I hated the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro, but the Buds 4 Pro might win me back

I’ve had Samsung’s Galaxy Buds 3 Pro since they were released over a year ago, and while there’s a fair amount I like about them, they’ve largely stayed put in my office closet instead of being my go-to earbuds of choice.

Why? Because of their design. Samsung made a few questionable design choices with the Buds 3 Pro, and they add up in a way that makes using the earbuds more annoying than enjoyable.

Thankfully, it looks like Samsung is turning over a new leaf. Android Authority recently shared an exclusive first look at the upcoming Galaxy Buds 4 Pro. They still resemble the Buds 3 Pro, but with a couple of design tweaks that should be significant in daily use. And as a hater of the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro design, I couldn’t be more excited.

Every time I’ve tried using the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro over the past year, the same thing happens. I quite like the sound quality and the overall comfort once the buds are in my ears. However, the second I have to interact with the earbuds or their charging case, I remember why I can’t stick with the Buds 3 Pro for more than a few days at a time.

The main issue I have with the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro is the sharp, triangular design of the earbud stems. While it looks cool, it’s also a usability nightmare. With traditional earbuds that have a round stem, you can grab them anywhere to comfortably perform whatever squeeze/swipe gestures they’re capable of.

The Buds 3 Pro stem doesn’t work that way. While the gestures themselves are accurate and pleasing to use, the challenge lies in gripping the stem of the Buds 3 Pro in a way that activates the gestures. Grip it too close to the outside, and your fingers slide along the angles and mess up your in-ear fit. Grab it too close to the inside, and you’ll likely end up knocking the Buds 3 Pro out of your ear and into your hand — just as my colleague Ryan Haines complained about last year.

This isn’t a huge deal when I’m wearing the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro while sitting still at my office desk or at a coffee shop, but it’s a disaster when I’m moving around. Every time I’ve tried running with the Buds 3 Pro, I’ve accidentally taken the buds out of my ears while trying to quickly squeeze the stems. It’s a huge pain.

Samsung’s triangle stem shape also translates to another annoyance: putting the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro in their charging case. Out of the dozens and dozens of wireless earbuds I’ve used over the years, the Buds 3 Pro are the only ones I consistently struggle to put into the case.

Not only does the triangular base of the earbuds prevent you from easily dropping them in the case like you can with AirPods, but Samsung’s decision to have the stems face each other, rather than away from each other, makes the case feel very cramped when trying to place the buds back inside. Even better, the magnet near the top of the earbud is just strong enough to push the stem away from its hole in the case. I know this sounds like nitpicking, but it’s truly maddening in daily use.

And that brings us to the Galaxy Buds 4 Pro. Although our first look at the design comes in the form of cartoon-styled One UI 8.5 animations, it’s enough to show that my complaints about the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro should be disappearing with their successor.

This is primarily evident by the new stem shape, which appears to be significantly flatter on the Buds 4 Pro compared to the Buds 3 Pro. It obviously remains to be seen how the stems feel to use in person, but based solely on the shape we’re seeing here, it already looks like a massive upgrade over the Buds 3 Pro design. All I ask from Samsung is a stem I can use quickly and easily, and it seems like we’re on track to get that.

The other change I’m happy to see is the new charging case. The case for the Galaxy Buds 4 Pro resembles the style Samsung last used with the Buds 2 Pro. Rather than placing the earbuds into the case vertically, they’ll go in lying down. This should eliminate all the friction currently present with the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro case, and that’s a huge win.

A new stem shape and a tweaked charging case for the Galaxy Buds 4 Pro may not sound like anything game-changing, but in the context of how bad these things are with the Buds 3 Pro, I’m now looking forward to Samsung’s new earbuds far more than I was before.