Samsung Galaxy Buds4 Pro Review

Samsung builds the Galaxy Buds4 Pro as its direct answer to Apple's AirPods, and the lab agrees the answer is a serious one: a "very good" (1.2), currently 11th of 112 true-wireless earbuds tested — and it entered the rankings at 3rd of 119 when first measured in March 2026. This is flagship in-ear territory, with one very Samsung-shaped catch.

The Buds4 Pro look and feel expensive: brushed metal against matte plastic, a case whose strong magnets grip the buds firmly, and a transparent flip lid that feels stably made. The IP57 rating covers dust and even temporary submersion — rain and sweat are a non-issue.

The whole travelling package — both buds plus the case, which rates as very small for the class — weighs just 56 g, and the case charges wirelessly.

Pairing is refreshingly physical: open the case, hold the button for three seconds, and the blinking status LED signals pairing mode. In the ear, the soft silicone tips sit comfortably, and control mirrors Apple's approach — short or long pinches of the stem cover play, pause and track skipping, while a slide up or down the stem adjusts volume. Wear detection pauses music automatically when a bud leaves the ear, and a fit test in the app confirms the seal.

The tuning drew the test's strongest praise. The stage is wide and deep with precise spatial imaging — in classical recordings individual instruments stay clearly separable. Bass arrives rich and punchy and reaches genuinely deep sub-frequencies, the mids stay balanced, and the highs come through clear and silky. The single caveat: for some ears those highs can occasionally turn a touch sharp, which the equaliser in the companion app straightforwardly fixes.

The active noise cancelling earned a "good" (1.8): mid-frequency noise is filtered reliably, but high-pitched whistling and deep humming pass through fairly easily. The app switches ANC into an adaptive mode or fixed levels, and the Ambient Aware transparency mode offers its own intensity steps. A find-my-buds function rounds off the toolkit.

On a current Samsung phone the companion software is already integrated into One UI. On iOS there is no app at all — Apple users get no equaliser, no ANC adjustment, no fit test. The test's verdict on this ecosystem wall was pointed: both manufacturers are putting their gardens ahead of their users, and buyers should know which side of the fence they live on before spending this much.

The same logic touches connectivity: the universal Bluetooth multipoint standard is not supported. Only owners of multiple Samsung devices — signed into the same Samsung account — get seamless switching between sources.

Telephony is the weakest discipline. In quiet surroundings quality is passable, though the microphones pick up noticeable room reverb, leaving the voice slightly distant and dull. Outdoors, street noise is filtered out completely, but interference artefacts get through and the voice becomes hard for the other side to follow.

The runtime test is simple and unforgiving — fully charged buds, continuous music playback until they die — and the Buds4 Pro's measurements are very good for the class: 11 hours 3 minutes from the buds alone without ANC, and 8 hours 47 minutes with it. The case stretches totals to 39 hours 31 minutes (32:42 with ANC). A 15-minute top-up delivers 5 hours 36 minutes of ANC-free playback (4:25 with ANC), and a full charge of buds and case together takes 2 hours.

Bluetooth arrives in version 6.1 with a measured range rated "very good" (1.4), plus Auracast support for receiving public broadcasts — airport announcements being the canonical use.

The scoring is dynamic — the class leader defines the benchmark and every model re-scores as the field moves. At launch in March 2026 the Buds4 Pro placed 3rd of 119 with a "very good" (1.1) but a price assessment of "expensive" (4.0). Four months on they hold 11th of 112 at 1.2, with the price verdict softened to "acceptable" (3.5) as street prices eased. Top-ten sound in a brutally competitive field, at a price that keeps improving.

At the time of writing, Amazon UK's mainline listing carries the Buds4 Pro in black (model SM-R640) at £219.00, new. Marketplace sellers undercut that — listings from £154 were visible on the same search — but at unfamiliar storefronts; check the seller and warranty position before taking the discount.

The Galaxy Buds4 Pro deliver where it costs the most engineering: top-ten sound with a wide, precise stage, class-leading single-charge stamina, waterproofing to IP57 and a premium metal build. The compromises are choices, not accidents — no iOS app, no universal multipoint, ANC that concedes the frequency extremes, and middling call quality in noise. For Samsung phone owners they are close to the complete package; for everyone else, the ecosystem wall is the first spec to check.