pro model, the earbuds adapt the noise cancellation to your surroundings, automatically adjusting the level of ANC when it detects a siren, or if somebody starts talking to you.
Audio quality
While both models offer ANC and an IP57 rating, the audio quality promises to be quite different. The Buds3 offers a 1-way 11mm Dynamic Driver, while the Buds3 Pro uses enhanced 2-way 10.5mm Dynamic and 6.1mm Planar drivers.
If you pair the Buds3 Pro with a compatible Galaxy smartphone, you can also enjoy ultra-high quality audio up to 24bit/96KHz. Not sure where you source that music from though.
Pricing and availability
Like the Galaxy Z phones, the Buds3 are available for pre-order from 11 July until 30 July, with some pretty solid pre-order offers available.
They come in Silver and white colour options, with the following RRPs:
- Buds3: $299
- Buds3 Pro: $399
Specs
| Spec | Buds3 | Buds3 Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Colour | Silver White | Silver White |
| Dimensions | Earbud: 18.1 x 20.4 x 31.9 mm Charging Case: 58.9 x 48.7 x 24.4 mm | Earbud: 18.1 x 19.8 x 33.2 mm Charging Case: 58.9 x 48.7 x 24.4mm |
| Weight | Earbud: 4.7g Charging Case: 46.5g | Earbud: 5.4g Charging Case: 46.5g |
| Speaker | 1-Way: 11mm Dynamic Driver | Enhanced 2-Way: 10.5mm Dynamic + 6.1mm Planar |
| Microphone | 3 Mics + VPU | 3 Mics + VPU |
| Sound quality | UHQ 24bit Hi-Fi 360 Audio with Direct Multi-Channe | UHQ 24bit Hi-Fi 360 Audio with Direct Multi-Channe |
| ANC & Ambient sound | ANC | ANC Ambient sound Voice Detect |
| Battery capacity | Earbuds: 48mAh (typical) Charging Case: 515mAh (typical) | Earbuds: 53mAh (typical) Charging Case: 515mAh (typical) |
| Music time | Up to 5 hours / Total up to 24 hours (ANC on) Up to 6 hours / Total up to 30 hours (ANC off) | Up to 6 hours / Total up to 24 hours (ANC on) Up to 7 hours / Total up to 29 hours (ANC off) |
| Talk Time | Up to 3.5 hours / Total up to 18h (ANC on) Up to 4 hours / Total up to 20h (ANC off) | Up to 4.5 hours / Total up to 20h (ANC on) Up to 5 hours / Total up to 22h (ANC off) |
| Connectivity | Bluetooth® 5.4, Auto Switch Codec: SSC(Samsung Seamless Codec) HiFi, SSC UHQ (Samsung Proprietary) AAC, SBC | Bluetooth® 5.4, Auto Switch Codec: SSC(Samsung Seamless Codec) HiFi, SSC UHQ (Samsung Proprietary) |
| Sensor | Voice Pickup Unit (VPU), Force & Touch (Swipe), SWIR, Accelerometer, Hall sensor | Voice Pickup Unit (VPU), Force & Touch (Swipe), SWIR, Accelerometer, Hall sensor |
| Compatibility | Android 10 or higher with more than 1.5GB of Memory | Android 10 or higher with more than 1.5GB of Memory |
| Water resistance | IP57 | IP57 |
