The Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro is considered the latest true wireless headset from the South Korean tech giant, and if the rumors are true, they will be the company’s best friends so far.
Leaks and rumors have been circulating in recent weeks, and they are expected to be announced along with the Samsung Galaxy S21, which is expected to launch on January 14, 2021.
We’ve also heard rumors that Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro will come with active noise cancellation and support for Dolby Atmos – making it an alternative to Apple AirPods Pro for Android users.
The buds also come with AKG-tune audio, longer battery life than their predecessors, support for Bluetooth 5.1 and USB-C charging. These specs certainly look promising, but Samsung’s mixed history when it comes to audio devices means that we are moderating our expectations; Galaxy Buds Plus, for example, was disappointed by limited audio codec support and a disappointing IPX2 water resistance rating.
Can Samsung redeem itself with these new wireless headsets? Although Samsung has not yet confirmed the existence of Galaxy Buds Pro, we took a look at all the leaks and rumors so far to give an overview of what you can expect from the next headphones.
Cut to the chase
- What are they? The Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro, a pair of true wireless headphones
- When will they be released? The launch is scheduled for January 14, 2021
- How much will it cost? They say they cost $ 199 (about £ 110 / AU $ 260)
Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro release date
The Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro will be released along with the Galaxy S21 smartphone, according to SamMobile, which is due to be announced on January 14, 2021.
Samsung always reveals its new Galaxy S models at the beginning of the year and, in recent years, has announced them in February and then sold from March, so we expected the same with the Samsung Galaxy S21 line.
But it seems very likely that the Samsung Galaxy S21 line will arrive in January, with an official Samsung store in India saying the phones will be announced on January 14th.
It would make sense for Galaxy Buds Pro to be released on this date as well – after all, Galaxy Buds Plus was announced alongside the Galaxy S20 at the Samsung Unpacked 2020 event in February.
Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro Price
According to XDA Developers, the Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro will cost $ 199, which equates to about £ 110 / AU $ 260.
While this remains to be confirmed, it makes sense that they cost a little more than their predecessors, the Samsung Galaxy Buds Live, which cost $ 169.99 / £ 179 / AU £ 319 at launch.
It also makes sense for Samsung to try to reduce the price of the Apple AirPods Pro ($ 249 / £ 249 / AU $ 399), as its buttons tend to be slightly cheaper than its biggest rival.
Saying this, the reliable leaker Evan Blass said that we can “expect the Galaxy Buds Pro to be sold alongside the previous models (probably at a reduced price)”, and that the new buttons will be the successors of the Galaxy Buds Plus. Therefore, it is possible that they cost almost the same as Buds Plus did at launch ($ 149.99 / £ 159 / AU $ 299), with older ones getting a discount.
In any case, we estimate that the Galaxy Buds Pro will be priced between $ 150 – $ 200 / £ 150 – £ 200 / AU $ 300 – AU $ 350; Of course, Samsung has not yet confirmed the existence of the new headphones, so we will have to wait until January to find out for sure.
Design Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro
Thanks to a series of videos and leaked renderings, we know a lot about the design of the supposed Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro.
A 360-degree video of the new buttons was posted on Voice by the well-known leaker Evan Blass (who gave us our first look at Galaxy Buds Pro through some hollow renders), allowing us to see the buttons from all angles:
Based on the video and previously leaked renderings, Galaxy Buds Pro will look more like Galaxy Buds Plus, rather than the bean-shaped Galaxy Buds Live that was released a few months ago.
Saying that, Samsung kept the square charging case of its previous wireless headphones, as well as eliminating the fins to keep them in place in your ears.
Large grids in the outer cases of the headphones appear to contain external microphones, which together with the silicone tips, give credit to rumors that the Galaxy Buds Pro will come with active noise cancellation.
Overall, they look quite stylish with shiny rounded cases, and so far we’ve seen the Galaxy Buds Pro in three different colors: black, silver and a very attractive violet hue.
According to the informant Ishan Argawal (via 91Mobiles), rumors of wireless headsets will have an IPX7 water resistance rating, meaning they must survive a short immersion in water – but more importantly, they must be suitable for working out, easily resistant sweat or rain.
Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro features
The Samsung Galaxy Buds are said to come with AKG-tuned audio, longer battery life than their predecessors, support for Bluetooth 5.1, USB-C charging and active noise cancellation.
While the previous Galaxy Buds Live offered noise cancellation, its semi-open design meant that the technology was not particularly effective. It looks like the Galaxy Buds Pro comes with silicone ear tips, which should provide a much better seal and, hopefully, better noise cancellation. According to SamMobile, the Ambient Mode feature will also be improved, which allows ambient noise to pass through the buttons, so you can be aware of what is around you.
The inclusion of active noise cancellation can make Galaxy Buds Pro a real competition for AirPods Pro – and rumors of a 3D audio feature to rival Apple’s Spatial Audio will only increase that rivalry.
The feature was discovered in a specification list, which was first identified by a Reddit user in a pre-release APK and then reported by XDA Developers.
With spatial audio support, you’ll be able to watch Dolby Atmos movies with their totally immersive surround sound quality – making the Galaxy Buds Pro a much more competitive pair of headphones compared to its predecessors.
This 3D audio feature is said to come with head tracking, which means that the audio must be “locked” on the phone, even when you move your head. Apple’s Spatial Audio feature works in a similar way, using gyroscopes and accelerometers integrated with AirPods Pro and AirPods Max to ensure that your movie’s audio always sounds like it’s coming from the source of the on-screen action.
That said, previously you could enable Dolby Atmos audio through the settings of a Samsung Galaxy phone in the past to improve sound quality, but this is the first time that we will see spatial audio support with head tracking.
The only other caveat here is that, it appears, you’ll need a phone that supports Android 11 to get spatial audio support, which prevents some older devices from seeing the feature.
Other features found in the APK include voice / conversation detection, a Bixby voice wake-up sensor and left / right hearing adjustment, as well as new ways to control active noise cancellation levels.
As for the audio specifications? According to Argawal, Galaxy Buds Pro will come with 11 mm bass drivers and 6.5 mm tweeters with dual coaxial speakers, so they should be able to provide powerful low frequencies.
Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro: what we want to see
Samsung has launched several wireless headsets in recent years, with varying degrees of success – the company has certainly not achieved the popularity of Apple AirPods, although each model has improved over the previous one.
With that in mind, there are a few things we would like to see in Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro – things that we consider crucial if the company wants to pop its competitors.
Enhanced noise cancellation
The first wireless headphones from Samsung to come with noise cancellation were the Galaxy Buds Live – however, their semi-open design meant that they were not particularly effective at blocking out ambient noise.
Hopefully, the inclusion of silicone headsets will improve noise cancellation with the Galaxy Buds Pro. That said, the technology is improving all the time, and Samsung will need to do more than provide a great seal to compete with its rivals. .
For example, the ability to adjust the level of noise cancellation through an application would give users the flexibility to decide how much of the environment around them they want to hear. We would also like to see adaptive noise cancellation, which automatically adjusts to suit the environment.
Finally, we would like to see a decent transparency mode as with AirPods Pro, which would allow you to explore the environment when needed.
Longer battery life
The Samsung Galaxy Buds Plus offered a long battery life contained in the buttons themselves (11 hours), but was hampered by the charging case, which offered another 11 hours.
The 11-hour battery life is quite long for headphones – but for the charging case, it’s not a lot of battery. For comparison, Apple AirPods contain 5 hours on the buttons themselves, with an additional 20 hours provided by the charging case, for 25 hours in total. It’s nice to see the Buds Plus with a bigger internal battery, but it’s a shame that the charging case didn’t have anything more substantial.
We would like to see Samsung increase the battery life to 25 combined hours, at the very least – although, as models like the Lypertek Tevi have proven, much longer lasting buttons are possible.
Better water resistance
Neither Samsung Galaxy Buds Live nor Galaxy Buds Plus had comprehensive water resistance, which is a shame if you want to exercise with your wireless headphones.
We would like to see Samsung give the Galaxy Buds Pro a water resistance rating of at least IPX4, so they can withstand a little sweat or rain without the risk of breaking – and based on spec rumors, it seems that this desire it can become reality.