Oppo has launched its “zero-feel crease” foldable, the Find N6, but while we knew it was unlikely to launch in the US, it’s a shame to discover that the promised “global” launch is also leaving Europe out in the cold. Instead, the Find N6 will go on sale from March 20th across what the company called its “key markets” in Asia, along with Australia and New Zealand.
It’s a shame, because like the Find N5 before it, the N6 looks to be one of the best foldable phones yet. The standout feature is of course its crease, which I looked at in detail last week. Helped by a liquid 3D-printed hinge column, it’s the shallowest crease I’ve seen on any foldable phone — by quite some way — and is genuinely difficult to either see or feel. The crease isn’t quite gone entirely, but it’s close enough that it’s now unlikely to bother anyone.
The Find N6 isn’t quite the thinnest foldable yet — that’s the Honor Magic V6 — but at 8.93mm and 225 it’s more or less the same size and weight as Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 7, and Honor’s phone is barely a hair’s width thinner anyway. The Magic V6 also has a larger battery, though the 6,000mAh silicon-carbon capacity of the Find N6 is not to be sniffed at, and should be plenty to make this comfortably a full-day device.
The cameras look like the other area where the phone may excel. The triple rear camera system includes a 200-megapixel main camera and 50-megapixel ultrawide and telephoto cameras, all using Samsung sensors. The fourth lens is the same color spectrum sensor Oppo introduced on last year’s Find X9 flagships, which enjoyed excellent cameras, and though the camera bump is large, Oppo has worked hard to keep it relatively flat and flush with the phone.
A seven-core variant of Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 powers the phone, which comes with 16GB of RAM and 512GB storage. The only real area where Oppo has lagged behind is dust protection: The Find N6 is IP56, 58, and 59-rated, which means it has excellent protection from water but lags behind Google’s Pixel 10 Pro Fold and the latest Honor foldable when it comes to dust.
Oppo is launching the Find N6 alongside a new AI Pen stylus, which works on both inner and outer screens and charges via pogo pins in an accompanying case, which in turn charges wirelessly from the phone. There are also a few new software tricks: Multitasking is expanded with the addition of up to four freely resizable floating windows, all of which are kept active at once. Oppo has also said that it’s working with Google to bring AirDrop support to the phone, which should come in a future software update to join the existing suite of macOS and iOS integrations, including file sharing and screen sharing.
In China, the Find N6 starts from ¥9,999 (about $1,450) for a model with 12GB of RAM and 512GB storage, but the 16GB model equivalent to the global release is ¥10,999 ($1,600). The AI Pen and its case cost an extra ¥499 ($75).
Good news for those who have been keeping up with Rob Kardashian even after the reality TV star stopped appearing in Keeping Up With the Kardashians scenes a decade ago.
He's potentially ready to…
Price: $34.99 - $29.95 (as of Mar 17, 2026 09:01:17 UTC – Details)
Product description
Package Dimensions : 4.29 x 2.2 x 2.17 inches; 1.6 ounces Item model number : CLN-MULTIMANE-1P Date First Available : June 7, 2022 Manufacturer : Clean Nutraceuticals ASIN : B0B3GBJJGW Best Sellers Rank: #2,588 in Health & Household (See Top 100 in Health & Household) #11 in Vitamin B7 (Biotin) Supplements Customer Reviews: 4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars (7,875) var dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction; P.when(‘A’, ‘ready’).execute(function(A) { if (dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction !== true) { dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction = true; A.declarative( ‘acrLink-click-metrics’, ‘click’, { “allowLinkDefault”: true }, function (event) { if (window.ue) { ue.count(“acrLinkClickCount”, (ue.count(“acrLinkClickCount”) || 0) + 1); } } ); } }); P.when(‘A’, ‘cf’).execute(function(A) { A.declarative(‘acrStarsLink-click-metrics’, ‘click’, { “allowLinkDefault” : true }, function(event){ if(window.ue) { ue.count(“acrStarsLinkWithPopoverClickCount”, (ue.count(“acrStarsLinkWithPopoverClickCount”) || 0) + 1); } }); }); Advanced Collagen Pills for Women and Men – MultiMane Collagen Capsules include essential multi collagen pills (types I, II, III, and IV), biotin vitamins for hair skin and nails, keratin, and hyaluronic