No one expects to experience a headset inflammation while wearing in-ear headphones, but this has been the reality of some Galaxy Buds Pro users. On samsung’s support forum and on platforms like Reddit, there are complaints from users experiencing this issue. And, no, none of them use the headphones in inadequate hygienic conditions.
The most complete account on the subject comes from Android Central. In the vehicle, Chris Wedel says he bought the Galaxy Buds Pro in March. When removed from the package, the headphones underwent an alcohol cleaning and then were tested for about 20 minutes.
At night, Wedel began to feel discomfort in his ears and the next day woke up with moist ears covered by crusts. After going a week without putting headphones on to recover, he returned to use the Galaxy Buds Pro and, hours later, began to feel uncomfortable in his ears again.
After this episode, Wedel became suspicious that the problem was caused by the headphones. After another week of recovery, he auditioned using only the left headset during a 45-minute video call. The irritation appeared again, but affecting precisely the left ear.
The problem is, this time, the reaction was more intense. There was an inflammation so severe that Wedel had to seek medical attention and get a treatment with medication. After recovering, he sought more information about the problem and found that he was not alone with this complaint.
Similar reports were found in this Reddit thread, for example. There are also cases in the Samsung Community, the brand’s support forum. Virtually all allergy or irritation complaints have galaxy buds pro headphones in common.
In contact with Samsung, Wedel was instructed to submit his medical records to prove the health problem he faced. No explanation was given, but at least the company offered a refund for the amount spent on the headphones.
There are reports of users who have also received reimbursement from Samsung on medical expenses. Despite this, the company has not publicly acknowledged any problems in the Galaxy Buds Pro line that provide inflammation or allergic reactions.
If payments for reimbursements and medical expenses are aimed at ridding Samsung of legal problems, this strategy did not work out too well. A collective lawsuit against Samsung was opened in the United States in August to address the problem with the Galaxy Buds Pro.
Although there is, at least so far, no official information on the cause of inflammatory or allergic reactions, the Chinese website ITHome suggests that to improve the noise reduction effect, the headphones in the line were designed to be very large. The suspicion is that this characteristic stimulates the skin of the ear canal and, consequently, generates irritation.
The materials used in the product can also be the cause of irritation, among them, the nickel that is used in the metal contacts of each handset.
To ITHome, Samsung acknowledged that the structure of the headphones can cause discomfort and therefore recommended that users clean the product regularly.
For those who have been uncomfortable with the use of the headphones, the guidance could not be different: stopping the use of the product and reporting the problem to Samsung support is the first step to get some solution.
