Samsung Galaxy Buds4 Pro Review: The Best Earbuds of 2026?

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These are the Samsung Galaxy Buds4 Pro. And before you scroll past thinking that this is just another Samsung release, I’m going to be real with you because I’ve tested a lot of earbuds. And every year, Samsung gets a little better and a little closer. But this year, something really clicked. So, watch first and buy smart.

DESIGN

Let’s start with the design. Because the case has a new design, which is a cube shape and also a tinted clear lid. And this magnetic close, it was very satisfying every single time where even putting the earbuds in the case was also really nice too.

There are three color options: Black, White, and Pink Gold, and I went with White as usual.

It is small enough to disappear in any pocket. It also has wireless charging built-in and a USB-C port at the back. So, the overall case design was very nice and clean.

But the buds themselves have a full redesign too. It has a square stem now with a brushed metal back. So, it looks and feels very premium.

But the question is do these actually stay in your ears because I have had earbuds fall in the middle of a conversation, in the middle of a workout or even in the middle of a presentation.

This stays very put even at the default ear tips. Although it comes with two other sizes, which are smaller and larger ear tips, but I didn’t need them.

As for controls:

• swipe up or down on either earbuds to change the volume,
• pinch and hold to switch between the ANC and Ambient mode.
• a single squeeze to play and pause and double to skip.

So yeah, this is simple, logical, and just works. But one thing worth flagging is the fact that although the buds are IP57 rated for dust and water resistance, but the case is not. So do not drop this into a puddle of water or, you know, ask Google to find it under a drain.

SOUND QUALITY

As for the sound quality, this is where it gets very interesting for Samsung earbuds because there are two drivers per bud, a woofer and a tweeter. Each has its very own amp.

And it is the same setup that you’d find in earbuds costing way much more than this. The moment when I put this on, it was very rich, full, and way better than I expected. The bass hits without being very muddy, and mids does not really fatigue you and the treble sparkles without being very sharp.

I tested it across all genres – pop, rock, electronic, classical, and it handles all of it very well.

There’s also a 9-band EQ inside the settings, but for me, the Dynamic preset or the V-shaped curve was the best as it juices the bass and treble and making everything sound punchy and fun.

Other flagship earbuds like the Sony WF-1000XM6 does sound really good, but they’re built around only one thing, which is pure audio quality, and everything else is secondary. But the Sony’s has a bigger case and also bigger buds. So they do fall out from your ears very much easily.

This Buds4 Pro honestly just sounds as good to me. Even comparable with the AirPods Pro or even the Sony XM6. You can wear this in a gym, on a flight, in a meeting and then later just close your eyes and enjoy some music.

All of which means that you’re getting proper audio quality in a package that actually fits with your life, not the other way around.

ANC & TRANSPARENCY MODE

So there are five levels of the ANC in the Bluetooth settings. And honestly, they probably just needed two, like just a low and a max. So, I just leave it at max.

And I think you should do two, which is on par with Sony’s and even the AirPods Pro. Maybe a touch stronger as well.

It’s like you suddenly hear certain parts of your music that make you go, “Hey, I didn’t know that this particular sound or background harmony vocals are in this particular song.”

So, I would totally recommend putting the ANC on to really enjoy your music because when you test this without the ANC on, the music sounds a little hollow.

You can wear this in a noisy commute and the world just disappears. It also can switch to the Ambient mode and then switch it back. So, this is perfect when it comes to running outdoors or even if you’re a frequent pedestrian.

There’s also a very smart detect feature where if someone talks to you, you can actually talk back and have a conversation without taking your earbuds off.

The Ambient mode kicks in where the music goes a little down and also thin and then about 5 to 10 seconds after you finish it will go back to the ANC.

And this can be toggled under the Auto switch to Ambient sound settings to toggle the Voice Detection where there’s also a toggle for the Siren Detection too.

This is perfect for when the flight attendant comes to you offering food and you’re deep in your playlist you can just say “Yes, nasi lemak please” and carry on.

Then the Transparency mode or the Ambient Sound has five levels too. Once again, I think low and max would be very much easier. But yes, it does sound very natural and you can hear your own voice and hear the people around you.

Online reviews have said there is a slight hiss to it, but I didn’t hear such a thing when I tested it, so it was fine.

CALL QUALITY & MIC TEST

Just like the last generation, this has six microphones over here.

The call quality is functional. Gets the job done on calls. You’re not going to be sounding like a studio mic, but people on the other hand could hear me very clearly.

[Mic test on my YouTube video]

BATTERY

As for battery life, it got me around 6 hours with ANC on and 7 hours with ANC off, which was exactly what Samsung claimed it did.

It also has 26 hours in total with a case. And that is in line with everything else within this price or probably even more.

And honestly, I never really wanted to wear earbuds for more than 6 hours straight anyway. So, that was totally fine for me because my ears have commitment issues. So, that was plenty for me.

ECOSYSTEM & FEATURES

Next, let’s talk about the “ecosystem” because yes, if you’re on a Samsung phone, this is where it gets really good.

First, pairing is super quick. Just open the earbuds cover and it immediately prompts to pair.

It also has instant switching between Samsung devices just like how AirPods works on Apple.

You also get 360° Spatial Audio with head tracking where this could be toggled easily if you press and hold the earbuds in the control center.

And there is also where you can find the equaliser as well. And there’s also further phone call controls like nodding your head to accept a call or shaking to reject a call.

There’s also in-ear detection for auto play/pause. and also Samsung’s Find My Earbuds to find your buds and of course there’s also the Live Translate.

But as for the things that AirPods cannot do, which this does, is the Gaming Mode with lower audio delay. And this can be found in the Labs settings under the Advanced Features where there’s also even a 9-band EQ with the full customization as mentioned earlier.

But if you’re curious, if you actually pair this on an iPhone, it will actually pair as a regular Bluetooth earbud. The controls on the stem still works, but you lose most of the other Samsung app features.

VERDICT: Samsung Galaxy Buds4 Pro

So, who is this for? Well, if you’re on a Samsung phone, this is a no-brainer because the ecosystem integration, the audio, the ANC, and the comfort just works together.

If you’re on any other Android, it is still the best wireless earbuds you can buy right now. While more expensive than something like the Nothing earbuds, these are so much better when it comes to the overall quality.

And speaking of the price, this is going for RM999 (~USD253). And for that, you’re getting a great all day earbud. Not a specialist, not a one-trick pony, something that you can actually live in.

So remember when I said that Samsung gets a little better every single year, right? This year they made a HUGE jump.

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[Watch the full review video here]

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