acid supplements and more. Forget the hair mask for dry damaged hair and growth and keratin hair mask. Clean Nutra has finally created unmatched collagen supplements for women and collagen for men that contain both type 1 collagen and type 2 collagen in each collagen pill. The Hair Growth Vitamins You’ve Been Looking For – Score 6 full-dose hair growth supplement products in one! Our hair vitamin contains a full biotin supplement, collagen supplement, vitamin C, vitamin E, folate (vitamin B9), and saw palmetto for men in a convenient 3 capsule dosage! Don’t settle for plain old collagen peptides capsules, hair vitamins, multi collagen capsules, biotin 5000mcg, or saw palmetto for women that just have one or two ingredients. We made collagen for women better. MultiMane Keratin and HSN100 Blends – With 6 full hair growth vitamins for women and collagen for hair growth included above, our formula also contains hair and nails vitamins for women such as hyaluronic acid capsules, pumpkin seed, MSM, PABA, glutathione, apple cider vinegar, a dht blocker for women hair growth and dht blocker for men! These 16-in-1 skin vitamins for women are packed with collagen vitamins, marine collagen capsules, biotin capsules, hyaluronic acid pills and collagen complex. All-In-One Hair And Nail Vitamins – MultiMane is overflowing with potent collagen type 2, collagen peptides pills, biotin pills for hair growth, and more hair vitamins for women. Clear out those countless hair supplements for hair growth women in your supplement cabinet, and replace it with just one simple serving of collagen capsules for women and collagen pills for men using this 16-in-1 formula from Clean Nutraceuticals. Enjoy quality collagen for skin by taking multi collagen peptides. Vetted and Trusted Ingredients – We pride ourselves in offering quality collagen, biotin for hair growth, protein pills for women, and prostate supplements for men. These hair growth support pills are made in a registered and certified facility and conquer alternatives like biotin oil, collagen tablets, biotina de 10000 mg, biotin 5000, saw palmetto gummies, saw palmetto shampoo, keratin hair treatment, and hair masks. This is an uncontested vitamin for hair growth for women.
I will never forget Florida Panthers coach Paul Maurice raising the Stanley Cup for the first time.
A coach in the NHL since 1995 when he took his first bench boss gig with the Hartford Whalers at the age of 28, Maurice finally captured Lord Stanley’s Mug in 2024. The most beautiful trophy in sports was passed to him mid-interview; he paused what he was saying, grabbed the Cup and lifted it, delivering one of the longest and most satisfying exhales in sports history.
Even if you weren’t a Panthers fan, in that moment you were thrilled for Maurice — a guy who devoted his life to hockey and finally achieved his dreams.
There have been a few such iconic moments in NHL history. The most famous example is Ray Bourque winning the Cup with the Colorado Avalanche in 2001 as Joe Sakic made the most famous “pass” in hockey history, not even raising the Cup before delivering it to Bourque’s awaiting hands. Lanny McDonald retired a champion with the Calgary Flames in 1989 and was the subject of my favorite hockey photo ever, a perfect example of how arduous it is to win the Cup and how blissful it feels to finally do it:
Every year, hockey fans love to identify a veteran who hasn’t won the Cup yet to cheer for in the playoffs (particularly if their team doesn’t make the postseason). Who has the feel-good story? Who has been in the league for so long that you believe they deserve one?
Some label it the OGWAC, or “old guy without a Cup.” The same year Paul Maurice first won it in 2024, Kyle Okposo also was one of the strongest OGWAC candidates. He won his first Cup with the Cats after an 18-year career with the New York Islanders and Buffalo Sabres.
Here are my OGWAC picks for this season as we march toward the Stanley Cup playoffs:
Could this season be it for the most majestic beard in the NHL and one the league’s most colorful characters? He will garner a lot of OGWAC votes as one of the few NHL players over 40.
The good news for Burns is that he plays for the Avalanche, the team that has the shortest odds to win the Stanley Cup, at +290 per DraftKings Sportsbook. Burns made a Cup Final with the Sharks and achieved playoff success with a Hurricanes team that just couldn’t get over the hump. Now, he’s a candidate to finally get a Cup while skating with the best team in the NHL.
What a story this would be.
