Hands on: 'I'm loving the audio and design upgrades, but one huge problem remains' — after using Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro for one week, there's still an issue

While the launch of the Samsung Galaxy S26 series has the phones world abuzz, it’s the unveiling of the company’s new audio products which is turning earbuds fans’ heads. The flagship new 'Buds' vying to feature in our best earbuds guide are the Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro, which have just been released alongside their non-Pro counterparts. They are, depending on your persuasion, the follow-up to the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro, or the latest rival to the AirPods Pro 3.

As early leaks all-but confirmed, these buds have seen a design change, using a new version of what Samsung calls its ‘blade’ design to create a sleek and understated-looking model. I don’t know how much Marvel’s sword-wielding vampire-fighter had to do with the change, but it’s just the most readily-apparent of the several changes and upgrades coming to this new iteration.

At an early event I got to test the Galaxy Buds 4 Pro, as well as their non-Pro sibling, and since then I’ve been listening to them non-stop for the past week. That’s not enough time to write a full review (though rest assured one is coming), but below you’ll find my early impressions on this new pair of premium earbuds.

Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro review: Price and availability

• Announced on February 25, 2026
• Selling for $249 / £219 / AU$399
• Matches AirPods Pro 3 in price — which is likely deliberate

The Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro were unveiled on February 25, 2026, and they’re due to go on sale at the beginning of March.

To buy the new buds, you’ll have to shell out $249 / £219 / AU$399. That’s certainly a high price for earbuds, marking them as premium options, though it’s worth noting that this is the same launch price as the previous model.

Let’s put that in context: the latest AirPods Pro 3 cost $249 / £219 / AU$429 so it’s a similar price in most places, but Samsung undercuts Apple in Australia. The standard Galaxy Buds 4 go for $197 / £159 / AU$299, so they’re naturally cheaper, but you’re getting an open-style bud for that price.

Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro review: Design

• New 'blade' look, old 'blade' traits gone
• Feel solid in the ear
• Annoying eartip problem returns

Changes to the Galaxy Buds 4 Pro are evident from the outset: they come in a clamshell-style charging case which is transparent in its lid, so you can admire the buds at will – it’s much easier to slot the buds into than the 3 Pro’s case was. It feels a little smaller but thicker, from my recollection of the last buds, though I can’t confirm that – either way, it was easy to slot into my trouser pockets.

The buds themselves have seen a redesign, and now have a brushed-metal edge which is lovely and understated. I’m personally a big fan of earbuds that aren’t bedecked in the company’s logo, and could proudly walk around without feeling like a Samsung billboard.

Some more changes: Blade Light? Gone. Color-coded buds so you know at a glance which side of the case to put them in? Gone. Proprietary eartip-locking system which stops you using third-party tips, and makes them incredibly hard to remove? Sadly not gone, despite this finickity system causing so many problems in the Buds 3 Pro that they were delayed. I needed to switch the tips when I first received the buds, and was fearful of doing so given how easily I could have accidentally broken them. I can't understand why Samsung has left this big problem in place.

I switched out the tip because the buds’ fit didn’t feel solid, and changing to the biggest option didn’t remedy that. However, the only times they've actually fallen out is when I took them on a run; I'd say they're fine for everyday use, then, but aren't runners' buds.

Other than that, they’ve felt pretty reliable, even when I walked around with the buds at weird and irregular angles to test out one of their features (don’t tell my editor, who threatened to write a column calling out all the people who wear earbuds wrong). I was surprised by how much much I liked the on-stem touch controls too: swipe for volume, pinch for play/pause. Nice and convenient, and with a responsive ‘click’ for the latter too, reminding me of the Nothing Ear (a) which have a gold star in this department.

Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro review: Features

• Solid ANC
• App is chock-full of features
• New live translation and head gestures

I remember being blown away by the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro’s ANC, and from early tests, it’s just as strong here. I’ve mostly been listening on the standard ANC mode, at full power, but there’s an Adaptive mode that I’m getting ready to try next. If there’s a flaw, it’s that Ambient mode seems weaker than on other buds I’ve tested, in that it lets through too much.

Like any good premium earbuds, there are plenty of app features in the Galaxy Buds 4 Pro. I spent a good long while playing around with tools like an earbud fit test, a 5-band equalizer with various presets, an Ultra High-Quality mode, 360 audio and setting up neck stretch reminders.

The app also offers an adaptive sound mode, which offers a hearing test to create a bespoke sound profile – it’s simpler than the alternative offered by many rivals, and didn’t have an audible impact on my music. I must say, I’m not convinced by this one.

New features to the Galaxy Buds 4 Pro include head gestures to answer or reject calls, however I didn’t get to test this, due to no-one calling me in the test week (it’s 2026 – I don’t get many calls full stop). AirPods Pro-style Live Translation is also here, and thanks to an upcoming trip, it’s something I hope to test soon for the full review.

There's also the feature I referred to earlier in the article: adaptive casting, so the buds will recognize how you're wearing them and adapt playback accordingly. In short, if you're wearing the buds wrong, they'll play music slightly differently to atone for it. Perfect for all those people you see on the train who have the stems vertical (or horizontal).

Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro review: Sound performance

• Driver improvements offer better-defined bass
• Support for high-quality music
• Sounds great, with refined V-shaped audio

There's an audible change afoot in the Galaxy Buds 4 Pro; they have a slightly bigger driver, and according to Samsung this brings bass boosts. In my testing, this doesn’t mean more bass, but better bass.

Lower-frequency instruments don't dominate the other tracks as much as in rivals, but sit better alongside them, with better definition and timbre. It feels more natural, and less like a filter slapped over music.

Beyond that, these sound similar to the previous-gen model: really, really good, with a gentle V-shaped sound. Sharp treble, wide sound stage, high quality of tracks supported. Expect a more detailed and nuanced analysis when the novelty has worn off, but to praise them simply: I used them for hours on my return trip from covering the Bristol Hi-Fi show, and didn’t find them as much of a sad comedown as I expect any other earbuds would be (to clarify, I'd spent the days listening to speakers and hi-fi systems that cost hundreds of thousands, in any currency you like).

I should note, I did much of my listening on a Samsung phone, which allows for the company’s Ultra High Quality Sound feature – it compresses then decodes music up to 24-bit/96kHz. This made music sound distinctly better than it might on another device, as illustrated by the fact I also tested alongside a different Android phone which also sounded great, but not quite as high-quality.

Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro review: Value

The big question for expensive earbuds like these, is how well they justify that high price tag. I can't deny that the Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro sound great, but the earbuds world is a competitive one, and you can get a great pick without paying much.

I think it's the feature department that'll sway me either way: it's what set many buds apart, and if the Galaxy Buds 4 Pro tools prove useful over the coming weeks, it'll help make the price make sense.

How I tested

So far, I've been listening to the Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro for the best part of a week, mainly using it for music streaming. I tested it for a time on my Realme phone, listening to Spotify as I would any other pair of headphones. I also spent a few days with it paired to a Samsung Galaxy S25 Plus, listening to high-res music and testing its various features. I will repeat this split for the remainder of the testing process, to see how well the buds work for Samsung and non-Samsung users.

I've tested plenty of other earbuds in the past, including options from Samsung and its companies including the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro, original Galaxy Buds and some picks from AKG, Bowers & Wilkin and JBL (yes, all owned by Samsung).

Read more about how we test

• First reviewed: February 2026