The Chinese company Honor showed off its high-end wireless headphones at MWC 2022 in Barcelona earlier this year. These are the Honor Earbuds 3 Pro. Sold at a rather high price, these compete with the AirPods Pro and even the Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro.
When we think of an alternative to the iPhone, Samsung phones are the first thing that comes to mind. When we think of an AirPods Pro alternative, the Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro will be the first thing that comes to mind. But today we are going to compare the Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro with the Honor Earbuds 3 Pro.
Specification
| Galaxy Buds 2 Pro | Earbuds 3 Pro | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | In-Ear | In-Ear |
| Release date | Aug 10, 2022 | Feb 28, 2022 |
| Microphone | Yes | Yes |
| Connectivity | TWS | TWS |
| ANC | Yes | Yes |
| Microphone | Yes | Yes |
| Water Resistant | IPX7 | – |
| Weight | 5.50 g | 5.10 g |
| Weight With Case | 43.4 g | 42.6 g |
| Bluetooth | Yes | Yes |
| Bluetooth Version | 5.3 | 5.2 |
| Bluetooth Codec Support | SBC,AAC | – |
| Bluetooth range | 10 meter | 10 meter |
| Battery Life | Upto 29 hrs | Upto 12 hrs |
| Battery | 515 mAh | 410 mAh |
| Charging Port | – | USB Type-C |
The Galaxy Buds 2 Pro come in a small box with a simple visual, information about battery, and key features.
- Headphones
- Their charging box
- A USB-C to USB-C cable
- Eartips of different sizes
The Honor Earbuds 3 Pro come in a simple box with a visual above and some information below. The Honor AI Space application QR code is under the box.
- Headphones
- Charging box
- Eartips of different sizes
- A USB-C cable
Design
Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro
Samsung has never made wireless headphones with branches like Apple’s. Samsung has always tried to offer a unique design, and the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro are no exception.
Compact case for Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro. If not in the dimensions, the case’s distribution makes it small. Square shape fits perfect in pocket.
This case is plastic with a matte gummed effect. Like their charging case, the Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro are made of matte plastic. The Galaxy Buds 2 Pro’s rubberized earpiece makes dirt and ear oils less visible.
Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro are oval in shape. The headphones’ fine construction allows them to be subtle. Depending on your complexion, their different colours will be visible in your ears.
6 microphones on each headphone pick up ambient sound and invert its phase, cancelling out ambient noise. These microphones make calls, too.
The music playback controls are fully tactile, and configurable from the application. If the touch zone is not physically demarcated, we had no trouble pausing, restarting our music, or moving on to the next track.
The Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro come with several features. While some are rather common, such as active suppression of ambient noise, others, such as 360 Audio, are more original.
Honor Earbuds 3 Pro
Simple design differentiates Honor Earbuds 3 Pro. If we can criticize Honor for this choice, we must also recognize that it is a reliable choice.
The white Honor Earbuds 3 Pro charging box is also available in black. Dense plastic gives the case a solid feel. The case’s density makes opening and closing easy.
Earbuds 3 Pro’s case isn’t square. Each side is curved. A front-facing LED shows battery status during wireless charging.
Plastic headphones. These control multimedia and volume. Comfortable white rubber tips.
The sleek design of the Honor Earbuds 3 Pro is unaffected by the proximity detector and ANC microphone grille.
The Earbuds 3 Pro come with some cool features. We can find the, now standard, ANC and transparent mode.
Audio quality
Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro sound great. The Buds 2 Pro have a V-shaped sound profile, unlike the AirPods Pro. This boosts low and treble frequencies, leaving mids behind. This sounds like the Jabra Elite 4 Active.
The Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro have good bass, boosted below 200 Hz but not stifling. The 1kHz-plus highs add clarity without shrillness.
Samsung promises 24-bit Hi-Fi audio quality on its Galaxy Buds 2 Pro thanks to its SSC HiFi codec, compatible only with Galaxy smartphones. There’s no way to force higher audio resolution. The headphones automatically adjust.
Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro are compatible with Apple AAC and Android SBC codecs. No Qualcomm AptX HD codec to enable higher resolution on non-Samsung devices.
The audio quality of the Honor Earbuds 3 Pro is quite good. While the sound profile of these headphones isn’t totally flat, the slightly boosted bass is the only thing that separates them.
Their 11 millimeter transducer, accompanied by a ceramic tweeter, deliver a pleasant and defined sound, with an emphasis on the treble, but also the bass which is deep and warm.
ANC
Samsung’s Galaxy Buds 2 Pro have 6 microphones, allowing for active ambient noise cancellation. Microphones pick up ambient noise and invert their phase, cancelling earmold noise. If you forgot the phase, review your final physics lessons.
Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro have good active noise cancellation for wireless headphones. Unfortunately, there is no setting to change the intensity of active ambient noise cancellation.
Honor Earbuds 3 Pro have active noise cancellation. ANC initially disappointed us. After launch, we hear a breath and parasitic noises. All this is inaudible once the music starts, but it still interferes with your favourites.
Four noise-reduction settings are available. Manual settings are cosy, moderate, and ultra. The smart setting chooses based on ambient sound level. AI reduces ambient noise. Honor is modest about what this AI does, but it does it well.
Comfort
Samsung’s Galaxy Buds 2 Pro: These headphones are comfortable. Their lightweight plastic construction improves long-term comfort.
Oval and thin, they’re discreet. This is an aesthetic advantage that allows them to be used on pillows.
Matte black rubber, three sizes should fit most. Samsung’s end cap attachment system isn’t standard for those who don’t fit. Third-party retailers sell compatible tips of various sizes and materials.
The Honor Earbuds 3 Pro are very comfortable. Their lightness and small size help them be forgotten quickly. Flexible tips ensure passive isolation and compatibility with most ears.
These rubber tips are dirt-resistant. Cleanup is easy. Their attachment is standard, so you can find different-sized and-material tips at third-party retailers.
Battery life
On the battery side, Samsung promises us, for its Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro, an battery life of 5 hours of listening, going up to 18 hours with the charging box. In communication, the brand tells us up to 3.5 hours on the headphones and up to 14 hours with the charging case.
On the battery side, the Honor Earbuds 3 Pro promise up to 6 hours of battery life with the noise reduction deactivated. If you want to use it, the autonomy will go down to four hours. With the charging case, Honor indicates an autonomy of up to 24 hours without ANC and 16 hours with.
App
Galaxy Wearable app
The Galaxy Wearable app on Android phones lets you configure Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro. Samsung smartphones have the app pre-installed.
On the homepage, we can switch between active, transparent, and passive noise cancellation. Touch controls, voice detection, and 360 Audio can be quickly activated. In 360 Audio, head tracking can be enabled or disabled. The headphones’ settings include an equaliser. You can’t manually adjust it; you must use presets.
AI Space app
The Honor AI Space app lets you configure features like taking periodic temperature, active noise reduction, and headphone touch controls.
This app checks the tip size to ensure optimal noise reduction. We miss having an equaliser to customise the sound. The AI Space app is not available on iOS. To connect iPhone headphones. Even without customization features, you won’t miss much.
Conclusion!
The Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro headphones are great. They have good sound quality and a good battery life for their size. The noise reduction in the background is also very good. The only bad thing is that the sticky coating on the charging case is very easy to break.
The Honor Earbuds 3 Pro are the brand’s most expensive headphones. Even if their sound quality is very good, their ability to actively block out background noise leaves a lot to be desired. When we add that the Honor Earbuds 3 Pro don’t have an iOS app, they become less interesting as a product to recommend.
The price difference between the two earbuds is significant, the Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro likely to cost $229 and the Honor Earbuds 3 Pro ultimately cost $170 USD. So ultimately samsung is the winner here.
