Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro just leaked — first look at AirPods Pro rival

Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro
(Image credit: Evan Blass)

A few days ago, we’ve heard about a new version of Galaxy Buds that Samsung is likely to launch alongside its upcoming Galaxy S21 phone in January. And now, thanks to a leak, we’re getting our first good look at the Galaxy Buds Pro.

The images comes courtesy of super leaker Evan Blass, who tweeted out official-looking renderings of the rumored earbuds. In a subsequent post, Blass summarized data from earlier reports on the Galaxy Buds Pro, which figure to offer active noise cancellation, matching a feature found in the popular AirPods Pro.

Previously, rumors indicated that the earbuds Samsung was working on would be called  Galaxy Buds Beyond. But recent FCC filings confirm the Galaxy Buds Pro name.

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Blass's leak suggests that the Galaxy Buds Pro will resemble the original Galaxy Buds or Galaxy Buds Plus instead of the bean-shaped Galaxy Buds Live launched in late summer. The matte surface surrounding a small glossy panel of the Buds Plus seems to have been abandoned, however, for a glossy surface throughout.

These aesthetic changes don't flow all the way to the earbud case, however, as the Galaxy Buds Pro 472mAh battery charging case resembles the Live model, instead. 

Galaxy Buds Pro

(Image credit: Evan Blass)

Blass's leak also indicates that the new Galaxy Buds Pro may offer Active Noise Cancellation, a feature the Galaxy Buds Plus didn’t have. Since these earbuds go inside the ear, it's likely they'll offer a better seal to make this feature worthwhile. Blass’s leak didn’t go into much further detail about additional specs to anticipate from the Buds Pro, so there isn’t a lot of information on what will be done to improve upon Samsung’s previous releases.

Galaxy Buds Pro

(Image credit: Evan Blass)

Unfortunately, there's also no pricing information just yet for the new Buds, though we have some sort of idea when they'll arrive. The Galaxy S21 range is rumored to be making a January 14 debut, and it's likely the Buds Pro will arrive alongside the phone. 

We’ll have to keep waiting for any official word from Samsung about its launch plans, but for now, it looks like the Galaxy Buds Pro should be able to contend with Apple’s AirPods Pro — at least in terms of their base set of features.

Brittany Vincent

Brittany Vincent has been covering video games and tech for over 13 years for publications including Tom's Guide, MTV, Rolling Stone, CNN, Popular Science, Playboy, IGN, GamesRadar, Polygon, Kotaku, Maxim, and more. She's also appeared as a panelist at video game conventions like PAX East and PAX West and has coordinated social media for companies like CNET. When she's not writing or gaming, she's looking for the next great visual novel in the vein of Saya no Uta. You can follow her on Twitter @MolotovCupcake.