Galaxy Buds 3 Pro coming from Original Buds+ and Buds Live

Add me to the list of people extremely happy with the Buds 3 Pro. I have been waiting for years for something to replace my Buds+ and Buds Live. It just goes to show you how good the originals were that I haven't really needed to desperately replace them, but I was looking for something a little more travel friendly (taking up less space) when I travel internationally, something a bit lighter, and something, something with more modern Bluetooth, and something with decent ANC. Also my Buds live were finally breaking down as the Bluetooth kept disconnecting in one ear.

Things I'm very happy about:

1. Sound quality. I put them on Dynamic and I didn't need to adjust anything. Just a perfect balance to my ears for Bass, lows, mids, and highs. They sound better to me, more clear and detailed, than both my previous Samsung earbuds. I love the sound of the Sony XM5 earbuds the best, but these are pretty high up there with what I tried and I actually like the sound signature better than the Bose Quiet Comfort Ultra earbuds.

2. The ANC is just good enough for my plane right to muffle out the engine. Not as good at my Bose QCIIs at the voices and background sounds, but more than good enough when I am actually playing something. The hiss that some talk about with the ANC, well, I don't notice any hiss. Maybe my hearing isn't good enough? No idea, but whether it's silent or playing something, I just don't notice anything.

3. Voice controls: One of the most underrated features. I love the fact when I go for a long walk, I don't have to touch the buds or take out my phone. There aren't very many commands and for me at least they are easy to remember. Just like anything else you aren't used to, once you use them enough, they become pretty second nature...just like the pinch and click or pinch and hold on the outside of them.

4. Comfort. I was so disappointed when I got the Bose Ultra earbuds and for whatever reason, it was bothering my left ear. No idea why. I completely understand that everyone's ear shape is different, as well as what they are perceptive too. So I can only speak for my ears. These are the most comfortable earbuds I've ever tried. I always think of my ears as large, but the medium tips they came with work perfectly for me. I didn't need to change them, they don't move around when I go for my fast long walks. I haven't tried them when doing intense cardio exercises yet, but they were fine when I'm doing free weights in my home gym. No issues with them falling out at all. I didn't need to adjust them at all. In fact, I've been using the for long gaming sessions on my gaming PC without issue.

5. The look: I actually love how they look. It's easy for people I see when I'm going for a walk that there is something in my ear, so don't talk to me lol. I just give my normal closed mouth smile :-). I really don't give a *!%$ that they have stems like the Apple ones. Why do people care about this kind of stuff? I don't care if they were literally identical if they do what I want. Anyway, I went with the silver ones, not the white. They don't seem to me to scratch easily after a couple of weeks (I still have none) and I actually like the look of the case. I don't care if it's made of plastic. It seems well made to me and I like the satisfying click of the top plastic and the magnetic feel when you put your buds away. I admit though I'm always careful about my electronics and my 4 year old Samsung Note 20 Ultra had basically no scratches when I gave it away. Side note...loving my Samsung S24 Ultra in just about every possible way.

6. Battery life seems fine and about what they are claiming. I only use ANC when someone in my house is blasting the TV's Bose Smart Ultra soundbar with it's Bass module or when traveling internationally (I've done this once so far). Normally I have them on Ambient sound and that sounds just fine on the medium setting. Anyway, no issues with battery life. It's gives more then enough charge from the case relatively quickly. So one bathroom break on a plane in it's case to add another hour works fine and no issues with my 5-6 hour flight with ANC enabled.

7. I tested the phone calls right away with a couple of companies and my family. Everyone said my voice sounded clear and I could hear them just as clear. No issue here either.

8. I was surprised that I enjoy gaming with this. It's not as latency free as a wireless headset, but for non-competitive gaming like Baldur's Gate 3 and Cyberpunk 2077, it sounds great, latency is good for Bluetooth standards, and the spatial sound is very good.

Things I wish were better:

1. I wish this would seamlessly pair between my gaming PC and my phone. I don't like to have to manually do this on my PC when I switch from my phone, but it's no big deal. It works great as I expected between my Samsung phone and Samsung 7 tablet...as well as my 2018 Samsung Q9FN TV, though that is my secondary TV as I use a Sony 85" x95K for my primary TV. It pairs fine with that as well, but again, not as seamless as my Samsung devices. Maybe they will improve this at some point with a firmware update.

2. I think battery life could be even better, more in line with Sony's, but whatever.

3. I think the dynamic ambient mode needs to improve. I just don't like it and never use it.

4. The ANC could technically be even better, but again, for me I was satisfied. Your mileage may vary. It was a million times better than the fake ANC on the Buds Live :-).

PS Mine were purchased on Amazon Mexico via their Samsung Store. I paid about 150 USD which includes taxes.