Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro | Photo Credit: Ashwin Rajagopalan

TWS Wireless Bluetooth Earbuds have become so ubiquitous that they have almost been commoditised. Aside from Apple and Samsung, the other players in the premium end of the segment include Bose, Sony and Sennheiser but most of the action is in the sub 10K or 5K market. Samsung’s Galaxy Buds 4 Pro are the brand’s shiny new flagship earbuds and take over from last year’s Buds 3 Pro that divided Samsung loyalists with their design and overall performance. Over the years brand loyalty in this segment has become an extension of the smartphone brands that customers choose. That brings us to the obvious question — are the all-new Buds 4 Pro the best premium option for Android users?

Design

The Galaxy Buds 4 Pro are among the best looking premium earbuds right now. I wasn’t a fan of the design route Samsung took for last year’s Buds 3 Pro. The Buds 4 Pro are a welcome departure. While they stick with the same transparent lid, I prefer the horizontal layout for the case that is not just practical but also looks more premium. I found it easier to remove and dock these buds even with sweaty hands. The flat, brushed metal stems are a step up from its predecessor. They never came off even on days I pushed harder at the gym or during vigorous headbanging when I got carried away with Def Leppard’s Hysteria album, a day after I caught them live in Bengaluru. The stems come with a bunch of controls, no surprises here. These buds are also geared for some of your adventures thanks to their IP57 rating.

Sound

The biggest upgrade for the Buds 4 Pro is in the sound department. While Samsung and Apple have levelled up with their soundstage, this is the area where serious music aficionados drift towards brands such as Bose and Sony for key two reasons — active noise cancellation and the overall soundstage. Samsung loyalists might not need to step out of their Samsung garden anymore for superior sound. Samsung is playing up the set-up that includes a wider woofer with nearly 20 per cent more speaker area. They feature an enhanced two-way speaker system with an 11mm woofer and a 5.4mm planar tweeter. Expect a bass-forward soundstage and great details at 50-60 per cent volume levels that is the ultimate test for any pair of headphones or earbuds. These buds support 24-bit/96kHz audio via Samsung Seamless Codec for high-res sound.

I enjoyed listening to the high-energy house beats on Call Me Up by Petit Biscuit and Eugenie. The Buds 4 Pro enhanced the acoustic-electric guitar sounds on Goo Goo Dolls’ Misery. The companion app allows you to tweak the settings with a 9-band equaliser. The Buds 4 Pro are not just among the best earbuds in the sound department but also score on the noise cancellation front. The best spaces to test the ANC (Active noise cancellation) capabilities for any earbuds are noisy flight cabins or the gym, the Buds 4 Pro did a great job in these environments during our tests. Callers could hear me clearly even from the gym suggesting that the six in-built mics did a great job with picking up my voice and muffling other external sounds.

Battery life

The Buds 4 Pro deliver the same performance as their predecessor — about 30 hours in total with ANC off and 26 hours with ANC. Our results matched Samsung’s claims. We would have liked to see an improvement on the battery life front though. The buds offer the convenience of wireless charging, a standard feature with TWS earbuds at this price point. The case charges up in a little over an hour, a quick five minute charge provides about an hour of music playback. While battery life is acceptable, this is an area where some of Samsung’s rivals have pulled ahead.

Verdict

Samsung’s Galaxy Buds 4 Pro are among the best premium earbuds you can buy now. While some of the audio features — such as real time translation and 360 audio with head tracking, are exclusive for Samsung devices, there are quite a few features that Android and iOS users can access via the companion spp. These buds improve on three key fronts — design, acoustics and noise cancellation, but deliver the same battery life as last year’s Buds 3 Pro. They are easy to recommend for Samsung smartphone owners who are willing to pay a premium for stellar sound.

Snapshot

Price: ₹22,999

Pros: Premium design, Active noise cancellation, acoustics.

Cons: Not all features available for non-Samsung devices, similar battery life as predecessor.

Published on May 6, 2026