Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro: True wireless headphones with “smart” ANC and 360 ° audio

The Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro will be officially marketed on January 29 at the recommended price of 229 euros. The headphones are available for pre-order this Thursday and until January 28 via the official Samsung store with a wireless charger included.

At 229 euros, the Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro are logically positioned in the high-end segment. But they are cheaper than the Sony WF-1000XM3 (250 €) or Apple Airpods Pro (280 €) at their respective outputs.

We find a design much more classic, at least less experimental, than on the Galaxy Buds Live presented last August. But the whole range of high-end functions is there. Solid battery life of 4 to 8 hours (with and without ANC), intelligent and adaptive noise reduction, 360 ° audio etc … On paper, these Buds Pro are more than interesting, although Samsung has remained silent on certain details key techniques.

Balanced sound to please everyone with an emphasis on pickups

Like many manufacturers, Samsung is unfortunately quite laconic on the audio specifications of its headphones. What is the frequency range? What audio codecs do they support? No information was provided on this subject. (I will update the article once Samsung responds to me).

In contrast, Samsung promises that its Galaxy Buds Pro “deliver a dynamic and balanced sound experience.” The manufacturer relies on an 11-millimeter woofer and a 6.5-mm tweeter to flatter the bass and treble. We therefore probably start with a “V” signature, which accentuates the two ends of the frequency spectrum while leaving the mids a little behind.

This will obviously have to be checked during our tests. But this audio profile corresponds to what the majority of manufacturers offer and therefore what the majority of users expect from true wireless headphones.

Samsung also emphasizes the quality of the microphones for telephone calls (or videoconferencing). The Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro have 3 microphones per earpiece, 2 of which are intended to analyze outside noise (for ANC) while the other analyzes sounds inside your ear. An additional voice capture unit per earphone is also part of the game and only dedicated to voices.

Samsung explains that the Galaxy Buds Pro are thus able to recognize the voice of their user and isolate it from ambient noise for better call quality. Samsung also evokes its Wind Shield technology used for the design of its Buds and which, by aerodynamics and the presence of a mesh filter, limit audio disturbances linked to the wind.

An intelligent, adaptive and energy efficient ANC

Of course, Samsung offers active noise reduction on its Galaxy Buds Pro. This ANC would be “smart” and would reduce ambient noise by up to 99%. We would not have liked to have figures a little clearer and especially concrete, with indications of the number of decibels for example.

This active noise reduction would offer 2 adjustment steps. Samsung explains that its ANC can adapt to your sound environment. Perhaps the Galaxy Buds Pro will therefore adjust themselves, with the microphones and an algorithm, the intensity of the ANC according to the intensity of outside noise. It is not specified but Samsung assures that its ANC is able to adapt to your sound environment.

Being automatic, active noise reduction would also consume less energy. The Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro have an announced autonomy of 5 hours listening and up to 18 hours with the box with the ANC activated. An autonomy of up to 8 hours (and up to 28 hours with the case) without the ANC.

Galaxy Buds Pro support wired USB-C charging, Qi wireless charging and reverse wireless charging. But no precise data is provided by the manufacturer on the speed of this charge. It is also not known how long the charging of the case takes.

Samsung also emphasizes its different transparency modes, to amplify ambient noise. The Galaxy Buds Pro feature a “talk” mode that automatically boosts outside noise when you’re talking to someone, by turning off ANC and / or turning down the volume of the music.

Oddly, here we are given useful information by specifying that this ambient mode is capable of amplifying surrounding noises up to +20 decibels, with 4 levels of adjustment.

Multi-point Bluetooth limited to Samsung products, game mode and 360 ° audio

One of the key points of the Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro is the ability to switch from one paired device to another effortlessly and without friction. If you are watching a video on your tablet and suddenly someone calls you, you can automatically switch the audio from your tablet to your smartphone and then switch back to the tablet when the call ends.

The only catch is that this feature is for Samsung devices only. It is therefore a kind of proprietary multipoint Bluetooth. Samsung specifies that the automatic change only works with Samsung smartphones and tablets, which must also be registered on one and the same Samsung account.

It’s a shame to limit a feature that is so useful, but the choice can be understood from the point of view of Samsung who wants to privilege its ecosystem. Isn’t Apple doing the exact same thing?

Another equally interesting feature is the integration of Dobly’s 360 ° audio technology into the Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro. This technology is based on “head tracking” and is supposed to allow the user to feel the sound moving around him.

A 3D spatialization of sound which is also supposed to work in recording and not in playback. Concretely, Samsung explains that its Buds Pro would be able to capture sound in 3D, for a video for example, by synchronizing the microphone of the headphones with those of the Samsung Galaxy S21.

I can’t wait to test this feature and see how it enriches the audio experience. Finally, Samsung promises a “gaming” mode to reduce latency to a minimum and optimize the gaming experience.

What do you think of these Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro? Which function are you most interested in? 360 ° audio for microphones, can you believe it? And what about the quality / price ratio at 229 euros? Let us know in the comments.