For a slightly lower price, the Buds Pro 2 do everything the Buds 3 Pro do but better.
The former features a slim, sleek look with elongated stems or blades.
The sharp, pointy blades look triangular from afar but reveal their unique pentagonal shape upon a closer look.
Photo: Dua Rashid / Gizmodo
I cant deny the bump in aesthetic the lights lead to as well as how rare the feature is.
Theyre available in four gorgeous colors: Peony, Wintergreen, Porcelain, and Hazel.
Aesthetics-wise, Googles buds are chic, and Samsungs flashy.
Photo: Dua Rashid / Gizmodo
The right option is whichever better aligns with your taste.
Fit-wise, the Pixel Buds Pro 2 are far snugger.
The Galaxy Buds 3 Pro arent assisted by any protruding parts that complement their fit.
Google also won me over by including an XS ear tip size in the package.
Accommodating extreme sizes is always a good idea.
The Pixel buds inconspicuous form factor played a role in their hassle-free fit, too.
Photo: Dua Rashid / Gizmodo
Despite that, the Pixel Buds Pro 2s controls are an undisputed winner for me.
You tweak the volume on Googles buds by swiping horizontally on them.
Swiping from left to right turns the volume up and vice versa.
Photo: Dua Rashid / Gizmodo
Since the buds dont feature protruding stems, tapping and swiping on them without compromising the fit is easy.
Both buds offer excellent audio overall, but the Galaxy buds suffer from a slightly thick-sounding low-end.
This was also an issue on the first-gen Pixel Buds Pro but was fixed on the flagship model.
It sits on a separate layer from the rest of the orchestra and is unarguably its most defined part.
Again, both buds perform decent noise cancelation, but the Pixel buds win by a slight margin.
Their ANC is extremely powerful.
Switching to ANC instantly reduced that noise significantly.
The Galaxy Buds 3 Pro were a little less efficient in this regard.
They sport 48 and 30 hours with ANC off and on, respectively.
Samsung offers 30 and 26 hours with ANC off and on, respectively.
I easily squeezed weeks out of the Pixel Buds Pro 2.
Both buds charge wirelessly.
Samsung has built higher walls around some of its features.
The Galaxy-exclusive features on the Samsung buds make a better case for staying within the ecosystem.
However, the Pixels also offer IPX4 resistance on their charging case, which is uncommon for wireless earbuds.
In fact, theyre cheaper at $230 compared to the $250 Buds 3 Pro.
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