Summary
- Quality control issues have delayed the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro release, affecting white units.
- Korean customers report problems like earbuds not sitting flush, scuffs on cases, and blue dye marks on the earbuds.
- Samsung has delayed deliveries of the earbuds in the US to late August.
Alongside the Galaxy Z Fold 6, Flip 6, and the Galaxy Watch 7, Samsung also unveiled its newest flagship buds — the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro — at its July 10 Unpacked event. Like its other devices, the company started accepting preorders for the earphones right after the event, with retail availability scheduled for July 26. However, quality control issues have forced the Korean giant to push back the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro launch and delay preorder deliveries.
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Unlike the rest of the world, the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro went up for sale in South Korea — Samsung’s home market — earlier this week. But soon, reports emerged of quality control issues, like the earbud joints not sitting flush, blue dye blemishes, loose case hinges, scuffs or scratches on the case lid, earbuds not sitting properly inside the case, etc. Apparently, the problems are limited to the white Buds 3 Pro, with the silver units not being affected.
A Reddit user reports receiving an email from Samsung to stop Galaxy Buds 3 Pro sales. These issues are seemingly popping up because of Samsung’s poor quality control checks. Its Korean community forum is also filled with user complaints, with one customer claiming that the company will improve its quality control and put the earbuds back on sale on July 24.
A spokesperson for Samsung told Android Police, “There have been reports relating to a limited number of early production Galaxy Buds 3 Pro devices. We are taking this matter very seriously and remain committed to meeting the highest quality standards of our products. We are urgently assessing and enhancing our quality control processes.”
“To ensure all products meet our quality standards, we have temporarily suspended deliveries of Galaxy Buds 3 Pro devices to distribution channels to conduct a full quality control evaluation before shipments to consumers take place. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.”
Korean customers who have already received their Buds 3 Pro units can take them to their nearest service center for a replacement if they are facing issues.
Galaxy Buds 3 Pro launch might have been pushed back in the US
In the US and other markets, Samsung appears to have pushed back the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro’s launch date and (some) preorder deliveries by a month. If your earbuds are still on track for a July delivery, make sure to inspect them thoroughly once they arrive to ensure there are no quality control problems.
On its US store, the company now lists the Buds 3 Pro for delivery in late August — a month after its launch date. The earbuds are also no longer listed for sale on Amazon, and Best Buy has stopped accepting preorders for them.
The Buds 3 are not affected by any quality control issues and are still listed for delivery by July 24, their launch day. Early Galaxy Buds 3 Pro customers have found the ear tips to tear easily while removing them. However, this delay from Samsung does not appear linked to that problem.
UPDATE: 2024/07/19 07:57 EST BY JAMES PECKHAM
Samsung responds to request for comment
We’ve included comment directly from Samsung offering more information about the delay.
