If Apple’s curious announcement of two different AirPods 4 versions with and without active noise cancellation this week hasn’t made you reconsider your decision to buy a pair of new Samsung earbuds ahead of the holiday season, now might be the best time to go for either the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro or the “vanilla” Galaxy Buds 3.
The company’s latest non-Pro AirPods alternative comes with top-notch noise-cancelling skills as standard, and for a limited time, you can knock down its $179.99 list price to as little as 60 bucks with a $30-worth gift also included.
As you can imagine, you will need to meet a key special requirement to save a grand total of $150 (when also considering the retail value of that nice freebie). Namely, you have to trade in a pair of Samsung‘s super-premium Galaxy Buds 2 Pro from 2022 in “good” condition, which is something many prospective Galaxy Buds 3 buyers are likely to find difficult to fulfil for a number of different reasons.
While the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro are the only product evaluated at the maximum $100 trade-in value, you can also ditch your old first-gen Galaxy Buds Pro or non-Pro Galaxy Buds 2 in exchange for a $50 Galaxy Buds 3 discount. Apple’s AirPods 2, meanwhile, can save you 75 bucks, with “other” wireless or wired audio headsets (regardless of make or model) dropping the Galaxy Buds 3’s price by only $20.
$20 is also what you can “instantly” save even without a trade-in right now, which means that Samsung’s hot new Galaxy Buds 3 currently start at $159.99 instead of $179.99. And with a Buds case cover bundled in at no additional cost, you’re clearly looking at an excellent Discover Samsung Fall deal here whether you’re willing to jump through some hoops or not.
Eerily similar to Apple’s industry-leading AirPods on the surface, the Galaxy Buds 3 promise to deliver an “immersive” audio experience with the help of super-advanced technologies like Galaxy AI and an Adaptive Equalizer that aims to personalize your sound based on how you wear your earbuds.
“All-day” comfort, stellar battery life, and IP57 water and dust resistance are other key selling points here, especially at all these hot new discounts. Unfortunately, repairability is a bit of a problem, and for some hardcore Samsung fans, that unoriginal design is a big no-no.