Well, another day, another reason why the Samsung Buds 4 Pro are my favorite earphones. It seems no matter what I do, I’m forced to double down on my love for these over the Sony XM6s. Just yesterday again, I was walking outside and the sound randomly broke up again. Yes, it came back right away, but this keeps happening during my walks outside 2-3 times. The next thing that the Sonys keep doing, which is something I’ve seen from them before, is the random deactivation of Google Voice commands. It’s not acceptable to need this to function, and yet it doesn’t. Too many times this keeps happening; it will even say at times, “Google Assistant isn’t active at this time.” It works one moment, and then randomly you find yourself calling out the commands over and over and raising your voice, only to look and sound like an idiot as it never activates.
But when I pick up my Samsung and walk in the same areas, no sound drops, and every single time I give a command, it responds, so I know it’s not my phone or Google itself. Even the voice command on Samsung (which is highly underrated, works better than any other, and is one of the best features ever) works all the time. Having that work and being dependable means everything to me, way more than having 0.5 better ANC or 0.5 better sound quality in the mids. And this is before you get to the issue with how overcomplicated the fit is for the XM6s that I have mentioned and the extra head pressure it creates from the venting that still isn’t exactly right when compared to the Samsung. Not to mention all the extra steps I have to take just to get my Buds 4 Pros on. I can take my 4 Pros on and off three times before I can get the Sonys in my ears and sealed correctly just 1x . And that’s being generous.
I really regret my conclusions about the Sonys. I truly liked my time with them overall before all the issues. I’m also a person who would prefer buds over AirPods clone looks. I love the battery life protection feature the Sonys have as well. And lastly, I don’t want to be like most people. Walking through the airport, all you see are AirPods or AirPod-like earphones, which the Samsung Buds 4 Pro basically are. I don’t want this, and YET they’re the best earphones I’ve used in years for total fit, convenience, and reliability. They still have great sound and great ANC. I can be honest enough with myself to admit greatness, even when I’d rather it be found elsewhere.
It’s amazing how much effect something you wish were something else has. Its performance is so great that it overrides your preference and forces you to admit that it’s the best for you. It’s like eating vegetables. You might not like them more than candy, but it’s still a proven fact that they’re healthier for you. You learn to love what is good for you. So when this direction is taken by something, you know the direction is earned. It wasn’t biased. As of now, unless something tragic happens to my Buds 4 Pro, the Sonys will be the ones taken back, sadly, even though they were the ones that checked the most boxes: Best sound, Best ANC, Best battery life, Best phone call quality, Best app, Best features.
I think I could have gotten over the fit and the convenience of putting them on. But when they stop functioning randomly, especially for a feature I truly find useful and needed (Google Voice and music skipping in 2026), then it changes everything. Even now, I sit here questioning my life choices on this. I’ve never had an item check this many boxes and yet be the one returned. It makes zero sense to me. And I’ve never picked the one that’s just “great enough” in sound, ANC, and battery life over the best in these areas just because they were more convenient in their operations and fit. All of this is new territory to me, and yet here I am. And yes, I can totally understand why someone would not take the stance I’m taking. It all seems very stupid on paper. The Sonys clearly have the most. But I guess it’s more about weight. Comfort, reliability, and convenience weigh on different scales of priority for different people.
Look, I get that my complaints aren’t major issues for most people. Sure, you can just touch the earphones for more than 2 seconds to activate voice control, if it doesn’t tell you it’s not active, that is. Sure, you can bring your codec back down to SBC or AAC over LDAC to get them to stay connected in busy areas. None of my complaints are groundbreaking or deal-ending issues for most people.
For me, though, these are issues I’ve seen happen before, but in 2026 they don’t warrant the same patience I once had. Brands like Technics, Sennheiser, and Samsung, all within the last couple of years, have had zero, or at most one, issue or complaint. Basically, just do what you say you can do. Not sometimes, but every time. It’s 2026, for goodness sake. I get that the Samsung Buds 4 Pro aren’t perfect either, but they work better, are more comfortable, and are more convenient in the things they do.
The only thing I found it didn’t do was connect to my old Samsung tablet and my Ultra 25 for multipoint. It says it’s not compatible with my older Samsung tablet, which in my opinion shouldn’t happen; it’s Samsung and therefore should connect with both devices. I can make it connect to the tablet at the cost of my phone, but it won’t allow both to connect at the same time like I thought they advertised it doing. But maybe they meant newer devices only. Who knows. So if you need an issue about them… there you go. I still have more use and ease of use from them than my Sonys. So this is the verdict for sure. The Sony XM6s are going to be returned in favor of the 4 Pros, aka “Silver Surfer.”
Tech-N-Things 