Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro Review: A Masterclass in Premium Sound and Purposeful Design

Samsung’s new Galaxy Buds 4 Pro have quickly become my new favorite pair of earbuds. And it’s not hard to figure out why. These are more comfortable, sound better, and have incredible ANC. They’re so good, in fact, that they are the only pair of earbuds that can rival the ANC of the Apple AirPods Pro 3. Yet, they’re cheaper.

Of course, you’re going to get the best experience from using the Galaxy Buds 4 Pro on a Samsung device, but these are Bluetooth earbuds. So you can use them with any Bluetooth device, and still get a pretty good experience. During this review, I used them with the OPPO Find N6, Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra, and my MacBook Pro. With the Galaxy S26 Ultra, you get more options, since the Galaxy Buds options are built right into the Settings app.

Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro

Rating

$249

The Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro aren’t just a refinement; they’re a masterclass in purposeful design. By blending high-fidelity audio with a fit so natural you’ll forget you’re wearing them, Samsung has created more than an accessory, they’ve built the definitive heartbeat of the Galaxy ecosystem.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Top-Tier Audio Quality
• Significantly Improved Comfort
• Mature, Premium Design
• Smarter ANC & Transparency
• Galaxy AI Integration

Cons

• Middling Battery Life
• Incremental Software Upgrades
• Call Quality is Just “Good”

Buy from

Buy from

Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro Specs

Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro Review: Design

Let’s talk about the elephant in the room: the design. Last year, Samsung went all-in on the “Blade” aesthetic, which was… a choice. It was angular, it had LED light bars, and it looked like.. well, the AirPods. This year, Samsung has smoothed things out. The Galaxy Buds 4 Pro still have a stem (or “blade,” as Samsung insists on calling it), but it’s flatter, shorter, and capped with a premium-looking brushed metal finish.

It’s an industrial look that I actually really like. It feels less like a toy and more like a high-end tool. Gone are the “light blades,” replaced by large mesh ports at the top of the stems that house the microphones. It’s a cleaner look, and frankly, it makes them look a lot less like AirPods clones than the previous generation did.

The case has also seen a redesign. We’ve moved back to a “squircle” shape, which is much more pocketable than the rectangular case of the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro. But now the buds lay down in the case, versus slotting in. Samsung still has the transparent lid, which I love and hate. It looks nice but because its plastic it does get grimy pretty quickly. Especially with as much travel as these have gone through already.

But get this, Samsung opted to put magnets in the Galaxy Buds 4 Pro case, but refuse to put them in the Galaxy S26 Ultra. Speaking of the magnets, they are strong, the hinge has a satisfying “snap,” and it supports both USB-C and wireless charging. As you’d expect from Samsung.

One thing to note is the durability. Samsung has bumped these up to an IP57 rating. This means they aren’t just sweat-resistant; they can actually survive a dunk in up to three feet of water. While I wouldn’t recommend taking them for a swim, it’s great peace of mind if you get caught in a Michigan downpour or accidentally drop one in a puddle.

Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro Review: Comfort

Samsung claims they used over 10,000 simulations of global ear data points to refine the fit of the Buds 4 Pro, and for once, the marketing speak seems to hold water. These are incredibly comfortable. I wore them for a transatlantic flight from New York to Barcelona for Mobile World Congress, and almost forgot they were in my ears. They were that comfortable. But of course, it’s important to remember that everyone’s ears are different sizes and shapes. So they may not be comfortable to you, but do make sure to try out the different ear tips, that are included in the box.

Each bud weighs about 5.1 grams, which is light enough that you’ll honestly forget you’re wearing them after a few minutes. They use an ovoid nozzle with silicone tips that create a fantastic seal without feeling like they’re being jammed into your brain. I’ve worn these for four-hour stretches during work and didn’t experience any of the “ear fatigue” that usually plagues me with in-ear monitors.

The fit is also remarkably secure. You really don’t need to worry about these falling out of your ears.

Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro Review: Sound Quality

If you’re an audiophile, the Galaxy Buds 4 Pro are going to make you very happy. Samsung is using an upgraded dual-driver system here: a “super wide” 11mm woofer and a 5.5mm planar tweeter. Each driver has its own dedicated amplifier, which is a big deal for reducing distortion and keeping the sound clean.