Although Nick Foligno has captained two NHL clubs (Columbus then Chicago), he hasn’t played north of 10 playoff games in one season. He was part of that record-setting Boston Bruins roster in 2023 that dramatically lost in the first round to the Panthers. While playing for the Toronto Maple Leafs, he was the first guy to drop the gloves with Corey Perry after Perry landed an accidental but damaging knee on a prone John Tavares during the playoffs. Simply put, Nick is one of the great leaders in sports of our generation.
Now the 38-year-old, for the first time ever, is on the same team as his younger brother (34). They’re part of a stacked Wild team that is looking for its first Stanley Cup in franchise history. The image of the Foligno brothers hoisting Lord Stanley’s Mug in the air would be an all-time hockey photo.
The captain of the Stars also gets the “spent his entire NHL career with the same team” vote, truly becoming the heartbeat of the Stars’ franchise. He’s relatively young compared with some on this list, but the 36-year-old signed a one year, $1 million deal this past offseason to get another run at the Cup with Dallas. This would also produce a cathartic moment should the Stars win, since as captain Benn would be the one skating to the commissioner to grab the trophy first.
Benn captained the team to the Cup Final in 2020 and to conference finals runs in the past three seasons. Not many hockey fans would be disappointed seeing Benn raise the Cup.
“Reavo” will certainly gain votes from fans of his former teams for how much he has stuck up for star players in seasons past — and continues to do so for Macklin Celebrini, Will Smith and the other young Sharks this season.
Reaves, 39, scored the Western Conference finals-clinching goal for Vegas in 2018, sending the Golden Knights to the Cup Final; they ultimately lost to the Washington Capitals (giving Alex Ovechkin his first Stanley Cup).
The Sharks are fun to watch and firmly occupy that “second-favorite team” position for many hockey fans. So if San Jose does make a push and secures a playoff spot, it will no doubt get a lot of love, with Reaves earning some of the OGWAC vote.
Yes, the Wild have multiple candidates on the list!
In 2014, Zuccarello became the first NHL player from Norway to play in the Stanley Cup Final, in a losing effort for the New York Rangers. Although we are seven years removed from his last game in a Broadway Blueshirt, some Rangers fans still hold a soft spot for Zucc and would love to see him win the Cup.
I imagine that in the order of who gets to house the Cup first, Zuccarello might be at the front of the line on the Wild, right after captain Jared Spurgeon. Nick Foligno would probably be right behind Mats (Zucc wins out due to Minnesota tenure and both being similar in age — that would be my guess).
Honorable mentions
Although ineligible for the OGWAC classification, two other players who would certainly get attention chasing a Cup this spring are:
Corey Perry. This is simply due to the fact that although Perry, who is 40, won a Cup with the Ducks back in 2007, he has lost in the Cup Final in five of the past six seasons.
Connor McDavid. The “always a bridesmaid, never a bride” narrative is in hyperdrive after the Olympics. But that feeling has been there the past few seasons for McDavid, 29, simply because he’s the best hockey player on the planet. The NHL’s most team-friendly contract he signed in the fall is also a big factor in those high expectations.
This week, I’m locked in on two teams chasing a playoff berth after missing for the past few years:
The Columbus Blue Jackets sit one point back in the East wild-card race — but would be in first place in the Pacific Division. They host the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday, the New York Rangers on Thursday and the Seattle Kraken on Saturday before heading to Long Island to meet the New York Islanders on Sunday.
A win streak here would be quite beneficial, as they look to catch the Boston Bruins and Detroit Red Wings while staving off the teams behind them as well.
The San Jose Sharks climbed into the second West wild-card spot over the weekend; imagine an Avalanche-Sharks first-round matchup! That would be a joy to watch.
Macklin Celebrini & Co. visit the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday before hosting the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday and Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday. Those are two tough games against playoff-bound clubs, and then they’ll face a team begging for points at this point in the season.
Hart Trophy contenders if the season ended today
I’m starting to wonder how many Hart Trophy votes players such as Macklin Celebrini and Matthew Schaefer will get for how valuable they’ve been to their team. Maybe winning the Calder will be enough in the voters’ eyes for Schaefer, and even if the Sharks claim a postseason spot, Celebrini might not clear the sheer volume of points that the big three have (even though he’s a major reason the Sharks would make the playoffs in the first place).
