Samsung Galaxy Buds3 FE Review: Better AirPods for Android

I’ve been very impressed pinch Samsung’s third-gen wireless earbuds. The Galaxy Buds3 Pro ($190), which were released successful 2024, were a coagulated AirPods Pro competitor for Android owners. Now, they’ve been joined by nan Galaxy Buds3 FE, a caller entry-level exemplary that looks astir identical to nan Buds3 Pro but trades distant a batch of bells and whistles for a much accessible price: $150.

The Pro’s high-tech LED “blade” lights are gone, arsenic is caput tracking, auto-pause, dual drivers, wireless charging, and afloat waterproofing. What matters much is what Samsung kept: a very comfortable fit, awesome sound quality, and amazingly bully ANC, transparency, and telephone quality. In short, nan Galaxy Buds3 FE get nan astir important worldly right.

Like each Samsung Galaxy wireless earbuds, immoderate of their much absorbing features are exclusively disposable erstwhile utilizing Samsung Galaxy phones (and don’t moreover deliberation astir buying them if you’re on an iPhone), which narrows their prospective market. But if you’re a true-blue Samsung instrumentality connected a budget, nan Galaxy Buds3 FE are a awesome group of wireless buds.

Midrange Gems

Though Samsung calls them Galaxy Buds3 FE—you’d people presume that intends they switch 2023’s Galaxy Buds FE ($100)—they’re really a benignant of midrange option. Samsung is keeping nan Buds FE astir (and maintaining nan price), which I deliberation is simply a awesome idea. The original Buds FE are still excellent, and now you’ve sewage 2 different fresh options: nan older, button-style, and nan newer AirPods imitation shape. As a bonus, if you opt for nan Buds3 FE, you get amended h2o and particulate protection: IP54 versus IPX2.

Between nan 2 FE models, I’ve sewage to springiness nan comfortableness grant to nan Buds3 FE. With little wide successful your receptor and nary silicone stableness fin wrapped astir nan circumference, it’s a gentle, easy feel. If you’ve ever tried nan Galaxy Buds3 Pro, Apple AirPods Pro, aliases similarly shaped, stem-based models, nan Buds3 FE should consciousness instantly familiar. However, that besides intends they aren’t precisely rock-solid for high-impact activities for illustration running. This is wherever nan original Galaxy Buds FE still person an edge: Twist them into spot and it’s improbable they’ll budge unless you want them to.

Samsung isn’t very generous pinch receptor extremity sizes. Beyond nan preinstalled mean tips, you only get a mini and a ample size successful nan box—the caller AirPods Pro, for example, springiness you 4 pairs. Make judge you usage nan fresh trial successful nan Samsung Wear app erstwhile you get nan earbuds connected. I thought nan mean tips felt OK, but nan trial prompted maine to effort nan large, and it was right: They gave maine a amended fresh and a tighter seal.

Speaking of what’s successful (or not in) nan box, Samsung, for illustration Apple, nary longer includes a charging cable. You astir apt person astatine slightest 1 USB-C cablegram already, but if you don’t, you’ll request one.

Moving to nan stem-based creation brings pinch and swipe gestures to nan FE family. Samsung borrowed this strategy from Apple’s AirPods Pro, but nan triangular style of nan Galaxy Buds’ stems tin make these controls a small harder to usage than Apple’s. You do get utilized to them, however, and overall, I deliberation they’re an betterment connected nan first-gen Buds FE’s touch controls—especially utilizing nan up/down swipe motion to power volume.

Samsung’s AirPods

Sound value connected nan Galaxy Buds3 FE is outstanding. It not only compares good to different earbuds astatine this price, it holds up to galore much costly models. The sound signature is robust, pinch fantabulous consequence crossed frequencies. The debased extremity is resonant yet snappy, nan mids and highs are clear and detailed, and nan soundstage has a pleasing magnitude of width and depth.