Why the Galaxy Buds 3 inevitably looked like AirPods, according to Samsung’s design exec

Following this Wednesday’s Unpacked event, Samsung held an intimate roundtable with the press to answer our most burning questions. These are often the best opportunities to dig deeper into the minds of those in charge of industrial design decisions, software features, and general product philosophy.

Also: Samsung just unveiled its new Galaxy Buds 3. Here are the features I’m most excited about

In a conversation with Patrick Chomet, VP and head of customer experience, the Samsung executive was asked about the new Galaxy Buds 3 and 3 Pro — specifically, how the earbuds were receiving backlash online because of their striking resemblance to Apple AirPods. The fearless question was met with a fearless answer. 

“I don’t care,” Chomet first responded. “My only answer is: Is it good for customers or not? Our job is to make good things for our customers.” From my initial look and listen of the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro, the design benefits are certainly there.

“The sound is even more amazing because we have more space to update the speaker and subwoofer,” Chomet lauded, with the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro featuring dual amps (one for bass and one for high tones) and frequency response support of up to 40kHz, twice that of the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro. Overall, you have a pair of earbuds that sound fuller and more powerful and have a wider spectrum for fine-tuning.

The stem design, which Samsung refers to as “blades,” also gives the Galaxy Buds 3 series better directional audio — a feature that switches seamlessly between active noise cancellation and transparency mode depending on whether someone is talking to you or sirens are blaring down the street — due to the microphones on both earbuds now pointing closer to your mouth.

Perhaps more importantly, Chomet said, the design of the Galaxy Buds 3 series should make them more universally comfortable to wear — in ways, admitting that Apple nailed the ideal earbud form factor since the first-generation AirPods. 

“People have very different ears, and they wear earbuds differently. So depending on very slight variations of how they wear them, the performance of the device can decrease,” as Chomet reflects on the bulb-shaped design of previous Galaxy Buds models. 

Also: Samsung’s new Galaxy Buds 3 look nearly identical to Apple AirPods – and that’s a good thing

As someone who’s tested just about every pair of Samsung earbuds, including the bean-shaped Galaxy Buds Live and original Gear IconX, comfort and fit have been a longstanding issue that I’m glad the company is finally tackling — even if it’s doing so at the cost of some initial pushback from the public.

To Samsung’s credit, the new Galaxy Buds aren’t exactly a carbon copy of the AirPods. They also feature built-in LED strips that pulse when they’re being charged or are in pairing mode. “We believe there is a future with gesture interactions, and the LED light is an area where Samsung can innovate,” Chomet said.

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