Samsung makes great earbuds for Samsung users. Apple makes great earbuds for iPhone users. That’s been true for years, and 2026 hasn’t changed it. If you’ve landed on this page already knowing that, good — we can skip past the part where we explain what an ecosystem is and get to the stuff that actually matters.
Because here’s the thing: the people reading a comparison like this aren’t usually looking for permission to buy the obvious choice. They want to know how far apart these two products really are. Is the gap in features as big as the spec sheets suggest? And for anyone juggling both a Galaxy phone and an iPhone — which is more people than you’d think — the ecosystem argument doesn’t automatically settle anything.
Both Samsung and Apple have pushed their respective lineups harder this year than they have in a while. Whether that’s closed the gap between them, or actually widened it in unexpected ways, is exactly what we’re here to find out.
Galaxy Buds 4 vs. AirPods 4 ANC: Tech Specs
SpecificationSamsung Galaxy Buds 4Apple AirPods 4 (ANC)Release DateMarch 6, 2026September 2024Price (USD)$179.99$179Fit TypeOpen-fit (no ear tips)Open-fit (no ear tips)Chip—Apple H2Driver11mm dynamic driver (single)11mm custom high-excursion driverAudio Quality24-bit / 96kHz Hi-Res Audio (SSC HiFi/UHQ)Standard (no Hi-Res certification)CodecsSSC HiFi, SSC UHQ, AAC, SBC, LC3AAC, SBCANC / TransparencyAdaptive ANC / Ambient Sound ModeActive Noise Cancellation / Transparency ModeSpatial Audio360 Audio with Head TrackingPersonalized Spatial Audio with Head TrackingEqualizer9-Band Adaptive EQ 2.0Adaptive EQMicrophones (per earbud)3 microphones3 microphones (dual beamforming + inward-facing)Voice AssistantBixby, Google Gemini, Perplexity (hands-free)Siri (“Hey Siri” / “Siri”)Head GesturesNod/shake (accept/decline calls, Bixby)Siri Interactions (nod yes / shake no)Bluetooth Versionv6.1v5.3Wireless ChargingYes (case)Yes (ANC model case — Qi / Apple Watch charger)IP Rating (Earbuds) / (Case)IP54 / –IP54 – IP54Earbud Battery Life (ANC on)5 hours4 hoursEarbud Battery Life (ANC off)6 hours5 hoursTotal Battery with Case (ANC on)24 hours20 hoursTotal Battery with Case (ANC off)30 hours30 hoursEarbud Weight~5g (each, estimated)4.3g (each)Case Speaker (Find My)NoYesFind My / Find My EarbudsYes (Samsung Find)Yes (Apple Find My)Touch / Gesture ControlsPinch, swipe, tapForce sensor (press once/twice/three times)ColorsBlack, WhiteWhite only
Galaxy Buds 4 support more codecs and support Auracast
Samsung
Start with audio. The Buds 4 supports Hi-Res Audio at 24-bit/96kHz — the AirPods 4 ANC doesn’t, and that gap shows up in how music actually sounds on a decent streaming service. Samsung also throws in SSC, AAC, SBC, and LC3 codec support, where Apple gives you AAC and little else. The 9-Band EQ means you’re not stuck with whatever tuning Samsung ships.
Noise control works across three modes. Adaptive ANC maps itself to your ear shape and fit rather than applying a blanket algorithm. Ambient Sound Mode is the one you’ll reach for on a walk home at night, or any time you want music in your ears without losing track of what’s happening around you.
Samsung
Adaptive Noise Control goes a step further — it watches your context, and if you’ve gone from sitting at your desk to stepping onto a bus, it’s already switched modes before you’ve thought to do it yourself.
The rest fills in nicely. Bluetooth v6.1 holds its connection better than the AirPods 4’s v5.3 when you’re somewhere with a lot of competing signals — a busy office, a crowded train. Five hours of ANC battery beats Apple’s four, which adds up over a long day. Auracast support, pinch-swipe-tap controls, Samsung Find, Live Translation across 22 languages, and the ability to pull up Bixby, Gemini, or Perplexity hands-free through Galaxy AI round out a feature set that punches well above the Buds 4’s $179 price tag.
AirPods 4 ANC are the most affordable Apple earbuds with ANC
Simon Cohen / Digital Trends
The H2 chip brings real Active Noise Cancellation to an open-fit earbud with no silicone tips. It shouldn’t work as well as it does. Transparency Mode is among the most natural-sounding in the business, and Adaptive Audio means you’re rarely reaching into settings to flip between modes. Apple’s real calling card has always been how well its devices play together, and the AirPods 4 ANC is no exception.
Pull the AirPods out of the case near your iPhone and they’re already connected. Walk over to your Mac and the audio moves with you — Automatic Device Switching and Handoff is one of those things that feels ordinary until you use earbuds that don’t have it.
Simon Cohen / Digital Trends
Siri responds to your voice without a button press, and Apple Intelligence builds on top of that with smarter, more conversational interactions.
