When the Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro review arrived in my inbox, I was relieved to see that the $200 earbuds require an expensive Samsung Galaxy smartphone to be fully functional.

Yes, some key features in the Galaxy Buds Pro's repertoire are only compatible with Samsung devices running the latest Android skin, OneUI 3.1. Currently, it is one of Samsung's new Galaxy S21 models, two Galaxy Tab S7 variants... And that's all it means.

As with many things in the world of technology, Apple was first to do this; the Galaxy Buds Pro's main competitor, the AirPods Pro, features an impressive digital surround sound mode called Spatial Audio. The AirPods Pro can be paired with almost any Bluetooth-enabled source device, but to actually use Spatial Audio, you need an iPhone 7 or later with iOS 14. [The Galaxy Buds Pro, however, takes manufacturer exclusivity to a new level. Samsung's Spatial Audio equivalent, 360 Audio, not only requires OneUI 3.1, but also the headphone's superior ability to automatically switch between multiple sources. The same goes for the ability to synchronize audio captured from the earphones' microphone with simultaneously recorded video, which could be a breakthrough for amateur videographers.

Under normal circumstances, this would be considered a clutch of outstanding features; Android will finally get a proper Spatial Audio rival, and automatic source switching will solve one of the lingering annoyances of trying to use multiple devices with a single pair of headphones would have been a great thing. Instead, these bonuses are a source of frustration for the roughly four-fifths of smartphone owners who do not have a Samsung device.

Let's be fair here: neither Apple nor Samsung would have written original software to make their respective features work, and neither is obligated to share that work with competitors. But now that we can buy a pair of Bose or Sennheiser earphones and have them work perfectly with almost anything, tying a seemingly stand-alone product like headphones to a particular high-end smartphone is leading us down an unwelcome new path.

For one thing, it's unfair: if you buy AirPods Pro or Galaxy Buds Pro but don't have the right phone, you're getting something cheaper than a complete pair of headphones. But you are still paying the same price as someone who has access to everything, and the only way to improve that is to put more money into each ecosystem.

Not even a small amount. Currently, the cheapest OneUI 3.1 device is the Galaxy Tab S7, priced at $699. If you want something that fits in your pocket, it's the Galaxy S21 for $799.

In fact, it wasn't until last week that 360 audio and auto-switching could be enabled; the Galaxy Tab S7 was still running an older version of OneUI, and the Galaxy S21 series just started shipping on January 29. This means that anyone with a non-Samsung Android phone, as well as anyone who purchased a Galaxy Buds Pro between now and the January 15 release date, will be walking around with an earpiece that only partially works.

The manufacturer's proprietary features also smack of cynical marketing. Apple and Samsung hope that headphones will contribute to cell phone sales, but they also seem to recognize that by limiting important features, they may not only attract consumers, but also put them off. Samsung only clarified the hardware requirements for 360 audio in a footnote to the press release.

This smacks of a willingness to let consumers buy the product first and discover the (intentionally imposed) limitations later. Jajahn: Now they are in a sunk cost dilemma where the only way to make the most of their new purchase is to drop more cash on a smartphone.

I'm not suggesting that there is some diabolical scheme with a mustache to trick consumers into wasting their money. Leaving the technical details to footnotes and support sites is not the same as actively misleading people. However, it is clear that they are hesitant to be fully up front about the costs involved in realizing the potential of a particular product.

I am also concerned, as a music fan and a techie, if these companies are really making headphones to succeed on their own. Instead, they increasingly appear to be designed as elaborate, commoditized marketing schemes for the real popular product, the smartphone.

The optimistic view is that headphones still need to be good products to attract buyers and make the system work. In fact, both the Galaxy Buds Pro and the AirPods Pro have many other advantages that make them worthy of purchase.

But even if future models like the AirPods Pro 2 get better and better, they will still overstate the current situation. We are still being offered a high quality product that we can't fully enjoy without spending a few hundred dollars more on something completely different.

There is nothing wrong with wanting to create headphones with new and unique features, and headphones are an area where there is plenty of room for innovation. However, if the manufacturer is charging a large sum of money, the deal should end when that money is exchanged. As exciting as these new features are, adding more barriers in an attempt to sell the phones will only mean that fewer and fewer people will be able to enjoy these inventions.