“The description in the listing states that there is a high resolution codec in these earbuds That is a pretty broad simple description. Simply using "Hi-Res" doesn't really suffice. Is it AptX? LDAC? Is it some sort of new proprietary codec by Samsung?”
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The hi-res codec on the Galaxy Buds 4 (and Buds 4 Pro) is Samsung's proprietary Samsung Seamless Codec (SSC), specifically the SSC UHQ (Ultra High Quality) variant. It supports true 24-bit/96kHz hi-res audio when paired with compatible recent Samsung Galaxy devices (e.g., Galaxy S23 series and newer, Z Fold/Flip 5/6/7, Tab S9 series with One UI 6.1.1 or later). Samsung officially lists the supported codecs as: SSC (Samsung Seamless Codec) HiFi SSC UHQ (Samsung Proprietary) — this is the hi-res one AAC, SBC, LC3 (fallback options) This is 100% proprietary to Samsung — it's not a standard codec like LDAC (Sony), aptX (Qualcomm), or anything open. It only unlocks full hi-res on Samsung phones/tablets; on other Android/iOS devices you're limited to AAC/SBC/LC3 (no true hi-res). Samsung's own product pages and press releases confirm: "Galaxy Buds4 feature Hi-Res Audio with the Samsung Seamless Codec (SSC) supporting up to 24-bit / 96 kHz." "SSC UHQ (Samsung Proprietary)" So yes — it's Samsung's own ecosystem-locked codec, just like previous generations (Buds 3 Pro, etc.). No changes there for the Buds 4 series.
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