My list remains unchanged, but wavering; I’m a big “literal definition of the Hart trophy” guy, and I’m monitoring the standings for that reason.
Connor McDavid has 111 points, including six points in his past five games, as the Oilers battle for the Pacific Division lead.
Nathan MacKinnon is at 109, with 12 points in seven games during March, including a four-point night against Seattle on Thursday, and the Avs remain on top of the entire league standings.
Nikita Kucherov is the only other player with north of 100 points in the NHL this season (106), and he had the most points in his past five games of the big three (10). The Lightning are four points back of the Sabres on top of the Atlantic Division.
What I loved this weekend
The Sabres and Maple Leafs are going in opposite directions. The Sabres are a “wagon” and likely playoff bound (finally!), while the Leafs are deliberating various stages of a rebuild/retool/revamp.
Ahead of the Sabres-Leafs matchup Saturday in Buffalo, Sabres coach Lindy Ruff was asked about the status of the long-standing tradition of hockey fans in Toronto buying up Sabres home game tickets (even against non-Toronto teams) given the new dynamic, which elicited a funny response from Ruff:
With the Leafs and Sabres having somewhat opposite seasons, Lindy Ruff was hoping Leafs fans might be willing to sell their tickets to Sabres fans in Buffalo 😂 pic.twitter.com/iPMmIbl3fB
Team USA’s official X account put out a preview post for Sunday’s gold medal sled hockey game against Canada and called the feud “Seated Rivalry,” an homage to the popular show “Heated Rivalry” on HBO. Sometimes you just have to tip your cap.
Congratulations to the under-10 C2-2 Kirkwood Stars from the Kirkwood Youth Hockey Organization in the St. Louis area, winners of the Blue Note Cup in 2026!
No. 56 Adeline McKenna is on the team; her father is former NHL goaltender Mike McKenna, who is also part of the Kirkwood coaching staff.
The team entered the competition with the No. 3 seed, had to win three games in a row to take the trophy and did, including a 4-3 victory over Lady Liberty.
“The improvement throughout the season was incredible,” coach McKenna said. “[We had] four players that came from the Learn to Play program. … They took off and became outstanding players.”
As noted by Apple, the AirPods Max 2 offer active noise-cancellation that’s 1.5 times more effective when compared to its predecessor. Transparency mode, which allows you to hear your surroundings while wearing the headphones, also sounds “more natural” with the AirPods Max 2, according to Apple.
The AirPods Max 2 support 24-bit, 48kHz lossless audio when connected with a USB-C cable, as well as offer up to 20 hours of listening time on a single charge. Other capabilities include loud sound reduction, a camera remote feature that works by pressing the digital crown to take a photo or start a recording, as well as a personalized volume feature that “automatically fine-tunes the listening experience” based on your preferences over time.
The AirPods Max 2 come in blue, black, and orange. You can preorder the headphones starting on March 25th, with availability starting “early next month.”
Amazon’s Big Spring Sale is coming soon, but you don’t need to wait until the sale actually begins to start taking advantage of deals, because they’re kicking off right now! We found an early Big Spring Sale deal on COSRX snail mucin.
And when prices this good come around on our favorite products, we tend to add to cart pretty quickly, and this COSRX deal is no exception. But don’t be scared by the name (or ingredients), because COSRX’s Snail Mucin 96% Power Essence is totally worth the hype.
This K-beauty fave provides long-lasting hydration, boosts skin radiance, soothes stressed skin, and visibly enhances clarity. What’s not to love?! For a limited time, it’s marked down to just $20.25, and there are even more favorites from the brand on sale.
More COSRX deals in Amazon early Big Spring Sale:
Shop all of these COSRX finds, plus a few more hydrating skincare deals we’re shopping during the sale, below.
