Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro: Powered by AI blade
Our first impressions of premium buds, as Samsung relies on AI and innovative biometric tracking
The TWS industry is getting very close to the ‘earbud’ ceiling in this category, with more brands than ever able to offer great sound, a secure fit, and long battery life at a reasonable price.
As a result, it is becoming increasingly difficult for the industry’s biggest names to stand out from the crowd. But amid the hubbub at its Galaxy Unpacked 2026 event in San Francisco, Samsung unveiled its latest attempt to do just that: the Galaxy Buds 4 Pro.
To take on the cheap hidden wave this time around (along with the market-leading Apple AirPods), the $249 / £219 buds focus on the small dots: premium materials, smart niche features, and deep AI integration. Buds 4 Pro comes with a stunning ‘blade’ redesign, Gemini-powered intelligence, and a new way to connect to your phone that doesn’t involve your hands.
After a few hours of testing in coffee shops, the gym, and walking the streets of San Francisco, it’s clear that these are Samsung’s best buds—but perhaps they also reveal a growing philosophical divide between it and the rest of the AI hardware race.
Here are our impressions—stay tuned for a full review in the next few weeks, which will include an in-depth assessment of sound, smart features, and battery life.
Design and fit: Modeling the world
Samsung did their homework — literally — before the unveiling of the Buds 4 Pro. The brand claims to have modeled more than 10,000 anatomical simulations to fit the Buds 4 Pro.
While we didn’t extensively test the previous generation, the result here is a trench-like design that feels very stable.
Compared to the old AirPods Pro 2, the Samsung Fit feels much better; it’s pretty locked in and didn’t budge during our first test. However, they don’t reach that apparent floating durability of the AirPods Pro 3.
In my ears, the Buds 4 Pro still rest slightly against the ears. It’s a minor point, but it makes interacting with the pinch-and-swipe volume controls on the trunk feel a little more seamless than on Apple’s back. But it’s certainly not a dealbreaker for anyone familiar with some hidden gems.
I’m usually able to plug and play earbuds out of the box, but I’ve played around with the silicon ear tips on the Buds 4 Pro and measured the larger option to get the right amount of noise cancellation.
Also, the seal here is comfortable even during long flights or taxi journeys, from my experience, but it is worth playing with the three included sizes (smaller, we must note, than what you get with AirPods Pro 3) to ensure that you get the best experience.
Conqueror of the Blade
Visually, the blade design also feels like a big win. The white model I’ve been testing has a premium, brushed-metal look that stands out in a sea of plastic buds. Even white doesn’t look cheap; instead, it’s the classy, pearlescent kind.
The case is also stylish—it features a lighted lid and a button dedicated to triggering the “Find My Phone” chime—which is useful, especially, for those who don’t have something like the Galaxy Watch 8 strapped to their wrist.
It also supports wireless charging and PowerShare, so you can juice up the back of your Galaxy phone.
Sound performance and profiles
In It is affordablewe tend to focus more on connected smarts and biometrics than mids and tweeters, but, since we’re here, let’s get into some of our audio first impressions.
And, like the designs themselves, the sound profiles on TWS buds have improved a lot over the last half decade, and the sound here is undeniably top-notch.
Samsung pressed in a new two-way speaker system with a wider woofer (up to 20% in area), and it handles complex tracks with ease.
I tested them with Puma Blue ‘Croak Dream’ on loop during a workout session, and the buds handle falsetto vocals and deep, punchy bass at high volume with no problem.
I did the same with the artist’s mellow ‘(Fool)’ during a red-eye flight home, and it brought out the song’s breadth equally.
Setting up the bass
Are they ‘better’ than AirPods Pro 3? I don’t think so—although, as always, a lot of this has to do with personal preference for audio profiles.
In my early listening, the Apple seems to have the edge in mid-range clarity — and can do it all at the highest volume — while the Buds 4 Pro’s preset tendency leans more toward emphasizing that bass (probably because of that booming sound). My first impression is that it does this in a slightly more balanced way than another bass-heavy bud, the Beats Powerbeats Pro 2, however.
I also have to say that the AirPods Pro 3 are unusually unfair comparisons here, as they continue to compete with even the most advanced in-ears, in my opinion, with their ability to select all sound levels almost perfectly.
Either way, again, the Buds 4 Pro are top notch in this department.
Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) negotiated everything from a loud hotel gym speaker to the roar of an airplane with incredible ease, while the ‘Ambient Sound’ mode—which I used while navigating San Francisco traffic and at one of the brand’s workshops—sounded natural rather than processed.
Lossless support (24-bit/96kHz) is also a nice future-proof touch for audiophiles.
Intelligent features and AI: a glimpse of the future?
The main feature in this area is the new ‘Head Signals’, although the support for ‘Super Clear Call’ (which uses ultra-wide call technology and machine learning to reduce background noise and improve voices) looks impressive in the demos, and I’m eager to test it in urban areas.
In terms of speed, gestures worked surprisingly well—even if they were as basic as nodding to accept a call and shaking your head to decline. What stood out the most was the low latency; usually, touch controls feel like they’re behind your action, but these are almost instantaneous.
Then there is the Google Gemini integration, which has been ongoing since the integration was released in the previous generation last summer. It’s important to help Samsung position these buds as a computing environment and an important hub in its ever-expanding Galaxy ecosystem.
And, again, while something like language translation (supporting 22+ languages) isn’t entirely novel, its integration into ‘Interpreter’ mode feels seamless here.
The real question is where Samsung goes next with its smart features. It’s sitting right at the forefront of AI hardware right now, alongside Meta (and partner Google), and these buds feel ready to integrate with the teased Android XR platform arriving in 2026.
Right now, the Buds 4 Pro feel like the start of a journey—a way to access an AI agent without taking your phone out of your pocket. We suspect they’ll be an even smarter pair after a year of software updates, but it also looks like the next generation will have to include something like the rumored Apple AirPods IR cameras to keep up.
Early decision
The Galaxy Buds 4 Pro are a polished, premium, and very capable set of earbuds. For $249, you get the best ANC in the business with a secure and flexible fit.
However, I have one initial regret: the lack of sensing technology. When Apple included heart rate monitoring in the AirPods Pro 3, they created a powerful partnership with the Apple Watch.
I’d love to see Samsung do the same here—creating a whole-body sensor network with the Galaxy Watch and Galaxy Ring. In fact, since Samsung can integrate with so many devices, it would make more sense to do it.
Instead, Samsung is doubling down on the things people care about most in earbuds in 2026: sound and AI integration. It’s a different approach than a brand like Apple — which has its own limitations with AI right now — can take. And it means that for those already embedded in the Google/Samsung ecosystem, these are arguably the best buds you can buy.
We’ll be staying with them over the next few weeks to see if the latest devices can work their way into our daily routines and if there are any growing issues with sound, fit, or battery life. But, for now, stay tuned.
