Samsung’s Galaxy Buds 4 fix two of my biggest problems with the Buds 3

The Galaxy Buds 3 Pro are my favorite earbuds, and they’re so good that I wasn’t expecting many upgrades for the Galaxy Buds 4 Pro, which Samsung announced alongside the Galaxy S26 series at Galaxy Unpacked. The sound quality has improved, ANC blocks more noise, and ambient mode sounds more natural. That’s great, but that’s not why I’m excited to try the Galaxy Buds 4 Pro. No, what excites me most are two changes that have been made to the design that will fix the only two issues I have with the Galaxy Buds 3 series.

The Galaxy Buds 3 Pro (left) has a small vent at the top of each earbud, which helps regulate air pressure within the ear. The vent has a rough texture and sits flush with the rest of the bud, and I’ve found that texture can irritate my ear, especially if I have them in for more than a few hours at a time. The Galaxy Buds 4 and 4 Pro (right) have recessed the vent into the casing of the earbud.

The vent positioning was the only issue I had with the comfort levels of the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro. It may seem like a small thing, but when you’re wearing something inside your ear for hours at a time, the texture of something pressed against your skin can make a big difference. I haven’t been able to try the new earbuds for myself yet, but my colleagues who have used them reported zero comfort concerns with the new earbuds.

An even bigger complaint I have about the Galaxy Buds 3 series (left) is how inconsistent the charging is. Unlike older models, the Galaxy Buds 3 series had the buds sit upright inside the case, with the charging pins residing at the bottom of a tube the earbud stem sits in. Dust, skin cells, and other debris find their way into this part of the case easily and prevent your earbud from charging. Almost every day I get a notification on my phone informing me one of the buds isn’t charging, and I have to take them out, blow in the case, and put them back in.

The Galaxy Buds 4 series (right) has gone back to the traditional case and charging pin layout, making it far easier to see if debris has gotten into the charging contacts and to ensure they’ve lined up with your buds. This is a big improvement that relieves a lot of the frustration I have with my current Buds 3 Pros. If I had a nickel for every time I woke up to only one earbud charged, I’d have two nickels, which isn’t a lot, but it’s weird that it happened twice.

The Galaxy Buds 4 and 4 Pro look to be the best earbuds Samsung has made so far, and that’s a high bar. Samsung’s earbuds have long been one of my favorite parts of the Galaxy ecosystem, and I can’t wait to add the new ones to my collection. Are you as excited to use Samsung’s latest earbuds as I am? Let me know in the comments.