Here’s why sales of the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro have been suspended

It’s been weeks since Samsung launched its new flagship wireless earphones, 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.

Just over a week after its launch, the tech giant has decided to withdraw its new premium headphones from sale. Currently, customers cannot pre-order the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro from retailers such as Best Buy or Amazon. On Samsung’s own website, the shipping date has changed from July 24th to August 28th.

According to Samsung in a statement provided Android Authority (read the full statement), quality control issues are responsible for the decision. As such, the company has temporarily stopped deliveries to its retail partners. The company also issued a statement to buyers in its home market apologizing for the quality issues while offering a replacement or refund.

Samsung says it will conduct a “full quality control evaluation before shipping to customers.” It also states that any customer who already owns the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro should contact Samsung or visit their nearest Samsung service center if they experience issues.

What problems do customers face?

When people started getting their hands on the company’s new premium headphones, some issues were discovered. These problems started with just the tips of the ears, but other problems have since been discovered.

Fragile ear tips have been one of the most talked about issues so far. Several reports on Reddit and YouTube claim that the ear tips can tear when you try to remove them from the headphones. The problem seems to be with the hard plastic ring at the base of the silicone eartips that snap onto the earcups for a snug fit. However, Samsung has posted a support page with instructions for users on how to safely remove the ear tips. Users can also contact Samsung for a replacement if their ear tips have already been damaged.

In the past few days, one of South Korea’s top tech reviewers posted a video listing the various issues he discovered. The reviewer, known as ITSub on YouTube, purchased ten sets of Galaxy Buds 3 Pro. Here are the problems he found:

• The surfaces of the headphones were not flush with the contour.
• The lower parts of the stems had uneven seams.
• The headphones sat in the case at different heights.
• Some holsters had a sticker on the hinge that other holsters did not have.
• There was already dust on the tips of the ears before they were taken out of the case.
• Residues of blue and orange dye were found on the surfaces of the headphones on two pairs.
• One of the headphones had a chip or dent near the LED area.
• The top of the LED light is rounded on most of them, but in two cases the LED light appeared to be cut straight.

You can see some of these issues in the images below. The first picture shows the right earpiece sitting higher than the left. In the second picture we see uneven coloring around the lower part of the stem. The next image shows the LED problem, while the last image shows blue dye residue on the ear tip.

SoundGuys, our sister site, also found an issue with Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) and the new Siren Detect feature. Siren Detect is designed to allow sirens and alarms to pass through ANC so users can be aware of their surroundings. However, this feature was found to be largely redundant as the buds allow all kinds of distracting noise to interrupt the listening experience. After putting the headphones through several tests, they found that the ANC on the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro is only able to block 76% of external sound. For comparison, the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro can block up to 84% of outside noise.

It is important to note that the issues seem to only affect the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro. There doesn’t seem to have been any news about the Galaxy Buds 3 base model.

As mentioned, there have been many reports on Reddit and YouTube. It’s unclear how widespread these issues really are, as availability is still fairly limited.

In the ITSub video, of the ten Buds 3 Pros that the YouTuber purchased, eight were white and two were silver. The issues discovered in the video seem to be with the white variant. According to the reviewer, three out of 10 units had build quality issues that were bad enough to be worth sending back to Samsung.

Will the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro start shipping again?

Samsung said it has “suspended the supply of Galaxy Buds 3 Pro devices to distribution channels”. However, you shouldn’t worry too much. The supply suspension is only a temporary measure that the company is putting in place to give it time to assess build quality issues with the buds. Samsung should resume shipping once this is complete. On its own website, the manufacturer lists August 28 as the new shipping date, signaling that it expects to eventually resume shipments.

Can I get a refund for my order?

Not all customers have problems with the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro, but if you have a problem with the headphones, Samsung offers several solutions. The company recommends sending the headphones back to stores for a replacement. But if you just want your money back, Samsung also offers a refund.

When Samsung first announced the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro, the company took a lot of flak (rightfully so) for copying the design of Apple’s AirPods. Although it is not a direct imitation, they are very strongly inspired by the design philosophy of the Cupertino company. As a result, Samsung has found itself in a position where it will be questioned right out of the gate.

While there aren’t really any differences of opinion on performance, the build quality issues aside from the lack of ANC can’t be ignored. In addition, more and more problems seemed to emerge before Samsung finally decided to temporarily stop shipments.

Overall, we’d say it was a nightmare launch for a product that underwent a drastic design change. Adding fuel to the fire, these are supposed to be Samsung’s flagship headphones. A recall due to the poor build quality of its premium product is beyond embarrassing for a company that has been in this space for years.