The wireless charging case is IP54-rated, small enough to disappear into any pocket, and has a Find My speaker built in so you’re not turning the room upside down looking for it. A force sensor keeps physical controls precise and reliable, and while four hours of ANC battery won’t get everyone through the day, it’s a reasonable trade-off for a genuinely pocketable, open-fit design at $179.
Galaxy Buds 4 Pro vs. AirPods Pro 3: Tech Specs
SpecificationSamsung Galaxy Buds 4 ProApple AirPods Pro 3Release DateMarch 6, 2026September 2025Price (USD)$249$249Fit TypeCanal-fit (in-ear with silicone tips)In-ear with silicone tipsChip—Apple H2 headphone chipUWB Chip—Apple 2nd-gen Ultra Wideband chip (in case)Driver Configuration2-way: 11mm dynamic woofer + 5.4mm planar tweeterCustom high-excursion Apple driver + custom high dynamic range amplifierAudio Quality24-bit / 96kHz Hi-Res Audio (SSC HiFi/UHQ)Up to 20-bit / 48kHz lossless (Apple Vision Pro only); standard AAC over BluetoothCodecsSSC HiFi, SSC UHQ, AAC, SBC, LC3AAC, SBCActive Noise CancellationAdaptive ANC 2.0ANC — up to 2x more than AirPods Pro 2; 4x more than original AirPods ProSpatial Audio360 Audio with Head TrackingPersonalized Spatial Audio with dynamic head trackingMicrophones (per earbud)3 SNR mics + VPU (bone conduction) + SWBDual beamforming + inward-facing microphoneHeart Rate SensorNoYes (infrared PPG, 256 pulses/sec)Hearing Health FeaturesNoHearing Test, Hearing Aid, Hearing Protection, Automatic Conversation BoostLive TranslationYes (22 languages, Galaxy S26 req.)Yes (English, French, German, Portuguese, Spanish; Apple Intelligence iPhone req.)Earbud Battery Life (ANC on)6 hours8 hoursTotal Battery with Case (ANC on)26 hours24 hoursFind My / Find My CaseYes (Samsung Find)Yes (Apple Find My; case plays sound)Touch / Gesture ControlsPinch, swipe, tap (engraved pinch area)Force sensor: press, press & hold, swipe up/down for volumeColorsBlack, White, Pink Gold (online exclusive)White only
Buds 4 Pro support Hi-Res Audio and offer a 9-band equalizer
Nadeem Sarwar / Digital Trends
On the audio hardware front, the Galaxy Buds 4 Pro pulls ahead with a two-way driver system — an 11mm dynamic woofer paired with a 5.4mm planar tweeter — delivering a wider frequency range and more precise separation between lows and highs than a single-driver setup can manage. This hardware is backed by Hi-Res Audio certification at 24-bit/96kHz, something that even the Pro AirPods simply cannot claim, alongside an extensive codec lineup — SSC HiFi, SSC UHQ, AAC, SBC, and LC3.
For noise management, Samsung offers three distinct modes: Adaptive ANC 2.0 (analyzes your ear shape and wearing conditions to fine-tune cancellation), Ambient Sound Mode (lets environmental audio through naturally), and Adaptive Noise Control (automatically switches between modes). Add to that a fully manual 9-Band EQ for granular sound customization.
Nadeem Sarwar / Digital Trends
Auracast lets you tune into public broadcast audio streams. There’s also a dedicated Gaming Mode that cuts latency for mobile gaming, and a genuinely novel 360 Audio Recording feature that captures spatial audio through the earbuds themselves when filming on a Galaxy phone.
There’s Live Translation, support for multiple assistants like Bixby, Google Gemini, or Perplexity entirely hands-free, and Interpreter Mode handles real-time face-to-face translation.
AirPods Pro 3 offer heart rate sensing and hearing aid features
Digital Trends
Apple’s H2 chip is doing a lot of heavy lifting here. It’s what powers the Pro 3’s class-leading ANC — up to 4x stronger than the original AirPods Pro — and what makes Adaptive Audio feel less like a feature and more like the earbuds just knowing what you need. The classics like Adaptive Audio, Conversation Awareness, Personalized Spatial Audio, and Adaptive EQ are all there.
The bigger story, though, is health. No other flagship earbud at this price does what the Pro 3 does — a real heart rate sensor, 50+ workout types through the Fitness app, and a hearing suite that includes a clinical Hearing Aid mode, Hearing Test, and Hearing Protection. These aren’t checkbox features; they’re things people will actually use daily.
Tom Bedford / Digital Trends
Rounding things out, the Camera Remote is a neat hands-free trick, Studio-quality recording turns the Pro 3 into a capable on-the-go microphone, and the IP57-rated MagSafe case — with its Find My speaker and second-gen Ultra Wideband chip for precision tracking — is simply the most complete charging case in the business. Battery life with ANC on hits eight hours, comfortably ahead of the Buds 4 Pro.
