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Samsung Galaxy Buds 4: Two-minute review
When I sat down and first started listening to the Samsung Galaxy Buds 4, sitting at my desk at home, I was mildly pleased with their audio performance. But when I started using them out and about in the world, not in my cosy chair, these quickly became some of my least favorite headphones to test in recent months. Some of the best earbuds around for the cash-savvy buyer? Sadly, no.
That’s a surprise; I gave the Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro an almost-perfect review score, and expected these affordable alternatives to fare just as well. But I have been loathe to use them during the testing period, for one simple reason.
These earbuds just wouldn’t stay in my ears. When I was sitting still at home, they’d more or less work fine – although they’d often slip from their default position so the drivers were further from my ears than they should be. If this was the entirety of my testing, I’d give them a perfectly fine review, but life’s not just about sitting still.
When I went on walks with the buds, they’d slip constantly, and I’d have to readjust them several times each minute to push them back in. I like to walk, and went on multiple hour-long rambles during the testing time. Imagine how long I had my hands in my ears, fidgeting and fixing slippage.
They also fared incredibly poorly on public transport (too shaky), when I was in bed (too angled) and even sometimes when I’d rotated my swivelling office chair. I didn’t dare take them to the gym or on a run.
Even if the things weren’t flung from my ears multiple times per song, they have a truly awful battery life; with ANC and other features turned on, I’d get about three hours per charge. And that’s before I even mention the meagre ANC performance – because of the poor fit, the active noise cancellation algorithm here has absolutely zero chance of stopping you hearing the sounds around you.
There are some elements of the Galaxy Buds 4 that you might like: they offer really high-quality music, and do look classy. And if you’re lucky enough to have ears like vices, you might not have the same fit issues I did – but I’ve never had issues quite like this in other similar buds, and know Samsung’s earbuds have a reputation for poor fit, so I really don’t think it’s a me problem.
A quick Google search shows that users had the same issue with the Buds 3. It’s easy to find reports of them slipping out of the ears, so it’s clear that this is a recurring issue which the company hasn’t fixed. I try to avoid reading coverage of products I’m testing, but I’ve already seen reports of Buds 4 users having the same issue.
If you’ve got the money and a Samsung phone, the easier fix is to splash out a little more on the Galaxy Buds 4 Pro, with their ear-tips offering a more secure fit (though not a perfect one). But honestly, there are countless great wireless earbuds for this much or less, that won’t jump from your ear at every opportunity.
Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 review: Price and release date
- Announced in February 2026, released March
- Sells for $179 / £159 / AU$299
- No price change from past models
The Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 were announced at Galaxy Unpacked on February 25, and have been available to buy from March 11, just like the Pro model and the Samsung Galaxy S26 series.
The retail price of the buds is $179 / £159 / AU$299, which is a mid-range price for earbuds like these, though they seem affordable when compared to the $249 / £219 / AU$399 Buds 4 Pro. There’s been no price hike over the Galaxy Buds 3, which is always good to see.
I know what you’re wondering: ‘how does that compare to Apple?’. The AirPods 4 with ANC cost $179 / £179 / AU$299, a very similar price point: the same in the US and Australia, but pricier in the UK. But if you don’t need ANC, the standard AirPods 4 cost $129 / £129 / AU$219, so they’re cheaper.
Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 review: Specs
|
Drivers |
11mm woofer |
|
Active noise cancellation |
Yes |
|
Battery life (ANC off) |
6 hours buds, 30 hours case |
|
Weight |
4.6g buds, 45.1g case |
|
Connectivity |
Bluetooth 6.1 |
|
Frequency response |
Not specified |
|
Waterproofing |
IP54 |
Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 review: Features
- Buds last about 3 hours per charge
- ANC has limited effectiveness
- Range of handy features
The Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 technically do have noise cancellation, but due to their open-fit design (think Apple EarPods), they don’t plug up your ear to stop outside noise leaking in. So practically, they reduce very little noise. I could notice some noise cancellation when turning the feature off and on, but only a marginal amount.
Sometimes when I had the buds in but wasn’t listening to music, I could hear them try to compensate for loud noises by pumping out what sounded like white noise. Not only did it fail to stop the background noise, it added a little extra layer of annoyance. Don’t buy these if you need good ANC.
Don’t buy them if you need a long-lasting battery either; their play time is abysmal. With ANC turned off you’re only looking at 6 hours of listening; Samsung’s official figure puts ANC-on listening at five hours but in my own testing, with features like SSC (Samsung Seamless Codec) turned on, I was barely scraping three.
You can get about five recharges from the case, which isn’t amazing, but didn’t affect me too much during my testing weeks. Just remember to plug them in regularly.
But now we can move onto the other features, and there’s a lot more to like there. The buds support Bluetooth 6.1, with support for codecs like SSC, AAC, SBC and LC3 (no LDAC). I had a few Bluetooth dropouts during my time with the buds, but not so many that it couldn’t have been environmental.
The buds offer a range of tools like call sharpening profiles, spatial audio with head tracking, a nine-band equalizer with presets, volume normalization, adaptive sound to cater for how you wear your earbuds (i.e., at what stage of falling out they’re at) and so on. You can even use the buds to tap into nearby audio broadcasts.
The only major omission is multipoint connection, but that’s not even a feature I’d consider mandatory in earbuds. There’s also no listening test, like in the Pro, but I didn’t find it wholly useful in those buds so again, no (further) marks docked.
Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 review: Design
- Swanky ‘Blade’ look
- Charging case is small and light
- Buds aren’t designed for sticking in ear
I’ve got to say, I really like the Samsung Galaxy Bud 4’s charging case. It’s a lightweight, see-through square box, that the buds easily slot into. It weighs just 45.1g and measures 51 x 51 x 28.3mm, and really disappeared into my pocket.