Product Dimensions : 4.5 x 2.5 x 4.5 inches; 10.55 ounces Item model number : 631851987754 Date First Available : September 18, 2021 Manufacturer : Just Nutrients ASIN : B09GLQ78CS Best Sellers Rank: #54,833 in Health & Household (See Top 100 in Health & Household) #495 in Collagen Supplements Customer Reviews: 4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars (390) var dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction; P.when(‘A’, ‘ready’).execute(function(A) { if (dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction !== true) { dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction = true; A.declarative( ‘acrLink-click-metrics’, ‘click’, { “allowLinkDefault”: true }, function (event) { if (window.ue) { ue.count(“acrLinkClickCount”, (ue.count(“acrLinkClickCount”) || 0) + 1); } } ); } }); P.when(‘A’, ‘cf’).execute(function(A) { A.declarative(‘acrStarsLink-click-metrics’, ‘click’, { “allowLinkDefault” : true }, function(event){ if(window.ue) { ue.count(“acrStarsLinkWithPopoverClickCount”, (ue.count(“acrStarsLinkWithPopoverClickCount”) || 0) + 1); } }); }); Hydrolyzed Type I and III Collagen – Each serving of our premium collagen gummies provides support for hair, skin & nails.* Delicious Tropical Flavor – You’ll look forward to taking our Collagen vitamins everyday with the great tasting, all Natural Tropical flavor. Daily Vitamin Supplement for Women & Men – Formulated with premium Collagen to support healthy hair, skin, and nails for a vibrant, nourished look.* Natural Ingredients – Formulated with natural ingredients and contains No GMOs, No Gluten, No Soy and No Dairy. 90 Gummies Per Bottle – Each bottle contains 90 gummies for maximum value. Everyone can take advantage of our delicious Collagen gummies.
– Real Madrid president Florentino Perez is planning a major move to sign Bayern Munich winger Michael Olise in the summer, but Bundesliga leaders do not plan on letting him leave, according to Sport Bild. The 24-year-old’s contract runs until 2029 and doesn’t include a release clause, so Bayern feel no obligation to offload him. Liverpool also want Olise as they look for a possible successor to Mohamed Salah, who could soon leave Anfield.
– Arsenal have little intention of letting Riccardo Calafiori leave in the summer despite the defender being the topic of interest from Inter Milan, AC Milan, Juventus and Napoli, according to TEAMtalk. The Gunners are fully committed to keeping the 23-year-old, who is settled in north London and not actively looking to leave the Emirates. Interest from Chelsea has also been reported but Calafiori joining the club is seen as highly unlikely.
– Chelsea are lining up a move to sign Rayane Messi from Strasbourg, with the winger on loan at Saudi Pro League club Neom, reports TEAMtalk. Bayern Munich, Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain have also enquired about the 18-year-old but Chelsea’s owners, BlueCo, don’t want to see him leave their multi-club network. The plan had originally been for Messi to be integrated into Strasbourg’s first-team next season before heading to Stamford Bridge, but that plan is now being reviewed.
– AC Milan and Inter are among the clubs who will try to compete with Arsenal to sign Leon Goretzka as a free agent when the midfielder’s Bayern Munich contract expires in the summer, as reported by Calciomercato. Milan have already initiated contact with the 31-year-old’s entourage, while Inter are hoping to complete a move that would be similar to the ones they have previously completed for Hakan Çalhanoglu and Henrikh Mkhitaryan. Even so, Arsenal are the frontrunners to complete a deal.
– Marseille want to sign Jonathan David in the summer if they qualify for the Champions League but face competition from the Premier League, as reported by Tuttosport. While David would reject any offer from Olympique Lyonnais due to Paulo Fonseca being in charge of Les Gones, the 26-year-old has always been fascinated by the idea of playing in the Premier League. Nottingham Forest, Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United all made attempts to sign him in January.
EXPERT TAKE
OTHER RUMORS
play
1:37
Nicol: Max Dowman is just not normal!
Steve Nicol reacts to Max Dowman becoming the youngest goalscorer in Premier League history.
– Manchester City, Liverpool, Arsenal, RB Leipzig, Borussia Dortmund and several LaLiga clubs have been closely monitoring Newcastle United left back Lewis Hall. (Caught Offside)
– Crystal Palace and Leeds United both want Derby County and USMNT striker Patrick Agyemang. (Football Insider)
– Manchester City could sign Tottenham right back Pedro Porro for significantly less than his £70 million valuation. (Football Insider)
– Inter and AC Milan are both seriously considering a move for Manchester City defender Nathan Ake. (Caught Offside)
– Newcastle United could accelerate their plans to renew Kieran Trippier‘s contract amid fears that Tino Livramento could move to Manchester City. (Football Insider)
– Various clubs from England and Europe have contacted Liverpool about signing goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili permanently or on loan. (TEAMtalk)
– Rocco Reitz will join RB Leipzig from Borussia Monchengladbach for €20 million plus another potential €3 million in bonuses. (Florian Plettenberg)
– Juventus and Dusan Vlahovic are rapidly moving towards agreeing a new contract, with the striker’s current deal set to expire at the end of the season. (Tuttosport)
– Feyenoord and Wolves will speak to Bournemouth about signing Max Aarons at the end of the season, while Porto are also interested in the right back on loan with Rangers. (Ekrem Konur)
Argentina captain Lionel Messi was left disappointed after the cancellation of the Finalissima, regarding the match as a vital competitive opportunity, a source confirmed to ESPN.
