AirPods Pro 3 vs Galaxy Buds4 Pro: Which Earbuds Should You Buy?
Both cost about $250 and both have excellent noise cancelling. The deciding factor is your phone. Features, battery and health tools compared.
Here's the honest answer that saves you reading reviews for an hour: buy the earbuds made by your phone's company. 
AirPods Pro 3 for iPhone, Galaxy Buds4 Pro for Samsung Galaxy phones. Both have excellent noise cancelling and sound, and each one hides its best features from the other company's phones.
If you want the details, here they are.
Price
| List price (US) | |
|---|---|
| AirPods Pro 3 | $249 |
| Galaxy Buds4 Pro | $249.99 |
Both are often discounted. In October, retailers had both around $190 to $200, so don't pay full price if you can wait for a sale.
AirPods Pro 3
Apple launched AirPods Pro 3 in September 2025. Standout features:
- Strong active noise cancellation and good transparency mode
- Up to 8 hours of listening per charge with ANC on
- Heart-rate sensing during workouts, a first for AirPods
- Hearing health features, including a clinical-grade hearing aid mode in supported countries
- Automatic switching between iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple Watch, plus Spatial Audio with head tracking
Works with Android? Yes, as basic Bluetooth earbuds, but you lose most of the smart features.
Galaxy Buds4 Pro
Samsung launched the Buds4 Pro in February 2026 alongside the Galaxy S26. Reviewers consistently praise them:
- Excellent noise cancellation, among the best reviewers have tested, especially on busy streets and flights
- A genuinely good ambient mode
- Samsung-exclusive extras: 360 Audio with head tracking, Samsung's high-quality audio codec and Live Translation
- Battery: Samsung rates about 6 hours with ANC on; some independent testers got a little less
Works with iPhone or other Android phones? Yes, but several of the best features only work with Galaxy phones.
Side by side
| AirPods Pro 3 | Galaxy Buds4 Pro | |
|---|---|---|
| Best with | iPhone | Samsung Galaxy |
| Noise cancelling | Excellent | Excellent |
| Battery (ANC on) | Up to 8 hrs | About 6 hrs (Samsung rating) |
| Heart-rate sensor | Yes | No |
| Hearing health features | Yes | Limited |
| Head-tracked spatial audio | Yes (Apple devices) | Yes (Galaxy devices) |
What about Pixel owners?
Google's Pixel Buds Pro 2 are the natural match for Pixel phones, with deep Gemini integration. They often sell for less than both rivals here.
How to choose
- iPhone? AirPods Pro 3.
- Galaxy phone? Galaxy Buds4 Pro.
- Pixel? Pixel Buds Pro 2.
- Mixed devices, or want the longest battery? AirPods Pro 3's 8-hour rating is the longest of these.
- Try the fit if you can. Comfort decides whether you actually wear them.
Picking a phone too? See which iPhone to buy and the best Android phones of 2026.
