Google Pixel Buds Pro 2 vs Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro: Which Wireless Earbuds Should You Get?

Samsung released its flagship earbuds, the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro, astatine the Galaxy Unpacked event, which was soon followed by Google showing disconnected its latest, the Pixel Buds Pro 2, astatine Made by Google. Both are priced similarly, the Galaxy 3 Buds Pro astatine $250 and the Pixel Buds Pro 2 astatine $230. We truly liked the Samsung buds erstwhile we archetypal got our hands connected them, but the Pixels outperformed them successful astir each department. For a somewhat little price, the Buds Pro 2 bash everything the Buds 3 Pro bash but better.

Pixel Buds Pro 2 vs Galaxy Buds 3 Pro: Design and Fit

Winner: Google Pixel Buds Pro 2

Samsung’s Galaxy Buds 3 Pro and the Google Pixel Buds Pro 2 person wholly polarizing designs. The erstwhile features a slim, sleek look with elongated stems oregon “blades.” The sharp, pointy blades look triangular from afar but uncover their unsocial pentagonal signifier upon a person look. The Pro exemplary connected the Samsung buds includes leaf lights, too, that are triggered each clip the buds are docked successful oregon retired of the charging case. I recovered Samsung’s selling of the leaf lights arsenic 1 of the reasons to wage an other $70 for the Pros rather lame until I got hands-on clip with the buds. I can’t contradict the bump successful aesthetic the lights pb to arsenic good arsenic however uncommon the diagnostic is.

The Pixel Buds Pro 2, connected the different hand, lucifer small buttons successful your ears, overmuch similar the Galaxy Buds predecessors earlier Samsung decided to power to an AirPods-like design. Except Google’s flagship buds received a monolithic simplification successful size and value compared to the first-gen Buds Pro, truthful they’re excessively tiny now. They’re disposable successful 4 gorgeous colors: Peony, Wintergreen, Porcelain, and Hazel. Aesthetics-wise, Google’s buds are chic, and Samsung’s flashy. If the Pixel Buds Pro 2 connection an understated and subtle look, the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro exude a futuristic, modern vibe. The “right option” is whichever amended aligns with your taste. Not to dependable biased, but Pixel’s absorbing colorways mightiness beryllium much breathtaking to effort retired than the aforesaid aged Silver oregon Grey connected Samsung’s buds.

Fit-wise, the Pixel Buds Pro 2 are acold snugger. Google touts a caller fit-to-adjust stabilizer connected them that locks them other choky successful your receptor canals erstwhile you twist them once. Their ear-hugging acceptable is besides helped by small rubber wings that grew backmost connected this procreation aft skipping the erstwhile model. The Galaxy Buds 3 Pro aren’t assisted by immoderate protruding parts that complement their fit. Google besides won maine implicit by including an XS receptor extremity size successful the package. Accommodating utmost sizes is ever a bully idea.

Photo: Dua Rashid / Gizmodo

The Pixel buds’ inconspicuous signifier origin played a relation successful their hassle-free fit, too. Quietly nesting successful my concha, they ne'er interfered with the extracurricular world, portion the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro often clashed with my speechmaking glasses, hair, and earrings.

Pixel Buds Pro 2 vs. Galaxy Buds 3 Pro: Navigation

Winner: Google Pixel Buds Pro 2

Contrary to my presumptions, the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro’s sharp-edged plan works successful your favor, giving your fingers a fitting signifier to clasp connected to. I realized that a V-shaped stem is easier to grasp than a circular 1 since that’s the signifier my thumb and forefinger marque erstwhile brought together. Despite that, the Pixel Buds Pro 2’s controls are an undisputed victor for me.

You tweak the measurement connected Google’s buds by swiping horizontally connected them. Swiping from near to close turns the measurement up and vice versa. Samsung’s buds person swiping up and down arsenic the measurement power motion which isn’t perfect connected tiny peripherals that tally the hazard of plopping retired of your ears erstwhile they’re pulled down.

The different large quality is the pressure-sensitive buttons (like the unit sensors connected the AirPods Pro) connected the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro versus a touch-capacitive interface connected the Pixel Buds Pro 2. It’s astonishing to spot myself vouching for interaction gestures implicit carnal buttons, but Google makes an irresistible lawsuit connected its buds. Since the buds don’t diagnostic protruding stems, tapping and swiping connected them without compromising the acceptable is easy. On the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro, messing astir connected the stem leads to a flimsy value imbalance and often shifts the buds’ presumption successful your ears. They’re besides not helped by the carnal buttons requiring greater unit than the highly delicate interaction sensors connected the Pixel Buds Pro 2.

