Samsung Galaxy Buds FE
With the Galaxy Buds FE, Samsung seems to have made all the right tradeoffs to deliver a set of budget wireless earbuds that offer great bang for your buck. You get good sound, long battery life, and surprisingly effective ANC. The only thing really missing is wireless charging.
Samsung Galaxy Buds 2
Samsung’s Galaxy Buds 2 are the company’s standard wireless earbuds, delivering balanced sound thanks to a dual-driver array, plus Samsung’s custom 360 Spatial Audio and some of the best active noise cancellation in their class. They also feature an attractive, understated design with some fun color options.
Samsung has builtquite a collection of wireless earbudsin recent years, and now it’s rounding that out with the newGalaxy Buds FE, an affordable new set of earbuds that join theGalaxy S23 FEandGalaxy Tab S9 FEin this year’s Fan Edition lineup.
The Galaxy Buds FE are the most inexpensive earbuds in Samsung’s lineup by far, making them the first time the company has dropped to the $100 mark — a price tag that might lead you to question whether they offer the same quality. While there’s no doubt Samsung has cut a few corners to get them down to this price, they still promise solid battery life, good active noise cancellation (ANC), and rich sound. Let’s take a look and see how they measure up against Samsung’s previously entry-level earbuds, the Galaxy Buds 2.
Price, availability, and specs
Samsung’s Galaxy Buds FE launched in early October at a retail price of $100 in Graphite and White and are available from Samsung and most other major retailers. While somesmall early deals have appeared, they’re unlikely to see significant discounts anytime soon.
The Galaxy Buds 2 first launched two years ago in Graphite, Olive, Lavender, and White, with a glossier Onyx Black version added in some markets in early 2022. They still officially retail for $150, although it’s not hard to find them selling for much lower prices.
Design and fit
Looking only at the cases, you could be led to believe Samsung’s new Galaxy Buds FE are relatively unchanged from the Galaxy Buds 2. They look remarkably similar on the outside, but once you open the case, it’s clear that the Galaxy Buds FE have changed things up in some interesting ways.
The Galaxy Buds FE have forgone the more rounded design of the Buds 2 and now feature flat sides that hearken back to the original Galaxy Buds. This is a move that could be seen as part of their Fan Edition status and makes for more intuitive controls, as the flat edges are easier to feel with your fingers. However, despite their appearance, these are still touch controls rather than clickable buttons, so the distinction also makes it easier to avoid accidentally triggering them when you’re inserting or removing the earbuds.
The newer earbuds also feature a wingtip design to keep them securely in your ears, something particularly helpful during rigorous activities like workouts. Your mileage may vary on how well the wingtips fit into your ears — we’ve seen mixed reports on this — but Samsung provides two different wingtip sizes for different ear types, along with three sets of eartips.
Colorways and IP rating
Although the Galaxy Buds 2 have a more understated look, these mostly unadorned round orbs are available in a wider variety of colors with shinier finishes. In addition to the standard Graphite and White, they are also available in Olive and Lavender, plus an even sleeker and glossier Onyx Black, which can be picked up in South Korea, Canada, and parts of Europe and the Middle East. This selection is a stark contrast to the Galaxy Buds FE palette, which is limited to Graphite and White.
Beyond their looks, the Galaxy Buds FE and Galaxy Buds 2 have the same IPX2 water resistance, meaning they can handle lightly dripping water and sweat, but we wouldn’t recommend wearing them in heavy rain. The cases and weights of the earbuds are basically the same, with only about a gram of difference between them.
Sound and call quality
Samsung’s Galaxy Buds 2 deliver a surprisingly pleasant sound signature for a set of earbuds in their price range, with two drivers in each ear producing bass-forward sound without being too boomy or losing its balance. This contemporary sound profile plays well with modern hip-hop and pop music, and while the sound is nowhere near as refined as more expensive earbuds, includingSamsung’s Galaxy Buds 2 Pro, the Buds 2 are quite good for the price.
We’ll have to wait for some more ears-on comparisons to find out how the Galaxy Buds FE stack up, but it’s worth noting that they move down to a single-driver configuration, so they are likely to sacrifice some sound quality for their lower price. Still, based on Samsung’s track record and some early feedback, they offer acceptably deep bass with a clean sound and likely punch a bit above their weight class thanks to better tuning of the drivers and some new sound processing algorithms Samsung has packed in.