The first thing you’ll notice is the bass. It is deep, it is punchy, and it has a level of sub-bass extension that I haven’t heard on a pair of buds this size. Listening to Kendrick Lamar’s “DNA,” the sub-bass rumble is clear and authoritative without bleeding into the mids. The only other pair of non-audiophile earbud that I think come close to this level of bass, is the Sony WF-1000XM6, which were my favorites before the Galaxy Buds 4 Pro launched.

But it’s not just a bass-heavy mess. The planar tweeter does a great job with the high end. There’s a nice “sparkle” to cymbals and strings that adds a sense of air and space to the music. The instrument separation is also top-notch.

If you’re using a modern Samsung device, you also get access to Samsung’s Seamless Codec (SSC) UHQ, which supports 24-bit/96kHz audio. If you’re a Tidal or Qobuz user, the difference in detail is noticeable. For everyone else, they still support AAC and SBC, but you’re definitely getting the “Pro” experience mostly within the Samsung garden.

ANC and Features: Smarter, Not Just Louder

The Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) on the Galaxy Buds 4 Pro is excellent. It’s not quite at the “void-like silence” level of the Bose QuietComfort Ultra, but it’s very close. It does a great job of nuking low-frequency hums, like airplane engines or the drone of an AC unit.

Where it really shines, though, is the intelligence. The Adaptive ANC is much more responsive than it used to be. It can sense when you’re in a loud environment and ramp up the cancellation, or dial it back when things quiet down. There’s also “Siren Detect,” which will automatically switch to ambient mode if it hears an emergency vehicle nearby—a literal lifesaver if you’re walking around a busy city like Ann Arbor, right after Michigan won the Big Ten.

Then there’s the AI stuff. Since this is 2026, everything has to have AI. The Buds 4 Pro integrates deeply with Galaxy AI features like “Live Interpreter.” You can now trigger a real-time translation session just by pinching the stem. It’s a bit niche, but if you travel for work as much as I do, it’s a genuinely useful tool to have in your ear.

Samsung has also added Head Gestures, which we first saw on the AirPods Pro. You can nod your head to answer a call or shake it to decline. It sounds gimmicky, but when you’re carrying groceries or working out, it’s actually pretty convenient.

Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro Review: Battery Life

If there’s one area where the Buds 4 Pro stumble, it’s battery life. Samsung claims up to 6 hours of playback with ANC on and 7 hours with it off. In my testing, those numbers are fairly accurate, but “accurate” doesn’t mean “impressive.”

When you consider that competitors from Sony and even Apple are pushing 8 hours or more on a single charge, 6 hours feels a bit meager for a “Pro” product in 2026. If you have all the bells and whistles turned on, UHQ audio, 360 audio, and Adaptive ANC, you’re likely looking at closer to 4.5 or 5 hours. That’s enough for a commute or a gym session, but for a long-haul flight? You’re going to be reaching for the case halfway through.

The case does provide an extra 20-24 hours of juice, so you won’t be tethered to a wall outlet constantly, but I’d really like to see Samsung prioritize battery density in the next iteration.

The Verdict: Should You Buy the Galaxy Buds 4 Pro?

The Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro are a fantastic pair of earbuds. They sound incredible, they’re some of the most comfortable buds on the market, and the integration with the Samsung ecosystem is tighter than ever.

At $249, they aren’t cheap. But they are cheaper than the Sony WF-1000XM6 and offer a more seamless experience for Galaxy users. If you’re rocking an S26 or a Z Fold7, these are a no-brainer. You get the high-res audio, the AI features, and the best-in-class comfort.

However, if you aren’t on a Samsung phone, some of the luster wears off. You lose the UHQ codec and some of the more advanced AI features. At that point, the short battery life becomes harder to justify over something like the Sony XM6s.

But for the “Samsung faithful,” the Buds 4 Pro are exactly what we wanted: a refined, premium, and great-sounding pair of buds that finally get the fundamentals right. They might not have a “holy crap” feature like heart-rate monitoring, but they do the basics better than almost anyone else. And sometimes, that’s all you really need.

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