I know this question has been asked a lot but my situation is a bit different, I have the airpods pro 2 for a year and a half, the sound is amazing and all it's features and it's been 6 months I switched from iPhone to a samsung phone s24, the connectivity is good the airpods automatically block out noise from outside but I'm considering switching to galaxy buds 3 pro, main reasons are: being able to find em in gps and better sound. So what are the main differences? And people who have both which one seems better? Let me know :)

Finally got my hands on the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro and I'm loving it so far! I was able to pick them up at BB today on August 23rd, but initially received an email on Aug. 22nd that it was ready for pick up, just an hour before midnight hit.

I also own a pair of airpods pro 2(USBC) and I think the galaxy buds 3 pro seem a little bit better overall in sound quality and ANC as far as what I can tell switching back and forth when I was testing them. The difference is not substantial by any means, but I prefer the Galaxy Buds 3 pro a little bit more not only because of the active voice command, but also because you can tune it how you want the sound to be aka Equalizer as well as being able to adjust the level of noise cancelation all of which you cannot do on any earbuds or airpods.

However the only gripe I have with the buds 3 pro is the design in terms of the stem blade and how the earbuds are mounted in the case makes them feel awkward. Don't get me wrong, the blade design, to me looks very aesthetic, but when it comes to functionality like pinching pause/play, swipe up/down for volume does not feel natural compared to a more rounded design found on the airpods pro 2 where it is more natural to operate. Anyways, I found myself constantly trying to angle my fingers to grip the stem of the galaxy buds when operating it. Then the outward position that these earbuds are mounted into the case is such a horrible idea because I found myself fiddling, spinning, dropping the buds way more than I should whenever I take them out of the case to wear them then putting them back in the case, so it feels extremely awkward. I think having them positioned inward like the airpods would have been a smarter move, so it feels more natural and less awkward. I was able to successfully remove the eartips to put on the L size ones, but I had to put more effort into removing it than I would with the airpods.

Later on the day when I was testing the voice commands feature like the Stop Music, Play Music, I discovered that the right earbud is only being used as a mic for the voice command while both are worn which may or may not be intentional for saving battery life. However if you choose to only use one earbud in one ear, mic may be disabled, so voice commands will not work. To enable the mic again, you have to remove them out of your ear and place it back in the ear again. I think you have to do this to tell the earbuds you are only using one of the earbuds, so it can toggle on the mic on that one ear. I think you shouldn't have to do this since one of the earbuds is already in the case, so this may be a bug Samsung needs to fix. FYI, I tested this using a pair of earmuffs :) Happy Earbuds 3 Pro for those who finally received them!

Please note that using the right type and size of ear tips can play a huge factor to determining how the ANC performs. I have both the airpods pro 2(USBC) and the galaxy buds 3 pro and I've extensively been testing them.

Without digging too deep into the testing, I had the foam eartips (by CharJenPro for those wondering) on the airpods, which btw is the best foam tips I've found that actually last long since it is made of hybrid material but still foam tips. Considering foam tips give a better and tighter seal in ears, it will perform better when canceling noise. I had the stock silicone eartips on the galaxy buds 3 pro with the right size tips.

With that said, the airpods should perform better than the galaxy buds 3 pro since it's rocking the foam eartips when it comes to ANC, but surprisingly, that is not the case. In the testing, I had my loud AC blowing right below me, TV on medium volume and repeatedly switched between the two buds constantly toggling ANC. To my surprise, the galaxy buds 3 pro had noticeably better noise cancelation. This is probably because the airpods auto adjust ANC level based on environment, so ANC probably wasn't at its max, whereas with the galaxy buds 3 pro, there's an option to adjust the level of NC but it is always on max so this could be another factor.

I've ordered a pair of foam tips for the Galaxy Buds 3 pro and I can give an update once I get them to see if there's actually any improvement on ANC. My prediction is that it will, probably not by a lot, but will be noticeable. Although, there's this slight white noise that I hear on the galaxy buds 3 pro, which is not present on the Airpods pro 2. Not a deal breaker since it probably could be fixed via software update and you can only notice it if you try to listen for it. I did a real life test of the buds at work. Setting is at a warehouse environment, loud machines/conveyors constantly running, and found that the galaxy buds 3 pro blocking more noise than the airpods pro 2, which is impressive.

Update first impression: I was surprised on how good they fit, so I no longer have to feel like I have to keep adjusting. The M and L size fits perfect but lean more towards L especially working 10 hr shifts 40 hrs a week so it doesn't come loose often after a long period of time. The M can probably be good if I want a little less pressure off but no difference in terms of NC between M and L. Both stock silicone eartips and foam feel equally comfortable. After long 10 hr shifts, I can say that both stock tips and foam tips have not given me ear fatigue.

Does the foam tips actually improve ANC!? Yes especially in a warehouse setting/environment where there is constant loud and excessive noise coming from machines and conveyors around you. You probably won't even notice any difference if you're just testing them in your house with TV or AC on which I did and hardly noticed a difference which goes to show how good the stock silicone tips really are so props to Samsung despite the QC on them! Stocks are actually that good on canceling out noise too and I can see why some might feel more comfortable wearing them over the foam tips since there is no pressure seal like the foams tips make your ears feel. I found that the foam tips are more consistent with canceling out noise since the foam tips grips into your ear canals better. Bad thing is foam tips are known to wear out substantially faster and the silicone last forever unless it's gone through QC and gets ripped apart like some people experience.