This also carries over to call quality, where Samsung says it’s added an AI-powered Deep Neural Network to isolate your voice from background noise so people on the other end of the phone will be able to hear you more clearly. This should provide a noticeable advantage over the Galaxy Buds 2, which lack this extra AI processing, but it’s unclear how much of a difference it will make.
ANC between the two
Perhaps the most significant feature of the Galaxy Buds FE is Samsung’s active noise cancellation (ANC), which is a nice bonus in a set of true wireless earbuds at this price range. Three microphones pick up the sound around you and cancel it out, with two on the outside and one inside the earbud. There’s also an adjustable Ambient Sound mode, so you can hear what’s going on around you.
The Galaxy Buds 2 offer similar ANC and transparency features with differently-placed mics. From most of what we’ve observed, the two should be roughly on par when it comes to ANC — which is to say, not comparable to the best in the business, but very good for low to midrange wireless earbuds.
Software features and restrictions
The Galaxy Buds 2 and Galaxy Buds FE are evenly matched when it comes to software specs, with support for Bluetooth 5.2 and the same AAC, SBC, and Samsung Scaleable (SSC) codecs — a fair list for earbuds in this price range.
While there’s no true multipoint Bluetooth support, Samsung’s Auto Switch lets you seamlessly move your connection between devices, including Samsung TVs, smartphones, and tablets. The Galaxy Wearable App lets you tweak the equalizer settings, customize touch controls, and more. It’s available for any Android device, so you don’t need a Samsung phone to enjoy the Galaxy Buds 2 or Galaxy Buds FE. Samsung also offers a Galaxy Buds app for Windows 10 PCs and laptops.
Nevertheless, Samsung does restrict some features to its own Galaxy smartphones. Chief among these is 360 Audio, a spatial audio feature previously exclusive to the more expensive Galaxy Buds Pro butlater came to the Galaxy Buds 2 in a software update. The Galaxy Buds FE don’t get 360 Audio, but that may not be a huge loss as most reviewers have panned Samsung’s spatial audio as not measuring up to their expectations.
Battery life and charging
The Galaxy Buds FE fare slightly better in battery life, promising six hours on a single charge with ANC on versus five hours for the Galaxy Buds 2. However, overall time with charges from the case also only jumps by a single hour, with the newer earbuds delivering 21 hours compared to 20 hours. This gap is about the same with ANC off, where the Galaxy Buds FE can go up to 9 hours on their own, or 30 hours with the case, versus the Galaxy Buds 2’s 7.5 hours and 29 hours.
Both cases can be charged via USB-C, but only the Galaxy Buds 2 support wireless charging. That’s a corner Samsung cut for the Galaxy Buds FE, leaving USB-C as your only option.
Which is right for you?
While Samsung has made a few compromises to get the Galaxy Buds FE down to a $100 price tag, it seems to have made the right choices. The Galaxy Buds FE strike enough of the right notes to give the Galaxy Buds 2 a run for their money.
They offer a lower price tag, solid and pleasant sound, strong battery life, and all the important software and connectivity features of Samsung’s more expensive earbuds. The arrival of the Galaxy Buds FE puts the Galaxy Buds 2 in an awkward position by providing an even better option for budget-conscious consumers.
Best value
Samsung’s new Galaxy FE earbuds are some of the most affordable the company has ever released, but they sacrifice surprisingly little for their price tag. With a solid and well-fitting design, rich sound quality, and great active noise cancelation and battery life, the only thing you’re really missing is wireless charging.
The Galaxy Buds Pro 2 are inarguably superior to both of Samsung’s lower-priced options, which means those willing to jump from the Galaxy Buds FE to the Buds 2 will be more easily tempted to keep going all the way to Samsung’s premium Pro 2 earbuds. Nevertheless, while the Galaxy Buds FE make Samsung’s Galaxy Buds 2 a harder sell, they still have some advantages, including a more attractive design, wireless charging, and a dual-driver array for better sound. While these may not be worth an extra $50, the Galaxy Buds 2 are frequently found at lower prices, which could make them a more compelling upgrade.
Minimalist and colorful
The Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 are a strong pair of mid-tier true wireless earbuds that deliver good value, with a dual-driver array that provides a contemporary, bass-forward sound, solid ANC, long battery life, and wireless charging. They also feature an attractive minimalist design in a nice range of colors.
