Key Takeaways
1. Charging Failures: Many Galaxy Buds 3 Pro users report issues with one earbud not charging, indicated by a blinking orange light and unchanged battery percentage.
2. Magnetic Sensor Problems: Users suggest that the magnetic sensor, which detects earbuds in the charging case, may be causing charging issues, requiring a temporary workaround that is not a true fix.
3. Damaged Charging Pins: Some users have found damaged or melted charging pins in the case, raising concerns about manufacturing defects and safety, especially following past incidents of devices catching fire.
4. Software Update Issues: A software update from October 2024 has been linked to the charging problems, with some users experiencing issues post-installation, though a global fix from Samsung is still pending.
5. Costly Repairs: Samsung service centers often blame problems on water damage, charging high repair costs, despite users claiming their earbuds were never exposed to water.
Samsung’s Galaxy Buds 3 Pro have received a lot of attention for their new design featuring “blade lights” on the stems. However, their reputation has been tainted by several quality control problems. Users have reported issues ranging from delicate ear tips to problems with high-pitched sounds. The biggest concern, though, is the increasing number of complaints about charging failures.
Charging Issues
Numerous Galaxy Buds 3 Pro owners have claimed that one of the earbuds fails to charge correctly. Signs of this issue include the charging case’s orange light blinking, notifications on the phone indicating the earbuds aren’t charging, and the battery percentage for one earbud not changing. Further investigation shows that there may be multiple causes behind this problem, highlighting serious quality control issues.
Magnetic Sensor Problems
One user pointed to the magnetic sensor, which determines if the earbuds are in their charging case, as a potential cause of the charging trouble. They suggested a temporary fix, which involves “bringing the broken earbud close to the case so the magnet/sensor believes it’s inside” and then taking it out. The LED should blink, and you will get a notification saying “charging stopped.” Although repeating this process a few times has been said to help (at least for a while), one has to wonder if anyone would accept such a solution for a TWS priced at Rs 19,464 (USD 223) from Samsung. To sum it up, this barely counts as a fix for the problem with this product, even if it seems to work momentarily.
Damaged Charging Pins
Another user found that the charging pins inside their case looked damaged or even “melted.” Given that earbuds are low-energy devices and shouldn’t create much heat, this raises questions about possible manufacturing defects. There was also a troubling incident last year when a Galaxy Buds FE caught fire, which adds to the worries about Samsung’s quality control.
Software Update Concerns
In addition to hardware issues, a software update released in October 2024 has been connected to the charging problems. Some users noticed the issue only after they installed this update. While this implies that a software solution could be possible, Samsung has not yet provided a global fix. A recent update in South Korea (version R530XXU0AYB3) has sparked hope, but it’s unclear when it will be available in other regions.
Costly Repairs
Despite the apparent manufacturing defects, Samsung service centers have reportedly attributed many of the problems to water damage, charging customers as much as $180 for repairs. Users affected by these issues insist that they have never exposed their earbuds to water.