The Inter Miami captain looked to approach the match in an ambitious manner as a serious final ahead of the World Cup and was not involved in the discussions that led to the cancellation, according to the source.
The match between Argentina, the winners of the CONMEBOL Copa America 2024, and Spain, the champions of the UEFA EURO 2024, was originally scheduled to be played in Qatar on March 27 before being canceled because of the ongoing conflict in the region.
“After much discussion between UEFA and the organizing authorities in Qatar, it is announced today that due to the current political situation in the region, the Finalissima cannot be played as hoped in Qatar,” UEFA announced on Sunday. “UEFA explored other feasible alternatives but each ultimately proved unacceptable to the Argentinian Football Association.”
CONMEBOL released a statement that said other venues and dates were considered, but UEFA rejected those options. The release said that the Argentine Football Association on Saturday “accepted the idea without objection, except for the date, suggesting March 31. Unfortunately, UEFA announced that holding the match on the 31st — just four days later than the original proposal — was not possible, and the Finalissima was cancelled.”
Contrary to other reports, however, Messi played no role in the extensive negotiation process that involved UEFA, CONMEBOL and the local organizing committees, a source confirmed to ESPN.
Samsung promised “more than a design refresh” for its new top-end Galaxy Buds – it added upgraded woofers for improved, dual-amped hi-fi sound, a new blade design, clearer call performance, and better noise cancellation. Ultimately, while the $249.99 Galaxy Buds 4 aren’t a huge leap forward over the previous model, they keep what was good about the Buds 3 and improve on most of what wasn’t — as long as you use Samsung Galaxy devices.
That’s because, much like the AirPods Pro 3 with Apple gear, the Buds 4 Pro still work best when paired with another Galaxy device. This unlocks all of the functionality of the Buds 4 Pro, including hi-res audio support, Gemini and Bixby voice wakeup, head gestures for call and Bixby control, the interpreter translation, Auracast, auto switch, and HD voice calling. Some of these are available with an Android device running the Galaxy Wear app, but for iPhone, Windows, and game consoles, the buds can only handle standard audio, calls, and toggling ANC on and off. It might be a good business decision, but it limits who can fully enjoy the Galaxy Buds 4 Pro.
One of the improvements I was happy to see from the Galaxy Buds 4 Pro over the previous version is a better, more consistent sound profile. I found the Buds 3 Pro to be a bit shouty, where certain frequencies in vocals stuck out more than they should. There was a similar problem with the high end, and I didn’t want to listen to them for long periods of time. But the Buds 4 Pro fixed that. The midrange in particular is smoother, which allowed me to just sit back more and enjoy Chris Cornell’s soaring vocals on “Black Hole Sun” and “Superunknown.” And Matt Cameron’s hi-hat helps to drive the groove while his cymbals punctuate rhythmic hits throughout without being piercing.
The bass levels on the Buds 4 Pro are right on the edge for me, and it really depends on the music whether it’s adding an extra driving punch or is overkill. The kick drum during the verses of Tracy Chapman’s “Fast Car” is a little more present than it should be, but it also gives an extra pulse and depth before the whole band comes in for the chorus. But the thumping toms and driving bass of “Uprising” by Muse is a bit too much for what I’m used to. It’s in no way excessive or out of control — and I’m sure many will love the extra low end and think I’m foolish— but it can start to cover some of the midrange presence. Luckily, it’s easily adjusted with a 9-band EQ in the app.
