Samsung Galaxy Buds4 Pro review: The best earbuds in the Galaxy?

I’ve spent the last few weeks with Samsung’s Galaxy Buds4 Pro, the tech giant’s newest and bougiest in-ear headphones. Released alongside the flagship Samsung Galaxy S26 series in March, the Buds4 Pro are engineered to complement Galaxy devices, but are compatible with any Bluetooth-ready phone or tablet. 

The verdict? I’ve rotated through multiple pro-level earbuds from rival brands over the last 12 months, but the Galaxy Buds4 Pro is my current pick of the bunch — but only if you have the right smartphone.

Samsung Galaxy Buds4 Pro: Key features

At $399, the Buds4 Pro aren’t cheap (the standard Buds4 come in at $299), but are slightly more affordable than competitor Apple’s $429 AirPods Pro 3. Here’s the what you’ll get for that $400 price point: 

• Priced at $399 AUD
• Enhanced 2-way speakers (11mm Super Wide Woofer and 5.5 tweeter) 
• Dual amplifiers
• Supports hi-res audio: 24-bit/96kHz on compatible Samsung Galaxy devices via Samsung Seamless Codec (SSC)
• 360-degree spatial audio
• Adaptive Active Noise Cancellation (ANC)
• Adaptive EQ
• Voice detection and isolation 
• Galaxy AI integration
• Buds offer up to 7 hours of battery life (6 hours with ANC enabled)
• Case offers up to 30 hours of battery life (26 hours with ANC enabled)
• IP57 rated for dust resistance and waterproofing
• Available in White, Black and Rose Gold

To keep things fair, I used the Buds4 Pro with both the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra and the iPhone 16.

Setup and controls

Samsung brands the Buds4 Pro as offering quick-and-easy connectivity with Galaxy phones, and ideally the devices should be ready to pair as soon as you open the charging case. My experience wasn’t quite as seamless, and I needed to hold down the case’s pairing button to get a connection. However, once linked up, using and controlling the Buds via the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra was easy-peasy, with a wide range of quick-access features available through my phone’s Settings app.

If you’re using a compatible Samsung phone, you can run a quick earbud fit test, then customise your Buds experience as needed. Accessing the Buds options through Settings gives you full equaliser control with a range of built-in modes for different sound preferences (e.g. Bass boost, treble boost or dynamic), plus easy toggles for 360 spatial audio, noise cancellation, ultra high-quality audio and more.

Unfortunately, while some of these features are accessible on phones from other Android devices  (like Google, Motorola or OPPO, if you download the Galaxy Wearable app), Apple users are stuck on the Buds4 Pro’s out-of-the-box presets. Compared to the options available with the S26 Ultra, using the Buds with the iPhone 16 feels incredibly limiting, even if the default sound setting is perfectly fine. 

Design and comfort 

If you prioritise style, the metallic strip down the stems adds a high-end touch, and the accompanying square charging case is refined and compact. I, on the other hand, prioritise cuteness, and Samsung has delivered: the separately-available Buds4 Food Can case range. These optional extras include corn, tomato and sardine can variations, with fake pull tabs and accompanying keyring-style charms. I’m using the ‘Sweet Corn’ case, and it’s a certified crowd favourite and conversation starter. 

Aesthetics aside, the Buds4 Pro’s fit is lightweight and comfortable, although buyers should note that you’ll only get three silicone ear tip sizes in the box (small, medium and large). Active wearers looking for a stronger and more customised fit should do a head shake test before buying. 

One frequent issue I’ve had with other in-ear headphones is less-than-responsive pinch and swipe controls. On multiple occasions, I’ve knocked devices out of my ear when swiping up or down to change the volume, or had products fail to register a double or triple-pinch gesture when I’m trying to skip or restart a track. Good news for me: the Buds4 Pro stayed firmly in my ears, with the stems offering a strong, tactile response to pinches and presses. 

Sound quality

With the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra

The Buds4 Pro’s default settings offer a balanced, smooth sound, with Active Noise Cancelling (ANC) auto-enabled. You’ll need to go into Settings to enable or play with the Buds’ advanced sound options, but once opened you can tweak the equaliser settings as needed across nine bands, or select from seven pre-set modes.

Your preferences may vary, but Dynamic mode has been my go-to so far for music — this option is great for rock genres, with clear vocals and meaty bass that doesn’t overpower the mix. If you’re a bass lover, you can push the low-end impressively far without completely losing higher frequencies. 

If your music taste is on the ‘pounding double bass drums and widdly guitars’ end of the spectrum, the Buds4 Pro sound great. They also handled my RnB Fridays playlist with power and vibrancy. Compared to the other earbuds I’ve used recently, these earbuds live up to the ‘Pro’ name — music is rich and detailed and voices are clear and crisp. 

If you’re looking to block outside noise, you’ll have a choice of ANC, adaptive sound or ambient/transparency modes. ANC does a slick job, but don’t expect a complete cone of silence: while it blocks voices well, some noise does cut through. Ambient mode is incredibly effective if you need to keep an ear on your surroundings, although I noticed some white noise when testing it on public transport.

With the iPhone 16

Using the Buds with an iPhone still delivered a clean sound, with decent enough ANC. But there’s a clear advantage to using the Buds4 Pro with a newer Samsung phone, and that’s the ability to listen with ultra high-quality audio. Samsung’s own Bluetooth codec is designed to stream audio as close to the original quality as possible, so users will ultimately get the strongest experience when pairing their Buds with a Galaxy phone or tablet. 

Should you buy the Galaxy Buds4 Pro?

If you’re already a Samsung user and want a high-quality pair of earbuds, the newest Buds are hard to fault. The in-built Galaxy integration and Samsung-exclusive features offer extra bang for your buck, and the Buds themselves are comfortable, easy to use and deliver satisfying sound quality, especially when paired with the S26 range. Keep in mind that you’ll also need a supported Samsung Galaxy device to use the Buds with Galaxy AI extras (such as Live Interpreter’s two-way real-time translation). 

Potential buyers using iPhone or other devices will still get a great listening experience, but will miss out on the advanced sound quality offered by SSC and Samsung’s 360 spatial audio. iPhone users will also be unable to customise the Buds4 Pro’s controls, as there’s currently no official iOS Galaxy Buds app. So if you’re not in the market for a dual Galaxy smartphone and headphones upgrade, you may want to consider matching your current phone with a more integrated pair of earbuds.

Products used for review/testing were free samples provided by Samsung.