Samsung Galaxy Buds3

Samsung announced Galaxy Buds3 next to Buds3 Pro on 10 July 2024 in Paris. Both have a blade-style stem, but they sit differently in your ears, and that’s the first thing to decide. The rest of the gap is seventy dollars, the Pro’s extra noise modes and its second driver.

Buds3 or Buds3 Pro

Spec	Galaxy Buds3	Galaxy Buds3 Pro
US launch price	$179.99	$249.99
Fit	Open Type	Canal Type, with eartips
Drivers	11 mm dynamic, 1-way	10.5 mm dynamic + 6.1 mm planar tweeter, dual amps
Noise control	ANC	ANC, Adaptive Noise Control, Ambient Sound, Voice Detect, Siren Detect
Music, ANC on	5 hours; 24 with case	6 hours; 26 with case
Music, ANC off	6 hours; 30 with case	7 hours; 30 with case
Bud size	18.1 × 20.4 × 31.9 mm	18.1 × 19.8 × 33.2 mm
Bud weight	4.7 g	5.4 g with M tip
Blade Lights	No	Yes

Both rate the buds IP57, run Bluetooth 5.4 and share a 58.9 × 48.7 × 24.4 mm case. Galaxy Buds3 vs Buds3 Pro goes through the rest.

Open type, not canal type

Samsung labels Buds3 Open Type: it sits in your ear without sealing the canal. Buds3 Pro is Canal Type, with eartips that close the ear canal off, and Samsung weighs it with an M tip fitted. If eartips have never felt right to you, that settles it before any spec does. Buds3 is also the lighter bud, at 4.7 grams to the Pro’s 5.4.

Sound and codecs

A single 11 mm dynamic driver does all the work, and Samsung says its diaphragm’s amplitude is enhanced 1.5×. There’s no LDAC: Buds3 uses SSC HiFi, SSC UHQ, AAC and SBC.

Battery and charging

Mode	Buds	With case
Music, ANC on	Up to 5 hours	Up to 24 hours
Music, ANC off	Up to 6 hours	Up to 30 hours
Talk, ANC on	Up to 3.5 hours	Up to 18 hours
Talk, ANC off	Up to 4 hours	Up to 20 hours

Battery capacity is 48 mAh typical for the buds (45 mAh rated) and 515 mAh for the case (500 mAh rated), and the hours come from Samsung’s internal testing. USB-C and wireless pads both work for the case, though Samsung gives no charging time.

Calls, controls and Galaxy extras

Controls are on the blade: you pinch it, or swipe it up and down for volume. Calls use three mics and a voice pickup unit, and Samsung advertises Super Wideband call quality across the Buds3 series.

Samsung Find, Auto Switch and PC Auto Switch (with Galaxy devices) are supported, and a compatible Galaxy phone unlocks the listening mode of Galaxy AI Interpreter. Buds3 needs Android 10 or later with more than 1.5 GB of memory, and the Galaxy Wearable app is where you change settings and update the firmware.

Price

In the US, Buds3 started at $179.99 when pre-orders opened on 10 July 2024, in Silver or White. Model numbers begin SM-R530; Samsung Singapore’s Silver one is SM-R530NZAAASA. Samsung’s US page for Buds3 had gone offline by 19 September 2026, so compare a few retailers before you buy.