Samsung Built Two Different Earbuds. Which One You Get Depends on Your Phone.

The ANC Reality Check

Active noise cancellation is the feature most people at this price point actually care about. The Buds4 Pro perform well — better than well, in most everyday scenarios. Coffee shops, transit, general office noise: these will handle it. But "good enough for most people" is doing a lot of work in that sentence [1]. In head-to-head testing against the Sony WF-1000XM6, Bose QC Ultra Gen 2, and AirPods Pro 3, the Buds4 Pro can't beat any of them on raw ANC strength. It gets close — closer than the Buds3 Pro did — but close isn't the same as winning. If maximum noise isolation is your single priority, Sony still leads this category [1][3]. Transparency mode is a different story. Samsung gives you five adjustable levels, and at the lower settings this is among the best transparency implementations at any price — natural, clear, and competitive with both Sony and Bose. Push it above level three and you'll notice a slight hiss artifact. If you're sensitive to that, stay below three. AirPods Pro 3 still leads this specific category, but Samsung's showing is strong [1].

The Ecosystem Wall Is the Product

Here's where the story gets honest. EL JEFE REVIEWS spent three weeks testing these on a Nothing Phone 4A Pro — a non-Samsung Android device — and published a granular breakdown of exactly what worked and what didn't [1]. What you get on non-Samsung Android: the Samsung Wear app, full nine-band EQ, ANC level adjustment, touch control customization, firmware updates, and Adaptive Sound. Better access than most people expect. What you don't get: Samsung's SSC UHQ high-resolution codec (which delivers 24-bit, 96kHz wireless audio — but only on Galaxy phones), Galaxy AI features, real-time interpreter, voice detection, head gesture controls for calls, or seamless multi-device switching. The codec situation is particularly frustrating. At $249 in 2026, these earbuds support no high-resolution wireless audio codec whatsoever for non-Samsung users. No LDAC. No aptX. No LHDC. Budget earbuds under $50 support LDAC. The Sony XM6 supports LDAC. A $250 pair of Samsung earbuds is literally the last product in its class where this should be a problem. Samsung's choice to lock it to SSC UHQ — a Samsung-proprietary codec — means Pixel users, OnePlus users, Nothing users, and definitely iPhone users are stuck on AAC [1]. On iPhone, the situation is worse. There's no Samsung Wear app for iOS at all. You get the earbuds, basic Bluetooth pairing, and nothing else. At the same $249 price, AirPods Pro 3 exist. The math doesn't work [1].

The Four Dealbreakers

After three weeks of real-world testing on a non-Samsung device, the EL JEFE REVIEWS breakdown identified four specific dealbreakers worth knowing before you commit [1]: Dealbreaker 1: The walled garden is the product. The feature gap between Samsung and non-Samsung users is real and you'll feel it every day if you're outside the ecosystem. Dealbreaker 2: No LDAC, no true multipoint. Both trace back to Samsung choosing ecosystem control over flexibility. No high-res audio path for non-Samsung Android users. No simultaneous connection across mixed-platform devices. Dealbreaker 3: ANC is not class-leading. It's good. But at $249, you're competing against Sony, Bose, and Apple — all of whom are ahead in raw noise cancellation strength. Dealbreaker 4: Six hours per charge. Battery life starts at six hours with ANC on and degrades from there with daily use. The Sony XM6 starts near ten hours. At $250 in 2026, six hours is behind the curve.

Who Should Actually Buy These

If you have a Samsung Galaxy S25 or S26, buy these earbuds. They're close to perfect as a Galaxy companion — the codec unlocks, Galaxy AI features work, seamless switching functions across Samsung devices. The sound quality with SSC UHQ is reportedly excellent, the transparency mode is world-class, and the hardware is a genuine step forward from the previous generation [1][2]. If you're upgrading from the Buds3 Pro, it's a meaningful upgrade across sound, ANC, and comfort. Worth it. If you're on a non-Samsung Android device and care about high-res audio, the Sony XM6 or Status Audio Pro X both offer LDAC, true multipoint, and nearly 10 hours per charge for comparable or lower prices [1][3]. If you're on iPhone: skip these entirely. AirPods Pro 3 at $249 includes the full ecosystem integration you're actually paying for. The Galaxy Buds4 Pro are a genuinely excellent product for one specific type of user. Samsung made a deliberate engineering and business decision: build the best earbuds possible for Galaxy phone owners and accept that everyone else gets a partial experience. After three weeks of honest testing outside that ecosystem, the gap is real. Know which side of it you're on before you spend $250.