6 Galaxy Buds 3 features we’d like to see

Main points

• The Galaxy Buds 2 offer nice features like noise cancellation and touch controls at a reasonable price, but they need an upgrade.

• The Galaxy Buds 2’s IPX2 water resistance rating is out, as budget-friendly rivals now offer IPX4 water resistance for protection against sweat and light rain.

• The Galaxy Buds 3 should consider adding features like an OLED case display and AI translation to stand out from the competition.

The Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 are one of the company’s most popular headphones – and for good reason. They offer great features like active noise cancellation, ambient sound mode, and touch controls, and come at a pretty reasonable price.

There’s no doubt that they’re still one of the best budget earbuds on the market, even though they’ve been released for over two years. That being said, it’s time for Samsung to update its regular Galaxy Buds, and it looks like the third generation should finally be launching soon.

The upcoming Galaxy Buds 3 should be available later this year if Samsung’s release schedule fits, and there are already rumors about what they will be able to do. It’s going to take a lot to beat the Galaxy Buds 2s, which include ANC, wireless charging, and custom audio profiles for a reasonable price.

1

Higher IP rating

Don’t worry about rain

Wireless earbuds should be resistant to sweat and rain, so you can use them every day in a variety of conditions. Galaxy Buds 2s have a lower waterproof rating of IPX2, which can withstand up to 3 mm of water droplets per minute at an angle of 15 degrees, and they are not resistant to rain or submersion. It’s also dustproof, so you’ll need to keep them clean if you want them to survive. That rating, which was barely acceptable in 2022, won’t go any lower in 2024, as even budget-friendly sub-$50 competitors offer IPX4 ratings to protect against sweat and light rain.

For the Galaxy Buds 3s to be successful, they need to offer at least an IP57 rating to rival similarly priced alternatives from the likes of Jabra and JBL. It’s not the highest grade, but it’s consistent with the cost and offers full protection from dust and can be temporarily submerged in water for up to 30 minutes.

2

OLED case

add some pizzazz

The Galaxy Buds with OLED displays were one of the most interesting products Samsung launched at CES 2024, but they were overshadowed by TVs, monitors, and other devices. The unnamed prototype headphones are shown in a series of boxes equipped with circular OLED displays, similar to the Samsung Galaxy Watch, that can display useful information or play interesting animations.

This feature is great for making the Galaxy Buds 3 stand out from the competition, and it’s also useful because you can see information like the date and battery life on the vivid color display. Samsung is hesitant about whether the feature will make it to production models, which may depend on cost factors and other practical considerations such as weight and battery life. It’s still a cool concept, and we’d love to see it on the Galaxy Buds 3.

3

real-time translation

make it a communication device

Early rumors suggested that the Galaxy Buds 3 Pros would feature AI translation, which seems more likely after the release of the Galaxy S24 series. Samsung’s latest smartphones include a new Live Translation app that can transcribe foreign languages ​​spoken by callers into speech or text in real time. It’s a groundbreaking feature that helps people around the world communicate, and adding it to the next-generation Galaxy Buds seems like the next logical step, as it’s already available on the Google Pixel Buds.

Real-time call translation will be a big selling point of the Galaxy Buds 3 Pros, and it would be great if the feature could be carried over to the standard Galaxy Buds 3s. We’re not holding our breath, however, as Samsung typically releases new features on the Pro version before letting them trickle down to other models.

4

Better active noise cancellation

Lockdown just got easier

It’s no secret that the Galaxy Buds 2 offer one of the best ANC experiences in their price range, but that doesn’t mean things can’t be better.

While overall, Samsung’s budget headphones do a good job of making outside noise more manageable and easier to ignore, they seem to struggle with one part of the sound spectrum – the human voice. This means that while it’s great at canceling buzz, harshness, or low rumble, the ANC on the Galaxy Buds 2 will have a hard time canceling out those noises if someone is talking next to you.

So in the next generation of Galaxy Buds, Samsung should really focus on its ANC. Bringing adaptive ANC would be another great addition, but even improving the regular implementation and making it better at canceling human speech would go a long way toward making the Galxy Buds 3 a better pair of earbuds.

5

AptX Bluetooth codec

Better sound quality than Samsung phones

The Gaalxy Buds 2 are a great pair of headphones, especially when you use them with a Samsung smartphone. Part of this is due to their use of a specialized Samsung scalable Bluetooth codec, which ensures that the Bluetooth connection is not only stable, but also allows for wireless transmission of high-quality, high-bitrate recordings.

Unfortunately, as the name suggests, this codec only works on Samsung devices, phones from any other manufacturer will use the regular AAC or SBC Bluetooth codecs – which means poorer quality and connection stability.

That’s why we really hope Samsung introduces the aptX codec in the Galaxy Buds 3. It will ensure the best sound not only for Samsung phones but also for all other devices connected to the headphones made by the Korean giant.

6

Improved touch input

No more fussing

If there’s one annoying thing about the Galaxy Buds 2, it’s their touch input. Overall, it’s very inconsistent, sometimes being extremely sensitive to any input (even accidental ones) and sometimes not seeming to detect even the most intentional touches.

It has to be said that this complaint could also be leveled at any other earbuds with touch navigation – it doesn’t seem like the best way to interact with small earbuds. That’s why, although I don’t think this will happen, I hope the Galaxy Buds 3 change their input method. Either implement something similar to the AirPods pressure-sensitive system, or just use the tried-and-tested buttons – they’re more practical and convenient.

At the very least, Samsung should do something to make touch input on the Galaxy Buds 3 more reliable and consistent, because as it stands, navigating with the Galaxy Buds 2’s touch-sensitive back is a bit of a nightmare.

FAQ

Q: When will Galaxy Buds 3 be released?

Samsung usually releases its headphones two years apart, with the original Buds set to be released in 2019 and Buds 2 in 2021. It’s been more than two years since their last release, and it’s likely that the Galaxy Buds 3s will finally be released. It will be available sometime in 2024 to complement the Galaxy S24 smartphone. It may also launch alongside the Galaxy S24 FE, making for a decent mid-budget combo.

Q: Should you wait for Galaxy Buds 3?

Given that the Galaxy Buds 2 are a few years old now and we expect the next generation to be released this year, if you’re not in a hurry to buy a pair of earphones, waiting for the release of the Galaxy Buds 3 might be your best bet.

Of course, we’re still not sure exactly when they’ll hit the shelves, but whether you’re looking for a next-gen product with various improvements or you’re looking for a big discount on an older one, your best bet is to wait for the release of the Galaxy Buds 3 .