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Samsung launches the Galaxy Buds FE, brings ANC to the budget range
- Samsung has launched the Galaxy Buds FE.
- The Galaxy Buds FE comes with three sizes of ear tips, two sizes of wingtips, a case, and a few features like ANC.
- The Galaxy Buds FE will be available in Graphite or White for $99.
After a bevy of leaks from leakers and the company itself, Samsung has officially launched the Galaxy Buds FE. These true wireless earbuds (TWS) are the latest earbuds to come from the tech giant since the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro was released in August 2022. The new hardware introduces a budget tier to the Galaxy line, and here’s everything you need to know about them.
Galaxy Buds FE: Design
Samsung’s new “Fan Edition” earbuds hearken back to the original Galaxy Buds, while the charging case seems to take more inspiration from the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro. Bringing the focus back to the earbuds, they feature a circular design with an ovular antenna/touch interface in the middle and two holes where the outer microphones are. On the ear-facing side, you’ll see two pogo pins for charging, a touch-sensitive sensor, an ear tip, and a speaker.
To further cement its inspiration, the Buds FE is bringing back something we haven’t seen since the original Galaxy Buds and the Galaxy Buds Plus — wingtips. The wingtips are there to provide better stability and comfort. You’ll also be able to switch between two different sizes of wingtips. We should also add that the Buds FE comes with three different sizes of ear tips.
These budget-tier earbuds will offer a variety of features, one of the more notable ones being active noise cancelation (ANC). Not even the Pixel Buds A-Series, the main competition, offers ANC. In addition, you can expect to get an Ambient Sound mode, Voice Assistant, Voice Wake-up, easy pairing and Auto Switch, and SmartThings Find with Lost Mode in case you lose them.
Galaxy Buds FE: Performance
As for performance, the earbuds by themselves will provide up to nine hours of playback time with ANC turned off. You’ll lose about three of those hours with ANC turned on. With the wired USB-C charging case, you’ll get 30 hours with ANC and 21 hours with ANC. They will also have a bit of water resistance with an IPX2 rating.
You can see the full specs in the table below.
| Galaxy Buds FE specs | |
|---|---|
Colors | Graphite White |
Battery | Play time: (ANC on/off) Buds: 6hr/9hr Case: 21hr/30hr |
Features | Active noise cancellation Ambient sound |
Connectivity | Bluetooth 5.2 Auto switch SmartThings Find |
Dimensions | Buds: 17.3mm x 19.3mm x 22.2 mm Case: 50mm x 27.5mm x 50mm |
Weight | Buds: 5.8g Case: 40.2g |
Speaker | 1 way |
Microphones | 3 (2 outer, 1 inner) |
Water resistance | IPX2 |
Compatibility | Android iOS Samsung TVs (2022 or newer) |
Voice control | Voice assistant Voice wake-up |
Charging | Wired |
Galaxy Buds FE: Pricing and Availability
The Galaxy Buds FE will be compatible with Android, iOS, PCs, and 2022 Samsung TVs or newer. You can pick up a pair in Graphite or White for $99. These earbuds will be available at select carriers on October 5 but will also be available on Samsung.com starting on October 10.