If you have a Galaxy device, the Buds 4 Pro support 24-bit / 96kHz hi-resolution audio from streaming apps that offer it (my app of choice is Qobuz). The differences are minor and depend on the track, but with Pink Floyd’s “Brain Damage,” the hi-res version was a bit more spacious. As the song opens up with the entry of the organ and fantastic backup singers, you can feel the individual character that each voice provides.
The 4 Pro use a dual-amp design with a tweeter and updated woofer.
Another point of improvement is the buds’ active noise cancellation. They do an excellent job with the low end, so rumbles of airplane engines while on trips will be properly tamed, and a decent job with the pesky midrange frequencies that almost all earbuds have trouble with. The performance isn’t quite as good as the AirPods Pro 3, Bose Ultra, or Sony WF-1000XM6, but it’s a significant improvement over the Buds Pro 3. In the app, it’s possible to adjust the intensity of both the ANC and transparency mode to give you more awareness options when out in the world.
The Galaxy Buds use an array of six microphones and a voice pickup unit that helps the mics focus on your voice, and during calls they do an excellent job isolating my voice and blocking out things like wind, traffic, nearby people, or loud noises. So much so that my friend wasn’t able to hear a car alarm across the street during our call, or any of the traffic as I walked down a busy San Fernando Valley street. The tradeoff was a hefty dose of compression added to my voice, but I was still easily intelligible.
For those with a Galaxy device, Samsung includes a super wide band for voice option, which increases the bandwidth of calls to 16kHz and can be turned on in the Buds 4 Pro menus. I recorded multiple phone call samples — one with the super wide band turned on with a Galaxy S26 Plus, one with it turned off (while still using the Galaxy phone), and one with an iPhone — all while I walked the same few blocks of a busy street during rush hour. The super wide band makes a minor improvement to vocal quality, but I only noticed it listening to the samples back-to-back. Is it nice to have? Sure. Critical for calls? Absolutely not. There’s no reason not to turn it on if you have a Galaxy device, but those without one aren’t missing much.
The Galaxy Buds still have the AirPods stem design they first adopted with the Buds 3, but Samsung made some changes that are for the better. The silly LEDs along the stem are gone, replaced with a metal strip Samsung refers to as a “blade design,” and they’ve added a third online-exclusive color, pink gold, to go along with white and black. The metallic strip looks as if it’s capacitive, but in fact is just decoration. The capacitive controls are on the sides of the stem and work with both swipe (for volume) and pinch motions (for ANC toggle, pause/play, track controls, assistant activation, and call controls). Which earbud controls what can be customized in the Buds 4 Pro settings on your device, if it’s Galaxy or Android.
There are only three ear tip sizes that come with the Galaxy Buds, while many other earbuds are starting to include additional smaller and larger options. I was able to get a secure fit with the medium tips, and I never worried about them coming loose even when I went on a run. And since the Galaxy Buds are IP57, they make a good set of workout earbuds.
The Galaxy Buds Pro 4 only come with three tip options, but with the right one, they fit very securely.
The clamshell case is compact enough for even small pockets.
Carried over from the Buds 3 is a transparent top charging case, so you can show off your earbuds as they charge (do people do this?). It’s a clamshell design with wireless charging that fits well into small pockets and is smaller than the cases for the AirPods, Sony WF-1000XM6, and XM5, and much smaller than the bulky Bose Ultra Earbuds.
Yes, the Galaxy Buds are still, much like Apple’s AirPods, essentially a device built primarily for a walled garden — that of the Galaxy ecosystem — but now their performance measures up far more favorably against those iconic earbuds. They sound really good, have ANC performance now worthy of their price, and — if you’re using a Galaxy device — include features like Auracast, high-res audio, and auto switch.
But that exclusivity means the Galaxy Buds 4 Pro aren’t for everyone. I certainly wouldn’t recommend them for an iPhone user (in the same way I wouldn’t recommend AirPods for anyone but an Apple user), and non-Galaxy Android users should also consider the Technics AZ100, Sony -WF1000XM5, or Bose Ultra Earbuds. For anyone with a Galaxy phone, though, the Galaxy Buds 4 Pro are the top choice.
Photography by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge
Follow topics and authors from this story to see more like this in your personalized homepage feed and to receive email updates.
Good news for those who have been keeping up with Rob Kardashian even after the reality TV star stopped appearing in Keeping Up With the Kardashians scenes a decade ago. 
