Apple AirPods Pro 3 / Samsung Galaxy Buds2 Pro

Apple AirPods Pro 3: MagSafe charging case (USB-C) with speaker

Samsung Galaxy Buds2 Pro: Galaxy Buds2 Pro (2022); Graphite, White and Bora Purple. The Galaxy Buds Pro (2021), Buds2 and Buds3 Pro are separate models.

SpecificationApple AirPods Pro 3Samsung Galaxy Buds2 Pro
Release year20252022
Announcement and saleAnnounced 9 September 2025; in stores 19 September 2025 Apple—
ChipsApple H2 in the earbuds; second-generation Ultra Wideband (U2) chip in the charging case Apple—
Audio hardwareCustom high-excursion Apple driver; custom high dynamic range amplifier Apple—
Noise controlActive Noise Cancellation, Transparency mode, Adaptive Audio, Conversation Awareness

Apple says ANC is up to 2x more effective than AirPods Pro 2. Adaptive Audio blends ANC and Transparency to suit the surroundings and needs iOS 18 or later.

Apple
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Spatial audioPersonalised Spatial Audio with dynamic head tracking

Creating a personal profile requires an iPhone with a TrueDepth camera.

Apple
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Ear tipsFoam-infused silicone tips; five sizes: XXS, XS, S, M, L

XXS is new in this generation.

Apple
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Heart rate sensingOptical heart rate sensor (PPG) in the earbuds; infrared pulsed 256 times per second

Used during workouts in the Fitness app on iPhone and requires iOS 26. It is not a medical measuring device.

Apple
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Microphones and sensorsDual beamforming microphones, inward-facing microphone; skin-detect sensor, motion- and speech-detecting accelerometers

The speech-detecting accelerometer senses the wearer talking through bone vibration; Voice Isolation suppresses background noise.

Apple
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Hearing featuresHearing Test, Hearing Aid, Hearing Protection

The Hearing Aid feature is FDA-authorised for adults 18+ with perceived mild to moderate hearing loss; availability varies by country.

Apple
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Live TranslationLive Translation (beta) with an Apple Intelligence-enabled iPhone on iOS 26

Apple notes the feature is not available in every region or language.

Apple
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ControlsStem press and swipe: play/pause, calls, mode switching, volume; “Siri” voice command

Press and hold switches listening modes; swiping up or down changes volume.

Apple
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Battery (earbuds)Up to 8 hours with ANC at 50% volume; 7.5 hours with Spatial Audio and head tracking; 6.5 hours in workouts with heart rate; 10 hours in Hearing Aid mode

Apple measured these in July–August 2025 with pre-production units and software; results vary with settings and environment.

Apple
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Battery (with case)Up to 24 hours total with ANC; 5 minutes in the case gives about 1 hour of listening Apple—
Charging caseUSB-C, MagSafe, Apple Watch charger or Qi-certified charger; speaker for Find My; lanyard loop

A USB-C cable is not included in the box.

Apple
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DurabilityIP57 (IEC 60529); earbuds and charging case

Not for water sports. Resistance may decrease over time; do not charge when wet.

Apple
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BluetoothBluetooth 5.3

Per SoundGuys testing, codecs are SBC and AAC; there is no lossless wireless streaming.

Apple
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CompatibilityLatest iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, macOS, tvOS, visionOS; basic Bluetooth headphones on other devices

On non-Apple devices adaptive modes, hearing features and firmware updates are unavailable.

Apple
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Size and weightEarbud (each) 30.9 × 19.2 × 27.0 mm, 5.55 g; case 47.2 × 62.2 × 21.8 mm, 43.99 g AppleEarbud 19.9 × 21.6 × 18.7 mm, 5.5 g; case 50.1 × 50.2 × 27.7 mm, 43.4 g Samsung
Driver—Custom coaxial 2-way speaker (tweeter + woofer)

In a coaxial design the tweeter and woofer share one axis, aiming to keep sound from coming from two separate points.

Samsung
Sound quality—24-bit Hi-Fi; 360 Audio with Direct Multi-Channel

24-bit audio only works with Samsung Galaxy devices running One UI 4.0 or later and in supported apps. 360 Audio positions sound according to head movement.

Samsung
Noise cancelling—ANC; 3 high-SNR microphones (2 outer + 1 inner); Ambient Sound; Voice Detect

According to Samsung, cancellation is 40% better than the Buds Pro (50 Hz–1 kHz average). Voice Detect switches to ambient mode and lowers media volume when you start speaking.

Samsung
Connectivity and codec—Bluetooth 5.3; Auto Switch; Samsung Seamless Codec HiFi, AAC, SBC

The Seamless Codec is only used with Samsung phones; other phones fall back to AAC or SBC. Android 8.0 and more than 1.5 GB of RAM are required; some features are missing on non-Samsung devices.

Samsung
Battery—Earbuds 61 mAh, case 515 mAh (typical); with ANC on 5 hours / 18 hours with case; ANC off 8 / 29 hours Samsung
Talk time—With ANC on 3.5 hours / 14 hours with case; ANC off 4 / 15 hours Samsung
Sensors—Accelerometer, gyro, proximity, Hall, touch, Voice Pickup Unit (VPU) Samsung
Water resistance—IPX7 (earbuds; up to 30 minutes in 1 m of fresh water)

The charging case is not water resistant; beach and pool use is not advised.

Samsung