Major Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro leak may have revealed earbuds in first real-world photos

The successors to Samsung’s best wireless earbuds yet are expected to launch at Galaxy Unpacked 2024, and a new leak appears to have given us our first real-world look at the Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro’s fancy new charging case and so-called “blade lights.”

A Redditor named ‘Plastic_Development1’ shared the images (also picked up by a reliable leaker Ice Universebelow) in a Reddit postafter claiming they were able to purchase the earbuds. Those claims appear to be backed up by some additional photos in the thread showing what they look like when worn.

The photos show the retail packaging of the new earbuds, as well as the charging case and the ANC earbuds themselves. They show the silver (or gray) color of the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro, with the earbuds also expected to come in white – which is fitting, given that their stem-based design is very similar to that of the Apple AirPods Pro 2.

What the Apple AirPods don’t have is an LED strip running down the side like their Samsung rivals, a detail we’ve seen in previous Galaxy Buds 3 Pro leaks. It’s still unclear what exactly these “blade lights” are for, though it seems likely they’ll serve as a battery indicator at the very least.

A previous leak had revealed that the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro would come with features like improved IP57 dust and water resistance, an Auto Switch function, and support for 24-bit 96KHz audio streaming (which could be limited to Galaxy phones). The main difference between the standard Galaxy Buds 3 and the Pro version is expected to be that the latter will have two drivers in each ear, instead of one, for improved sound quality.

While this leak should still be approached with the usual caution, Redditor ‘Plastic_Development1’ also shared some initial thoughts on what we can expect from Samsung’s new flagship models…

How do they compare to the AirPods Pro?

There’s a chance that these leaked earbuds are a convincing fake, but they’re also shown connecting to the Galaxy Wearable app, so it’s possible that they are indeed a realistic representation of Samsung’s upcoming Buds 3 Pro.

In the Reddit thread, the leaker gave some initial impressions in response to a number of questions, including that the fit feels similar to the AirPods Pro, but that the “longer stem will probably be annoying if you sleep with them on.” They also claim that the ambient mode, which lets you hear outside sounds, is better than that of the AirPods.

As for the price, Redditor ‘Plastic_Development1’ claims they paid $250 (roughly £195 / AU$370) for the Buds 3 Pro. While we’d take that with a pinch of salt, it sounds like a likely estimate: the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro cost $229 / £219 / AU$349 at launch, and their successors are expected to get a small price bump.

Opinions on the new design seem to be divided on the Galaxy Buds subreddit, with many stating they’re not big fans of the gunmetal ‘refrigerator’ color and that the stems of the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro look a bit too long. But this is all based on leaks – we’ll get our first official look at the earbuds at Samsung Galaxy Unpacked 2024, which starts on July 10 at 9am ET / 6am PT / 2pm BST / 11pm AEST.

You might also like…

• Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro – everything we know so far and what we want to see
• Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 expected to get major audio upgrades – and a new look
• Major Samsung Buds 3 and Buds 3 Pro leak reveals improved sound quality, smarter ANC and ‘blade lights’