Galaxy Buds 4 and 4 Pro will bring huge upgrades all around

Samsung launches high-end Galaxy Buds once every year and a half, and it is planning to launch the Galaxy Buds 4 and the Galaxy Buds 4 Pro early next year alongside the Galaxy S26 series. Months ahead of their launch, the design and several features of the Galaxy Buds 4 series have leaked.

The Galaxy Buds 3 and the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro brought a major change, featuring a stem design similar to the AirPods lineup. With the Galaxy Buds 4 series, the South Korean firm is optimizing that design further by flattening the stems (instead of being triangular) to improve the gestures.

The renders of the Galaxy Buds 4 Pro found in the code reveal that the overall design is now more compact and curvier. This change was spotted by Android Authority in One UI 8.5 code. Moreover, Samsung seems to have ditched the Blade Light (LED lights) design for its upcoming wireless earbuds.

The company has also switched from a vertical charging case to a design that sits horizontally, similar to the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro (and earlier models). This is a welcome change, as the charging case of the Galaxy Buds 3 and the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro had to be held in an upright position when you need to open it. This change makes it easier to drop the earbuds into the case and to take them out.

The charging case has a button beside its USB Type-C charging port, and double-clicking it allows you to ring the paired phone so that you can find it when it is misplaced. There also appears to be a slit on the other side of the charging port, and we think it is a speaker that can help you find the charging case when you misplace or lose it.

Samsung is also introducing head gestures with the Galaxy Buds 4 series. You can nod or shake your head for several things, including the following:

Several other animations spotted in One UI 8.5 also reveal that the Galaxy Buds 4 series features 360 Audio, Adaptive Noise Control, Phone Locator, and Quick Pairing (with a phone or tablet).

All of this signs to a huge upgrade compared to the Galaxy Buds 3 series. When Samsung launched the Galaxy Buds 3 and the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro, it seemed like the company blatantly copied the AirPods design and made minor changes to it. However, the company seems like it is setting things right with the Galaxy Buds 4 series.