The buds themselves look pretty good too, with their refined ‘Blade’ designed from the Buds 3 stripping out the lights and much of the fuss. The polished silver metal band on the white buds I tested looks great, but there’s also a black model you can pick up.
Unfortunately, that’s basically all I can praise about the Buds 4’s design, because for the three weeks I tested the buds, their build was the bane of my existence.
I’ve already spent much of the introduction to this article moaning about the Galaxy Buds 4’s fit, but in case you skipped that: these things just don’t stay still in your ears. If they’re not outright falling out, they’re moving around so that the drivers are pointing any which way, making music sound worse.
This’ll no doubt be worst for people with big ears, but a few design decisions ensure that they won’t be a good fit for anyone. The lack of a tip means you can’t just wedge the Buds 4 in your ears and hope for the best, and the material of the body is so smooth and friction-free that it fails to keep them anchored in ears.
It feels like the weighting of the buds is wrong too, so their own heft causes them to list and then fall from the ears. They’re not heavy, at just 4.6g, but the amount of ear-pirouettes they managed suggests the center of gravity is off in some way.
On the Buds 4’s stem, there’s a touch control: swipe up or down for volume, or pinch to play and pause your music. I quickly discovered that swiping was just another way for me to fling the buds out of my ears, but pinching is great: a light click lets you know that your demand was registered.
Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 review: Sound quality
- Single driver per bud
- High-quality streamed music
- Detailed sound
The Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 have a single driver per ear; it’s one of the big downgrades from the Pro, with the bass-focused woofer absent. It’s a shame, because extra bass oomph is needed: it might go some way in mitigating how quickly you lose it when the earbuds start to slip…
Generally speaking, and when you’re sitting still with the Buds 4 angled perfectly, they sound about as good as you’d expect for the price. They’re bright and detailed; the acoustic guitars in Only the Good Die Young by Billy Joel sparkle and the keys in the piano introduction to Tiny Dancer by Elton John had just as much personality as the rocket man’s own voice did.
The lack of a dedicated woofer hurts, when comparing these to the Buds 4 Pro. Bass isn’t as scooping and defined as I’d like, instead sounding muddy indistinct. If you listen to Phosphorscent’s C’est La Vie No.2 by Phosphorescent or The Rocketeer by Foxy Shazam, the bass just melts into the band and loses its edge.
Detail and quality really is the name of the game here, as for all their strengths and weaknesses, you’re hearing it all… at least, if you’re using a Samsung phone, which allows for the SSC-UHQ codec. This allows for 24-bit/96kHz transmission, and makes an audible difference over listening on other devices.
So the Galaxy Buds 4 aren’t the best earbuds I’ve tested, even at the price, but they’re decent. But remember everything I said about the fit? Yeah – between the slow slipping and leaking background sound, I very rarely got the best from the buds. When I used them while walking, or on public transport, the bass vanished pretty quickly and often the mids were drowned out by noise, leaving only some hi-hats and vocals to enjoy.
The buds have a fairly high max volume, but I noticed something odd: the bass would audibly drop from the mix as I got near the top. Every time I pressed ‘volume up’ from five steps off max, every instrument would get louder, except for the bass which would step back. It meant two or three presses of my volume keys would result in a drastically different sound mix, and it was much tinnier-sounding at the top than I’d expect.
Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 review: Value
- Mid-range price for buds
- Other options get you more for your money
The Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 aren’t cheap, and honestly, you’re within your rights to expect a little more from your earbuds.
A single driver? A sub-movie-length battery life? A design that doesn’t seem well thought out? If these were budget buds I’d understand, but $179 / £159 / AU$299 is far from cheap in the varied world of wireless earbuds.
There are other similar-priced options out there which offer you a lot more for your money, or give a similar package to the Buds 4 but at a fraction of the cost.
Should I buy the Samsung Galaxy Buds 4?
|
Attributes |
Notes |
Rating |
|---|---|---|
|
Features |
The ANC struggles and the battery life is woeful, but a few other features claw back points. |
3.5/5 |
|
Design |
They’re not designed to stick in your ear, even if they look good. |
2.5/5 |
|
Sound quality |
The Buds 4 offer high-quality music with a bright, detailed sound. |
4/5 |
|
Value |
They’re not expensive per se, but you can get a lot more for your money. |
3/5 |
Buy them if…
Don’t buy them if…
Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 review: Also consider
| Header Cell – Column 0 |
Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 |
Apple AirPods 4 with ANC |
Status Audio Pro X |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Drivers |
11mm |
‘Custom high-excursion’ Apple driver |
12mm |
|
Active noise cancellation |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
|
Battery life (ANC on) |
6 hours (buds) 30 hours (case) |
5 hours (buds) 20 hours (case) |
7 hours (buds) 25 hours (case) |
|
Weight |
4.6g (buds) 45.1g (case) |
4.3g (buds) 32.3g (case) |
4.5g (buds) 50g (case) |
|
Connectivity |
Bluetooth 6.1 |
Bluetooth 5.3 |
Bluetooth 5.3 |
|
Waterproofing |
IP54 |
IP57 |
IP54 |
How I tested the Samsung Galaxy Buds 4
- Tested for a month
- Tested at home, on walks and on public transport
I tested the Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 immediately after the Pro model, so they were a natural comparison. I used them paired to a Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra phone for the duration of the testing process, and listened to audio on Spotify, internal storage, various streaming services and games.
The test process for the buds was around three weeks, though I used them occasionally for a week prior when I received them at the same time as the Pro.
I’ve been reviewing gadgets at TechRadar for about 8 years now, including plenty of earbuds and Samsung gadgets (including the Buds 3 Pro too).
- First reviewed in March 2026
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