With Galaxy Buds 4, Samsung wants to avoid its past mistakes at all costs

Unlike its smartphones, Samsung refreshes its flagship earbuds once every two years. That means the successor to the Galaxy Buds 3 series should launch sometime this year. While Samsung typically launches earbuds alongside its foldables at mid-year, it may release the Buds 4 and Buds 4 Pro earlier than usual, alongside the Galaxy S26 series later this month. And, the chief focus for these flagship earbuds would be reliability.

According to industry sources cited by Korea’s ET News, Samsung’s efforts with the upcoming Galaxy Buds 4 series aim to regain consumer trust. The Galaxy Buds 3’s launch was marred by widespread reliability issues, including poor build quality, visible gaps in the earbuds, and fragile earbuds that ripped easily (here are some more specific ones). These issues forced Samsung to halt sales immediately after the July 2024 release and focus on fixing them.

To ensure this scenario does not recur, Samsung is reportedly focusing on a practical design and stability with the Galaxy Buds 4 rather than just striking looks. Android Authority was also the first to reveal the updated design of the Galaxy Buds 4 Pro, which replaces the sharp-edged stems on the Buds 3 with a flat stem with a metallic finish. The thin LED strip on the previous pair is likely to be omitted as well. Meanwhile, we could expect a surprise color in addition to the regular black and white.

For the charging case, Samsung is expected to return to a flat-bed design, with earbuds lying horizontally rather than in AirPods-like vertical slots. Samsung is also expected to add a Find My Phone button to summon your phone from the earbuds. These changes have been leaked for the Galaxy Buds 4 Pro, and it’s unclear whether the standard variant will also feature them.

The stems on the Galaxy Buds 4 Pro are likely to support pinch controls for play/pause and volume. Not just that, you will also be able to nod your head to accept or reject calls, dismiss alerts, or interact with the smart assistant.

Besides these changes, the Galaxy Buds 4 and Buds 4 Pro could retail for the same price as the Buds 3 and Buds 3 Pro, respectively. Samsung is also reportedly mulling a similar move for the Galaxy S26 series.