00:04The fourth iteration of Samsung's AirPod Rivals are here with the Galaxy Buds 4 Pro,
00:09and they're easily the best yet. They sound incredible, the noise cancellation really works,
00:14and they look classy yet understated, and knock it out of the park with an array of features
00:18offered in the Galaxy earbud settings. But recurring Galaxy Buds issues remain with a
00:23relatively poor battery life and a less secure fit than would be ideal. Oh, and you'll need a
00:28Samsung phone to get the absolute best out of them. The latest iteration of the Samsung Galaxy Buds
00:36Pro will set you back $249 or £219, which is exactly as pricey as last year's Buds 3 Pro.
00:43That's also as expensive as the latest AirPods Pro, clearly cementing Samsung's Buds as direct
00:49Apple competitors. If you're on a slightly tighter budget, there's also the standard Galaxy Buds 4,
00:55which come in at $179 or £159, but take it from me, they're just not worth it. I've tried both
01:02the
01:03Pro and standard models, and while I really like the Galaxy Buds 4 Pro, the base model is a serious
01:09letdown. The base is lacking, and the overall audio profile lacks the Buds 4 Pro's fullness and oomph.
01:15Plus, the fit isn't great, meaning the regular Buds 4 can fall out far too easily. If they were super
01:21cheap, these faults would be a little more understandable, but when they aren't that much
01:24cheaper than the Pro model, I'm left feeling that you should just save up and get Samsung's
01:29best Buds, or simply go for none at all. Anyway, let's focus on the Galaxy Buds 4 Pro.
01:37The design has had a welcome tune-up with the reimagined Blade look. While earbuds of this kind
01:43can often fall into the AirPods look-alike trap, this style blazes its own trail a little more with a
01:49brushed metal edge that looks cool yet understated in the white review unit we tested, and while I
01:55wish my rose-coloured Buds were a little more vibrant, I can't deny the style that oozes from
02:00them. However, things take a turn with Samsung's proprietary eartip tech, which brings two issues.
02:05Firstly, it makes switching eartips a real pain due to the company using its own locking mechanism.
02:11This makes it harder to remove tips without ripping them, something we've only avoided because of past
02:15mistakes ripping the Buds 3 Pose tips. Secondly, we've generally found the Buds didn't stay in our
02:21ears very well, especially when we were running. I've personally had fewer troubles, I'll occasionally
02:25readjust the Buds, but have worn them plenty of times, including while running with them, and had
02:30no trouble at all, especially not the Buds falling out entirely, but clearly my personal impression isn't
02:36universal. Other than those issues, however, the Buds were comfortable to wear even for long periods
02:40of time, and the stem controls are effective once you're used to them. Moving on from the Buds
02:45themselves, the see-through clamshell charging case is excellent. It's easy to return Buds to their
02:51charging spot, and with wireless charging it's easy to keep your audio tech fueled up, though it isn't
02:56the most ergonomic, leaving an obvious blocky bulge in your pocket when you're carrying it around.
03:03The Galaxy Buds 4 Pro offer two drivers, a tweeter and woofer, and each has its own amplifier.
03:10This all means that high and low-pitched sounds get their own TLC, and Samsung's big selling point
03:16on these new Buds is that the woofer is bigger than anything it's used before, allowing for better
03:20control over the bass. The result is the sound is energetic, with crackling mids and powerful treble,
03:26and this profile is amplified by their dynamic EQ preset, which exacerbates the Buds 4 Pro's
03:31strengths and reduces their weaknesses, though I also love the bass boost preset as well.
03:36There's a lovely sense of expanse through the soundstage here too, even if you don't turn
03:41on the spatial audio setting, though I did enjoy using this setting to amplify my Apple Music
03:46playlists. Plus, the volume is way higher than you'd ever need. The only catch is for the best audio
03:52quality, you'll not only need a high-res audio streaming subscription, you'll also want a Samsung
03:57phone, which supports the SSC codec. This allows for a sample rate of up to 24-bit 96kHz, which means
04:04it'll handle
04:05lossless playback with ease, but means that non-Samsung users might not be able to enjoy the
04:10highest quality music that they otherwise would. When tested with a non-Samsung Android phone,
04:14there was a noticeable dip compared to the full-on Galaxy experience.
04:22Finally, let's talk about features. Samsung doesn't make as much of a song and dance about
04:26its ANC capabilities as, say, Bose, which literally calls its headphones quiet comforts,
04:32but the good news is these are still incredible at reducing background noise. Be it busy roads,
04:37flight buzz, or works being done on your neighbour's home, all of the noise is eliminated, and these are
04:42some of the most adept noise removers we've tried at this price. Even better, they have an ambient mode
04:47that's actually good. It does what these modes should do, dampens your surroundings, but retains speech
04:52and other important nearby noises. I really love the automatic mode of this that kicks on when I start
04:57talking or when a siren blares past, so I know to watch out for emergency services.
05:02It can be frustrating when the buds kick on ambient noise when I'm trying to sing along to my lyrics,
05:06but the ability to automatically switch from noise cancellation to ambient noise can be super handy
05:11for the quick interactions I have, like when I'm picking up a coffee at a cafe.
05:15Using your Galaxy phone, you can easily toggle between these different settings in the quick panel
05:19and activate tools like nodding or shaking your head to accept or reject calls,
05:23which I thought was a gimmick until it came in clutch when my hands were full on a few occasions.
05:27The letdown is of the battery life. It's unchanged from the past models, 7 hours of ANC off listening,
05:32with the case granting up to 30 hours extra. With ANC turned on, expect about 4-5 hours in the
05:38buds,
05:39or even less with other high-end features switched on, which can go surprisingly quickly in my experience,
05:44and mean that you run out of music when you really need it.
05:50So, should you buy the Galaxy Buds 4 Pro? While not perfect in the battery department,
05:55and with troubles for some when it comes to fit, I overall love the Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro,
06:00and I'm not surprised they received 4.5 stars in our review. The audio performance is impressive,
06:05as is the ANC, and as a Galaxy user you'll get access to a suite of useful tools, extra features,
06:11and even the ability to sync them between your Samsung phone, Samsung watch, and Samsung laptop,
06:16if you're embedded into the Galaxy ecosystem. Don't bother with the base model, however,
06:21as the cost savings just aren't worth it, and if you don't have a Galaxy phone, you might find other
06:26buds offer a better bang for your buck. If you're convinced to pick up a pair of the Galaxy Buds
06:314 Pro,
06:32you can find a link to the best deals in our description below,
06:35and make sure to subscribe to check out more videos from TechRadar.
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