Galaxy Buds3 Pro: Faulty ANC or just disappointing?
Hi everyone,
For pretext, I own a non-Samsung android phone (OnePlus Nord 2) for personal use and an iPhone 14s for work.
I have been using Air pods Pro 1st gen for over three years now and have been thinking about getting the third generation when it drops for a while now. Since I noticed I'm using them far more with my private phone though, I changed plans and considered getting Android earbuds. Initially I wanted to wait a little, but then my girlfriends airbuds broke and I thought why not get the Galaxy buds3 pro, as they were recommended multiple times in reviews and on reddit.
They came yesterday and I don't know what to make of them honestly. I imagined I would he blown away by them after 5 years between the airpods pro and the Galaxy buds, but my experience has been very mediocre.
Now I am wondering whether I should return them for a new pair or a completely different product (e.g., the OnePlus buds pro 3). Do they not work as functioned, or did I just have too high expectations?
Key aspects for me are: - 1. ANC: I am a heavy user, often sitting at home with ANC on with my AP pro and nothing playing. ANC is really REALLY bad in my view on the Galaxy Buds. Traffic noise gets through, extractor hood gets through, and overall I completely lack the feeling of being "shielded" from the world. All accompanied by a very noticeable white noise, far far worse than with my air pods pro. I reset them already and did the ear optimization thing. Biking to work was super annoying. Ideally, I would be he able to use noise cancelling and have sound play on the lowest volume level. With the Galaxy buds, the white noise is so noticeable, that I have to increase volume above what I would like. How is it possible to be this bad after five years? Is this a quality control issue or a design issue?
- Battery life: seems absolutely fine so far. I would like 5-6 hrs with ANC, the more the better. 5-6 hrs is the longest train ride I would do for work, so this is fine
- Microphone quality: This is absolutely amazing and in now way comparable. The formerly mentioned extractor hood is not audible for the other person on the line. How can it be, that the microphone picks up these frequencies as something to filter out, but not the ANC? But honestly really impressive.
- Microphone quality: This is absolutely amazing and in now way comparable. The formerly mentioned extractor hood is not audible for the other person on the line. How can it be, that the microphone picks up these frequencies as something to filter out, but not the ANC? But honestly really impressive.
Prerequisite: comfort - I think it's fine, comparable to my previous pods
Prerequisite: good sound quality - I am not an audiophile, but should pass a certain quality threshold
Overall, I am quite disappointed with the Galaxy Buds3 Pro. They are decent, but so far more of a 6/10 for me - really only due to the lackluster ANC. The microphone quality is amazing, and I read from many people that the ANC is supposed to be on par with the 2nd Gen Airpods Pro. How come my experience is so much worse compared to the first gen then, using an android phone?
Did I fall victim to the poor qc of Samsung? Manufacturing date was January 7 according to the box I got (directly from Samsung).
Thank you, and sorry for the rant!