The cubic power enclosure presents a genuine distinction, diverging from the Apple-like rectilinear form of 2024’s Buds3 Pro to carve its unique direction. While the translucent cover might easily appear inexpensive, it feels remarkably robust, as does the dull-finish foundation that provides both wireless and USB-C recharging capabilities.
Opening the cover automatically connects the earbuds to your Samsung phone (you’ll need to locate them in the Bluetooth settings for other gadgets), and placing them in your ears elicits a neat, modern sound. Their fit is remarkably lightweight at merely 5.1 grams per earbud, enabling prolonged use for hours over several days without strain. IP57 ingress protection against dust and water makes them suitable for active use and various climates (excluding the case). Within their enclosures are dual distinct transducers per side, featuring a freshly engineered “woofer” for richer low frequencies and a dedicated high-frequency speaker for crisp nuances in the high end (where strings and cymbals excel).
The Buds4 Pro’s power capacity of six hours of usage time with active noise cancellation (seven hours without) is a slight disappointment, considering rivals like the AirPods Pro and Sony WF-1000XM6 provide eight hours. During evaluation, I actually achieved a little over six hours with active noise cancellation activated, and around seven hours in environmental awareness mode (the setting intended to maintain your situational consciousness). The compact enclosure is stated to provide just over three full charges, which was consistent with my tests. A drawback: Battery life for the case only appears in the settings upon initial pairing, making it more of an inconvenience to monitor than the continuous updates I received for the earbuds themselves.
My primary letdown is the paucity of supplementary items. You’ll receive no power cord in the box, and only three ear tip sizes which are difficult to detach, necessitating an outward fold and considerable force for extraction. Fortunately, the standard mid-size was almost ideal for me.
Another small complaint: the controls are remarkably straightforward, but not as sensitive as I’d prefer. There are touch-sensitive inputs for play/pause and track skip, and a hold to switch among sound modes, but I frequently triggered them unintentionally over several days. The audio level adjustment, managed by an upward or downward swipe, was steadier, yet I found altering volumes was often *just* excessively loud or unduly quiet. It’s not a decisive flaw, but it is vexing for audiophiles with particular preferences. Regrettably, it’s one of the limited aspects that cannot be personalized. Individuals such as myself will rely on the volume controls on our phones.
Versatile Noise Control
Photograph: Ryan Waniata
The Galaxy Buds4 Pro perform an admirable job of excluding and admitting the external environment with their Active Noise Canceling (ANC) and Ambient Sound modes, respectively, notably given their compact form factor. There’s also an intelligent adaptive setting that dynamically shifts between the two as the earbuds detect particular noises. It functions quite effectively for sounds like a kitchen fan, but often responds excessively to sudden impacts like dog food rattling in a dish. I favored the user-controlled settings to trusting the earbuds’ autonomous judgment.
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