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Samsung this week introduced its latest earbuds, the Galaxy Buds3 Pro, which look quite a bit like Apple's AirPods Pro 2. Given the similarities, we thought we'd compare Samsung's new earbuds to the AirPods Pro.


Design wise, you could potentially mistake Samsung's Galaxy Buds3 Pro for the AirPods Pro. The Buds3 Pro have the same general shape and a silicone tip, though it's worth noting that the Buds3 Pro come in both white and gray, so you're not limited to white as you are with the AirPods Pro 2. The charging case is similar to the AirPods Charging Case too, but there's a transparent upper portion.

The Buds3 Pro sound great out of the box, but there is an option to adjust the sound using the equalizer, which isn't possible with the AirPods Pro 2. The Active Noise Cancellation and the "Ambient Mode" or transparency on the Buds3 Pro work as well as those features on the AirPods Pro, and it's tough to tell the difference between them.

Samsung's Buds3 Pro do not perform as well as the AirPods Pro when it comes to ambient noise detection to adjust sound, however. The AirPods Pro can adjust sound when someone is speaking to you so you can hear them, but the Buds3 Pro struggled to do the same.

The Buds3 Pro have a built-in LED light for aesthetics, and there are controls on the stem for adjusting volume. Samsung also added an interpreter mode for translating foreign languages when connected to the most recent Galaxy phones, but the feature wasn't super accurate.

Though the Buds3 Pro are similar to the AirPods Pro 2, it's hard to see the two as competitors because you're only going to want to use the Buds3 Pro with Android devices, while the AirPods Pro 2 work best with Apple devices. iPhone users should stick with the AirPods, while Samsung users will want to check out the Buds3 Pro.

Samsung's Galaxy Buds3 Pro are priced at $250, which is the same price as the AirPods Pro 2. Pre-orders are available now ahead of a July 24 launch date.

Article Link: Apple's AirPods Pro 2 vs. Samsung's Galaxy Buds3 Pro
 
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I just dropped an APP2 in a bowl of vinegar and chilli oil (alongside some dumplings) 30 minutes ago. Pulled the thing out, looking very yellow... Ran it under a tap for 30 seconds with a good soapy scrub to return it to pure white. A quick dry with a tissue, and it's working fine. I'm not saying this would not be the case with Buds3, but it seemed topical!
 
I just dropped an APP2 in a bowl of vinegar and chilli oil (alongside some dumplings) 30 minutes ago. Pulled the thing out, looking very yellow... Ran it under a tap for 30 seconds with a good soapy scrub to return it to pure white. A quick dry with a tissue, and it's working fine. I'm not saying this would not be the case with Buds3, but it seemed topical!
Apple - the best or nothing
 
I just dropped an APP2 in a bowl of vinegar and chilli oil (alongside some dumplings) 30 minutes ago. Pulled the thing out, looking very yellow... Ran it under a tap for 30 seconds with a good soapy scrub to return it to pure white. A quick dry with a tissue, and it's working fine. I'm not saying this would not be the case with Buds3, but it seemed topical!
Please repeat this with the Buds3 for comparison. Thanks!
 
While AirPods Pro don't have a traditional equalizer, they do support Headphone Accommodations (HA) on iPhone, iPad and soon on macOS Sequoia. HA not only provides a reasonably quick way to adjust tonality of media consumed but also to adjust how transparency mode sounds... and you can even enter formal audiogram data. For people with mild to moderately impaired hearing, $200 AirPods Pro with HA sound far better for both speech and music than do traditional hearing aids costing many times more, and AirPods switch automatically between Apple devices. AirPods Max also support HA but are obviously less convenient to carry around. Some Beats headphones and buds also support it.
I just wish tvOS and visionOS supported HA.
 
The ‌AirPods Pro‌ can adjust sound when someone is speaking to you so you can hear them
Rather, they can adjust the sound when I start talking to someone. Before that, I can't hear the speaker. So it's more convenient, quicker and more efficient to simply remove the earphone.
 
While AirPods Pro don't have a traditional equalizer, they do support Headphone Accommodations (HA) on iPhone, iPad and soon on macOS Sequoia. HA not only provides a reasonably quick way to adjust tonality of media consumed but also to adjust how transparency mode sounds... and you can even enter formal audiogram data. For people with mild to moderately impaired hearing, $200 AirPods Pro with HA sound far better for both speech and music than do traditional hearing aids costing many times more, and AirPods switch automatically between Apple devices. AirPods Max also support HA but are obviously less convenient to carry around. Some Beats headphones and buds also support it.
I just wish tvOS and visionOS supported HA.

