Tech-N-Things

Boy, this was a good shootout! I’m blessed to have both right now and to have had time with them during my hype stage and my realistic stages. I’ve had my moments where my preconceived thoughts were proven wrong, and I’ve had my insight when the truth hit me, and there really wasn’t a point in arguing over it. Strap in, guys… This is going to be good!

Let’s start off with the Samsung Galaxy buds 4 pro earphones. Honestly speaking here, they are sexy to me. And this comes from a person who hates L-shaped AirPod clones’ design. Speaking of Airpoods, can we just take time to give them props? They are once again shaping all other companies’ direction to the point that companies like Huawei and Samsung and many others just gave up and flat out copied their controls and shape of their earphones. Samsung on this design, used a metal strip and a slightly thicker rectangular stem that helps the controls be more achievable.

With this design comes comfort. So of the two sets between Sony and Samsung this is the biggest and most likely the most repetitive subject of people who pick Samsung over Sony, Comfort and fit. The 4 pros are just so easy and effortless to wear and put in that I could do this 3x before I gain the proper fit, position, and establish an optimal entry into my ears with the Sonys xm6’s.

But after this and the honeymoon stage where I found the sound so very good, the ANC really nice, phone call quality, and features like translator app options so cool. It reads my text message(if you have a Samsung phone). It has a multi-point connection( if you have a Samsung phone). It has Gemini and voice recognition for hands-free actions. Even has 7 hours of battery life and a decent phone call quality (if you have a Samsung phone). All these things work for me because I do have a Samsung phone. So yay me.

And then after I finished watching all the cool reviews and testing out all the features, reality came back when I entered a Barnes and Noble store with both my Sony and Samsung buds in my pocket. I sat down to write my next chapter in my book and immediately was thankful that I had brought my earphones. The noise was too much. I reached for the Buds 4 Pro instinctively. Easy to put in, of course, right. I turned on the adaptive ANC, and the noise remained. It was cut by 50% but didn’t end. I could even hear it with my music playing. So that was very disturbing. So I went to the ANC at full power, and that got me to the level that I could still hear people and noises, like the crying baby, but it was not as noticeable when I started my music. So the ANC got me where I could “function.” But after about 20 minutes or so, I started to eye my Sonys. I started to wonder if I could get that silence that both brag about, or would the ANC be only equal to what I was getting or worse. So I put in the Sonys……

And bam! Silence dropped yet another step, and everything was completely gone while my music was playing. When I stopped the music, it was cutting out almost as much as the Samsung Buds 4 Pro did while playing music at the same time. The music was richer, the soundstage was wider, and the tonality and timbre were realistic. It was easier to get into the music and zone into my writing than it was with the Samsungs.

So then the questions hit: What are we really doing here? Sonys have true multiple points, read my text, have hi-res on any Android phone with LDAC, have DSEE on any phone, have voice activation with Gemini hands-free on any Android phone, have 10-band EQ on any Android phone, have 9 hours battery life, the best ANC, the best sound, and have better and quicker controls with touch controls (I hate pinch controls), and better phone call quality. So what is there to talk about? 

It truly comes down to fit. Do the Sony earbuds fit your ears? If not, none of this matters. If they do fit your ears, none of this stuff matters. Look, the Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro are an excellent set of Bluetooth earphones, but they don’t last against the Sonys. They compromise far too many things that the Sony earbuds accomplish. The Sonys even have a battery protection option to ensure your XM6s last for longer. There are just too many dependable factors that have to remain in the ecosystem of the Samsung, and even if you do have one, they come in second to the Sonys in almost every category but fit. This is the reality. If the Samsung Buds 4 Pro came out first and then the Sonys launched, nobody would even look back at the Samsung Buds 4 Pro. And the biggest thing most don’t want to accept is that Samsung is impressive because they “get close” to the top. They never reach it or take the lead in any area but fit. And that’s the simple truth. So there really isn’t a competition here in truth, but more of a competition in hype and the newest kid on the block excitement. They did a great job, sound great, fit great, and look great. But they are not the best, nor do they check the most boxes..