When I was listening to a briefing of Samsung’s lineup for 2021’s Galaxy Unpacked, I was hit with a lot of fancy terms and numbers that sounded impressive but foreign to my understanding.
One thing that excited me was the Voice Detect feature in the Galaxy Buds Pro, as I’ve yet to try a pair that had something like that.
That aside though, I was generally interested in trying the Buds Pro anyway, since I’d tested the Buds+ and Buds Live before, and found them enjoyable to use for the most part.
I wanted to see how much more Samsung could step up their game.
First Impressions
I got the Buds Pro in Phantom Violet, which isn’t the most eye-catching colour, but stands out from the other two: Phantom Black and Phantom Silver.
The casing is similar to the Buds Live’s, square with rounded edges, extremely compact, and boasting a matte finish.
Inside, the two earbuds lie nestled. The buds themselves have a matte plastic-like casing on the edge that lies flat against your ears, and a shiny outer coating.
The Buds Pro are a lot rounder and bulkier than the Buds+ (the Buds Live were an entirely different bean-like shape), which had winged tips.
Personally, I like the design of the Buds+ a lot more, because they had more of a slanted edge for you to grip them when taking them out or putting them in.
Being shiny-smooth and rounder, I found getting a grip on the Buds Pro to be a lot more precarious, which doesn’t bode well for my clumsy self when using them in public.
In terms of how they fit, you get 3 slightly different sizes of ear tips which should be enough for you to find a right match. Overall, the comfort for these were average.
I felt as though they didn’t quite sit inside my ear canal enough, but moving around normally didn’t jostle them out.
Impressive Audio Quality
Compared to the Buds+ and Buds Live, the Buds Pro wins in audio hands-down. My biggest complaint for the Buds+ was that its audio sounded muffled, like I was listening to music from under a blanket.
On the other hand, the Buds Live with its lack of a sealing silicone ear tip simply let too much sound through for my liking and had a less than comfortable fit. While it was an improvement in terms of treble quality, its bass quality sounded monotone and muddy.
The Buds Pro loses out on comfort a little for me (Buds+ wins), but I would say it’s overcome the two audio shortcomings its predecessors had.
Everything was crisp, the bass and treble quality sounded *chef’s kiss* and I had enjoyable music sessions with them.
So remember that Voice Detect feature I brought up earlier? Well, it works, but I find it tricky to control, since it’s automatic.
How it works is that whenever you begin speaking to someone, your audio will automatically lower and the ANC will switch to ambient mode to allow you to hear the other person.
Once you stop talking, it shuts off and your audio returns to normal. When it’s just someone talking to you without you speaking though, it will not activate, since it’s reliant on your voice.
Sounds good in theory… But if you’re someone who enjoys humming along to your music, then you’ll probably find this feature annoying. It will think you’re trying to speak, and activate Voice Detect. Quite the turn-off when you’re in the midst of jamming out to your favourite tunes.
Fortunately, this is a feature you can disable with the Samsung Galaxy Wearable app, which is unfortunately only available on Android phones.
The Buds+ and Buds Live controls could be tweaked with the Samsung Galaxy Buds app on iOS, but as the app was last updated 3 months ago, it’s safe to say it’s not yet compatible with the Buds Pro.
Verdict
Samsung states that Buds Pro users can get about 5 hours of battery life with ANC on before charging via the case is required, and I found that it lasted a bit longer than that.
In terms of mic quality, the only comment I got from receivers on the other end of the call was that I sounded clear but nasally.
At RM799, it offers some pretty major upgrades from the Buds+ and Buds Live (both RM599), which to me makes it well worth it, especially if you use Android devices.
| Pros | Cons |
| Improved audio quality in terms of treble and bass | Voice Detect activates even when you’re humming or speaking to yourself |
| Voice Detect makes having quick conversations easier | Slightly odd fit in the ear, which can get uncomfortable after a while |
| Keeps the compact case design of the Buds Live | Earbuds are rounder and bulkier, making them tricky to hold |
- You can learn more about the Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro here.
- You can read more of our VP Verdict series here.
VP Verdict is a series where we personally try and test out products, services, fads, and apps. Want to suggest something else for us to try? Leave a comment here or send the suggestion into our Facebook page.
