Samsung Galaxy Buds4 Pro / Apple AirPods (3rd generation)

Samsung Galaxy Buds4 Pro: Galaxy Buds4 Pro (SM-R640); White, Black and Pink Gold. The non-Pro Galaxy Buds4 and the Buds3 Pro are separate models.

Apple AirPods (3rd generation): AirPods (3rd generation) launched in 2021 with the MagSafe Charging Case; from 2022 a version with the Lightning Charging Case was also sold. The earbuds are the same with either case. AirPods 4, AirPods 2 and AirPods Pro are separate models.

SpecificationSamsung Galaxy Buds4 ProApple AirPods (3rd generation)
Release year20262021
Drivers2-way; Super Wide woofer + tweeter

Separate drivers for bass and treble aim for better separation than a single driver covering both.

Samsung		—
Sound24-bit / 96 kHz Hi-Fi sound; 360 Audio with head tracking; Adaptive EQ 2.0 Samsung—
Noise controlAdaptive Active Noise Cancellation; Ambient Sound; Adaptive Noise Control; Voice Detect

Voice Detect lowers the music and lets in ambient sound when you start talking.

Samsung		—
Microphones and calls3 mics (2 outer high-SNR + 1 inner) and VPU; Super Wideband Call (16 kHz); DNN noise reduction Samsung—
BluetoothBluetooth 6.1 (LE Audio ready); Auracast; Auto Switch

Auto Switch moves the connection between Galaxy devices on the same Samsung account; Auracast lets several headsets join one broadcast.

Samsung		—
Battery capacityEarbud 61 mAh; case 530 mAh Samsung—
Playback time6 hours with ANC (26 with case), 7 hours without (30 with case) Samsung—
Talk time4.5 hours with ANC (20 with case), 5 hours without (22 with case) Samsung—
ControlsTouch and swipe; head gestures; voice commands; Gemini and Bixby

Head gestures let you accept or reject a call by nodding or shaking your head.

Samsung		Press the stem once to play/pause or answer a call; twice to skip forward or end a call; three times to skip back; press and hold for Siri

There is no on-bud volume control.

Apple
DurabilityIP57; 0.9 m (3 ft) of water for 30 minutes

IP57 limits dust ingress and survives brief immersion; the case is not stated to have the same rating.

Samsung		—
SizeEarbud 18.1 × 19.6 × 30.9 mm; case 51 × 51 × 28.3 mm Samsung—
CompatibilityOne UI 8.0 or later via phone settings; Android 11 or later via Galaxy Wearable; Bluetooth only on iOS; Windows 10 PCs; Samsung TVs from 2022

Because there is no iPhone app, features such as EQ and ANC settings are not available on iOS.

Samsung		—
ColoursWhite, Black, Pink Gold Samsung—
Design and fit—Open-fit in-ear design without silicone tips; short stem

Because the earbud does not seal the canal, ambient sound is heard; fit depends on ear shape and there are no interchangeable tips.

Apple
Audio technology—Custom high-excursion Apple driver; custom high dynamic range amplifier; Personalised Spatial Audio with dynamic head tracking; Adaptive EQ

Adaptive EQ measures what is heard in the ear with the inward-facing microphone and adjusts the tuning to the fit in real time. Head tracking anchors sound to the Apple device’s screen. There is no active noise cancellation or transparency mode.

Apple
Chip and connectivity—H1 headphone chip; Bluetooth 5.0

Automatic device switching, “Hey Siri” and one-tap pairing work with Apple devices.

Apple
Sensors and microphones—Dual beamforming microphones, inward-facing microphone, skin-detect sensor, motion and speech-detecting accelerometers, force sensor

The skin-detect sensor pauses playback when an earbud is removed.

Apple
Battery—Up to 6 hours of listening per charge (5 hours with Personalised Spatial Audio on); up to 30 hours with the case; 5 minutes in the case ≈ 1 hour of listening Apple
Charging case—MagSafe Charging Case (MagSafe, Qi and Lightning) or Lightning Charging Case

The included cable is Lightning to USB-C; there is no adapter.

Apple
Sweat and water resistance—IPX4: earbuds and charging case

IPX4 protects against splashes; it is not for submersion.

Apple
Size and weight—Earbud (each): 30.79 × 18.26 × 19.21 mm, 4.28 g; case: 46.40 × 54.40 × 21.38 mm, 37.91 g Apple