That's a good point about AirPods but their "Hearing Aid" capability is far from those uber expensive hearing aids, but this is the right direction.

Also you kind of do some sort of "Hearing Aid" with Galaxy Buds 3 with the equalizer, at least for listening to phone calls and / or listening to the device's audio (music, youtube, etc.).

I think The Sony's WF-1000XM5 are better than Galaxy Buds (correct me if I'm wrong), I don't know if the Galaxy Buds 3 have in memory to store your equalization values as the WF-1000XM5. And I also don't know how the WF-1000XM5 work on iPhones in comparison to android devices.
 
Rather, they can adjust the sound when I start talking to someone. Before that, I can't hear the speaker. So it's more convenient, quicker and more efficient to simply remove the earphone.
csb: a couple years ago I ended up in the ICU for a couple days (long story...), and I had dosed off with my AirPods Pro 2 in with noise cancellation on. I was startled awake by Siri asking me something, and it took me a groggy moment to realize Siri was reciting what the nurse who had come in to check on me was asking in real-time! It was weird because I had no idea Siri could do that... and it wasn't actually listed as a feature until the following year.
 
Airpos Pro 2 compared to the 60 bucks soundcore liberty 2?

Soundcore wins so clear, you regret buying Apple headphones.


But HomePod 1 still sounds great.
If you don’t care about the fast auto switching, integration with Siri etc then sure. I have the Life P3 and the sound is inferior as well but it’s good different options and price points exist.
 
csb: a couple years ago I ended up in the ICU for a couple days (long story...), and I had dosed off with my AirPods Pro 2 in with noise cancellation on. I was startled awake by Siri asking me something, and it took me a groggy moment to realize Siri was reciting what the nurse who had come in to check on me was asking in real-time! It was weird because I had no idea Siri could do that... and it wasn't actually listed as a feature until the following year.

I know you're talking about Conversation Awareness, but is there a way to get Siri to recite someone's speech to you?
 
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For years I tried to buy outside the ecosystem and see if they integrate. My biggest complaints with products was always how poorly they functioned on Apple. But now I manage android and Apple products for multiple companies and I have to say, ecosystem is everything when it comes to maximizing usability. Also, I can’t stomach dropping hundreds of dollars for a product that I can’t maximize.
 
That's a good point about AirPods but their "Hearing Aid" capability is far from those uber expensive hearing aids, but this is the right direction.
I'm not convinced of your comment about "uber expensive" hearing aids, unless you're referring to the ones that are implanted next to the eardrum at an audiologist's office. Not very convenient if one has a problem. And by being uber expensive, for most people they're irrelevant.
I've compared AirPods Pro to $2K hearing aids and the AirPods Pro win by a mile in terms of natural sound. Expensive hearing aids are continually processing audio, which makes them sound unnatural and totally messes with spatial localization of environmental sounds. Even in "music" mode, the $2K hearing aids I've tried sound tinny.
 
I'm not convinced of your comment about "uber expensive" hearing aids, unless you're referring to the ones that are implanted next to the eardrum at an audiologist's office. Not very convenient if one has a problem. And by being uber expensive, for most people they're irrelevant.
I've compared AirPods Pro to $2K hearing aids and the AirPods Pro win by a mile in terms of natural sound. Expensive hearing aids are continually processing audio, which makes them sound unnatural and totally messes with spatial localization of environmental sounds. Even in "music" mode, the $2K hearing aids I've tried sound tinny.
To me uber expensive means $3,000.00+ hearing aids. If that's not uber expensive for you, then congratulations for being a millionaire.
 
With all of Apple's endless patents, it's shocking to me how so many companies rip them off in terms of design, overall style (and some functionality), but it seems like Apple doesn't really care. I guess they don't find the need to go after these companies - perhaps the amount of sales they are losing aren't significant enough to warrant the cost, press and scrutiny that would come along with patent lawsuits.
 
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For years I tried to buy outside the ecosystem and see if they integrate. My biggest complaints with products was always how poorly they functioned on Apple. But now I manage android and Apple products for multiple companies and I have to say, ecosystem is everything when it comes to maximizing usability. Also, I can’t stomach dropping hundreds of dollars for a product that I can’t maximize.
On the whole I agree. But I’ve been using the Jabra Elite buds for a year now and I have to say, the trade off is worth it. I may not get all the toys, but I get everything that’s important, and most critically, they actually stay in my ears 100% of the time with no issues. I can’t get AirPods of any variety to do that for love or money, rendering them sorta pointless.
 
Has anyone paired either of these with a Garmin watch? I am curious to know how both function. I am currently using OpenRun Pros with the watch, but am starting to consider switching to something else.
 
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