Galaxy Buds FE in a short test: This is what Samsung’s affordable in-ears with ANC sound like

Samsung has been offering smartphones and tablets with the “FE” suffix for a long time. These are comparatively cheap variants of the South Korean manufacturer’s current premium models. According to Samsung’s own statements, they want to build a “bridge to the premium sector” with these.

In short: Anyone who buys an FE product should be encouraged to go straight to the higher-priced Galaxy S or Galaxy Tab next time. Apparently the concept is working, because Samsung is now expanding it to its in-ear headphone series with the Galaxy Buds FE.

Price and availability

The Galaxy Buds FE have been available in Germany since mid-October 2023 and cost 109 euros. You can still get two Buds FE in the Samsung Store until November 6th for a price of 199 euros. On Black Friday, the price of the headphones could even fall below the 100 euro mark.

At Buy Galaxy Buds FE*

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That sounds like a tempting offer. Compared to the other current Galaxy Buds models, you hardly have to make any compromises in terms of functionality.

Difference to Galaxy Buds 2 and Co.

The Buds FE come with a charging case, offer active noise cancellation (ANC) and can even be located via the Smart Things network. An equalizer is also available in the app. However, Samsung uses a single driver in the in-ears, while two-way speakers are used in the other current Galaxy Buds models.

You also have to do without the option of charging the headphones wirelessly and the cheap buds also don’t support 360-degree audio.

Is it still worth buying? At the invitation of Samsung, Netzwelt was able to try out the Buds FE at a press event in Schwalbach just in time for the market launch. Below we will describe our impressions to you.

Design and workmanship

At 19.2 x 17.1 x 22.2 millimeters, the Galaxy Buds FE are about the same size as the Galaxy Buds 2. However, there is a special feature in terms of design. The headphones have a small edge ex works. If you turn it 45 degrees after inserting it into your ear, it gets caught in the ear, which is supposed to ensure a more secure hold – especially when doing sports. In fact, the in-ears were rock solid in our short test.

If you don’t like the projection or don’t need it, you can swap the attachment Samsung calls the “wing tip” for one without the projection. A corresponding attachment is included with the Galaxy Buds FE.

You can also find additional attachments for the in-ears here, in sizes S, M and L. You can check how well the earplugs fit in your ear canal using the Galaxy Wear app. There you will also receive information on how you can improve the seat. A good fit is particularly important for the ANC function. More on that later.

Samsung Galaxy Buds FE in pictures

This is what the Galaxy Buds FE look like.

Overall, the workmanship appears solid. However, the IP rating of IPX2 is lower than that of the sister models. So the Buds FE are not waterproof, just waterproof. The IP rating corresponds to protection against water droplets that hit the Buds FE from an angle of 15 degrees. We would therefore not recommend prolonged jogging in the rain with the Buds FE.

The Buds FE are only available in black and white. It remains to be seen whether Samsung will offer additional colors like it did with the Buds 2. This will probably also depend on the success of the product.

Hearing test

In the short listening test, the Buds FE surprise with a decent sound. If you like, you can even increase the bass using the equalizer. Deichkind’s riot and Remmidemmi gave us a real boom in our ears in the short test. We would still recommend that audiophile users choose a more expensive model. If you only want to listen to music occasionally while jogging or on the bus or train, you should be happy with the Buds FE.

Especially since the active noise cancellation did a good job in the short test. The babble of voices in the projection room was almost completely hidden. The headphones also offer an optional ambient mode, which amplifies ambient noise and is intended to enable conversations without you having to remove the in-ears.

Controls and functions

You can determine which mode you want to use via the Galaxy Wear app. Alternatively, a light touch on the touch field of the in-ears is enough to change. Incidentally, Samsung has now separated this more clearly from the rest of the case and made it tangible with a different coating. This is intended to avoid accidental entries. It can also be operated using the in-house voice assistant Bixby. However, Alexa or the Google Assistant are not supported.

The Buds FE offer many convenience features of more expensive models – such as automatic switching between different audio sources. However, this only works with compatible Samsung devices. These include cell phones and tablets with One UI 3.1 or higher, all of the manufacturer’s smartwatches since the Galaxy Watch 4 and Samsung televisions that were released in 2023. All devices must have been previously connected to the Buds FE. You also need a free Samsung account for the feature.

This is also required for the location function. This is done via the manufacturer’s Smart Things Find network, which, according to Samsung, has 300 million users worldwide. You can also store your contact details here, which will then be displayed to the finder of your device.

The in-ears can only be paired with Android cell phones and tablets that have Android 8 or newer and at least 1.5 gigabytes of RAM. Individual functions such as locating Samsung headphones via Smart Things even require Android 9.0.

Battery life

Samsung specifies the battery life without ANC as 8 hours and with ANC activated as 6.5 hours. With the charging case, it can be increased to 30 or 21 hours. We were unable to check this information in the short test, but we will do so in the detailed test report.

Netzwelt means

Anyone who has previously been negative about in-ears and now wants to explore the topic will find the Galaxy Buds FE a solid entry-level model. The price is fair, the range of functions is large, the sound and the ANC are satisfactory in school grade terms.

We liked that

• Large range of functions
• Good fit in the ear

We didn’t like that

• Many features require a Samsung account

Alternatives

As is often the case, Samsung itself is its biggest competitor. The Galaxy Buds 2, released in 2021, are now available for the same price as the Buds FE and offer better sound and wireless charging. Other alternatives in this price range are the Soundcore Liberty 4 from Anker, which support LDAC and can measure your heart rate. The Nothing Ear 2 are also definitely an alternative, especially for fans of a rather unusual design.

A notice: The costs for travel and an overnight stay were covered by Samsung. This has no influence on reporting. You can find out more about this in our transparency guidelines.