Samsung Galaxy Buds4 Pro review

Fit & Noise Cancellation

These are the sealed Pro model. The tips close the ear canal, so the choice between these and the regular open-fit Buds4 affects how much of a bus ride or café you hear before you play anything. A secure, comfortable seal matters more than a codec setting if one ear keeps coming loose.

RTINGS found that the Pro shut out low-frequency noise well. It also found similar overall isolation to the Buds3 Pro. Someone with a worn-out older pair gains the clearest benefit if the replacement also fixes a fit or battery problem. ¹

Battery & Charging

Samsung rates them for seven hours in the ears and 30 hours including the case with cancellation switched off. RTINGS got around six hours with cancellation engaged, close to Samsung’s figure. A full working day with ANC will likely involve a break in the case. ¹

Sound Quality

RTINGS heard a warm balance with a little extra bass, though the low end was less pronounced than on the Buds3 Pro. If bass masks a voice in a busy mix, the nine-band equalizer in the app gives you a way to change that balance without changing earbuds. ¹

A custom sound setting is most useful after the tips seal consistently. Listen to a voice at the same volume after changing a tip: if the bass changes markedly, settle the fit before saving an equalizer preset. That way the setting you make with a podcast at home is more likely to carry over to the commute.

Connectivity

For 24-bit/96kHz playback, turn on Ultra high quality (UHQ) audio in the Buds settings on a supported Galaxy phone or tablet. The setting is off by default. Auto Switch requires both compatible devices to be signed into the same Samsung account. If your work tablet and personal phone use separate accounts, the earbuds won’t switch from a video on the tablet to an incoming call on the phone, even if both devices support the feature. ²

A compatible Windows computer can play standard Bluetooth audio. Its Bluetooth version alone does not establish support for Samsung’s UHQ codec or Galaxy Auto Switch. For a mixed-device workday, check which features move with the earbuds and which depend on the Galaxy device you leave behind.

Design & Care

The earbuds carry the IP57 rating; the charging case does not share it. After a wet run, dry the earbuds before dropping them into the case. The supplied small, medium and large tips also make it possible to use different sizes in the two ears, a more useful adjustment than pushing a loose tip farther into the canal.

Alternatives

Keep the Buds3 Pro if their seal and current runtime suit you. The regular Buds4 are worth trying if you dislike silicone tips. Sony’s WF-1000XM6 is a better starting point if pairing a phone and a non-Galaxy laptop at the same time is central to your day.

Verdict

The Buds4 Pro suit a Galaxy owner buying for daily travel, especially one already using a compatible Galaxy tablet. An owner of the previous Pro pair should have a specific complaint in mind before replacing it.