Pixel Buds Pro 2 vs Galaxy Buds 3 Pro: Sound and ANC

Winner: Google Pixel Buds Pro 2

The two-way speaker, dual amplifiers, planar tweeter, and a dedicated woofer marque the Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro dependable arsenic pleasant arsenic the Tensor A1 chip, 11mm drivers, and a caller high-frequency (treble) enclosure connected the Pixel Buds Pro 2. Both buds connection fantabulous audio overall, but the Galaxy buds endure from a somewhat thick-sounding low-end. This was besides an contented connected the first-gen Pixel Buds Pro but was fixed connected the flagship model. Treble and mids connected the Samsung buds dependable fine, but cranking the measurement higher than 50% reveals the muddy bass.

Photo: Dua Rashid / Gizmodo

On the Pixel Buds Pro 2, the deep, punchy, perfectly tuned bass was 1 of the archetypal elements I noticed. It sits connected a abstracted furniture from the remainder of the orchestra and is unarguably its astir defined part. Overall, the dependable is highly crisp and detailed, allowing you to wage adjacent attraction to each nuance successful the song. The mids transportation capable abstraction and dependable rather airy, and portion the high-end is decent, it remains overshadowed by the low-end’s thump.

Again, some buds execute decent sound cancelation, but the Pixel buds triumph by a flimsy margin. Their ANC is highly powerful. I was amazed astatine however good it held up to immoderate of the astir hard sounds to cancel, specified arsenic the Subway rumble portion walking close connected apical of its vent oregon the occurrence truck’s siren. I was connected a telephone telephone erstwhile the occurrence motortruck passed, and I wholly mislaid my caller’s dependable arsenic the siren took over. Switching to ANC instantly reduced that sound significantly. The Galaxy Buds 3 Pro were a small little businesslike successful this regard.

Pixel Buds Pro 2 vs Galaxy Buds 3 Pro: Battery Life

Winner: Google Pixel Buds Pro 2

Google’s buds are the wide winners here. They athletics 48 and 30 hours with ANC disconnected and on, respectively. Samsung offers 30 and 26 hours with ANC disconnected and on, respectively. I easy squeezed weeks retired of the Pixel Buds Pro 2. Both buds complaint wirelessly.

Photo: Dua Rashid / Gizmodo

Pixel Buds Pro 2 vs Galaxy Buds 3 Pro: Other Features

Compatibility is simply a large facet to see erstwhile your buds’ marque makes phones. Pixel phone users connected the Buds Pro 2 volition person entree to exclusive perks specified arsenic Spatial Audio and Conversation Detection. Gemini AI integration is 1 of the astir marketed features connected these buds, though we weren’t its biggest fans since it was acold much hands-on than promised. However, Gemini integration isn’t constricted to the Pixel lineup anyway; Android and iOS users tin instal the Gemini app to entree it.

Samsung has built higher walls astir immoderate of its features. The Galaxy-exclusive features connected the Samsung buds marque a amended lawsuit for staying wrong the ecosystem. Galaxy Buds 3 Pro users bask spatial audio, EQ settings, unrecorded translation successful up to 8 languages, and improved dependable and mic prime with Samsung Galaxy devices.

The Pixel Buds Pro 2 are rated IP54 against particulate and water, portion the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro diagnostic an IP57 rating. However, the Pixels besides connection IPX4 absorption connected their charging case, which is uncommon for wireless earbuds.

Photo: Dua Rashid / Gizmodo

Google Pixel Buds Pro 2 vs. Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro: Verdict

It’s precise evident who the victor is. We initially reviewed the Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro positively, but for their onboard measurement controls and muddy bass. The Pixel Buds Pro 2 bushed the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro successful each class portion maintaining a akin terms range. In fact, they’re cheaper astatine $230 compared to the $250 Buds 3 Pro. Our lone gripe connected the Pixel buds was their underwhelming Gemini integration, but you’re not obligated to usage that. If you’re bully connected a fund and the absorption is conscionable the likewise priced Galaxy Buds 3 Pro, past the Pixel Buds Pro 2 are the amended choice.