C. Scott Brown / Android Authority
It has been weeks since Samsung launched its new flagship wireless earbuds, and a lot has happened since then. Sales of the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro have now been suspended, but how did it get to this point? Let’s take a moment to break down what happened, the issues customers are having, if they will start shipping again, and more.
What’s going on with the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro?
C. Scott Brown / Android Authority
Only a little over a week after launch, the tech giant decided to pull its new premium earbuds from sale. Currently, customers are unable to pre-order the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro from retailers like Best Buy or Amazon. On Samsung’s own website, the shipping date has changed from July 24 to August 28.
According to Samsung, in a statement provided to Android Authority (read the full statement), quality control issues are responsible for the decision. As such, the company has temporarily halted deliveries to its retail partners. The company also issued a statement to buyers in its domestic market apologizing for quality issues, while offering exchanges or refunds.
Samsung says it will conduct “a full quality control evaluation before shipments to consumers take place.” It also states any customer already in possession of Galaxy Buds 3 Pro should contact Samsung or visit their nearest Samsung Service Center if they are experiencing issues.
What issues are customers experiencing?
When people started getting their hands on the firm’s new premium earbuds, certain issues were discovered. These problems started with just the ear tips, but more issues have been discovered since.
The fragile ear tips have been one of the most talked about issues so far. Multiple reports on Reddit and YouTube claim that the ear tips can rip when attempting to remove them from the earbuds. It appears the problem is related to the hard plastic ring at the base of the silicone ear tips that latches onto the earbuds for a snug fit. However, Samsung did publish a support page instructing users on how to remove the ear tips safely. Users can also contact Samsung for a replacement if their ear tips have already been damaged.
In recent days, one of South Korea’s top tech reviewers released a video listing the various issues he discovered. Known as ITSub on YouTube, the reviewer purchased ten sets of Galaxy Buds 3 Pro. Here are the issues he found:
- The surfaces of the earbuds were not flush across the contour.
- The bottoms of the stems had uneven seams.
- The earbuds sat at different heights in the case.
- Some cases had a sticker on the hinge that was not present on the other cases.
- The ear tips already had dust on them before they were pulled out of the case.
- Blue and orange dye residue was found on earbud surfaces on two pairs.
- One of the earbuds had a chip or dent near the LED area.
- The top part of the LED light is rounded off on most of them, but there were two instances of the LED light appearing to be cut straight.
You can see some of these issues depicted in the screenshots below. The first image shows the right earbud sitting higher than the left. In the second image, we see uneven coloring around the bottom of the stem. The following image shows an issue with the LED, while the last image shows the blue dye residue on the ear tip.
SoundGuys, our sister site, also found an issue with the active noise cancelation (ANC) and the new Siren Detect feature. Siren Detect is designed to allow sirens and alarms to pierce through the ANC so users can stay aware of their surroundings. However, it was found that the feature was largely redundant as the buds allow all kinds of intrusive noise to interrupt the listening experience. After putting the earbuds through some tests, they discovered that the ANC on the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro are only capable of blocking out 76% of external sound. For comparison, the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro can block out up to 84% of outside noise.
How many people are affected?
Hadlee Simons / Android Authority
It’s important to note that issues seem to only extend to the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro. It appears there haven’t been any reports about the base model Galaxy Buds 3.
As mentioned earlier, there have been numerous reports on Reddit and YouTube. It’s unclear how truly widespread these issues are as availability is still fairly limited.
In ITSub’s video, of the ten Buds 3 Pro the YouTuber purchased, eight were of the white colorway and two were of the silver colorway. It appears that the issues discovered in the video were with the white variant. According to the reviewer, three out of the 10 units had build quality issues that were bad enough that it was worth sending back to Samsung.
Will the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro start shipping again?
Samsung did say that it has “suspended deliveries of Galaxy Buds 3 Pro devices to distribution channels.” You shouldn’t worry too much, however. Suspending deliveries is just a temporary measure the company is enacting to give it time to assess the build quality issues with the buds. Samsung should resume shipping as soon as this is completed. On its own website, the manufacturer lists August 28 as the new shipping date, which signals that it expects to resume shipments eventually.
Can I get a refund for my order?
Not all customers are experiencing issues with the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro, but if you do have a problem with your earbuds, Samsung is offering a couple of solutions. The company recommends sending your earbuds back to stores for a replacement. But if you just want your money back, Samsung is also offering refunds.
Our two cents
Ryan Haines / Android Authority
When Samsung first announced the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro, the company took a lot of criticism (rightfully so) for copying the design of Apple’s AirPods. Although they aren’t a direct imitation, they are very heavily inspired by the Cupertino firm’s design philosophy. As a result, Samsung put itself in a position to be questioned right out of the gate.
While there aren’t really any dissenting opinions about the performance, outside of the lacking ANC, the build quality issues can’t be ignored. On top of that, it seemed more and more issues were being discovered before Samsung finally decided to temporarily halt shipments.
Overall, we’d say that this has been a nightmare of a launch for a product that got a drastic design change. Adding fuel to the fire, these are supposed to be Samsung’s flagship earbuds. A recall due to the poor build quality of its premium product is beyond an embarrassing look for a company that’s been in this space for years.
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