For those who are hard of hearing or struggle with hearing loss, hearing aids are a lifeline to the world, enabling users to navigate the commotion of everyday life. But there's a major downside to them: they're ludicrously expensive. A pair of over-the-counter hearing aids can easily soar past the thousand-dollar mark, with even some of the more affordable options still rivaling the leading true wireless earbud brands on price. All of which may lead people in need of an auditory enhancement to ask, "Why not just use the ambient mode on my Samsung Galaxy Buds?"

It's a fair question. The explosion of true wireless earbuds ushered in by Apple's release of the original AirPods has made the form factor ubiquitous and affordable. Moreover, earbuds such as the Samsung Galaxy Buds2 Pro and Buds3 Pro include an ambient mode that lets in outside noise to allow the wearer to hear their surroundings. It's a logical next step to assume you could buy one device and use it for dual purposes, enjoying the superior audio playback of a true wireless earbud while using its ambient mode as a hearing aid. In fact, Apple got its AirPods Pro 2 certified as hearing aids retroactively this year. Why shouldn't Samsung Galaxy users be able to benefit similarly?

However, things aren't that straightforward. Crucially, while some Galaxy Buds models do have hearing enhancement features meant for those with hearing loss, they are not certified as hearing aids for clinical purposes. The Galaxy Buds3 Pro are excellent earbuds that won our Editor's Choice award. Here's what they can  and cannot do to help you hear better.