Wireless headphones come in many shapes and styles, but can be narrowed down to two distinct form factors – those with ear tips and those without. From a functional perspective, over-ear headphones offer a more secure fit, better active noise cancellation performance, and superior passive sound isolation. They are often marketed as a premium option, with some mid-range and budget headphones opting for a unibody plastic design instead.
This dichotomy is true Samsung’s new Galaxy Buds 4 series. The $180 base model Galaxy Buds 4 don’t use ear tips. If you step up to you Galaxy Buds 4 Pro For $250, you get a more thoughtful design with silicone ear tips and an improved fit. There’s a bit more to the story here – some prefer the light, unobtrusive and freeing feel of earbuds without removable tips. But most of the time testing the Galaxy Buds 4, I wonder why anyone would want to buy a pair of earbuds without silicone or foam ear tips.
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The Galaxy Buds 4 and Buds 4 Pro are certainly not equal
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Samsung overhauled the design of both the Galaxy Buds 4 and Galaxy Buds 4 Pro this year, and there’s still one key feature that separates the two models. Aside from audiophile features like driver size or ANC quality, only one goes into your ear. That would be the Galaxy Buds 4 Pro, which have silicone ear tips that physically create a seal in your ear canal. The regular Galaxy Buds 4, on the other hand, sit on the edge of your channel.
It imitates apple ear row, as AirPods Pro 3 have hybrid silicone/foam ear tips, and the AirPods 4 don’t offer tips at all. However, not every brand builds its lineup this way. Both Google’s headphones, Pixel Buds Pro 2 and Pixel Buds 2ause silicone ear tips. Each pair of Beats headphones is an in-ear style and comes complete with silicone ear tips. When shopping within the Google or Beats lineup, you can buy products at a variety of price points while still getting a consistent experience.
This is not the case with the Galaxy Buds 4 series. Here, you need to gauge whether you need ear buds with ear tips that completely close your ear canal. It’s even more of an issue with the price and overall feature set.
The Galaxy Buds 4 have a new design, but an old problem
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Let’s start with the good and move on to the Galaxy Buds 4 design features. I enjoyed the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro, so I was skeptical that Samsung would ditch that plan for something completely new here. As it turns out, Samsung made the right call. The flat body design and streamlined headphone style look great. With its square shape, the Galaxy Buds 4 wireless charging case feels more portable and compact, and it’s easy to put the earbuds in place when you need to charge them.
The square Galaxy Buds 4 charging case measures 51x51x28.3 mm and weighs just over 45 grams, making it easy to fit in your pocket. While I will miss the blade lights on the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro, the design is now more consistent on the Galaxy Buds 4 and Galaxy Buds 4 Pro. In other words, the visual redesign is a hit in my book.
The redesign doesn’t do much to change the Galaxy Buds functionally, and that’s a shame. i find Galaxy Buds 3 Pro and Galaxy Buds 4 Pro are some of the most comfortable earbuds on the market, but the Galaxy Buds 3 and Galaxy Buds 4 are a completely different story. The rounded shells of the earbuds and the lack of silicone ear tips do little to create a secure fit in your ear. In my case, the Galaxy Buds 4 never felt like they would stay in place.
I’m worried that the Galaxy Buds 4 will slip out if I bend over to take my laptop out of my bag. Doing a “shake test” with these headphones causes at least one of them to fly across the room. I wouldn’t dare wear them while jogging, and even a casual walk might require frequent adjustments to ensure a secure fit.
Compared to the AirPods 4, which also lack ear tips, the Galaxy Buds 4 may be a worse fit. This is because the AirPods 4 design has a sharper point at the location of the sound driver, which helps open up your ear canal. Meanwhile, the Galaxy Buds 4 audio driver grill is completely flat. The design does little to help the buds find their rightful home in your ear, which can lead to frustrating wear.
The sound quality and ANC are worse because of it
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Even if the Galaxy Buds 4 manage to stay comfortably in your ears, the looser fit may compromise sound quality. It’s important that the headphones’ audio drivers are aimed directly at your ear canal for the best experience, and that’s difficult when the sleek, curved design of the Galaxy Buds 4 forces you to shift them around a bunch. You can really hear the difference in sound quality when the Galaxy Buds 4 start sliding around, which often leads to adjustments.
The loose fit also makes active nose cancellation a silly endeavor. The Galaxy Buds 4 support ANC features, including adaptive and transparency mode, but due to the poor seal, external noise gets in easily. With the Galaxy Buds 4 in my ears, I can hear the loud air conditioner and that’s regardless of whether ANC is on or off.
This is not just a Galaxy Buds 4 problem
A poor fit can limit what you can do with your headphones. I can’t turn off the noise in a coffee shop or run with my Galaxy Buds 4. I’m sure there are some steps Samsung has taken to improve the fit of the Galaxy Buds 4 – a sharper sound driver opening point and a less smooth finish are two that immediately come to mind – but the problem really lies with the form factor.
In my opinion, having ear tips that create a great seal inside your ear canal is a must for any ANC headphone. So even though they look good on paper, headphones like the Galaxy Buds 4 or AirPods 4 aren’t for me.
No pressure
The Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 don’t offer the same level of secure fit or sound isolation as the Galaxy Buds 4 Pro, but some may find the lack of ear pressure and looser seats more comfortable. You also get many of the same Galaxy Buds 4 Pro software features in a cheaper package.
