Wireless earbuds come in many shapes and styles, but they can be broadly narrowed down to two distinct form factors — those with ear tips and those without. From a functional standpoint, earbuds with ear tips offer a more secure fit, better active noise-canceling performance, and superior passive sound isolation. They’re often marketed as the premium option, with some midrange and budget earbuds opting for a unibody plastic design instead.
This dichotomy is true of Samsung’s new Galaxy Buds 4 series. The base-model Galaxy Buds 4, retailing for $180, doesn’t use ear tips. If you step up to the Galaxy Buds 4 Pro at $250, you get silicone ear tips and a more considered design with improved fit. There’s slightly more to the story here — some prefer the lightweight, unobtrusive, and freeing feel of earbuds without removable tips. But for the most part, my time testing the Galaxy Buds 4 has me wondering 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 certainly aren’t equal
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Samsung overhauled both the Galaxy Buds 4 and Galaxy Buds 4 Pro design this year, and there’s still a key characteristic separating the two models. Aside from audiophile features like driver size or ANC quality, only one goes all the way in your ear. That would be the Galaxy Buds 4 Pro, which include silicone ear tips that physically create a seal in your ear canal. The regular Galaxy Buds 4, on the other hand, sit just outside your canal.
This mimics the Apple earbuds lineup, as the AirPods Pro 3 have hybrid silicone/foam ear tips and the AirPods 4 don’t offer tips at all. However, not every brand constructs its lineup this way. Both of Google’s earbuds, the Pixel Buds Pro 2 and Pixel Buds 2a, use silicone ear tips. Every pair of Beats earbuds is of the in-ear style, complete with silicone ear tips, too. When shopping within the Google or Beats lineups, you can buy products at various price points while getting a consistent experience throughout.
That isn’t the case with the Galaxy Buds 4 lineup. Here, you’ll need to weigh whether you need buds with ear tips that fully seal off your ear canal. It’s arguably the bigger consideration, even over price and general feature set.
Galaxy Buds 4 have a new design, but an old problem
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Let’s get into the specifics of the Galaxy Buds 4 design, starting with the good. I enjoyed the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro, so I was admittedly skeptical of Samsung tossing that blueprint aside for something completely new here. As it turns out, Samsung made the right call. The flat case design and tweaked earbud styling look excellent. The square Galaxy Buds 4 wireless charging case feels more portable and compact, and it’s easy to drop the earbuds into place when they need a charge.
The square Galaxy Buds 4 charging case measures 51x51x28.3mm and weighs just over 45 grams, making it easily pocketable. While I’ll miss the blade lights on the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro, the design is now more consistent across 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 functionally change the Galaxy Buds, though, and that’s a shame. I find the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro and the Galaxy Buds 4 Pro to be some of the most comfortable earbuds on the market, but the Galaxy Buds 3 and Galaxy Buds 4 are a completely different story. The earbuds’ rounded shells and lack of silicone ear tips do little to create a secure fit inside your ear. In my case, the Galaxy Buds 4 never felt like they were going to stay put.
If I bend over to pull my laptop out of my backpack, I’m worried the Galaxy Buds 4 will slip out. Doing a “shake test” with these earbuds sends at least one of them flying across the room. I wouldn’t dare wear them while running, and even a casual walk might require frequent readjustments to ensure a secure fit.
Compared to the AirPods 4, which also lack ear tips, the Galaxy Buds 4 might fit worse. This is because the AirPods 4 design comes to a sharper point at the location of the audio driver, helping it nestle into the opening of your ear canal. Meanwhile, the Galaxy Buds 4 audio driver grille is completely flat. The design does little to help the buds find their rightful home in your ear, and it can make for a frustrating wear.
Sound quality and ANC are worse because of it
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Even if the Galaxy Buds 4 manage to stay in your ears comfortably, the sound quality might suffer due to the looser fit. It’s imperative that earbuds’ audio drivers are aimed directly into your ear canal for the best experience, and that’s tricky when the smooth, curvy Galaxy Buds 4 design makes them shift around a bunch. You can actually hear the difference in sound quality when the Galaxy Buds 4 start sliding out of position, leading to frequent readjustments.
The loose fit also makes active nose-canceling a foolish endeavor. The Galaxy Buds 4 support ANC features, including an adaptive and transparency mode, but external noise seeps in easily due to the weak seal. I can hear the loud hum of my air conditioner with the Galaxy Buds 4 in my ears, and that’s regardless of whether ANC is enabled or disabled.
This isn’t just a Galaxy Buds 4 problem
A poor fit can limit what you can do with your earbuds. I can’t drown out noise at a coffee shop or go on a run with the Galaxy Buds 4. I’m sure there are some steps Samsung could’ve taken to improve the Galaxy Buds 4 fit — a sharper audio driver opening point and a less-smooth finish are two that immediately come to mind — but the issue really lies with the form factor.
To me, having ear tips that create an excellent seal inside your ear canal is a must for any ANC earbuds. That’s why, despite looking good on paper, earbuds like the Galaxy Buds 4 or AirPods 4 just aren’t for me.
Pressure-free
The Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 don’t offer the same level of secure fitment or sound isolation as the Galaxy Buds 4 Pro, but some might find the lack of ear pressure and loose fit more comfortable. You also get many of the same Galaxy Buds 4 Pro software features in a cheaper package.
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