The Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro ‘blades’ have an unfortunate design flaw

When I heard Samsung was rumored to take cues from Apple’s AirPods Pro, I was happy. After spending nearly a full week listening to the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro, though, I’m surprised by my experience thus far.

The sound quality is stunning, perhaps even better than the AirPods Pro, but it’s the overall design and its blades (that’s what Samsung calls the stems) that have been seriously underwhelming. The blades, specifically, have a design flaw that should sound familiar to Galaxy Buds 2 Pro owners, and it’s annoying enough to make me want to go back to my AirPods Pro 2.

The problem with the Buds 3 Pro’s blades

They’re strangely shaped, and the touch controls are too sensitive

Samsung calls the stems on its latest earbuds “blades” because they’re incredibly angular. It’s a unique choice, since the AirPods Pro 2 use a more cylindrical design, whereas the Nothing Ear uses a more rectangular one.

This creates a minor problem: it’s hard to figure out where the touch sensors are on the blades. There’s an embossed line on the earbuds that’s supposed to let you know exactly where to press or swipe, but there are so many lines and sharp edges that it only adds to the confusion.

To me, the bigger issue is that the capacitive sensors are on the back of the blades, rather than the front. There also isn’t anything tactile in the design that lets you know where the sensors end and begin. On the AirPods Pro 2, the cylindrical stems flatten out to let you know exactly where the touch sensors are. Here, it’s a guessing game, and somehow, it’s easier to change the volume on the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro accidentally than on purpose.

I like earbuds with stems — or blades, for that matter — because they stay more secure in your ear, and they’re easy to adjust. Usually, all it takes is a quick shifting of the stem to find a comfortable position again. But Samsung ended up putting the touch sensors on the part of the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro that you’re guaranteed to touch when putting them in your ear or adjusting your fit. As a result, simply grabbing the blade to change the position of an earbud is usually enough to raise or lower the volume by accident. If you grab the blade hard enough, you might even pause your track — although this is admittedly rarer.

For what it’s worth, I’ve never had this problem with other wireless earbuds with stems, like the AirPods Pro or Nothing Ear 2. The combination of Samsung’s blade design and touch sensor location make for nightmare controls on the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro.

Related

PSA: Swapping out the ear tips on your Galaxy Buds 3 Pro probably isn’t as easy as you think

Samsung’s Galaxy Buds 3 Pro feature a redesigned look with new AirPods-like stems, but it’s a longtime earbuds staple that’s giving new owners headaches. As reported by The Verge, users are starting to notice that replacing the ear tips (the rubbery part that goes in your actual ear canal) can easily lead to tearing them. Samsung provides a few different rubber ear tips in the box to help with sizing, and finding the right tips for your personal fit is one of the first things people do when setting up their earbuds. It’s worth noting that the standard Galaxy Buds 3 don’t utilize ear tips, so they’re unaffected. But if you’re a proud owner of a brand new pair of Buds 3 Pro, make sure to be extra delicate when removing those tips!

Samsung couldn’t even copy Apple right

My gripe with the Buds 3 Pro is nothing compared to the QC issues

It’s funny that Samsung managed to bring its touch controls problems from the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro to the Buds 3 Pro, despite completely overhauling the design. The accidental volume adjustments are my biggest gripe with the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro so far, but they aren’t the only pain point. In fact, some early buyers seem to have gotten the short end of the stick with quality control issues.

It turns out that the process for swapping the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro ear tips can cause the tips to tear off completely. I haven’t had that happen, but one of my ear tips does have a tiny tear from installing and removing it a few times. If that happens, the plastic part of the ear tip will be stuck on the earbud, and users will be in trouble. Other problems include dye marks on the tips, scuffs, and earbuds not sitting flush in their case.

It’s all led to an apparent delay — delivery dates for the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro have slipped by a month, and shops are reportedly being told to stop selling the earbuds. So, despite Samsung copying Apple, it’s apparently still struggling to make a great pair of earbuds. The company might get a handle on the QC issues, but the blades’ design flaw isn’t going anywhere.

Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro

The Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro sound great, but their hardware design makes touch controls annoying to use.