Samsung Galaxy Buds3 Wireless Earbud

The Galaxy Buds3 hit the 82nd percentile for ANC, which is wild for an open-type earbud with no ear tips. But the 5-hour battery life lands at the 45th percentile and calls score just 44.6 out of 100. At $110 USD, you're getting flagship features with mid-tier fundamentals.

Let's talk about what these do well first. The ANC ranks at the 82nd percentile, which is genuinely impressive for an open-type earbud. Samsung's adaptive noise cancellation is fighting an uphill battle without a physical seal, and it still manages to knock out a decent chunk of low-end rumble. Connectivity is also solid at the 78th percentile, and Bluetooth 5.4 means pairing is snappy and stable. The 24-bit/96kHz UHQ audio support is a nice spec flex, even if most streaming services won't feed you that kind of bitrate.

But here's where it gets rough. Sound quality sits at the 72nd percentile, which is fine but not exciting. The boosted speaker delivers decent bass for an open design, but that bass comes at a cost. Multiple customer reviews mention muddy audio, especially on rock tracks with layered instruments. The mic performance is middle of the pack at the 68th percentile, and calls score just 44.6 out of 100, the weakest area on the whole spec sheet. Battery life is the real sore spot: 5 hours on the earbuds and 24 hours with the case lands at the 45th percentile. That's below average for true wireless earbuds in 2025, and with ANC on, you'll likely see less than that 5-hour figure.

Stacked against the competition, the Buds3 have a clear identity crisis. The Sony WF-1000XM6 and Technics EAH-AZ100 both offer superior sound quality and noise cancellation with proper in-ear seals, though they cost more. The Apple AirPods Pro 3rd Generation is the obvious comparison point for the open-type design, and Apple's implementation is more refined with better integration and call quality. On the budget end, the Soundcore P31i and EarFun Air Pro 4+ undercut the Samsung on price while offering comparable or better battery life. The Buds3's 82nd percentile ANC is the one area where they punch above their weight, but everything else lands in the 68th to 78th percentile range. That's not a bad spread, but it's not a compelling reason to choose these over the alternatives unless you're deep in the Samsung ecosystem.

At $110 USD, the Galaxy Buds3 are priced like a mid-range earbud but deliver a mixed bag. You're getting flagship-adjacent features like UHQ audio, adaptive EQ with Galaxy AI, and Qi wireless charging. That's a decent feature set for the money. But the battery life and call quality drag the overall value down. When you can find competitors with better battery endurance and more consistent sound at similar prices, the value proposition gets shaky. The 48.4 overall score reflects that tension: you're paying for features, but the fundamentals aren't all there.

The Galaxy Buds3 land in a weird spot. Samsung ditched the ear tips for an open-type design, which means you get zero passive isolation and a fit that splits opinions hard. The numbers tell the story: 48.4 out of 100 overall, with gaming at 49 and commute at 48.2. That's not a disaster, but it's not a podium finish either. The ANC sits at the 82nd percentile, which sounds impressive until you remember these don't seal your ear canal at all. You're asking software to fix what physics took away.

At $110 USD, these are positioned as a mid-range option with some flagship tricks. The 24-bit/96kHz UHQ audio support and Super Wide Band Speech are genuinely nice on paper. But the 3.9 out of 5 customer rating across 388 reviews suggests real-world satisfaction is mixed. Some folks love the AirPods-style open fit, others complain about slippage and muddy sound. We'll dig into what's actually going on.

Skip these if you take a lot of phone calls. The 44.6 out of 100 call score is the weakest metric on the entire spec sheet, and the mic performance at the 68th percentile won't save you in noisy environments. Also skip if battery life matters: 5 hours per charge at the 45th percentile means you'll be reaching for the case more often than you'd like. And if you listen to rock, metal, or anything with layered instrumentation, the muddy midrange complaints from multiple owners suggest these aren't the right pick. The open-type fit also means if you need real noise isolation on a plane or train, look elsewhere.

The Galaxy Buds3 are a frustrating product. The ANC is genuinely impressive for an open-type design, and the feature set is generous for $110 USD. But the 5-hour battery life, weak call performance, and polarizing fit make these hard to recommend without caveats. If you want the AirPods-style open fit but live in Samsung's world, these are your best option. If you care about sound quality, battery endurance, or call clarity, there are better choices at this price point. The 48.4 overall score feels about right: these are fine, but fine isn't exciting.