The hardware improvement point of the new wireless earbuds, "Galaxy Buds4 Pro," is that it delivers hi-fi sound by expanding the effective area of the woofer (low-frequency speaker) diaphragm by about 20%.
Moon Han-gil, master at the Audio Group of the MX Division at Samsung Electronics, stated accordingly at a press briefing held on the 26th of last month (local time) at the Hyatt Centric Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco, United States.
Moon said, "To enlarge the effective area of the woofer diaphragm, we applied a 'super wide bezel-less woofer,'" adding, "By minimizing the bonding area and folding it to the side, we were able to use the entire woofer diaphragm as an effective vibrating area." Moon said, "Thanks to the expanded effective area, low frequencies can be reproduced more stably, significantly improving sound quality, and 'active noise canceling (ANC),' which emits an inverse-phase signal to external noise, has also been strengthened," adding, "It's the secret to simultaneously boosting hi-fi sound and noise reduction performance."
The keyword Moon repeatedly emphasized as the development philosophy running through the Buds4 Pro was "real use." Moon said, "Earbud performance is hard to fully convey with just figures or specs," adding, "Perception varies depending on who uses them, when, where, and how." Given the product's nature, in which surrounding noise, conversation environments, and changes in fit directly affect sound quality and ANC, Moon said the goal was consistent performance in daily life rather than a record high in controlled environments.
Moon pointed to the fact that wireless earbuds move slightly in the ear while walking, running, and talking as a key variable. Moon said, "If the fit changes, sound quality changes and ANC performance changes," adding, "Maintaining a stable fit for a long time is the first step to improving sound quality and ANC." To that end, Samsung Electronics secured ear-shape data from around the world to conduct 3D modeling and selected the optimal design through wear tests.
As an improvement over the previous model, Moon cited the perceived performance of the Buds4 Pro's ANC. Moon said, "Compared with the Galaxy Buds3 Pro, the biggest improvement is the perceived performance and stability of ANC," adding, "The previous model also received positive reviews, but as it became entangled with early quality issues, there were criticisms of ANC stability, and we focused on reducing the likelihood of malfunction to address this." Moon added, "Voice detection also distinguishes between external voices and my voice to respond only to my voice," noting, "We improved stability in a direction that minimizes cases of malfunction that occurred during actions like chewing."
Moon was cautious about plans to implement interpretation solely on the Buds. Moon said, "Interpretation requires a large language model (LLM), but model sizes are still large," adding, "It's difficult to put an LLM directly into wearable products." Still, Moon added, "We are well aware of the demand for interpretation using only Buds," noting, "We will continue analyzing market needs."
While mentioning higher semiconductor prices as the background for the price increase, Moon emphasized price competitiveness based on improved features. Moon said, "Semiconductor prices keep rising, so it's impossible not to be affected," but added, "Overall functions such as calls, basic sound quality, ANC, and artificial intelligence (AI) features have improved significantly." According to Samsung Electronics, the Buds4 Pro and the standard model (Buds4) each increased by 40,000 won compared with the previous models.
Moon also outlined the differences between the Buds4 Pro and Buds4. Moon said, "The biggest difference between the two models in appearance is whether they have ear tips," adding, "Buds4 Pro is an in-ear type with ear tips, and Buds4 is an open type without ear tips." Moon advised, "If you want an immersive 'music-centric' experience, choose the in-ear type; if you prioritize everyday comfort with less ear pressure, choose the open type." Moon added, "Structurally, the in-ear type is less affected by external noise and can be advantageous in perceived sound quality and ANC," but noted, "Key features such as call quality and the multi-AI agent experience can be considered similar."
Moon set the future call quality target for the Buds series at "better than a smartphone." Moon said, "In some scenarios, Buds can deliver better sound quality than making a call on a smartphone," citing windy environments as an example. Moon added, "We are consistently working to achieve call quality equal to, or better than, that of smartphones."